Bob's Corner
It never takes long for me to figure out why we like Cave Junction and its environs compared to other locales. Especially when we are forced (so to speak) to leave the valley and drive to and through some of those other places with their innumerable cars, trucks, buses and motorcycles clogging the roadways. Lots of grumpy drivers too.
Lava Butte
Such was the case recently when we had to drive through Grants Pass (reminds us of why we left Escondido, Calif. in 1979), and then to White City via Central Point. We managed to avoid entering the Main Medford Madness.
Our goal was to pick up the color covers for the Valley Visitor that was in last week’s issue. We have extra copies, and they are being placed around various areas of S.W. Oregon and Extreme Northern California. Once the covers were safely inside our all-the-time all-wheel-drive vehicle, we headed for Bend via Shady Cove, Prospect, Union Creek and on past Diamond Lake to Hwy. 97: the Highway of Hellacious Head-On Collisions, which we avoided.
Jan and I arrived in Bend early in the evening and found the press crew at the Bend Bulletin hard at work. Our Valley Visitor covers were unloaded, and we were told to come back in the morning after the next day to pick up the finished product, which we did, and cheerfully loaded 10,000 copies, which miraculously and magically barely fit in our car, and which made me remember what it’s like to drive a truck when a heavy load in the rear changes your steering and braking, and that’s a really long sentence, but bear with me.
Benham Falls
In-between delivering the covers and picking up the finished guide, we took in some of the area’s attractions. They include, for my money, Crossings, The Riverhouse Resort restaurant, which has great food and excellent service. OK, so I splurged and had prime rib fit for a king. Or least an El Jefe.
But about other attractions: We enjoyed the volcanic stuff a lot, even taking a hike to reach Benham Falls, which actually looked like rapids to me. It was an interesting walk, especially when it comes to world-class mosquitoes.
To see the various post-eruption sights, we did a lot of walking, which felt good. Until the next morning.
We viewed a caldera, and took a few steps inside a giant lava tube. As I am afraid of the dark, and didn’t want to rent a kerosene lantern anyway, we just took in the entrance and the first 20 yards or so. It was nice and cool inside. We were going to go through the High Desert Museum, but it was already after 3 when we arrived, and I didn’t feel like spending 12 bucks each for the short time we would have had before having to leave. Besides, we hadn’t had lunch yet.
All in all, it was an enjoyable trip. Still, the vehicular traffic in places including Bend is not to my liking, although we thought that the roundabouts used in some parts of the city, instead of signalized intersections, work well. Guess I’ve become somewhat of a country boy, what with living in Illinois Valley. So pass me a hunk of that cornbread with molasses, and I’ll pick my teeth with a length of straw from the nearest bale. Then I’ll enjoy a leisurely drive in our lovely and generally light-traffic valley.
