Wildflowers and Wine, Southwest Oregon, 2019

Spring seems slow in coming this year. Maybe the coldest March on record in the past 100 years has something to do with it. Or the refusal of the big pile of snow in the front yard to give in and melt. We started looking around the state for somewhere a bit warmer. Maybe some wildflowers? Even the wildflowers in the Columbia Gorge seem slow to come this year. So we opted for a location we don’t normally frequent, southwest Oregon.

The sun was out and we enjoyed a couple days in the Applegate Valley. Up till now most of the time I’ve spent in the Applegate has been on wildfires. Blazing hot, smoky and steep terrain full of poison oak might be the picture I would paint. But that hot weather also allows for a variety of wine grapes to be grown you don’t find in other parts of Oregon. We visited a few spots for a sample or two.

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Washburne State Park, 2019

It’s been too long since those warm days in southern California last fall. We finally got out this past weekend to kick of the 2019 camping season. But first, the big news since then is that we traded in the old camper for a newer one! I don’t know the exact year the old Four Wheel Camper that we acquired in 2015 was manufactured, but it was built in the mid 1990’s. It was starting to show it’s age in a few areas. Although it served us well and was holding together just fine we were starting to look at a few major replacements to keep everything weather tight and functional. I wasn’t really looking in earnest, but then along came an ad for something pretty close to a perfect replacement. So, we pounced on it, placed the old camper up for sale and in a matter of days the switch was made.

The new 2012 Eagle (Silver Spur Edition)!!

Ever since then we’ve been ready to hit the road and give it a Maiden Voyage. Due to extensive snow in most of the state we decided we’d make our way over to the coast to take advantage of some better, non snowy weather. We found a bit of spring as we hit the other side of the Cascades. Daffodils were blooming!

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Joshua Tree, 2018

Note: This is a continuation of our California trip from here:  https://occidentalist.org/wandering-ca-395-2018-part-2/  After departing the Alabama Hills we struck off ever southward toward Joshua Tree National Park.  It was a transition day as the Sierra came to an end, and cholla cactus, creosote bushes and eventually Joshua trees filled the landscape before us.  It took the better part of the day to get there, but we did arrive in time to do some initial looking around. …

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