Category: Oregon

Camping at Topsy

The Klamath River winds in lazy arcs south from Klamath Falls through wide agricultural fields, but as it approaches the California state line, the canyons begin to close and the river becomes a torrent once again. Above this wild river, however, there are several dams, some involved in the controversy over fish, both salmon and suckers, farmers, and water. Topsy is one of the dams that may or may not be removed, but in the mean time, there is a delightful little campground along the eastern shore managed by the BLM.

Mo and I thought a short overnighter in the MoHo would be fun, so we drove about an hour from home to camp. It was the first time I had been on this part of the Klamath and I look forward to exploring it all a bit more someday. But for the time being, a simple overnight with a nice wide clean space on the lake’s edge, a great campfire, and a lovely cool morning hike was just perfect.

The pelicans are part of the Klamath basin, and this year it seems that there are more than usual. Kayaking Pelican Bay on the lake later in the week allowed us to slip in among some very large groups of juvenile birds, but on that day I didn’t take my camera. Here at Topsy, there were pelicans and ducks, several blue herons, ospreys, and other birds that I didn’t identify. The birdsong was great.

In spite of the heat, Abby was the only one who really cared to get into the green water. Because of all that farmland, or maybe because the water comes from the rich food source called Klamath Lake, there was a lot of algae and duckweed in the water. Abby swam and we lounged around in the late afternoon in the shade of huge ponderosas doing nothing. Nothing is really very nice sometimes!

Day 3 Highway 31 and Thompson Reservoir

After a couple of morning swims for Abby, we left Farewell Bend by 10:30 AM and traveled south on I-84 to HWY 20 heading west and on to HWY 395 South. Found the road near milepost 37 leading to Christmas Valley that I had noted the other day, found gas for 2.75 and then traveled HWY 31 (part of the Oregon Outback National Scenic Byway) south and west to Silver Lake.

USFS road 28 south led to Thompson Reservoir, where I spent a single night of relaxation. There is a loop road that goes to the campground at Thompson Reservoir and the more developed East Lake Campground. The route I took to Thompson was rough, with expansion strips in the pavement that were very rough for the MoHo.

The next morning I left the area using the southern portion of the loop passing East Lake Campground to hook back up to HWY 31. It was a much better road for the motorhome. Along the Outback Scenic Byway HWY 31 I drove through the Klamath Marsh National Wildlife Refuge, with lovely views of the Cascades in the west and wildflowers in the marsh.

The last leg home was via HWY 31 and HWY 97. For the time being, this adventure satisfied my need for a road trip.

Day 2 Dog days of summer

It is 7:30 in the morning and the temperature outside is about 83 degrees, probably as hot as it ever gets at my home, so I think to myself, “why am I here?” We awoke to bright sunlight and 77 degrees at 5:30 AM.  But the answer is easy, I needed a road trip.  I often need road trips, which is why I love having the MoHo!  Combining it with an opportunity to visit old time friends was a great reason to get out and on the road.
This day was spent relaxing, swimming, and walking, wtih three swimming sessions for Abby to keep cool.  I  finished one book and started another and we took one walk.  Mosquitoes are out here in the evenings, but not as much during the day, and there are nice breezes in the mornings.  Farewell Bend State Park is very well maintained with workers out and about, watering, trimming, and cruising around checking things.  The spaces are large and separated by nice hedges to maintain privacy.  The older part of the park has large trees, but only 20 amp power; the newer part with higher amps required for the AC doesn’t have the shade.  At this time of year, the amps were more important than the shade, for sure.  Still, I had to be careful not to use too many appliances at once so the breakers wouldn’t get tripped when the AC was running. Catfish loop has less privacy but does have 30 amp power.

I give people credit who tent camp and pitch a tent for just one night.  Too much packing and unpacking for me at this stage in my life. 

Day 1 Visiting old friends

With Sue busy finishing her work in California, I (Mo) decided to travel to Eastern Oregon and Idaho to visit old time friends from my pre-college days living in Columbia City, Oregon.  Abby is a great travel companion, and at 6am we left home and headed east via HWY 140 to 395N at Lakeview.  Lake Abert is a saline lake on the west side of the highway and it was surprisingly full for this time of year.  I found a side road off 395 that took off toward Christmas Valley to the west near milepost 36, and thought that it might be an interesting way to go back home on my return trip.  Although the weather was pleasant when I left home, by the time I was east of Drinkwater Pass on highway 20 things started to heat up.  It was 102 degrees when I reached Fruitdale, ID in the afternoon.

As I mentioned previously, Abby is a great travel companion, but her ability to follow the maps and read directions while I drive isn’t all that great.  Usually when Sue and I are together, one of us can navigate while the other one drives.  This time, going through Ontario, I got lost since I was having trouble reading the directions that I received from my friends while driving the motorhome.  When I left home, gas was 2.65 and I filled up in Fruitdale at 2.76 per gallon.  Certainly not anywhere as bad as things were a year ago for gas prices.
The late afternoon visit with my friends was delightful, catching up on old times and laughing.  I had a reservation for the evening at Farewell Bend State Park, about 25 miles north on I-84.  The campground wasn’t full, however, possibly because of the 102 degree weather!  I set up camp and turned on the AC and all was fine.  Abby went for a swim in the Snake River so she was happy.  One more time, she was like a kid in the water, refusing to come out because she was having so much fun.  I had to actually pretend to leave and get completely out of sight before she would reluctantly follow.
After her swim, we walked around the campground and I spent some time reading, had a simple sandwich for supper, with fresh lettuce from my friend’s garden, and built a campfire as the sun went down.  Of course, in the heat I really didn’t need it to keep warm, but I love the ambience of the fire when I am out camping.  I set the AC for 77 degrees and it went on and off repeatedly as the rig would heat up even during the night. All in all a good day, especially with the convenience of air conditioning and available electricity.

Day 6 Biking Diamond Lake

The John Dellenback trail around Diamond Lake is about 12 miles of paved, easy trail that circles the lake with no more than an 8 percent grade. We tried biking this trail over Memorial Day, but it was still snowed in too deeply to complete the ride. This time we left from the southern end of the lake, near the south boat launch and rode west to the Theilsen View campground, where we were stopped by snow in the spring.

It was a great ride, with Abby enjoying the small lakes for a cooling swim. We had her on the leash at the beginning of the ride, but with very few people on the trail, decided that she could run on her own. Abby is the kind of dog that doesn’t want to stray any distance from her mother, Mo, so we don’t have to worry about her running off. Even the tempting squirrel or two will only take her for a moment and she is right back. If we saw people coming, Mo would call her to her side and she would wait patiently for them to pass.

When we left, the skies were clear and it was warm with lots of mosquitos. Bring LOTS of mosquito dope because they are thick here, especially on the southern end of the trail. If you keep moving, most of the time they won’t catch you, but stop for just a moment and they are everywhere.

On the way back we heard thunder and the clouds started forming over Mt Theilsen. To our delight, the great thunderstorm and downpour waited until we were conveniently loading up the bikes and climbing back into the protection of the MoHo, where the kitties were patiently waiting for us again. Abby had a great run, some great swims, and it was a good way to end the week. Home to Rocky Point via HWY 138 down to HWY 97 was much faster than the way we went previously and we were home from Diamond Lake in less than 2 hours.