We're Home! And Look at the Adorable Least Chipmunks from LaPine! Updates Galore!

(+2 map insets!)

Hello everyone!!
We're finally home, safe and sound! Steve and I arrived a week ago from our epic 3-month "Covid Summer" RV trip around western Oregon, and with a few days to settle in, I'm finally ready to start posting again!

What a blast we had! :) To be honest, if we didn't have a bunch of upgrade projects lined up for the next few months, we'd have been happy to just turn around and head out and find out what it means to be a "snowbird!"

Wow, what a difference from last year's camping season! A year ago we returned home from our six-week trip to Vancouver Island, Canada, and both of us were totally wrecked. The trailer was damaged and we were totally exhausted from the stress of the many problems we experienced along the way. It took us months to recover from that trip…despite all the fun we managed to have between the worries, the negatives hung over us for a long time.

As I've reported in the past, we didn't think travelling would be in the cards for 2020, what with Covid-19 taking over and throwing a wrench in the works. Staying safe was our priority and our rural home was our sanctuary. As summer approached, we learned that Oregon State Parks were opening up for reservations in June and we wondered if camping was a crazy idea. Then, when Steve's sister reported that camping in California was working out just fine, we pulled our heads out of the sand and made some reservations at nearby campgrounds. Who knew if the campgrounds would be shut down again? We prepared ourselves with the understanding that we might have to turn around and go home at any point but it was worth a try, right?

Our Covid-19 Camping Trip Was a Complete Success!
Our adventure started at the end of June and lasted through the beginning of October and included a two-week pitstop at home to add upgrades to the truck and trailer. We drove over 1500 miles on Oregon's scenic highways and back roads, enjoying breathtaking settings along the coast as well as deep forest and high-desert alpine forests too.

We managed to avoid many threats and stressful situations during our adventure:
Covid-19: First of all, we kept out of the corona virus' reach by staying away from people. Steve was our shopping hero and braved the stores when needed, being sure to protect himself wherever he went with a mask, rubber gloves and sanitizer. Whenever we were out hiking or biking, zooming around on our scooters, making the rounds with Pumpkin or just going on my morning walk, we made wide berths around passersby and never left the trailer without a ready-to-use mask in a pocket. Chatting with people was always done at a 6-feet distance, though we did have to gently remind folks who forgot when they wanted to see Pumpkin up-close in her hiking cage (we don't blame them, she's amazing! :D).

Wildfires & Smoke: The fire season in Oregon (and California too) has been historic, with over one million acres burned so far. And, even though we're headed into the fall rainy season, there are still six huge wildfires that aren't completely contained. Thankfully, Steve and I were able to avoid the fires and smoke, though it did require the cancellation of several campsites and unexpected stays in other areas. It seemed like the entirety of Oregon was socked in by literally the worst smoke on the planet, but we got lucky. Our perfect oasis was found at lovely Fort Stevens, where we spent 14 blissful days in an idyllic escape from Oregon's troubles and only the rare whiff of smoke on one day!

Our House Didn't Burn Down!
On September 8, the Willamette Valley became socked in with smoke and caused us to flee the campground at Champoeg State Heritage Area and stay at L.L. Stub Stewart for a few days. That day, one of the biggest wildfires in Oregon erupted just a few miles from our home and would go on to burn almost 33,000 acres (they are still drenching hotspots as I type this post). Once we became aware of the fire, we watched the news nervously and worried more and more as the size grew quickly and marched in all directions--including towards our home. The Rogue River created a protective line but if wind combined with bad luck, embers could have easily jumped over and burst into flames. After a couple of very tense weeks, the first containment was underway…and it was the side headed towards our home! We were so relieved.

We also learned a very important lesson about making sure our most precious valuables were safe-guarded if we were away. Our pictures. My journals. Priceless sentimental keepsakes. Our important paperwork. Irreplaceable files. What a terrible loss all of this would have been. We count our lucky stars that we have a chance to fix these issues for the future.

Fun Was Had!
With three months out, we had a lot of great adventures! Hiking together, going on my wonderful morning walks/hikes, walking around campgrounds with Pumpkin, taking pictures, riding our bikes, taking our boat out on lakes, fishing, hanging out in our hammocks and in our "easy-up" in our "easy-up" shelter, reading, playing video games--the list goes on and on! So much to chat about, so many pictures to post…it's hard to know where to begin. I'll try to keep it simple, though I've already included a book to read here, heh!

Today's Picture (and map graphics)
Our last campground stay was at LaPine State Park and one morning I took my Sony along to capture some of the gorgeous things I saw when I stepped out of the trailer to start my day.

Oh, Those Darling Chippers!
Near the end of my walk I made my way along a trail that hugs the Deschutes River, keeping my eyes open for "fluffy buddies." I caught glimpses of the many resident squirrel species that were always nearby--the elegant mink-chocolate Douglas Squirrel with its light-colored underbelly, the huge Western Grey Squirrel and smaller introduced Eastern Grey Squirrel. But of course there were also chipmunks! At least two of these small, striped squirrel species were found in great numbers around the park, including the larger Townsend Chipmunk and everyone's favorite, the tiniest of all--the Least Chipmunk!

I was lucky enough to get pictures of little chippers along the way and then, to my great delight, I saw a pair of tiny cutie-pies jump onto a log and stand nose-to-nose, just for me! What luck that I got a nice image of this pair to share with you today!

I am also sharing a couple of graphics which show the places that we stayed during our trip this summer. You'll notice that we didn't get to the eastern side of the state but certainly enjoyed the west coast and central parks to our fullest!

I hope everyone had a safe and wonderful summer. I apologize for my sporadic posting over the past few months and lack of visiting! I'm looking forward to stopping by to say hi in the next few days!

Explored on 10/20/20; highest placement #5.