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"! 

 

OREGON SPRINKLE EXPEDITION!

The photo below shows my first-ever invitation to a "baby sprinkle".  Turns out, it was a play on words, since a "sprinkle" is not a full "shower".  The parents already had one young boy (and, hence, many of the necessities a baby boy would receive at a baby shower), so the baby boy still in his mother's womb, would only need a "sprinkle", not a "shower"!  Clever, huh??!!  The golf cart on the invitation, along with the golf phrases, "PAR-TEE", were hints that this event had a golf theme.  

The hostess for the event graciously invited me to stay in her home the Friday night before, so that I was there all day Saturday, to watch the preparations get underway, and assist as needed.  The photo below shows Jan, Deana, Laury, and Stacy, in the process of blowing up balloons (with an electric device), then tying off the top of the balloons, then stuffing them into bags, in preparation for making a balloon arch.  I have always admired balloon arches when I have seen them at special occasions, but this was my first time to ever participate in making one of them.  Suffice it to say, it takes quite a while to get the balloons tied onto a rope, which is then hung on a wall, to form an arch.      

The hostess had ordered custom-made cookies, each with with a golf theme design incorporated into the icing.  Besides each one being a work of art, they actually tasted delicious!  Likewise, the custom-made cupcakes, had a round piece of chocolate on top, wrapped up to look like a golf ball.  A decorative golf club was also on top of each cupcake.    There was no sneaking around to eat one of the cupcakes, because as soon as you bit into it, your lips and tongue turned green, as shown in one of the photos of little Connor, later in this blog.  There were the usual adult beverages, plus the kids had their own "beverage station", cleverly placed in a little red wagon, surrounded by ice.  

We set up an assembly line to make club sandwiches, once again using the golf theme, by the word "club", and a golf club wooden pick, holding the layers together.  

They had a "pop up" canopy to set up, and we all had a hand in getting it out of its folded up position, and into the completely opened up position.  It definitely took a team to get this accomplished!

I was thanking God for the beautiful weather that we had for the backyard event, as there was no rain, very little wind, and the temperature was perfect!

One of the adult activities, was to guess how many golf tees were in the big baby bottle, with the winner getting a special golf-themed prize. The photo beside the bottle, shows little Connor, with a golf club and golf ball.

The centerpieces on the table were made from artificial turf, and filled with golf balls, tees, and photos of Dean, Kaylee, and Connor out on the golf course.  Also, shown is the "Who is the baby's daddy" game.  Each guest was given a scratch off card, and only one of the cards had an actual photo of the daddy Dean.  The other faces were well-known celebrities.  

This photo shows several of the guests holding up their "whose your daddy" card, but none of them won the prize.  

The balloon arch made the perfect back drop for photos, and this photo below shows the honorees---Dean and Kaylee.  

This photo shows the family of the host and hostess.

The photo below shows why I was invited.  My son is married to Kaylee's mom!  (There were dozens more photos of groups under the balloon arch, but for purposes of brevity in this blog, I just put the photos of people who hosted me for overnight stays.)

This photo shows four generations of my daughter-in-law's family:  young Connor (with green tongue from green cupcake icing), Stacy, with her daughter Kaylee and mother Jan.

And this photo shows just two generations---me and my son, known as "Pappy G", to Connor, because my son called my father, "Pappy Joe".   

However, there were additional generations of "Pappy G" represented in the gift I brought for the "sprinkle".   For decades, I have kept the perforated metal top that fit into a glass bottle, that "Pappy G's" great grandmother used to "sprinkle" the clothes with water, she would be pressing, with a heavy metal object, heated on top of a wood stove.  This was the pioneer's version of a "steam iron".  (for purposes of my air travel to get to Oregon, I had replaced the glass bottle, with a plastic bottle, which contained a gift check that could be used for the baby's diaper needs or other necessities).  The miniature iron I gave to Kaylee, is one that "Pappy G's" grandmother used to iron her doll clothes, whenever her  mom was ironing the grown up clothes.  The badly-faded embroidery shows an elf with wings, sitting on top of an old-fashioned iron.  It was a "tea towel", that had been in my mother's Hope Chest.  The Hope Chest was usually a hand-made cedar box, with hinged top, which girls would start filling as a child, with tea towels and doilies and aprons and baby blankets they made, in hopes of having a husband and family some day---hence, the phrase "Hope Chest"!  My father made numerous cedar "Hope Chests".  Also, included was an old-fashioned clothes pin, made from a single piece of wood, before the invention of hinged clothes pins.

