one good week out of four--359mi 4/6/12

a fresh batch of agates out of the tumbler

On double O rd on the way to Idaho. 359 miles as of  April 6th
Around the place---the tulips on the deck got blown to pieces; the ones in the tomato bed survived.

tulips

 I put in some volunteer time for Master Gardening at Freddy's plant clinic. On the way home bought two new rhododendrons(orange and very early bell-shaped pink), four new heathers some pestemon, and some new leptospernum.

a beautiful orange Rhody

An unidentified heath that seems to bloom all year

azaelea

love those red rhodies

The springers are running on the Rogue

Spring is here but still lots of rain....

Haakanson visit

washed-up art in Bandon

Finally made it to Christmas Valley but I am off my 30 mile per week schedule due to weather, the flu, and a road trip with the Haakansons.

Eilidh-- happy to find a tree to climb

Our Cozy Yurt

The wind-swept Newport South Beach

The Haakansons at the Dunes. We got out just in time. The next day six inches of snow fell.

As far as my hiking/ biking project: Sixty two miles the past three weeks. I am at 299. Its crazy--another six weeks to get to Idaho!

Blogger: Ophir the peace that floweth like a river - Edit post

Blogger: Ophir the peace that floweth like a river - Edit post

week 8-- 237 miles. Past Silver lake on my way to Christmas Valley. 

CHICKEN MAZE

October shortly after letting the chickens into the oat field (planted in August.)

chickens scratching in the oat field this week.

The oat field experiment  was a great success. It was a fall cover crop, a winter distraction and feed for the chickens, and mulch for the rest of the winter. This summer I am going to try fava beans and barley for them in a different part of the garden.

week 7-207 total miles

Jetty-cat houses

31 miles. I must be on logging roads in the Cascades. Specifically "Nat for Dev Rd. 8610." Big tides  this week so I had some nice low-water beach hikes. I was happy to make my 30 mile goal and go to Algebra class, Master Gardening and a weekend writers' conference.

I listened to "Peace Like a River" while walking this week. It is lovely and lyrical to listen to. The week before I listened to "Zeitoun" by David Eggers--annoying writing in a worthwhile story.
Yesterday-Sunday I biked to the end of the pavement on Euchre creek.  Saw a heard of elk, flowering myrtle wood and grazing cows oblivious to their spectacular surroundings.

mile 145

Along the Rogue near Huntley Park

Five extra miles last week! Its good to have biking weather and minus tides to send me to the beach. I am somewhere on Crater Lake Hwy.
 I'd forgotten where I'd gotten the idea to do this virtual trip. I was thinking that it was my own invention til I talked to Shirley Freeman today and she reminded me that the whole crew of Freeman Marine was charting their running / walking time across the country. She had told me about this several months ago and the idea settled into my brain without an author's credit. So I stole a good idea.

Near Secret Beach along the Coastal Trail

 I guess the Freeman crew is already in Maine.
So this week I hiked Huntley park trail with my new friend Julie. Biked, Cedar Valley, Euchre Creek and  spent a lot of time on the beach. Its hard to turn around when there are possible agates ahead.

4 weeks--110 miles

34 1/2 miles this week thanks to a break in the weather. That makes 110 1/2 miles for the four weeks. So I am only 9 1/2 miles short of my goal of 30 miles per week. According to the google maps walking-route that puts me(virtually) leaving Gold Hill on Sams Valley Highway on the other side of the Syskiyous. Next week I'll be approaching Crater Lake. Its more than 400 miles across Oregon. (sigh)

Add caption

There's small tides this week so the agate gathering is not productive. The storms have moved hundreds of tons of sand to the north.

I biked Ophir rd looking for late winter flowers. Camellias, Narcissus, an early Rhododendron, and Vincas. Dug up the last of the carrots, mulched the beds and planted early snow peas.