Oregon ~ California Travels

We’ve passed through Washington State on our way south and the travels in Oregon have begun at Biggs as we follow the World War 2 Veterans Historic Highway.

A dark and cloudy day in Oregon

We had several rain showers on our travels this day so not a lot of sunshine to enjoy yet but that offers some drama when the sun shines through the clouds to highlight one of the mountains like this.  It did make for a dark day with all those clouds but travel was good.

John Day Fossil Beds National Monument

Now we’re passing rugged scenery more like that we might see in other states or those in our own back yard at home.  Don’t quote me but I think this may be part of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.  They were definitely interesting looking enough to take photos!

Stagecoach

Hallowe’en is a time of big celebrations in the U.S. Total consumer dollars spent is second only to Christmas and parties to celebrate are just behind NY Eve and the Super Bowl.  This quaint little shop attests to the interest with pumpkins décor well after Hallowe’en.

Belted Galloway

These cattle are the Belted Galloway and because I had only seen them in the UK before, I had to take this photo.  Their history is interesting; they did originate in Scotland but have been over in North America for many years, but just not often seen.  They are so distinct looking that they catch the eye.

La Pine, Oregon

We are now passing through several small communities in mid Oregon, including La Pine, Oregon, a community that offers some interesting rooftop carvings.  They may be chainsaw carvings and their blue sky above makes for warmer thoughts as we pass through La Pine.

Snow capped  mountain

Those who are familiar with my blogs, I apologize but I cannot take enough photos of snow capped mountain and this one is no exception. I do take these photos as we drive so not all allow for a nice framing with trees as this one does.  To the east of our travel through Oregon are many National Forests so the sights are likely to include mountains.

Fire damage

We drove several kilometres (miles) through the remains of forest fires.  These were being cleaned up by many crews working on them as we passed by.  Always sad to see but from what we did see, it didn’t seem to involve any homes.  

Klamath Lake

We pass the very large Klamath Lake as we approach Klamath Falls in southern Oregon.  It is the largest body of fresh water in Oregon and the source of the Klamath River.  Known for good trout fishing in the spring and fall, it is also a great source of algae used for food and medicinal purposes.  

Butte Valley Museum

The border crossing into different states is not marked other than welcoming signs, which I don’t always see, but California has a crossing we must pass through in order to check for agricultural pests. The one on Hwy 97 is just past the first small community of Dorris, in California.  The remnants at the south end of town is an old beehive burner which I featured in a previous blog through this area and the Butte Valley Museum likely has a lot of history to learn about.  That could be a stop another time.

Weed, CA

We’ve crossed into California and continue on Hwy 97 for about 50 miles to Weed, history of name given here.  This route leads us to I-5, which we will follow down through California for awhile.  We certainly have entered more traffic than we’ve seen over the past few days but it causes no problems and the drive continues into the dark.

One more day and we’ll reach the end of our driving for awhile.  The travel is enjoyable but the destination is a welcoming sight when we get there.