I mentioned the games for adults, and there were also fun activities for the little ones.  The most popular was the bubble machine, which always makes for interesting photo opportunities!

My son and I played one of the children's games, which was new to me!

Connor really got into the idea of a "SPRINKLE", when someone gave him a water bottle with a hole punched in the lid, which he repeatedly filled, and proceeded to "sprinkle" anyone who could not get out of his squirting range!

This event was a wonderful celebration of the precious gift, currently in the process of being "knit together" in his mother's womb, as described in Psalm 139.  It was an expedition that gave me "MILES OF SMILES"!  Tricia

BRYANT CREEK STATE PARK EXPEDITION!

In 2024, I went with friends from "Women Hiking the Ozarks" abbreviated "WHO" to do a hike at a place that had never been on our schedule before.  It was Bryant Creek State Park (www.mostateparks.com), which was added to the Missouri system in 2022.  As always, our group "circled up" at the beginning, to go over the instructions from our volunteer trail coordinators, tell our names, and number off.  (The goal being to have the same number at the end of the hike, as at the beginning!)  The concrete pad where we are gathered also serves as the handicap parking spot, for the two pit toilets, which are handicapped accessible.  The covered kiosk on the left, had helpful information posted behind the glass, plus a container that had paper maps, a hiker could take with them while exploring.

Our large group divided into those who wanted the longer, more difficult hike and those who wanted the shorter, less difficult hike.  I was in the group who wanted the shorter distance, and I took the photo below of my group, when we started our journey:

The long trail group hikers are TOUGH!

At one point far from our starting point, the two groups crossed paths.  I was in the group with their backs facing the camera, while the longer mileage hikers are facing the camera. 

The photo below shows 3 ladies conferring with their map, while the lady at the left of the photo worked on the ambitious goal of getting a very wide angle photo that would show the entire group. 

What the map readers were trying to figure out, is where we were in terms of the waterfall that is listed on the map.  Eventually, we came across the (barely flowing) waterfall, and it is pictured behind me.  We were visiting the area during deer hunting season, which accounts for my bright orange attire. 

  The bluffs that occur throughout the park add to its biodiversity, with a bioinventory indicating 940 kinds of plants, shrubs, wildflowers, and trees.  The photo below shows one of our hikers beside an outcrop of sandstone. 

The park brochure says ledges of Roubidoux sandstone, stacked two or three layers tall, follow the ins and outs of the area hills and hollows.  Sometimes our trail was on top of the sandstone, sometimes beside it, and sometimes between it, as shown in photo below:

The Ozarks is famous for its "hills and hollers", which means there may be a bit of water flowing through the hollers at the bottom of the hills.  As a trail patrol volunteer with the Arkansas Master Naturalists (www.arkansasmasternaturalists.org), I can appreciate the labor that is required to create a trail through a heavily wooded area.  The trails here were built with the assistance of team Fire 1 of AmeriCorps NCCC, a full-time service program (www.americorps.gov) allowing young adults ages 18-26 to serve in communities across the country to learn leadership skills. 

When I was at the park last November, I read the information at the kiosk, that said a track chair was available, by advance reservation, for visitors to the parks.  When I contacted the park to arrange a demonstration in December, the ranger explained that it generally is not available during December, January, February, and March because of weather-related issues, so I was delighted when the park ranger, Nick, followed up with me again in April, indicating that a demonstration of the track chair could now be scheduled.  Friends of mine from church (R and C) were also interested in learning about the track chair, and we are shown below:

After the park ranger explained how it worked,  the liability release form had been signed, and identity verified by R showing a photo ID driver's license, we were ready to start rolling!  C is shown below, using the track chair as it was set up, upon our arrival.  C has limited use of her right hand, so she was having to reach across her body, to operate the "joy stick" that controls the chair, with her still-functional left hand.  This was not an "ergo-efficient" movement, and proved to be very tiring for her left hand. 

