MichelleThe year 2020 will be forever known as the year of COVID. The year 2021 will be known, for those of us in the Pacific Northwest, for the unprecedented heat wave in late June. Temps in Washington and Oregon broke every heat record previously made especially on the western side of the Cascade Mtns.
After my time in the Sawtooth Mtns, I returned to Boise and my sister Alison in order to ‘wait out’ the heat wave. Thank goodness her home has air conditioning. There was no way the cats and I could be in the RV when the heat outside was 100 or over. We stayed another 5 days there when I decided to head west to the Oregon coast and cooler climes. I would have 2 days of extreme heat getting there, but during that time I would pass the worst of the heat wave as it exited the coastal regions. I stayed one night at a private campground in Riley, OR where it was 100 degrees. The RV A/C was just barely adequate to keep us at a cool 80 degrees inside! Night two I stayed at a KOA (ka-ching $$$) on Lake Lemolo north of Crater Lake. It was 112 there and luckily I had a fairly shady spot. Still the A/C could barely keep up. This is a beautiful area and I would like to have stayed if it hadn’t been so blasted hot. There are many, many things to do in the area, but it will have to wait for another time.
I arrived on the Southern Oregon coast (Bandon area) on a Tuesday afternoon. It was 66 degrees and blowing gales of wind! I knew I’d never get a camping spot on the coast since I didn’t make previous reservations, so I headed inland to Powers, OR to some campgrounds I read about. This is where I scored BIG TIME! Island Campground is tiny with only 5 sites, but 2-3 could hold bigger trailers or RV’s. There was no one at this campground when I pulled in so I scored the best site! A very long graveled driveway back into a very large shady spot with picnic table and fire ring… and firewood left there to be used free of charge. This is a gorgeous spot surrounded by lush undergrowth that made so very private that you couldn’t see your neighbors, if I had any!
But that’s not even the best part! This site backs up to a large creek gurgling and tumbling over rocks until it reaches a long deep pool at least 5 feet deep. Here the water slows to a crawl and creates the most perfect ever swimming hole. Big leaf maples lean over and shade parts of the water, rock ledges allow you to sit with feet dangling in the chilly water or make a perfect shoving off point into the pool. Across from the pool is a rock ‘wall’ of sorts with water cascading over the side in spots creating small little waterfalls into the pool. Mossy with plants growing out of the rock wall where they had plenty of water to survive. Glorious! That’s all I can say about this place. The sounds of water splashing, birds singing, butterflies floating by and the warmth of the sun. Instant relaxation and peace! Did I dive into the bone chilling waters for a swim? You bet I did! OK, I didn’t dive… more like a slow calculated slide into the pool of clear green water. This was like something out of a movie, only with freezing cold water! And big sunbathing worthy rocks! Perfect for drying off in the sun. While doing this a yellow butterfly landed on my back for a sip of water! Yes, a perfectly God created place. All at the back of my campsite.
Not to keep such a perfect day all to myself, I put the cats (Jasper and Misty) on the harnesses and leashes. I did NOT leash train my cats much when they were young, so although they love going out they are not disciplined to go in the same direction. I coax and prod, acting like a sheep herder driving them closer together and to a safer area for them. That area includes my lounge chair. After sniffing and chewing grass for awhile I coax them to the lounge chair where I sit to enjoy this lovely camp with my kitties. Jasper is tugging & pulling trying to go further than his leash will let him. Misty is good for once and not pulling at her leash. Many times when she is done exploring she will lay under the chaise and rest.
Jasper is getting annoying with his tugging, so I look down to see where Misty is sitting. Yes, the harness is there and NO Misty! Anyone who knows cats is aware that they can squeeze out of a harness no matter how tight. Adrenaline Rush! I get up and look around but Misty is nowhere in sight. I am calling her name as sweetly as I can to coax her out of wherever she might be. Getting no response, I pick up Jasper to put him in the RV while I go looking… but there she is, standing on the step at the door of the RV! I guess she was just ready to go back inside! Whew! Disaster averted!
