This month’s story is dedicated to Monique and to the memory of her husband, Steve. We didn’t get to know Steve as well as we would have liked, nor did we get the chance to visit them in Canada as we had planned, before he lost his courageous battle with cancer. We cherish the time we did have with him. Monique, we think of you often and pray you will find comfort.

Steve and Monique had arrived at the RV park in Apache Junction around the holidays. During their stay, they traveled back to Canada for Steve’s cancer treatments and then back to AZ every couple of weeks. Monique would join us each morning for our daily pickleball games while Steve would watch when he was able. They each had their motorcycles and had the opportunity to do several rides in the area. Each time they returned they had grins from ear to ear. We were surprised to hear the news of his passing as we thought his treatments were going well and had been planning to visit them in Canada either this year or next. We miss Steve’s great sense of humor and friendly face. Steve passed away towards the end of May and he is dearly missed. Photos were provided by Monique.

We started the month on the Oregon coast with visits to Seal Rock, Cape Perpetua, Yaquina Point, Drift Creek Falls and Devils Churn before heading inland. As we stood looking out at Seal Rock with the waves crashing all around the base we could see and hear the seals as they basked in the sun on the rocks. We took a walk to the beach and wandered among the tide pools looking for sea urchins and starfish. Cape Perpetua provided us with a 2 mile hike which ended at the Giant Sitka Spruce tree. The trunk was so wide that each of us standing side by side with our arms outstretched and touching we still couldn’t reach the diameter of the tree. The forest was dense as we hiked along with little sunshine burning its way through the leaves. For lunch we stopped off at a little cafe and had clam chowder with cod. At Yaquina Point we ventured to the lighthouse and then had lunch at the Hilltop Buffet. We had an amazing view of the ocean. I also stopped into the clinic to have my saddle sore re-evaluated and was informed that there would be no bike riding for a week. Bummer! That really disappointed me as I was looking forward to competing in a few races during this time. On our last day there we took a drive to Devils Churn. This is an amazing feature of nature. The water crashes into a narrow chasm and there is a thunderous roar as the waves crash into the surrounding walls. High tide is the best time to view but there is no bad time. Unfortunately for us we have never been able to view Devil’s Punchbowl at high tide. We can only imagine the ferocity of the water flowing into this huge cavern in the rock. Drift Creek Falls has been a favorite hike of ours. The trail winds through the forest and then you have a suspension bridge to walk across while swaying back and forth and up and down. It is an amazing and bit scary feeling. The beauty of the falls is worth the walk.

Then it was time to leave and we headed inland to the high desert of Bend.

When driving through the state on the back highways (US and State Highways), be aware of various historical sights along the way. On this particular drive I came across these 2 interpretive signs at the same pull off. One describing the Santiam Wagon Road and the other was about the Transcontinental Road Race. Fortunately for me there was a large parking area by these signs for me to pull the motorhome off the roadway to take a break and learn some history.

Bend is a city of just over 100,000 population as of 2023 and it seems to be growing daily. We found it to be congested with lots of narrow, tree lined, 2 lane roads with residential and businesses interspersed along the way. And the round-a-bouts or traffic circles, oh my. They are everywhere. Teri did a Google search and learned there are 42 traffic circles in Bend, the most of any other city in Oregon. I guess they make some sense in that the city doesn’t have to maintain traffic signals or stop signs and it’s up to drivers to determine right-of-way. The Google search indicated that the traffic circles were installed for efficiency and it is believed they are safer than controlled intersections. However, some of these traffic circles are in high density areas on a 2 lane road and the traffic can back up for 1/10th of a mile or more in each direction. I read a letter to the editor in the local paper from a person who complained that these traffic circles could be a real danger in the event of an emergency such as a fire when folks need to be evacuating. On the other side however, there are a lot of boutique and unique stores. One such store was the Natural Kinships furniture store. We spent a fair amount of time looking at all the custom made, handcrafted, wood furniture and talking with Tamara, the owner about the family owned business, the city, the surrounding areas and Oregon in general. We bought some items as gifts and would return if we ever decided we needed some custom wood furniture. It was all beautiful.

We stayed at one of the nicest RV parks we have ever been at, the Sun Outdoors Bend. Our space was long and wide provided ample space for the motorhome, both Jeeps, and plenty of space for chairs and tables. There was even a small storage shed to keep the bikes locked up. Each day after our workout or bike ride we would walk to the hot tub and soak for 30 minutes. Later in the day we would walk to the clubhouse and visit with Geri, the manager and then play some games of pool. I never knew what a pool shark Teri was. One day while doing my bike training on the trainer, Teri says “You’re not going very fast”. Gotta love a critic.

