11 Wednesday Oct 2017
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I had read that the Owyhees was rattlesnake country. One of the hunters I talked with didn’t bring his hunting dog with him because of the snakes. Another group had all their dogs given the rattlesnake vaccine. I took this chatter as a serious warning. Rocket would have to stay on a leash.
On our walk up Juniper Gulch we fortunately saw no snakes. The next day I walked up the Sage Creek track.
10 Tuesday Oct 2017
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I decided to start my exploring with my number one destination – Juniper Gulch off of the Leslie Gulch Road.
I called this rock The King
08 Sunday Oct 2017
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I’m off; not to Montana as originally planned, but to the Owyhees. Too many wildfire in Montana made me decide to cancel the Montana trip I had planned. Maybe next spring will be a good time to visit Montana if there isn’t too much snow this winter.
26 Wednesday Oct 2016
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This is my second trip to Utah and on my way home I drove a portion of I-70 that I hadn’t driven before. To my surprise, views of Utah still amazed me. I think of it like being at Disneyland, around every turn there is something new to surprised and amaze.
I-70 slicing the San Rafael Reef
21 Friday Oct 2016
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“What was the favorite part of your trip?” This was the common question I was asked when I returned to work. I didn’t have an obvious answer which pushed me to ponder. The scenery was gorgeous. The ability to walk in the footsteps of the ancient people was humbling. The geology was mind blowing. But these items were all wisps in the memories dancing in my head. I realized the memories with density, were of the people I met.
Meeting the Wander The West people in the Valley of Gods was wonderful. I’m still thinking about my chat about a 1,700-foot, 36-inch diameter horizontal directional drill run. And meeting Hoyden who later wrote about her trip : “Perhaps that’s what I learned on this trip: to take one step at a time, not to give credence to the future unknowns, and watch for cairns – the markers of where others have gone and suggested a reasonable path.”
Some of the Wander The West group
17 Monday Oct 2016
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The time we spent at Muley Point was spent exploring. My hat off to the volunteers at the Kane Gulch Ranger Station that dispense good quality friendly information.
Following are some photos taken while exploring. Enjoy.
House of Fire, South Mule Canyon
23 Saturday Jan 2016
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Today I leave the beach and the life of a lighthouse docent and go home to my alternate reality of being an engineer. I leave behind a life scheduled by the tide table and the
Photo credit: Ron
lighthouse. A life where I had started to memorize the curves in the road and know which beach access is good at which tide. A life where I knew enough to chat with the locals about fossils and agates, and where to shop in town. And a life were I learned how to pronounce Yachats, Heceta, Umpqua, Yaquina, and Fresnel. Living here has been comfortable and simple. I’ve enjoyed it.
But challenges and adventures are the spice of life. It is time to move on.
22 Friday Jan 2016
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Today was my last day of being a lighthouse docent. The weather gave me a grand farewell, it was the best weather I have had at the lighthouse during my stay. But my 
time here had come to an end so I hang up my vest and hat.
I don’t think my month being a docent at Heceta Head and living at the Carl Washburne campground could have been any better than it was. Everyone – the fellow docents, the campground hosts, the park ranger Debbie and park staff were enjoyable and pleasant to be with. And the public appreciated our effort to provide them tours.
Thank you everyone for making my month enjoyable and meaningful.
21 Thursday Jan 2016
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My hat is off and paws up to praise the Oregon State Parks. The state knows how to show off their fabulous beach to the visitor. The parks are clean, the restrooms have toilet paper, there are lots of restrooms along the coast, dogs can run off leash on the beaches, there are lots of beach accesses, and they have a great volunteer program. What a list.
The ever present poop station
I celebrate Oregon State Park’s approach to dogs. They choose to focus on managing dogs and dog owner’s behavior instead of restricting dogs. Dogs poop bags and waste containers are everywhere; at way side stops, at parks, at trail heads. Park your car and you see poop bags and a waste container. And dogs are everywhere with most people at the campground having brought a dog with them. It all seems to work. I see very little poop not picked up and I’ve only seen one dog not leashed when it should have been. The results are happy people and happy dogs.
20 Wednesday Jan 2016
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I’ve started to reflect about my time here at Heceta, knowing that the days are numbered until I leave on Saturday. My last full day of exploring and playing was today. Thursday and Friday I will work at the lighthouse and then I’m gone. Today I stopped at beaches that I hadn’t visited before, looking for agates and letting the dogs run and play. A nice relaxing day.
Photo credit: Ron
searching for the middle of nowhere 