OREGON EXPEDITION 2025!

I read that Southern Oregon has the world's only Big Foot trap.  Although I was not able to capture a photo of the actual trap, I was able to capture a photo of my son, assuming the iconic Big Foot stance.  Thus began our expedition into Oregon!

Our first stop was at the official welcome center ( www.TravelOregon.com ), which is at the first exit after driving the 13 miles from the California/Oregon border.  A friendly staff member at the welcome center, snapped this photo of my son and I, posing in their picture props.  I sat my purse off to one side for this photo, then absent-mindedly left it there, as we returned to our vehicle, and drove northward to the closest gas station.  When I reached for my wallet, I realized I had left my purse at the visitor center, so I immediately phoned them.  The kind gentleman who had taken our photo, also answered the phone (Bill), and assured me he would keep my purse, safely behind the reception desk, until I returned to retrieve it.  I thought it would be a quick trip back to the visitor center.  I was wrong, as there is NO SOUTHBOUND exit to get to the visitor center!  We had to drive nearly back to the border, to turn around and start going north again, in order to access the visitor center!  (Note to self:  remember to check your surroundings, after you have set aside your belongings to snap a photo!  I have walked off and left my hiking stick so many times, that I have bright yellow caution tape hanging like streamers on it, so it will be easier for me to find, when I realize it is missing!  I guess I need to do the same for my purse!)

 

Our next stop, after retrieving my purse, was the town of Ashland, Oregon ( www.TravelAshland.com ).  My granddaughter had gotten married in Ashland, Oregon, and the blogs telling about that experience can be found in the archives, dated, August 9, 11, 13, in 2014)  Ashland is a charming town, with dozens of cafes, that patrons can enter both from the street, and from their creekside patios  

 

My son patiently smiled for a photo, when I went for a stroll to take more photographs of this picturesque location, while we waited for our food order to be served.

After we finished our lunch, we took a stroll through the adjacent Lithia Park, which is situated along Ashland Creek.   The name of the park comes from its association with a nearby mineral spring, that contained lithium oxide.  The park was designed by landscape architect John McLaren, who also designed Golden Gate Park, in San Francisco.  (A blog I published August 13, 2014, has a more detailed account of Lithia Park amenities)

The photo below shows a youngster playing in the creek, which meanders through the 93 acres of forested canyon land that make up the park.  

The young man in photo below blends the tunes on his guitar, with the bubbling sounds of the creek, as it cascades over the smooth boulders below the arched bridge.

In another area of the park, a gray bearded gentleman gave a big smile for the camera, as he strummed enjoyable, mellow tunes on his cello, to those strolling along the sidewalk.

The ultimate goal of our walk through Lithia Park was to access the Japanese Garden there.  My son had recently returned from a trip to Japan, and stated he thought the Japanese Garden at Ashland, was as good as, if not better than, any he visited in Japan.   I took a photo of the YOKOSO (which means "welcome") sign, because decades ago, I attended a "Memphis in May" week, where Japan culture was featured, and there were banners and buttons and teeshirts with the saying "Yokoso ya'll" everywhere you looked!

The wooden entrance gate to the Japanese garden features typical Japanese architecture.  

We observed one of the garden staff giving an orientation to two volunteers.  He was telling them how quickly the bamboo plants he was pointing to, had grown in a very short time period.  

The Japanese maple tree (shown on left side of photo) provided a bit of color for the stroll.  I read that Japanese gardens are distinctive in their symbolism of nature, with traditional Japanese gardens being very different from Western gardens, which often display vibrant splashes of bright colors.  In contrast, Japanese gardens are modeled with spiritual and philosophical ideas in mind, conceived to represent a natural setting.  The scene below represents a promenade garden, meant to be seen one landscape at a time. Features of the garden are to be discovered when the visitor follows the winding path.  

The stone lanterns seen in many Japanese gardens often have symbolic meanings, with the base representing the earth, the section encasing the lantern's light representing fire, and the top section representing the sky.  The lantern shown here was adjacent to a water feature that contained koi fish, which are also a common amenity in a Japanese garden.  

