Category: Journeys & Adventures

$75 © Pam Van Londen 2012, Otter Rock Marine Garden 2, 12×12 acrylic on canvas

I’ve revised this painting

2007:

After a month of apartment living, we finally got to visit the Oregon Coast and boy we enjoyed it.

I painted three works on canvas, the kids built fires, we ate smores, and enjoyed friends in Otter Rock.

After 45 years of remembering a trip to Rooster Rock, I finally took my kids there.

It was not the same beach we had as children, but was sufficient to get in the water and sand (mud, really), and watch the spectacular cloud display.

It wasn’t too hot, not cold, and no one got sunburned.

This little pirate showed up at the house with a whole lot of loot in a bag one night. Her teeth were rotten, her eye gouged out, and her mangy hair all locked up. I hesitated to let her in, but she offered to share her Snicker’s Bars with me. I accepted.

Ecampus, the keeper of my distance course, Gender and Technology, is highlighting our recent journey around the USA.

Because we are back in our community, playing soccer, and working full time again, it’s hard to get away and feel like we’re having adventures. My solution is to take the bike, bus, or walk to a destination, no matter how domestic the reason. Then, as often as possible, head to the beach or even somewhere nearby where there are trees and water. Here’s a picture of our bike loaded with food, water toys, and a painting I did while at Mary’s River, just a mile from home.

OK, I’ve changed my mind; I’m keeping it. That solves all my problems unless I get a ticket for parking it in front of my apartment. I just won’t drive it except for weekends.

Why give up on the joy?

Actually, my attempts to downsize have not panned out. The bank won’t finance a smaller, less expensive vehicle along with the payoff of my current RV. The cost of a new Class B is too high (and older models are harder to find). And, I am not allowed to put a for sale sign on the RV while parked on a public street. Geez!

We loved our year-long stint traveling in the RV but have decided to settle in Corvallis once again, so our beloved RV is for sale. If there was a nice RV park with internet close to school, we’d stay in the rig. Oh, well.

See the specs and floorplan for our 2005 Jayco Grayhawk 31ss for sale.

Our dreams of buying a Dodge Sprinter class b have disipated. Mercedes has the chassis jacked up so high that we cannot afford it. So, we’ll look for a diesel truck and a camper.

By the time you read this post, we’ll probably be in Corvallis. We’re in Portland visiting family on our way down to Corvallis. Drop by Monday if you’re able. Call for the address.

We’ve arrived in our home state and are enjoying having someone else pump the gas (and there’s no tax here)!

We spent 2 days at the Malheur Wildlife Refuge. It was very hot but the evenings brought beautiful clouds and a few sprinkles. Today we visited the John Day Fossil Beds Visitor Center (too hot to go out hiking) and the Painting Hills (too rainy to paint). We’re parking at the Prineville City Park overnight and checking mail at the local Dillions Bookstore.

We’ll be visiting the Lewis and Clark museum in The Dalles before heading to Portland to see family, and THEN we head home to Corvallis.

The Grand Canyon’s North Rim is closed until Monday, so we skipped it and drove to Zion, which is just as spectacular because there are many easy hikes to pools, falls, cliffs, etc. And you’re already at the river! None of this crazy backpacking just to get to the river.

We hiked to the 3 Emerald Pools today, which took us 4 hours (twice as long as the guide suggested). But we’re happy and Maya’s swimming.

The place has grown since I was a child; there are many hotels, RV parks, restaurants, and places to get smoothies. Only shuttles are allowed into the main areas, however, so it’s not congested this time of year.

If you get to see the Grand Canyon from the North or South Rim, you’re of course, overwhelmed. If you do not get to hike down to the bottom, then I recommend going to Lee’s Ferry. You’re right on the river and the cliffs are spectacular.

We camped here, met great new friends, and got some painting done.

The water is so many colors throughout the day; green, gold, red, and blue; reflecting or refracting the nearby terrain and sky.

I know I’ve said this before, but, “WOW!” I didn’t really believe this place existed, but here it is! It is one of my top 5 favorite places and I have hundreds of photos to prove it.

We found an arch hidden down the wash behind the campground and will take the wash the other direction tomorrow to see what views we’re missing. We love climbing around looking for snakes and scorpions; so far we’ve seen lizards.

Maya’s keen eyes spotted two shaggy mountain goats eating a newly planted tree in front of a new building down the MV Road.

Maya has found a friend who loves to swim, so we’ll probably be here for another day or two. (And there’s internet:-)

We paid $6 to park at the corners so we could take the typical photo. I’m left with just 50¢ now and cannot buy any of the doodads available (thank goodness). We watched a demo of sand painting on little squares. Local stones are ground into powders and applied to boards with white glue. This is not the same way sacred drawings were done of course, but hey; we’re all victims of tourism one way or another.

The most remarkable thing we found in this sprauling little town was this hungry tree…it ate a children’s wagon.

You can see parts of it from the inside and the East side. Most of it is hidden within the treebark.

This picture shows the width of the base.

We’ve been visiting Georgia O’Keefe’s painting spots: Echo Amphitheatre, Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu Lake, and the quaint town of Abiquiu. I’ve been painting quite a bit but needed to get back to civilization to check in with students. We’ll be heading to AZ tomorrow.

Echo Amphitheatre is a great place to sing or play the flute as well as paint. The campground was closed for renovation but the host allowed us to dry camp so I could get up early to paint. A large painting group showed up later in the day to watercolor. Maya “waved” on the concrete and did a bit of schoolwork.

Ghost Ranch has many things to see: walking tours of O’Keefe’s favorite painting spots (but not of her home there), the “ghost house”, anthropology museum and dig, art displays, and gift shops, of course. It’s a convention center owned by the Presbyterian Church.

The log cabin near the Ranch entrance was used for the movie, City Slickers.

At the Abiquiu Inn, we ate a wonderful meal of chicken enchiladas. In New Mexico, you ask for red or green chili on your enchiladas rather than “enchilada sauce”. Every restaurant we visit we try the enchiladas and LOVE them. They’re at least as good as El Tapitio in Oregon.

Toas is another beautiful city nestled in the high desert of New Mexico. We gallery hopped today at the Historic Plaza and will walk around the pueblo tomorrow. The village is 1000 years old and still being used, so we must try to blend in.

We learned that the Spaniards used slave labor to build the churches here. They also massacred many Indians when they hid in the church during an uprising. Some were shot in the square down town Toas. The pueblo retains copyright on all images of the pueblo, so I do not have any to show here.

We’re doing a bit of work camping at Tillie’s Motor Inn and RV Park this week while we visit friends and the nearby Pueblo ruins. Here’s the sandwich board I designed and painted while there.

We visited the Salinas Ruins and took many pictures. There are round kivas, convent cells, and 2 churches still viewable.

It’s been threatening to rain for two days and the wind is annoying. So we made pie and ate local green chillie chicken enchiladas.