After breakfast John suggested we give Rock Creek Road another chance to show us the stunning scenic top-o-the-mountain view, this time minus the fog. So far, so good. Clear and cool.
A pause along the way to check out the piles of rocks and logs on the side of the road. The salmon spawning habitat is coming along nicely; the only area currently completed being used by groups of campers as a cooling float pool.
Halfway to the top of the mountain, we stopped to watch the creek tumbling over a 10 foot drop. An un-named but noteworthy waterfall.
When we reached the top, a thick cloud of mist was moving over the mountain tops and descending on us from all directions. Another attempt to view the expansive valley foiled by incoming fog.
This afternoon we got the expected but dreaded phone call, John’s mother passed away in her sleep at 102 years old. John and I were truly blessed to have her with us on this earth for so long. We had two days to find a kennel for KatieBug, pack our bags and clean the group campground. Early rise for the two hour drive to Eugene, 15 hour travel time on three different planes to reach Florida, pick up our rental car before driving to John’s brothers house to sleep. Up early for the memorial service, lunch afterwards and some family time. One full day of visiting with family. Again with the crack of dawn rising, 18 hour travel time on three different planes for the return to Eugene then another two hour drive back to Lone Pine just in time to clean the campground after a large family reunion group departed. Two hours later our large wedding group arrived. Getting too old for this kind of exhaustion. Sleep came the minute our heads hit our pillows.
Our campground group in progress allowed me to use a phrase I have been keeping on the sidelines for a “just in case” opportunity, this being Oregon and all. Deadhead bohemianism mixed with Mayberry traditionalism…polite 60’s hippie-ish in dress and appearance except for the numerous dreadlock tresses, ears sporting large lobe buttons, imaginative body wrapping tattoos and an assortment of facial piercings. Typical of the folks we see in Eugene and Portland.
This group is a wedding party, all tent campers, reserving our group campground and Mill Pond’s pavilion for three days. Arrived last night, we awoke to the sounds of tam-tam’s, familiar to us from our travels to Mount Royal Park in Montreal Canada where connoisseurs and suitors gather to enjoy the pulsing percussion craft.
The bride had not a drop of “bridezilla”, apparent by her calm response to us informing her that the flush toilets, the reason Mill Pond pavilion had been rented, were not working and water would be off most of the day. One flush toilet was gratefully available during the wedding and we directed those needing potties to our minimal vault toilets, a.k.a. porcelain thrones sitting atop huge smelly pits.
Her hubby-to-be was a sociable composed red-headed ZZ-Top and they made an impressively “together” couple. Music floated throughout the campground as nearly every site had musical instruments lovingly being played by their owners. They erected the honeymoon suite, an impressive handmade teepee, in my favorite campsite.
Pleasant 80’s during the day, low 50’s at night with that coolness continuing on until early morning. I am ready to leave the solitude and physically demanding work but wishing I could take the weather with us.
A stress-free day was our number one goal for today. After chores, we drove to the one Roseburg Bureau of Land Management campground we had not yet visited, Cavett Creek. Typical back roads highway, winding uphill and down, two skinny lanes that drop off sharply along the edges to the creek below. Cavett Creek Campground is hilly, considerably more private than most of Roseburg BLM campgrounds and rests alongside Cavett Creek. We drove in, stopped to chat with the hosts, hiked to the day use area that overlooked the swimming hole below before climbing down to the sandy beach. Truly impressive campground.
Homebound, we drove through Cavett Creek Covered Bridge. Because of the easily accessible timber, in the 1930’s there were over 300 covered bridges in Oregon. Covering the bridges extended the life of the bridge and they required very little maintenance. Cavett Creek Covered Bridge was built in 1943, is 70 feet long and spans Little River. Douglas County has 53 covered bridges still standing and soon, our day off will be devoted to visiting those close to our campground.