A portion of the Ashland Japanese garden contains what some call a rock garden, dry garden,  or zen garden.  The rocks can represent islands, and the white gravel can represent water that surrounds an island.  

Plantings in a Japanese garden are carefully tended to add to the aesthetic appeal of the space.  I was intrigued by the very artistic way the white roots of this tree, were uncovered, and surrounded by black gravel, to create a thing of beauty.  

I asked the staff member to take a photo of my son and I near the entrance gate, and this is one I will cherish!

The way these bamboo poles have been lashed together reminded me of a "hashtag" symbol, like we would see on the Internet, to direct searches to a certain location.  For example, #ashlandjapanesegarden.

Fences in Japanese gardens are designed for purity and simplicity, which is well illustrated in this photo. 

No story about Ashland, Oregon, is complete without mentioning its famous Oregon Shakespeare Festival ( www.osfashland.org ). The photo below shows a portion of it campus, which was founded in 1935, as a three-day festival.  In the intervening forty years, it has become an important economic driver for Ashland, that presents a rotating repertory season of up to 10 plays and musicals from Shakespeare, as well as new works.  

Another economic driver in Ashland, is Southern Oregon University, and their unique "Featheroars" art installation.  The wooden oars catch the wind, and cause the bottom seats attached to it, to spin.  

Bright yellow "scotch broom" is prevalent along hillsides. 

I enjoyed seeing the bright yellow blooms that lined Interstate 5 in Southern Oregon. However, a plant nursery owner later told me these are called "Scotch Broom".  She said they were an invasive species, but quickly added her nursery sold a cultivar of the plant that was not invasive.  It is classified as invasive because it crowds out native species and negatively impacts wildlife habitat.  

After many more miles of Interstate 5, we finally met up with the rest of our group at a delightful venue in Oregon City.  It had a covered pavilion filled with picnic tables, as well as an indoor space for those who did not want to be outside.  The pavilion was surrounded by every kind of ethnic food truck  imaginable, so a large group with differing tastes could all find something to suit them.  

Across the street from the food trucks, there was a park, which was especially enjoyable for the little kids in the group, and those who were "young at heart".   This supper was on a Friday night, and we were all preparing for a big event scheduled for the next day, in Canby, Oregon.  There is another blog detailing that event, entitled "Sprinkle Expedition", dated June 9, 2025.   The joyous looking photo below, brought to mind Palm 78:4 about passing faith to the next generation:  "We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord."  The verse emphasizes the importance of sharing God's story and works with the younger generation, with the hope that future generations will also trust in God and remember His works.    When I keep this purpose in mind, my time with family gives me "MILES OF SMILES"! 

 

Sunday Gifts!

I was up

 before dawn on Sunday morning, mostly because my body was still on a "Central Time Zone" diurnal cycle.  Therefore, to keep from waking anyone up, I went down to the lobby to have a quiet time.  I was glad there were several Bibles in the floor to ceiling bookshelf beside the fireplace, that could provide words of wisdom for my meditation.  I am so thankful that we can learn about the the hope of our salvation in Jesus Christ, through reading the Bible.  I have learned that studying the Scripture (and trying to APPLY what I learn!) is the anchor I need to keep my life on course.   Seeing God's word there in the hotel lobby, brought to mind one of the memory verses for my First Place 4 Health class ( www.FirstPlace4Health.com ).  It simply says "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm, and secure."  Hebrews 6:19.  On this Sunday morning in Oregon, I was giving thanks to God for the many blessings I had experienced over the past several days, and giving thanks for the anchor His presence has been in my life.

Stepping outside the front doors, the lodge seemed to be quiet and peaceful, and perhaps even "resting" after the merriment of the night before.

Back inside, I

was fascinated by the burl wood that was used to form the stair rail supports.  Finding that many posts with burls on them represents considerable time in the forests!

