My last night in eastern Oregon was spent boondocking at Chickahominy Reservoir, managed by the BLM. It was a quiet evening and peaceful night. A nightcap to my summer in southeast Oregon.









The next morning I drove north to Santiam Pass and into the Willamette Valley. Along the way clouds and fog slithered over the the Three Ladies of the Cascades (Three Sisters), like a lover's fingers embracing the peaks of these mountains. I could almost feel their fingers along my own skin. These geological ladies have always made me smile, especially during hikes along the bottoms of their skirts. I have slept at their feet along the shores of Scott Lake, the eerie and enchanting sound of loon calls lulling me to sleep.


I love this country. It is wild and free, diversified with desert basins, giant trees and subliminal coasts; deep expansive canyons, blue glistening lakes and rough run but life-giving rivers. One can stand in wide open skies or stoop small like a hobbit dwarfed by giant trees, and spread your arms like a hawk standing on the edge of a mountain rim with the scent of bighorn sheep filling your nostrils.

This is the land of freedom if you want it.You can get lost in it and never feel alone.

Labels: Adventures, Oregon