“Dry land at last,” said Marvin, “I was beginning to think Oregon is an island.” We were trying to circumnavigate Oregon as an adventure. We started the furthest south, where California and Oregon join with the Pacific Ocean and headed north toward the Columbia River. Oregon’s boundary is a nautical …
12/18/2011 “What do you think?” said Marvin, “The newspaper reported a Snowy Owl has been sighted near Burns. Maybe we can catch a photo of a bird rarely seen in Oregon.” “It is the middle of December,” I replied, “and typically really, really cold in the high desert… It’s …
6/22/2012 “I would like to see Palouse Falls someday,” said Marvin, “It’s on my bucket list.” We were planning field trips for the summer. It’s unusual for Marvin to make a request so I was taking his suggestion seriously. Usually he is content with letting me decide where we go. …
“Have you been to the geographical center of Oregon?” Marvin’s question seemed innocently proposed but I knew better… he likes to use leading questions to start a conversation and it is likely that he already knows the answer. We were in Central Oregon, defined by three counties, Jefferson, Crook and …
June 21, 2012: “How old is this rock,” I asked Marvin, indicating a piece of quartzite I had picked up while we were visiting Steptoe Butte State Park in the Palouse Hills of Washington, not far from the town of Colfax. “If I had to guess I’d say it’s over …