Meanwhile, back on my second story balcony, the sun was just beginning to makes its appearance from behind the tall evergreen trees that surround the lawn.

Even though there was some lingering haze from the large forest fires in nearby counties, the big yellow ball in the sky made its presence known!

The banquet tables had been cleared of their tablecloths, and looked like water lilies, floating on a green pond!

After a while, the wedding guests came down to the patio beside the restaurant, to wake up to  a delicious breakfast buffet, and some good Northwest coffee!

The Wiles were whiling away the morning, enjoying the Oregon sunshine!

The Johnson grandparents were looking good, and enjoying their fifty-sixth wedding anniversary that same weekend!  Dean and Kaylee were married on August 2, and Jim and Elna were married on August 3!  Congratulations are in order for both couples!

The buffet included French toast, and eggs, and potatoes, and meat, oh my!

If the wedding party thought the photographs were finished, they were mistaken!!  Still more photos needed to remember this happy occasion!

The

grandmother of the bride was looking especially fashionable in her breakfast attire!

There had been  a basket of flip flops on the dance floor the previous evening, for ladies to trade their heels for, and apparently someone forgot to pick up their "party shoes" after the party!

Many of the wedding attendees brought gifts for the couple, and they were nicely arranged adjacent to the breakfast tables.  We all enjoyed Dean and Kaylee opening gifts, as we munched on our yummy meal!

(This "Welcome Bikers" photo is a reminder to say that some of the guests even came by "bike"---aka, "motorcycle"!  Pastor Ray rode his motorcycle to the Rehearsal Party, as well as to the actual wedding of Grover and Stacy!)

This

family has known the bride since she was an "itty-bitty"!  The tall, good-looking,  teen-age son in the middle probably does not want to be reminded that the bride used to be his babysitter!

One of the items on the breakfast menu was Oregon Berry Syrup for the French toast.

It reminded me of red finger paint, so I made my own version of Kaylee and Dean's initials that had been on the wedding cake, the coasters, the water bottles, the groom's ties, the honeymoon car, and the welcome baskets!   K + D forever!!

The hotel staff ( www.callahanslodge.com ) had put all the table decorations together to speed up the packing process for the wedding party.  Those represent lots of work, and a "labor of love" by the friends and family that decorated the venue for the wedding .

The bride's brother, me, and my son wait patiently while the kitchen packed up some leftover wedding cake for us to take home.  I forgot to ask Kaylee and Dean  if it is still a tradition to have a piece of the wedding cake on the couple's first anniversary!

Friends

 had decorated the back of their car with a "Just Married" sign, and also divulged the location of their honeymoon---Hawaii!!

And so it goes, that the numbers "8.2.14" will go down in history as the wedding day for Kaylee Self and Dean Johnson.  It was a celebration of love that gave all of us "MILES OF SMILES"!!

Callahan Expedition!

Matthew 22 in the New Testament contains the "Parable of the Wedding Feast", and this story has new meaning for me, since I had the enjoyable experience of attending the wedding festivities of Kaylee Self and Dean Johnson recently.  At the time Jesus spoke the parable, a wedding feast could go on for days with much food and merriment.  Such was also the case for this early August wedding weekend at Callahan's Lodge ( www.callahanslodge.com ) near Ashland, Oregon.

Guests started gathering at the lodge on Friday afternoon.  It was a beautiful summer day, and the large, manicured lawn of Callahan's Lodge was partially set up for the wedding, to give the bridal party an idea of where they would be walking and standing on the actual day of the wedding.  A covered gazebo at the east end of the lawn served as the backdrop for the ceremonies.

This photo shows a bridesmaid and groomsman practicing their stroll down the aisle, while us family members practiced looking pretty for the camera!

Pastor Ray had given the groom and groomsmen instructions on where to stand and how to behave, but they nonetheless did some taunting and bickering among themselves, to help get them through the awkward wait for the bride.  However, at least they all got the memo to wear shorts for the rehearsal!

