Klamath vs Reno

For our first summer vacation as a married couple, Andrew and I headed west to decide where we should move next year.  Our contenders were Klamath Falls, Oregon, where our dear friends Katherine and Randal recently moved, and Reno, Nevada.  

 Our visit to Klamath Falls was spectacular.  On the first day, Katherine took us on a hike of the golden hills behind her house.  In the background, you can see Klamath Lake and the town of Klamath Falls.  Katherine and Randal have made a beautiful home for themselves, complete with a backyard garden, chickens, Jochim family heirlooms, and Randal's woodworking.  Katherine has become an amazing cook, and we dined on home- cooked creations (including pan-fried locally raised lamb and the best quinoa of my life) almost every meal.

 After the hike, the four of us ventured to the Klamath Kinetic Challenge.  Contestants created human-powered sculptures that could traverse water, sand, and mud.  I was especially drawn to the sculpture that was buoyed by paddle boards.   Andrew and I were both impressed by the community spirit of both the contestants and the audience.  We could picture ourselves joining this small but tight-knit town.

 After the Kinetic Challenge, we rode bikes downtown to see Katherine and Randal's building.  The two of them have so many ideas of how to add to their new home:  a tool co-op, bicycle repair shop, second-floor loft apartments, independent bookstore...Klamath Falls is lucky to have them.

 The next day, Katherine drove Andrew and I to Crater Lake National Park.  It was a warm, sunny, snowy day in the mountains.  We hiked, frolicked, and were overwhelmed by the beauty all around us.

 In the picture above, Katherine and I are demonstrating that Klamath Falls is just a stone's throw away from Crater Lake.

 Katherine and Andrew were very brave and dove into Crater Lake from a rocky cliff.  I tried and tried, but could not conquer my fear.  Next time, I kept telling myself, next time I will be brave enough to jump.  Andrew loved the cold rush so much he plans to join a Polar Bear Club.

 Randal, Maize, and Juneau met us after the hike for an evening of camping. The dogs played in the pristine river, the hobo packs were delicious, and the mosquitoes were so happy to have us.

The next morning we packed up camp early.  Katherine had to present to the Sky Lakes Medical Center's Board of Directors (yes, superwoman can camp the night before an important presentation), Randal had to work on his solar energy plans, and it was time for Andrew and I to head to Reno.

Andrew and I were about a half hour away from Reno when the geography shifted.  The landscape was vast and mountainous and just plain big...exactly what we were looking for.  The feeling was bittersweet.  We'd just left a sweet little town with close friends where we'd been able to picture a new life together, but this...this felt like the West.

We stayed in an Airbnb suite in the quiet Old Northwest neighborhood, just a few blocks away from Rancho San Rafael Regional Park.  The park has an arboretum with trees from all over the U.S., including several deciduous varieties.  This, I decided, is where I will celebrate autumn.

The next day, we woke early and headed to Lake Tahoe, via Carson City.  We stopped at the Carson City Trader Joe's for picnic provisions, and were impressed by the friendliness of the staff.  Our cashier encouraged us to choose Carson City over Reno because of it's small town feel, and we're considering taking her advice.

After some Crowdifornia traffic and many beautiful views of Tahoe, we reached our trailhead for the day at Lake Echo.  "Trailhead" is a bit of a disclaimer.  We did follow the Pacific Coast Trail for about half a mile, and then Andrew saw the pole that marked our destination "Flagpole Peak."  We left the trail, and headed up the rocks.  After a couple hours of the hardest, scariest, and most rewarding hiking I've ever done, we reached the summit.

That evening, we drove to La Pine, which is just outside of Bend, Oregon.  In the morning, drove through Bend, and stopped at Smith Rock State Park.  We hiked up the aptly named Misery Ridge, watched the  climbers on Monkey Face rock (see if you can find it below), and walked back along the pristine waters of Crooked River.

 After our hike, we returned to Portland, Oregon to spend our last few days with Emily and Dave.  It was the 4th of July, and they knew the popular Dog Mountain would be crowded, so they took us to Wind Mountain instead.  Ah, the joys of staying with locals.  Wind Mountain was gorgeous, and we even had the summit to ourselves.

 Emily had just started her second trimester, and her baby tummy was rounding out beautifully.  Dave helped Emily model the pregnant pose.

 The next day, Andrew found a trail at Mount Hood that Emily and Dave had never tried before, and we set off on another sunny snowy adventure...with Emily's baby bump.

 Everything about Mount Hood was HUGE.  My depth perception was skewed, and it was difficult to tell what was near and what was far.  The summit of Mount Hood seemed close, and yet I knew it was a multi-day hike.  In the picture below, Andrew and I look far away, but could easily talk to Emily and Dave, who were taking the picture.

The next day, we left Portland early in the morning (thank you to Emily, for waking at 4:40 am on her day off!)  It was good to return to Halo, Kitten, and our home, but both of us were sad to leave our trip. We hadn't been home long before Andrew was on the computer comparing houses in Reno and Carson City, and I was organizing my application for my Nevada teaching license.

Andrew said we should consider the next year our vacation, before we return back home to Nevada.  I'm trying my best to embrace that idea, and to enjoy the next year close to family and friends as much as I can.