Oregon

Found a nice campground connected to the fairgrounds in Central Point, Oregon. 

The Costco in Central Point is only the 2nd Costco we have been able to get into with the motorhome.

Visiting with niece Shonna and her family in Glide, Oregon.

Shonna milking her goats

Anna enjoying chocolate pudding made with goat milk

A trip to Wildlife Safari

The baby Cheetahs were so cute.

North Forty Brewery in downtown Roseburg

Greek dinner at Alexander's

Our morning walk to Colliding Rivers

Wild turkeys cruse the RV Park

The small town of Sutherlin has a Tesla charging station with 60 chargers. 

57 for Tesla cars and 3 for other brands.

While in Sutherlin we visited with Cindy's Aunt, Uncle, cousins, second cousins and the newest member of the family, a second cousin once removed.  Unfortunately no pictures were taken.

This little place in Rice Hill, Oregon doesn't look like much, but they serve up some of the best 

ice cream. A must stop for us.

Ice cream for lunch

We were not having any success finding a mobile windshield chip repair company.  We had to take the RV downtown Eugene.

Visiting with second cousins Mick, Linda and Wanda in Albany, Oregon.  they taught us a new card game called Ten.

Birthday dinner with Becky and Paul.  

They live half of the year in Oregon and the other half in Yuma, Arizona.

Dinner at Monkless Belgian Ales, Bend Oregon

I had heard that they served a pretty good Pork Schnitzel sandwich.  This is as close to a Pork Tenderloin sandwich as we get on the west coast.

Deschutes Brewery

Redmond, Oregon

Can you spot us?  We are the only motorhome in this 53 spot park. 

Nice neighborhood bike track 

Smith Rock State Park

Scenic views of deep river canyons and rock climbing.  There are several thousand climbs in the park. More than a thousand are bolted routes. There are miles of hiking and mountain biking trails. If you are lucky enough you might see golden eagles, prairie falcons, mule deer, river otter and beaver.

We hiked the Homestead Trail

Working on an electrical problem

Dinner at Dillon's BBQ with Sharon and Mitch in Prineville, Oregon.

Sharon used to cut our hair before she retired and moved to Oregon.

Petersen Rock Garden

More than seventy years ago, the Petersen Rock Gardens and Museum had already become a tourist attraction that drew 120,000 visitors annually and did not even charge admission. Rasmus Petersen encouraged donations, sold merchandise in the museum, and opened a small cafe to cater to the visitors coming from around the world.  Mr. Petersen died in 1952, but the Gardens continued to be operated by his descendants.

The garden closed indefinitely in September 2016. The property fell into disrepair for years. In 2022 the property was listed for sale. Less than a year after being put up for sale, the Petersen Rock Garden is now under new ownership and with the help of volunteers it has been cleaned up and reopened to the public on Memorial Day 2023.

Petersen constructed detailed miniature castles, churches and other small buildings and monuments from a variety of rock types.

Petersen Rock Gardens were started in 1935 by Rasmus Petersen. Mr. Petersen was born in Denmark in 1883, and came to Central Oregon in 1906. He built a home, began farming, and gradually purchased land until he was cultivating nearly 300 acres. By 1935, he finally had time to devote to his yard where he started with a small rock feature near his house. He eventually covered four acres with ponds, bridges, and castles built of rocks he acquired within an 85 mile radius of his home. The rocks include agate, jasper, thundereggs, petrified wood, lava, and obsidian.

Black light miniature replica of the gardens

The grounds also contains roaming peafowl

Mileage 77,777 and the check engine light 😏

Steelhead Falls is half a mile down hill from the parking area

Honeymooner Harper taking the leap

Peter Skene Ogden State Scenic Viewpoint and Rest Area

Terrebonne, Oregon

Located just 9 miles north of Redmond, Peter Skene Ogden State Scenic Viewpoint is a stunning roadside rest area. Basalt cliffs rise steep and high from both sides of the Crooked River, a tributary of the Deschutes.  The two sides are connected by historic bridges that create a dramatic glimpse of central Oregon’s geological and historical features. The park land was once owned by the Oregon Trunk Railway and was later acquired by the State between 1925 and 1930. 

Facilities include restrooms, picnic tables and dramatic viewing of the Crooked River canyon, as well as a views of the Crooked River Railroad Bridge, the Crooked River High Bridge, and the Rex T. Barber Veterans Memorial Bridge .

The Scenic Viewpoint offers a dramatic breathtaking 300-foot-deep view of the Crooked River Canyon. Three historic bridges connect both sides of the basalt canyon, carved by the Crooked River for thousands of years. Before the first bridge was constructed, the canyon created a huge obstacle for travelers.

The old highway bridge, Crooked River High Bridge, was constructed a quarter mile upstream of the Railway Bridge in 1926 by a famous bridge engineer Conde McCullough. At that time, the 464 feet long bridge was the highest single arch span in the United States. Today it is open to foot traffic only offering breathtaking views of the Crooked River Canyon. This bridge is a bungee jumping site typically open from May through October.

The new highway bridge - Rex T. Barber Veterans Memorial Bridge was build in 2000 to accommodate heavy traffic on US 97.  It honors Colonel Rex T. Barber, born in nearby Culver, Oregon. Colonel Barber was a fighter pilot who took part in the famous Yamamoto Mission, helping turn the tide of World War II. After the war, he actually piloted a fighter jet under the two bridges that can be seen from Ogden park.

 

Built in 1910, Oregon Trunk Line Railway Bridge is a steel two-hinge arch span with a total length of 460 feet.

As part of their compensation the workers are allowed 5 jumps each when there are no customers.  They incorporated lots of trick and knew how it get the most out of each bounce.

It was different watching a first time paying customer.  There was a much longer wait time for the jump and lots of screaming.

Another historical fact: Peter Skene Ogden State Scenic Viewpoint was a scene of one of the most well-known murders committed in Oregon. Jeannace June Freeman threw her partner's two children, aged 4 and 6, into the Crooked River Gorge. She was sentenced to death in 1961 for her crime and became the very first woman in Oregon who was facing the death penalty, but her sentence was later replaced with a life sentence. Freeman died in prison in 2003.

Perhaps most impressive is the Oregon Trunk Railway Bridge at this site. Built in 1910, before either of the other two bridges were present, the train track had to be constructed without any way to get from one side of the gorge to the other. Workers had to climb rope ladders more than 300 feet above the river to start the project.

Getting rights to the land originally was its own feat, as competing railroad tycoons clashed in one of their biggest battles in the courts. Spokane, Portland, & Seattle Railway company won out, but night raids and fights on the ground were ongoing.