Thankfully, there was a solution, as the ranger explained that the controls could be moved to the opposite side of the chair, with advance notice, but he did not have the necessary tools with him, to make the change at that time.  That is when R pulled out a fully-equipped tool bag out of his van, and the two guys started the process of switching the sides of the chair that the joy stick was located.  It did not require a change in the electronics cord, just a matter of unscrewing the control boxes for the electronics, and transferring them behind the chair, to be relocated to the opposite side. The chair runs on battery power, with the amount of battery charge remaining, displayed on the arm controls.  Because of the limited battery power, it is generally recommended that the chair can only be used for a two hour time period, before needing to be recharged at an electrical source. 

It was inspiring to see these two work together on a common goal! 

The chair was much easier for C to maneuver with the controls on the left:

C has an electric wheel chair at home that uses a "joy stick", so once she had the controls on the left side, she was ready to go "full throttle" on the trail!  (The speed is adjustable incrementally, from 1 (slowest) to 5 (fastest).    The photo below shows she was several feet ahead of me, as I was a walker; and, the photo also shows the golden "track chair" blaze on the pine tree, as well as illustrating there are park benches along the trail used by the track chair. 

This tree shows the blazes (hiking trail markers) used for all the trails at Bryant Creek State Park.  The red rectangle designates the  4.5 mile Pike Hollow Trail, the yellow rectangle designates the Pinewoods Trail, and the blaze below it with the symbol for the track chair, means this section is where the track chair is permitted.  The liability release form that a participant signs, indicates the chair is equipped with a GPS locator, so the possibility of a person in the chair getting lost in the woods is minimal.  Also, the liability release form one signs, indicates that park personnel are not allowed to assist the user into or out of the chair, so most users will need to have a helper with them for that maneuver.  The form also states that their photo/video may be used by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, while they are using the action track chair.  However, before I published their photos, I asked C and R, if it was okay for me to do so, which they said was okay.  By the way, the blazes in this photo (which do not harm the trees) are on trees that are partly responsible for the development of Bryant Creek State Park.  That is because the park acreage has a nice stand of Missouri's only native Shortleaf Pine. 

One reason I became interested in accessibility to the outdoors is that decades ago, my nephew was teaching hang-gliding at a location in Southern California.  A gust of wind caught his hang-glider, slamming him against a cliff.  The injury resulted in him having lower body paralysis, causing him to be confined to a wheelchair from then on.  Another learning experience was the week I spent at a Road Scholar (www.RoadScholar.org) program at the FDR Presidential Library and Museum, in Hyde Park, New York.  Learning about the difficulties FDR had when he was confined to a wheel chair after a bout with polio, I was impressed by his determination.  I remember in particular a quote from President Franklin D. Roosevelt saying to the effect, that he had just signed into existence, a new USA National Park, that he would never be able to enjoy, as a person confined to a wheel chair.  Fortunately, since that time, progress has been made to correct that situation.  One group that I follow on social media that has the goal of taking mobility-impaired folks to places they could never go otherwise, is called Luke5Adventures (www.Luke5Adventures.org).  Using a "chair cycle" (similar to what is used in mountain rescues) they take people on some, otherwise unattainable for the paralyzed person, trails.  The name comes from the passage in Luke 5:17-26, that tells about the men who carried a paralyzed man to Jesus for healing, gaining access to Jesus, by lowering the man down through a hole in the roof of the room where Jesus was teaching.  They were demonstrating faith and friendship in action! 

Seeing the faith and perseverance my nephew, my friends C and R, and other wheel-chair folks at my church demonstrate, despite their challenges, is an uplifting testimony.  It is in stark contrast I had many years ago, when making patient rounds at the hospital I worked.  I entered a paralyzed patient's room, to find out his food preferences, and he started cursing at me and throwing objects at me, such that I had to leave the room.  His anger was completely understandable, which makes a good attitude in the same situation, so amazing to me.  

 Hopefully, enabling folks to get out into God's Great Outdoors, will point them to a new-found strength, through accessibility advances, like a track chair.  My experiences at Bryant Creek State Park, both hiking and observing the track chair, gave me "MILES OF SMILES"!!  Tricia