Reub's journey

24 August 2013

Not a bad day


John and I spent the week in northeastern Oregon, pampered at  Barking Mad Farm B&B.



One of the many pluses of this place is that dogs are welcome, so we took Eddy. Here he's wondering where is everybody and why did we leave Calvin and Reub behind?



Eddy had lots of interesting company, though, because Barking Mad is crawling with mostly-rescued animals: four dogs, three donkeys, and a variety of horses.



Every day starts with a great breakfast.




The Wallowa Mountains are a huge attraction for people who love the back country. In the past we've backpacked and horse-packed here, but this time we just took day trips from the b&b.



On Monday we hiked up to some tiny alpine lakes, a 10 mile day.




When you climb in altitude it's like traveling backwards in time a few weeks; if you go high enough it's springtime.



Obligatory chipmunk pic. Sorry. I only saw one and she was impossibly cute.



Proof that we made it to Chimney Lake.



And then back down. When we paused, Ed would crash right there in the thick dust of the trail.



That evening there was a beautiful moon.




Ah, beer and a buffalo burger at Terminal Gravity Brewing. Not a bad day.


36 comments:

  1. YAY...Terminal Gravity! Sounds like a lovely day.

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    1. That was a great day, and as you know, TG's was a nice way to end it:)

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  2. I've never given any serious thought to visiting Oregon or a B&B, but suddenly I desperately NEED to see all this in person. Thanks for sharing your beautiful photos... :)
    -Michelle

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    1. Oh, Oregon is well worth a visit Michelle! Everything from desert to mountains to the deep blue sea. Come on by.

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  3. Looks beautiful, Kerry. So glad you got some away time. We had a lovely afternoon and early supper with a little someone special yesterday! One more glimpse of precious Rowan and his mama and dada before they move back in your direction. He'd sit at the table and name each of us over and over again, just kind of creating and cementing memories to be taken with him. He's beautiful and charming!! Of course, so are mama and dada!!!

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    1. Awwww. What's his word for "aunt Merry?"

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    2. There was no "aunt" and only I could recognize the "merry"!! But he loved saying "Bob" and "zeen" (Jean) and "oosee" for yup, Lucy!!

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  4. Looks like a wonderful journey.

    Where did Reub stay while you were gone?

    Donkeys. They are very cute!

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    1. I can't get over the donkeys, living the life of Reilly out there. So cute.

      Reub and Cal stayed at a boarding kennel. It has nice big runs and the shade of large trees. But they were really happy to be picked up when we got back:)

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  5. Oh my.. that's such a beautiful place, Kerry. That waterfall is just amazing and the sunset looks so calming. And they sure know how to make fruit look incredible when served like that. Yum!

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    1. I love waterfalls, even tiny ones like this. They're kind of amazing to find on a hot August day high in the mountains.

      Oh man, the food at Barking Mad...

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    2. Kerry, you ought to check-out Spirit Falls east of Cottage Grove.

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  6. wow! gorgeous place to escape to! sweet!

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  7. Cantaloupe, blackberries and ? Are those small slices of grapefruit?

    Ed appears to be pleading something at Chimney Lake.

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    1. They're slices of fresh figs, very pretty and sweet.

      Eddy is oblivious to the majestic surroundings & is pleading to eat my lunch. :-)

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  8. Wow, looks like a very rejuvenating and soothing trip.

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    1. Yes, it's always good to go on a challenging hike in the mountains, then back to a shower & a good dinner.

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  9. The pictures are wonderful, and I'm so glad you had a good time. I think your chipmunk might more properly be called a ground squirrel due to the lack of stripes on its head.

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    1. You could be right about the ground squirrel. I thought ground squirrels had more stripes, though? 13? Guess I should look it up.

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  10. Hi Kerry
    Looks like a glorious getaway in a fascinating & captivating place, calm & serene and tranquil amidst sprawling greenery which I am sure had romantic & therapeutic effects on you ! The exotic breakfast and moonlight dinners add to the atmosphere.. And I love the weather dog there instead of the usual weather cock :)
    Regards Ram

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    1. Hello RR! The weather dog is a tribute to Roscoe, a rescued bloodhound who died 2 years ago.
      The green field is only green because it's a bit low and soaks up the irrigated water from the neighbors' fields above. Otherwise it would be rather golden at this dry time of year. The entire field is given over to dog-romping.
      It is a very majestic valley, the Wallowa Mountains towering on one side, and Idaho's distant Seven Devils on the other.

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  11. what a wonderful it looks to have been .. i am with ed i would have done the same ...

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    1. Eddy was definitely ready to call it a day long before we reached the car. By that time he was a huge dust bomb.

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  12. The old Art of Understatement. Well wielded!

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  13. What wonderful photos! I felt refreshed and recharged just looking at them along with you. That breakfast makes me hungry.

    Looks like someone let the air out of Ed. :)

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    1. Ha! A deflatable dog. The geneticists should look into this because there are plenty of times I wish I could just let out some of his air.

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    2. I couldn't have one because Brewsky would let the air out.

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  14. Gorgeous. I've gotta make it back to the Pacific Northwest someday.

    Don't let that cute chipmunk fool you. Those critters are much worse than squirrels when it comes to bird feeders!

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    1. Yeah I'm glad we don't have chipmunks where we live because you're right, those cheeks of theirs have gigantic capacity, don't they?

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    2. When we first put up our feeders, the chipmunks were the first to discover them. Running back and forth to their nest, they'd clean us out in half-an-hour and rip through the plastic in the meantime. If there's anything good to be said about squirrels, it's the fact that they muscle out the chipmunks.

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    3. They aren't so very cute when they do that. You need a dog!

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  15. No, not a bad day at all. I know what you mean about traveling back in time. What is blooming in Batavia NY is what blooms here in our spring.

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    1. True. To get back to spring, either go north or go up in elevation, or both.

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