Rogues

Notes from Margo:

We’re out of our own neighborhood now – in Oregon, camped at Diamond Lake (above with Mt. Theilsen). We could tell we’d left the neighborhood because we didn’t know the rules or the names of the players. We thought we would camp at Crater Lake, where we’ve visited briefly before. Turns out that camping is not allowed near the shores. Makes sense, really. The lake is so pure and unpolluted that it needs to be protected from campers. We get that – we stopped to marvel at the clarity of the blues in the water. And then carried on to the next lake northward, Diamond Lake, which of course is a gem. I took a bike ride on the paved bike path through the woods on the edge of the water while Lynn set up camp.

And the players’ names are all different in the next ‘hood north. We were on a quest for groceries this morning, looking for Safeway or Albertsons. Struck out, because the food was in a Fred Meyers store. We finally found it when Lynn spotted grocery carts in a parking lot – “That HAS to be a grocery store!” And, by George, it was.

The highway from Medford to Crater Lake (at left) meandered up the Rogue River valley for about 40 or 50 miles of conifer and oak forests, with regular vistas of the shallow wide river rippling along. Campgrounds seemed to come up about every five miles – each one as enticing as the next. If we didn’t have a bit of an itinerary, any would have been a fine riverside spot for the night. Our goal is to visit an old Army buddy of Lynn’s, Duane Aasland, in Bend, Oregon, tomorrow. They haven’t seen each other since the 1950s.

We set up our camp gear for the first time on this trip, cooked up some tortellini and marinara sauce, a salad, some chicken sausages. And now Lynn is playing the mandolin by a little camp fire. That’s the life.

Footnote from Margo:

Today (this was actually written several days ago because we don't always have internet access) was a little odd for me – it was Rosh Hashana, and for the first time in many years, I was not in synagogue, singing with the choir. We lit a match last night, being out of candles, and I said a few prayers as the holiday began. And this morning, knowing that the whole rest of the Jewish world was at temple and I was driving up Highway 62, well, I felt a bit out of focus. Kenny called to say she’d been to services. She went with her friends Anabel and Hannah, and they all felt a bit sad and homesick, their first Rosh Hashana away from their families. In addition, both Kenny and Anabel needed to say Kaddish for beloved relatives who passed away this year, Anabel’s great-aunt Judy, and our cousin Berta. So that was sad, too. But it was sweet to talk to her, our college freshman 2,200 miles away, seeming so close by cell phone.

Mileage today: Medford, Oregon, to Diamond Lake: 96 miles

Total mileage: 488

Price of gas (at Crater Lake Resort): $3.05