Last weekend was extended to four days and the legs of Rosciante needed stretching. First task at hand was registration, plates and a second attempt to pass the knowledge test for an Oregon drivers license. This time around we were successful on all accounts. We headed East on Highway 22 towards the Cascade mountain range. Shortly we came upon the small mountain town of Mill City.
We needed the propane tank filled for the van's cooker, and spotting a filling station we pulled over for a quick propane stop. A young attendant quickly began the filling while Alex checked fluids and such. Within moments there seemed to be a problem, the young mans face became one of concern and fear. "Is there a problem?"-asks Alex, "let's just say if I start running, try your best to keep up"- responds the the frightened attendant. Due to either an aging frail gasket, over filling, or perhaps a combination of both, a hissing spew of gas now escapes from around the gage of the van's tank. This is not good. A slight spark could erupt the place. The attendant tries to use the filling tool to back out the gas inside the tank, no go. A frost begins to collect around the gage, knob and tank. The waft of propane abounds. Later it takes on a smell of over cooked sour kraut. There is nothing that can be done except to slowly let out the gas through a very small valve. The tank holds five gallons of explosive gas. The plume of exited gasses is forceful, we stand at a safe distance to await the emptying process of the tank. Our best guess is that we would be waiting a short while, a half an hour perhaps. After an hour of watching concerned customers come and go, the frost is scraped from the gage to revel only a slight dip in the measurement. Another hour of waiting outside sees the sky begin to darken. We retreat to the indoors of the gas station. Filling two twelve once cups of sugar infused coffees we return back outside and sip forlornly in a cloud of poisonous gas. At nine O'clock the store closes and the propane gage reads twenty percent full. The lights of the station goes out and we wave goodbye to the filling attendant. We sit inside Rosciante and Susan strums on the guitar and we sing songs regarding the nature of propane and sip whiskey to keep warm. As midnight approaches we slumber into our sleeping bags to the faint sounds of escaping gases from outside.
The next three days are spent without propane and surrounded by the utter beauty of Oregon. We pass through the mountain towns Sisters and Bend. We hunker in for a cold nights stay under the snagggle-toothed shadow of Mt. Thielsen, an area of pristine nature deep within the Cascade Mt. range. Having no stove to cook upon, the eagle scout prepared a small fire with scavenged kindling.After a fine meal the young newlyweds retied to cards, brew, and chocolates.
CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK
If one is careful you are able to spot lake fairies fluttering around at Crater lake!
October has brought about the retraction of chlorophyll exposing the vibrant hues of mahogany and golds. We have been spending our late afternoons and weekends hiking and bicycling throughout the Willamette Valley. From the carpet of fallen leaves springs forth a myriad of mushrooms. We are young mycophiles in search of choice mushrooms, namely: chanterelles, morells, lobster and boletus. On the roadside cascade trail flanking the Santiam River we walk intuitively, eyes affixed to the ground, hands clutching brown paper bags. We are soon bestowed with a wealth of edible fungus. Are hike meanders through tall red alders, fantastic ferns and dominating Douglas firs. Scattered throughout the forest are forgotten picnic sites, hidden behind fallen trees and buried beneath moss. At trail's end the forest gives way to a rolling monoliths of stone plunging into the cool clear water of the river. We picnic and pose for photographs before heading back.
It's...... Autumn Love
A fine collection of mushrooms
Back home we make spore prints and sip wine while identifying the different species. Later a fine pasta meal toped with a sauce full of mushrooms....UM-UM!