Of course we hiked while we were there. The Tumalo Falls hike was a gorgeous 7 mile round trip hike through the woods, walking on and in snow that was calf deep as it had not all melted. The waterfall was amazing. I think we have decided all waterfalls are amazing to view.

The McKenzie River was formed by and flows through volcanic lava fields. Along the river there are 3 waterfalls in progression a short distance from each other. The first one was the Sahalie Falls. We could feel the cold from the water as we walked along the trail from the top of the falls to the bottom. An easy hike left us with fantastic views. From here the river flows to the Koosah Falls which we did not stop at. The river then drops to what we considered to be the most spectacular of them all, the Tamolith Falls. Unfortunately, the Falls themselves were dry and we had to hike about 30 minutes through the lava fields to get to the Falls. What awaited us was spell-binding. The Blue Pool was 50 ft below us. The water appeared to be only inches deep but all the information said it was 20-30 feet deep and the blue color of the pool was something we have never seen. The water was clear and void of any sediment or living things. The reports state the water is only 30 something degrees Farenheit and is too cold for any living organisms which makes the water so clear and gives it that indescribable blue color. The pool is fed from an underground flow through the lava field as it continues on down the river. In winter snow run off water flows off the cliff and drops 50 ft to the pool.

Our purpose for being in Bend is that it is close to Sisters which is where I would be riding the Sisters Stampede Race. Sisters is a small, boutique type town with a cowboy flair. Lots of tourist type shops along with grills, breweries, a couple bike shops and food stores. It reminded me of a small Prescott or Gilbert back in the earlier days. Teri enjoyed walking the town while I was out riding in the area.

As you’ve followed our travels, you know we can’t pass up an opportunity to visit museums or monuments and this stop was no different. The Newberry Volcano Monument is a freak of nature. We walked the trail to the base of Lava Butte and marveled at the stories the various interpretive signs offered. The volcano itself is larger than Rhode Island and this is but a small section of lava flow. The Lava Butte is a portal by which lava had spewed from the volcano leaving behind the river of lava rock and the cinders that make up the Butte. Our next stop was the High Desert Museum. As we walked the interpretive path we were treated to a show by the otters that began to wrestle in the water as we approached. The caretaker said they like to show off. There is a remake of a sawmill and a ranch from 1904 on property and the museum had a great story to tell of the animals of the area. The highlight of the visit was the live interactive demonstration of the porcupine. He sat quietly on his perch eating the tiny morsels the guide was giving him. When it was time to leave, he slowly walked along the railing like a grumpy grandpa to his kennel where he received more treats. I wish I could find a way to upload videos to this blog but as much as I’ve tried, I just haven’t figured it out yet. Maybe I’m too old to learn new tricks and make the most of technology. :).

During our stay Teri continued to hike while I rode my bike. I spent one day at Silver Fall State Park to pre ride the upcoming race course and rode trails near Bend at the Cascade Lakes Visitor Center on other days. On race day I drove to Silver Falls in the rain. This race was the State Championship and I knew there would be some fast folks. The rain stopped just prior to the race start. The race was a mass start for all intermediate (Cat 2) racers in all age groups. There were 9 of us geezers, over 60. As 50+ of us rolled out in a sprint, we were stopped quickly as the trail narrowed and we had to ride single file or 2 side by side. As we hit the true single track it became very muddy. I was following Eric and Derrick was behind me. These were the only 2 riders I knew. As we made a turn onto a steep muddy stretch, most riders were walking due to it being so muddy and I was forced to walk and slide as was everyone else. There were 2 more walking sections before we could ride without slipping. Derrick passed me at about mile 3 and I caught Eric at mile 4. As we topped the mountain and started downhill, I was riding too cautiously and was passed by Eric around mile 7 but I was able to pass Derrick. As we started back up the 2nd lap at mile 10 the trail had become even sloppier causing me and everyone else to walk again. I caught Erik and passed him about mile 13 and ran the mantra, ‘stay ahead of him’ in my head throughout the rest of the race. I pushed the downhill a little harder this time until I hit a slight uphill switchback. The rear tire slipped on a root and down I went. I was up quickly and kept on. I rolled through the finish line in 5th of 8 finishers. Derrick was a DNF (Did Not Finish) and I beat Eric. We had a great little chat post race. I also had the opportunity to catch up with Scott (he won his category) and Jesse who I had met at previous races. It was a great day in spite of the weather and muddy conditions.