My son also got the memo about wearing shorts for the rehearsal, as he practiced escorting the bride-to-be down the center aisle.

The maid of honor stood "on call" to be of whatever assistance that would be needed, as the bride would be wearing a wedding dress with a lovely long train on the following day.  Pastor Ray briefly explained to the couple what he would be talking about to them on the next day, and the order of the wedding nuptials. 

During the rehearsal, a helicopter (painted the traditional Oregon colors of green and yellow) kept buzzing the lawn where we were gathered.  This gave us  an opportunity to see what movie stars feel like when their weddings are photographed by the paparazzi!  Since the groom works in television news broadcasting, he is probably used to having helicopters flying overhead when he is doing an "on location" report!

After the rehearsals were complete, the groom's family hosted a pizza and salad buffet on the outdoor patio beside the lawn.  Once again, I was thanking God for the nice weather and for being served my favorite meal!

Kaylee and Dean seemed to be enjoying the camaraderie as well!

After we ate, Kaylee and Dean invited the bridesmaids and groomsmen up to the deck so they could be presented with their "swag" gifts from the bride and groom to help them remember this special day.  Each bridesmaid received a custom-made purse, filled with makeup, jewelry, wallet/phone cases, and more!

Although the groomsmen did not get purses, their gift bags DID have custom-made cuff links from actual NY Yankees baseballs, monogrammed ties, green and yellow Oregon socks, and more!  The wedding party was all smiles after this fun gift-opening ceremony!

As darkness settled over Callahan's Lodge, the twinkle lights that lined all the balconies and lawn glowed---almost as much as the bride and groom glowed in the anticipation of their wedding the next day!

To help pass the night away, the guys set up their ring toss game (in green and yellow colors, of course).  Some of them had apparently become experts during their college days at this familiar "tail gate party" activity!  This photo also shows some of the Wyoming television news crew that had come down to Oregon for the wedding. 

Kaylee and the gals were using this custom-made scoreboard to track which team was winning the ring toss.  And of course, it was painted green and yellow!

The feasting did not stop when we got to our rooms in the lodge.  Kaylee and Dean (and their helpers!) had prepared a lovely gift basket for our rooms that continued the baseball theme.  I especially liked the water bottles with the couple's photo on them, as well as their wedding date and inititals.  They had also written out a greeting to us, along with the verse from I Corinthians 13:4-7.  It says, in part, that "Love is kind", and it was certainly very kind of them to give me snacks for my room!

Callahan's Lodge has a section on their website devoted to backpackers who are hiking through the Ashland area on the Pacific Crest Trail.  One couple there had started on the trail in Mexico, and were headed northward to Canada---that's alot of walking, all while carrying your "house" on your back!  For a fee, backpackers can have resupply packages mailed to Callahan's, to be picked up when the hiker reaches that location.  Also, for a fee, they can use shower facilities,  laundry facilities, and permission to lay out their sleeping bags on the lawn.  I was still on "Central Time Zone" instead of Pacific Time, so I awoke early enough to see them still dozing cozily in their sleeping bags, and took this photo from my second story balcony.  However, the backpackers were long gone by the time most of the hotel guests woke up.

Saturday morning found us once again outside dining al fresco, as we ordered delicious treats from the Callahan breakfast menu. 

The bride-to-be gave us a "shout out" from her third story balcony, letting us know that she and her bridesmaids had survived an all-girls, "grins and giggles" slumber party in their room the previous evening!

The

folks in this photo show the international flavor of the wedding party, as they flew in from Canada, to be a part of their niece/cousin's wedding!  Oh, Canada!!  Looking good , eh??

While the previous photos have shown people who came by plane, by motorized vehicle, by helicopter, or on foot as backpackers, this photo shows that some people come to Callahan's on horseback!  It's not often you see a horse in the same photo as an Interstate 5 highway sign!  No matter HOW we arrived at this big event for Kaylee and Dean, we all had "MILES OF SMILES"!!  Tricia