Bend, Oregon offers an avid outdoors person an amazing amount of wilderness to explore, weather by bike, foot, snowmoble or 4 wheeling. In my case it’s either of foot or bike. This particular adventure was on foot to the Swampy Lakes area of Bend. To get there you take Cascade Hwy towards Mt. Bachalor. It’s about a 20 min drive to the Swampy Lake Sno – Park. Pull into the car park and head to the trail head.  In the Winter Swampy Lakes is used for Cross country skiing and summer works great for a long hike or bike. Swampy Lakes does not get the foot traffic as some of the other popular trails and so going a short distance you will feel a sense of being in the wilderness. At the start of the trail head there are a few trails you can head to from Swampy Lake, Tangent and the Swede Ridge Loop.  I took the Swede Ridge Loop that started with a slow uphill climb that came to a small ridge and meets with another trail loop. Today is May 27^th and there is still a fair amount of snow on the ground, but I love snow in the spring when the sun is out the sky is blue and the snow is corn soft. Where the trail meets  other trails I take a right over the ridge and still continuing on the Swede Ridge Loop trail.  Swede Ridge starts to slop down into a drainage and opens up to switchbacks great for biking. From here it’s about 2 miles as the post says to the Swede shelter. Cordinates are 44.015N and 121.548W. I think it is further than 2 miles but it is a pleasant hike with lots of shade and not many ups and downs.  If you are looking to beat the crowds then this might be a hike to get away, enjoy and spend some quality time outdoors.   By Sharon Page – May 27th, 2009

If you have not had a chance to go to the Redwood National park and Coast this should be on your to do travel list. The Redwoods are the tallest known trees in the world with some recorded heights of over 360 feet. The Redwoods grow only in a narrow strip of land along the Pacific coast and south western Oregon. Redwoods survive to be over 2,000 years old and were here in the age of the Dinosaurs.

These days only 40,000 acres of rainforest are left. The Redwoods have been cut in half by overlogging and the Goldrush.

If you are a first timer to the Redwoods then go do your tourist thing first. In most of the famous images of the Redwoods it is the car going through the Redwood tree, well alas no longer. You can still see the tree that you used to be able to drive through but you have to hike to get there. The road that went to the tree and Camp 44 that is at the bottom of the Redwood forest has been cut off from regular traffic in order to save the Redwoods from carbon emissions. You can get a permit that is free that will take you to the trailhead. You can get the permit from the Kuchel Visiter center that is located on the beach and just after the town of Orick.

Hiking:

Some of the best hiking is actually in the Redwood Prairie Creek State park, you can spend days hiking in this area. The Prairie Creek area is so well preserved it literally is like going into Jurassic park with trees spanning overhead and evey direction. They are the world’s tallest trees, but they are also just one species in an incredibly varied ecosystem with wind-pruned, salt-tolerant Sitka spruce by the seaside, to the cool, moist redwood groves, and sunny, open grasslands of the prairies. Redwoods prefer mosit air that creates a colder eco system when you enter in the woods to hike.

Camping:

There are a few places to camp but my advice is if you are in toursit season book a reservation  ahead of time. A great time to go is the end of April and the beginning of May becasue it’s not too hot and busy, you get to enoy the Redoods to yourself.

Camping at the Prairie State park is only $20 a night and is located in easy distance of the Redwoods. It seems to be a little quieter and as showers , running water and toliets. Another place to camp is at Klamath camp ground which is pretty much on the Kalmath river that overlooks the ocean.

By Sharon Page – April 21, 2009

Have you ever been to the desert, if so then you will know that water is everything. Carry enough water for a fulls day’s hike can be challenging at best and since you’ll need at least a gallon a day in the warm months, more at the height of summer, planning a backpacking trip in the desert revolves around the quantity of water that you can reasonably carry and the likely hood of finding additional sources along your route. Don’t count on water being available just because the map shows a spring. You can probably trust people who have actually been there – so long as they were there yesterday, not the week or month before. Even in that case, bring along some extra water.

In an emergency, your map, your eyes are your best ways for finding water. Examine the map not only for springs and streams, but also for man-made structures like wells, cattle tanks and windmills. When you are hiking keep an eye out for bright green vegetation. There may be a spring nearby. Keep an eye out for cottonwoods, sycamores and seep willows growing in dry stream beds. They too may mean water is close at hand. If you find damp sand, dig downwards as may find water further down. Search out places in canyons where flash-flood waters have scoured away the sand and gravel, exposing bedrock. Shallow depressions in the bedrock, called tinajas, may have trapped pools of rainwater.

MSR SweetWater Microfilter Water FilterLightweight and compact, the SweetWater Microfilter makes water filtration fast and easy.

If you’re hiking the ridges in hilly terrain, examine the canyon floors for the bright flash of sunlight reflecting in a water-filled pothole. Lava and limestone are porous rocks that often contain springs and a cave neaby. Look for the dark stains and green moss that mark seeps in sandstone cliffs.

