Wednesday, August 5
“Morning has broken like the first morning”
It’s after eleven by the time the crew and I pull out of Chickahominy Campground west of Burns, Oregon.
Our move today is a short one so there’s no need to make an early start. After breakfast, Bridget, Reggie, and I go on a long walk. The smoke from forest fires has cleared out considerably.
After the walk I write a blog post and reply to comments.
I give Reggie exercise whenever there’s an opportunity.
Whereas Bridget isn’t interested in a walk to the trash dumpster, Reggie has learned that trash duty is his “job.” He always accompanies me.
Our camp at Chickahominy
At Chickahominy there is a large parking area for the boat ramp.
It was recently resurfaced. It seems the Bureau of Land Management is optimistic that someday there will be enough water in the reservoir for people to boat here again.
As Reggie and I cross the lot on the return to the Best Little Trailer, the smooth surface inspires Reggie to run. He sprints to the end of his 20-foot tether, feels the tension, turns and circles me, legs full-out . . . Boy, can this dog go!
He zips around me as I swivel, holding the tether.
Round and round he goes! I call out, “Reggie! Reggie!” He cuts across the circle, zooming past my feet, and resumes his orbit, flying over the pavement. I laugh and laugh. . . “Oh, Reggie! You’re the fastest little dog in the world!”
Finally he runs out of steam and stops to catch his breath.
We return to Bridget who has been watching from our campsite.
“Hi, sweetie! We’re back!” She wags her tail and I pick her up to give her some lovin.’ She knows it’s moving day, soon struggles to be put down, and goes over to the side door of the PTV to be put inside.
I finish packing us up and we head out. The camp host lady sits by her Class A motorhome as we pass and I wave to her, my arm out the window.
Route 20 east takes us to Hines.
We’re in good shape. We have plenty of water and propane, the black tank has been emptied recently, no trash to dump . . . . All we need are a few groceries.
At the Thriftway I get what we need, including a rotisserie chicken!
Well, maybe not “rotisserie.” The package holding the chicken says “Oregon Fryer.” The chicken is blackened. Hmm . . . This is something different . . . .
A funny thing happens as we go through the center of Burns.
Pedestrians, jay-walking. Only these pedestrians are quail! And not using the crosswalk!
(Sorry for the fuzzy photo… Dirty windshield and a quick capture of quail-walkers)
The Perfect Tow Vehicle turns her nose northward on Route 395.
She takes us and the BLT through Devine Canyon and gradually up to 5,340 feet elevation. We’re out of the desert and in a Ponderosa forest. The air is dry and cool.
No sign of smoke today!
Right after we settle into a campsite, I break out the chicken for lunch.
It’s very good! Oh my! Bridget and Reggie agree.
Only one other camper is here. The camp host has gone somewhere. The crew and I walk over to the structure in the group area.
Since no one is around, I let Bridget off-leash. Reggie is delighted to investigate the premises.
I’m intrigued by the construction of the log shelter.
Automatically I see a lesson plan for sixth-grade geometry.
How many right triangles angles do you see? Where is a hypoteneuse? How could you figure the length of that beam without measuring it? Are there any acute triangles? Obtuse triangles? Isosceles? Parallel lines? A bisecting line? Do you see a parallogram? A trapezoid?
On and on it goes, around in my head, like Reggie running in circles, until I notice the little guy is up to something.
“What is it, Reg?”
“C’mon, you’d better get your nose out of there!”
Idylwild Campground will be our home through the weekend.
I don’t know that we’re going to continue northward. I chose Idylwild because it is a new camp out of smoke with cooler air and not a long drive away from our previous camp. I avoid long drives (to me) on consecutive days. Plus there’s a high probability of internet only 18 miles from Burns.
The camping fee is $10 regular/$5 with senior discount pass (available to purchase for $10 online or at a national forest office if you’re 62 years or older, one time purchase, good for life).
We like it here.
I pull out my flannel-lined, long-sleeve shirt from a bin in the PTV. I expect the morning to be chilly. Gosh, flannel and it’s only the first week of August!
rvsue
NOTE: As I wrote this post, the Burns weather is shown in a widget in the sidebar. Burns is over a thousand feet lower than our campground and the temperatures in Burns are higher.
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