Back at the park, while soaking in the hot tub we met Landon and Sara from Central Point, OR which is only about 30 minutes from Grants Pass. They are educators and he is an avid fly fisherman and we agreed to stay in touch. Some our of first friends in Oregon.

Besides the racing the highlight of our stay was the James Taylor concert. It was an outdoor event in the Mills District. It was one of the coldest nights of the time we were there with a bit of a cold breeze blowing through the outdoor venue. The opening act was a trio called Tiny Habits. They had a folksy melody to their music similar to Taylor and very entertaining as they interacted with the crowd. It was obvious they were not prepared for the weather. The lead singer, a young lady had her arms wrapped around her chest for warmth until someone from the audience handed up their jacket for her to wear. The other 2 also had gifts given to them for warmth. As Taylor came out, it was obvious he was very comfortable in front of the audience and ad-libbed a lot of conversation. He also commented and joked about the cold. He too was offered a jacket from the audience. It was a great show.

You know the drill by now. I drove to Sisters to pre ride the Sisters Stampede race course while Teri did a hike. Her hike took her along the Deschutes River from a small waterfall to the Big Eddy. Some beautiful views of the river and the surrounding country was the sight for the day. The race course started in Sisters and wound its way south and west of town. The course is very similar to courses in Prescott and Flagstaff with several tech sections as it works its way through some lava fields. On this particular day, there was a closed area due to a prescribed burn. I found a way to ride around the area and finish the ride. As I finished at the trailhead I met and talked with Forest Service Firefighter Sarah and we had a wonderful 30 minute discussion as we solved all the worlds problems.

Our next outing was the Sunriver Observatory. Here we were treated to a 1 hour explanation of stars and how they were formed. Then we were presented with a multitude of telescopes by which we could view the night sky. Unfortunately there wasn’t a lot to see since the sky had clouded over. It was disappointing as the constantly moving clouds obscurred the sky. There was also a nature center that we spent some time walking through and talking with the animals. Some of the birds were quite entertaining while others acted like grumpy old men and just tolerated our presence.

Teri’s favorite part of Bend is the Mill District. It features high end shops but also some gorgeous riverfront views along the Deschutes. A walking/hiking path travels up both sides of the river with several bridge crossings. It even has a walking bridge at the farthest southern end of the walking path. The history of the area harks back to the logging days and some of the logging mills are still visible in the area.

As the days counted down to race day I continued to ride and train while Teri hiked the Deschutes trail from the Mill District.

Race day was a warm, sunny day for the Sisters Stampede. All 150 of us lined up and were led out of town until they turned us loose. There were 39 in my Cat 2 60+ age group. I didn’t know anyone. As I worked my way around the course I had no idea where I was in relation to any other rider. The course was dry and dusty and we wound our way through the trees and lava fields. Up hills, down hills, small jumps, twisting our way through the trees. 26 miles later I finished in 18th of 39 finishers. I’ll take it.

As the month rolled to a close we moved camp to Centralia, WA to visit Jessica, Teri’s niece and her husband Patrick and their kids. We hiked to Mima Falls and the Chehalis River. On the last day of the month, we rolled into Bonney Lake, WA to visit with Dan and Brenda for the weekend. It was a quiet weekend as we sat and chatted and played games, biked and hiked. It was a great relaxing weekend with some fantastic friends.

With all that was going on, I failed to update you on the house progress. Throughout the month, Kaila was keeping tabs on the inspections and various processes with the purchase. Jonathan and Rob stayed in touch to make sure all the financing processes were moving along. The inspections showed some minor concerns that the seller was agreeing to take care of. The septic system was the most serious issue and concerned us and scared us the most. We’ve never lived on a well or septic system so when the inspections cited issues, we were concerned. The well came back clean showing ample water pressure and 57 degrees coming out of the ground so no issues there. The septic showed signs of failing drain lines and we didn’t know what the seller was going to do about that. We almost pulled the plug but decided to wait to see what would happen. We were 2 weeks from the closing date. We were biting our nails. Kaila was so very patient with us and kept us from going crazy. We’ll let you know how it developed in next months story.

In the meantime, thanks for traveling with us. We appreciate all the comments. Stay Safe.

• John & Teri