On the Road in the Left Whale: 2025

So my boet, Frans came to visit in Oct/Nov 2024 for a few weeks. Main reasons was to take the Whale out for a drive in Oregon for two weeks and then to see if he can catch any Stealhead trout in upstate New York with da boys.

btw - all the photos are still sequenced back to front - still cannot figure it out... think this blog think is just fing with me. Also - quite a long blog...

We flew into Eugene, OR and headed to where the Whale was stored in an old cement factory. Got there only to find that someone had parked behind the Whale and gone to some big hockey or football game in town. At least it gave us enough time to get everything back into shape, but when we were still waiting a few hours later, Troy – the owner – started bringing out the beers, and when he really got anxious, bought out a whole plastic tub full of premium home-grown weed (there is a dispensary on every corner in Oregon), but I grow my own premium…etc.
Finally got out of there and headed to our first campsite just north of Eugene where I had stayed before (see the previous post with the great Indian food truck). Spent a day in Eugene - really worth a longer visit.

Bar in Eugene, OR

Crazy tree

From Eugene we took route 56 up to the highlands through some stunning countryside and ended up in Bend, OR at The CampRV park. A somewhat weird setup, but the good part was that they had a gas fire pit in the middle of the park where Frans could sit and smoke in what was going to be some pretty cold nights.
Definitely also the gathering place for some of the more permanent local campers. Had some crazy 'discussion' with some guy who thought Putin was the best thing since sliced bread and wanted to save the world and some angel whose name I forgot (and for that I am going to hell), but once he started talking in tongues, Frans and I decided we need to cut down on the gummies.

Frans holding council...

If you see the 'Chain up' area - it's never a good sign

Its was a beautiful route up to 5,000ft

Had a great cycle to the top of a small volcano (called Pilot Butte) that is in the middle of the town and did a walk on some lava flows. It is just crazy how this area was formed a few years ago from some crazy volcanic activity.

Frans back at the fire pit

The lava flow area

The sisters mountain range

On top of Pilot butte

From the top of Pilot butte. Mt Jefferson, Mt Hood?

From Bend we headed down to the Columbia gorge past a snow capped Mt Hood. We stopped off at Smith Rock State park - just because and did a great hike there. Awesome scenery.

A next in the cliff - could not quite make out what type of bird, because normal to form, I had left the binocs at the Whale.

At 5,000 ft, it was definitely a bit chilly

Really looks like a picture

Later took one of those totally serendipitous 'short-cuts' and ended up a town called Maupin which is on the Deschutes river. The last dam/weir in the river had been removed a few weeks back and the stealhead trout had been moving back up the river after years of not being able to. Stopped at the local fly-fishing shop for a chat. After that it was down the Columbia river gorge - stunningly large river with amazing tributaries with waterfalls.

One of the State Parks next to the Columbia river

The Columbia is a very very big river

with big bridges

Amazingly wet with lots of waterfalls cascading into the Columbia gorge

In Portland we stayed at an RV park that was next to the river, and next to the Portland Yacht club, so Frans and I decided we had to go there for a beer or 2. Naturally when we knocked they asked if we were members, and we said no, but... we were (used to be) members of the Royal Cape Yacht club (Which was true) and I was a current member of the Quartzsite yacht club. Luckily I could produce my membership card and after some quizzical looks they let us into the club for a few pints. My only comment is that at Lake Havasu, that yacht club bought visitors drinks... but not in Portland.

In any case, we then met up with Andrew Keaton, an old school buddy of Frans who he had not seen in years - and who now lived in Vancouver, Canada. Was great to see Keats and we explored Portland together. After all the horror stories we had heard of it being overrun with homeless people, it turned out there were quite a few, but less than expected, and we never felt unsafe. It is really a sad state of affairs if the richest country in the world plus the Sackler family who precipitated the opioid crisis cannot care for these people - as most of them seem to be addicts (my generalizations again).

Maybe the boy has been in Canada for too long...

My main memory of Portland/Oregon is it was #$@)*$#)*#W)* wet

Portland is a great city

After saying goodbye to Keats (and learning from him how to peel an egg), we headed for the coast. A few nights in a Thousand Trails campsite in Seaside and Pacific City we headed back to Eugene to pack away the Whale at the cement factory for a few more months while we headed back to Boston. (Photo sequence is backwards again...)

Back in Boston it was a case of repack and get ready for the fishing trip. This was going to be the 'brothers' trip with Ben as the driver. Matt had flown in from Austria on Thursday afternoon and we all met up in Nahant - the Calderado's (Matt and Rob) and Ben - who came down from Maine and Frans and I got all the gear into the trusty old Sienna and headed west to Pulaski. The 4 of us have been doing it for a number of years (since about 2015?) We would rent a house up in Pulaski, NY state and fish the Salmon river for Stealhead trout. The idea is that the salmon head up the river from Lake Ontario to lay their eggs and the trout come in after them to eat the eggs, so we catch with egg-patterns and a lot of fun is had by all. Well, after 3 mornings of getting up at 3:30am, heading out to the river in freezing temperatures and walking a mile down the river to 'stake out our spot', I managed to land the first trout. Matt (as always) had hooked a few, and after some spectacular runs down the river, a bit of cursing and a lot of fighting would lose them, we decided that (even though we swore never to do it again) we would spend the last full day - which was also Rob's birthday - in the DCR - the bottom section of the river just before it ended in the lake. Things definitely went better there after Matt found a great gully were the fish were coming up. Everyone (except me) at least hooked up on a fish and the birthday boy (Rob) landed his birthday present.