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Wagonteamster

May 30, 2014, Valley Falls, OR - Jacquie and I just completed a three day road trip (by car) to recon the route we are to take on Trip #5.  After trying numerous different routes to reach the coast, we decided that with the narrow roads with lots of logging truck traffic on the roads leading over the coast range, it was unsafe to take a wagon out to the coast.  The coast route itself wasn’t bad, it was just the roads leading across the coastal range of mountains that were the real problem. So, we revised our projected route to travel up the Willamette River valley instead. Even this presented some challenges in finding a route that bypassed Interstate 5, south of Eugene, OR. After a lot of searching, we found some back roads, south of Eugene that will take us to Roseburg, OR. From there, we’ll travel back east, just north of Crater Lake National Park, then on back roads until we get home.  The purpose of the recon by car was to find where it was safe to drive the wagon, and it worked out very well.

This is the new route for Trip #5. I’m sure there will be some changes based on who we meet and what we encounter on the road, but the route shouldn’t vary too much from the one shown above.

We didn’t take too many pictures on our car journey, but I included a couple from the route heading back east from Roseburg.  The first sixty or seventy miles east of Roseburg, the road follows a beautiful river that reminds me of the Locsa River Valley, along US Rte 12 in Idaho.  The route 138 climbs up to first Diamond Lake then Crater Lake. Both of these lakes were ancient Volcano calderas.  Crater Lake is extremely picturesque and is now a National Park.  Diamond Lake is a close second and is place we will visit on the trip.

Diamond Lake, OR - a real jewel.

Crater Lake National Park. Even though we won’t visit this lake on the trip, it was a short detour for recon trip. Unfortunately, wagon travel and National Parks don’t mix too well. There are too many people in the park and too many rules for taking horses into the parks.

In two or three days, we’ll set off on the journey.  Once I get on the road, I should be blogging most nights.

Jacquie is a very talented knitter.  The following baby blanket is one she knitted for a young neighborhood ranching couple that are expecting their first child.  In the middle of the blanket, you can see their brand (Lazy J - 3. This is very important information to be impressed in the memory of a young buckaroo, even before he sits in the saddle for the first time!

Dusty and Tara Counts’ first baby blanket for their cowboy that will be born this summer.

The reverse side of the blanket. It was double knitted, so the inverse shows up on the other side.  I explained to the Counts’ that this was important as they could see if anyone had altered the brand.

The next blog should be from camp, our first night out on the road.