In the high desert in the winter months, examine the shady north sides of cliffs where the sun never shines. Lingering snow patches may provide a source of water. Whatever the source, an easily cleaned water filter will not only remove whatever critters may exist, but also the inevitable sand and silt. If you carry a Strei Pen which is a water purifier just carry a coffee filter for cleaning out silt, will save you weight.

Leh is situated between the Tibetan Platetu and the Indus Valley in the province of Ladakh in the region called Jammu and Kashmir. Rising from the valley floor to 11,000ft, the city of Leh is breathtaking has well as stark in contrast almost looking like a moon landscape, until you look out to the high Karakorum range of the Himalayas heading towards China. Leh is called little Tibet and as you head into Leh from the airport you understand why with Buddist temples situated on the side of mountains and the old Leh palace protruding above the city of Leh with Tibetain flags fluttering in the wind and welcoming into the city of Leh.

 Leh is in a sensitive area of Northarn India and one that is still disputed between India, China and Pakistan today. So for a westerner flying into Leh, it is a bit unnverving to see gun turrets looking at you as you get off the plane. The Indian army as a good pressence in Ladakh and controls the area with an iron hand and for good reason. In 1965 China took a good part of Ladkah by force and took the Indian goverment by surprise with the invasion. So for well over two decades the area of Ladkah was closed off from the outside world until 1971 when India opened up the area to tourists. Since 1971 tourusts have flowed into the area and Leh the captial of Ladkah has doubled in size. Even though there are changes happening to this area of the world with a new hydro dam, Ladkah is still a place of living history where Buddists, Kashmiri and Hindu live together in mostly a peaceful harmany.

Leh became the capital of Ladkah in the 17th century when Sengge Namgyal moved his court from the Palace of Shey so that Namgyal could be closer to the silk road trade route. Since then Leh proposed until the closure of the Chinese border in the 1950′s. By closing the border’s to Jammu and Kashmir India unwittling created an area of amazing Buddist culture, rivers that sparkle the color of Jade, mountains that are still wild and the Ladkah people that value harmony with nature.

Leh is a great place to have your base camp to visit other areas of Jammu and Kashmir. There are plenty of things to do and visit in and around Leh and a good place to get used to the altitude of 11,000ft for a few days. The old Buddist stores are a great place to find traditional Tibetian clothing and rugs. There are daily open markets and I mean open so beware of the area I called Goat Alley and stay away during the midday heat. Otherwise you will find an array of spices and fresh Aproacots, Mango and Papaya.

 Leh has many stupas(Buddist Relics and one of the oldest forms of Buddist Architecture) and Gompas(place of mediatian and learning). A great Gompa to see just outside of Leh is the Thikse Gompa of the Gelukpa Order of Buddhism which is a living symbol of Tibetian Buddism and even though there are crumbling buildings the main building has be revived and is a great place to come and see and hear Tibetian prayers.

 Leah, Ladkah is a place that you will never forget and a place that you will find great joy in the simplest of things.

If you like deserted white sandy beaches with small cafes and bistros then Spain should be a place to visit. Most people going to Europe often forget or think it is to far out of the way to visit. Spain is a mixture of the old and the new that blend well into each other, like stepping into an Ernest Hemmingway novel.

A place to start is on the East Coast of Spain on the Costa Blanca. You can fly into the old Roman town of Alicante, which is fortified by the Castillo De Santa Barbara (castle) and looks over the Mediterranean Sea. In the eighth century the Arabs called Alicante “Al Lucent” meaning “light”, which if you find yourself wandering the side streets during the mid afternoon siesta the sun is at its brightest. A place to go to get some shade will be the Expanada De Espana, which is a boulevard along the harbor front with interesting mosaic walkways. Other walks in the late afternoon is to walk up to the Castillo De Santa Barbara and watch the sunset settling over the Mediterranean or you can hike into the down town area of Alicante, where the local farmers come and set up there fresh produce for the day. Alicante also has a small but good art museum not far from the Castillo De Santa Barbara. Some art works include Miro, Dali, Frances Bacon and works from local artists.  

 If you want something a little more adventurous, then day tours to the surrounding countryside are ideal to visit. Traveling along deserted roads with no clouds in the sky and the smell of lemon trees certainly is refreshing from the fresh sea breeze. Along these old roads you come across small rural villages that are great to stop and have a cold drink at the local cafe and take in the Mediterranean Sea. A lot of people are unaware that Alicante is known for its vineyards and are great to visit and taste the local wines and food.

Other place of interest is to drive up the coast towards Calpe, along the way there is a small town called Villa Joyosa. This town is not on any tourist map but it is an old traditional Spanish town with small side streets that steepen and narrow has you make your way towards the beach. As you get to the beach unlike Benidorm there are no fancy hotels or sunseekers, just a small cafe to spend the afternoon away with the only sound of the swishing of the sea hitting the beach.

 Spain is a place of wonder and beauty, a place to explore.

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