4Peaks 2016

Today's post is dedicated to the road trip to Central Oregon for the last 4Peaks Music Festival to be held at the Rockin' A Ranch.

The Going

I had taken the travel day off, with this hope that we could get out of town earlier than we had last year. We did, and we arrived earlier, but not without having a few adventures along the way. The night prior, I drove from work to the mega-market to get food supplies for the trip. Out of nowhere, a large crow dive-bombed Hapy, taking out his front driver's side turn signal. Knowing that we were going to see some rain, we set a course out of town past Discount Import Parts for a replacement lens. They didn't have the bolts to mount them, but Orchard's across the street had something suitable (10-24 X 2" Phillips Round HD Machine Screw).

We headed out of town before 4, but the weekend rush hour had already started. In classic Oregon form, there was a 45 minute backup heading South because of an accident on the north-bound side of the freeway. Traffic lightened up around Wilsonville, and Hapy drove like a champ the rest of I-5. We left the speedy folks behind and turned east on OR-22. Traffic fell away soon after we passed the jail, and we entered the forest and foothills

of the Cascades. Detroit Lake looked much fuller this year versus last year and we hit steady rain after leaving Idanha. By the time we passed Hoo Doo Ski resort, though, the rain had stopped and the cold air was noticeable. I still haven't put in the door seals, so the windwhip is loud (and cold sometimes). The heater was blowing warm air, though, so Boo was able to wrap a blanket around her floor vent to keep herself warm. We arrived before nightfall, but the place was much more populated than the year before. I guess word got out about how great waking up there on the first full day is.

The Scene
The parking folks helped us find a relatively flat spot, and with the use of a 6x10 block of lumber we nicked at the NW String Summit last summer, we were able to get Hapy's rear end pretty level. While meeting neighbors, we set up our now-usual festival spread: camp couch, rug.. but we had some new things this year. We brought the 10x10 popup canopy that we got on the way home from Montana last summer, and set up a fancy BBQ that my dad gave us. We filled our large Coleman 5 gallon water dispenser too. All of these things, when added to the camp table, multiple coolers, etc made for a pretty crowded space. We had spots of rain all weekend, so moving things around took on more meaning. Some things, like the water dispenser, could sit in the rain. Others, like the BBQ, fit under the bus when not in use. The old BusDepot canopy, however, was no longer water-resistant, so it will be landfill-bound soon. In the picture below, you can see how we resolved to use it solely as a bridge between the bus and the pop-up. Even in that way, it didn't work too well. Still, by the last day, we had our systems running smoothly, and there was room to sit and watch the rain.

rain-adjusted, Hapy @sunset

The main festival area was very similar to last year, but there were more vendors. Down in the gully, they had added a coffee stand and a tea-yurt for sitting with your beverage and a few friends. Boo and I liked that addition very much. Of the vendors up above, I didn't recognize many from before, but then we really didn't do the vendor scene last year. Boo found a pair of sandals that are crazy-comfy and hand made. Karen, the booth owner, had been at 4Peaks for years. We spent a bunch of time with a couple different folks, a printed drawing booth owner and a teacher-turned-potter. Both were very open to talking about things and weren't in any rush to end conversations or push sales. So mellow and kind.

After walking the scene for a bit on Friday morning, we could hear the main stage fire up with JED. From our camping spot, we could hear the main stage very well and chose to stay with Hapy more than at the main stage. As Boo puts it, "I think we're the only people we know who go to music festivals to get rest".

The Bands

raging into the rain

Mid-afternoon Friday, we heard a band starting to get their mix before kicking off their set, and Boo and I stood straight up. Their sound was amazing. We were pulled to the main stage like the didgeridoo pulled us down the bowl at our first Hootenanny. We were pulled all the way to the front of the stage, and then the skies opened up. It poured rain, and the band kept wailing. The harder it rained, the harder they played and the harder the crowd danced. It was some kind of energy feedback loop happening, and we all just rode it. For their second to last song, they pulled the horn player from JED up on stage with them... and then they jumped into the pit between the stage and the crowd. And then raged into the rain, blowing the crowd away. The Stone Foxes. Best Band of 4Peaks 2016. We decided we're going to McMinnville for their August music festival simply because Stone Foxes will be there.

Stone Foxes at 4Peaks 2016

Semi-spent from the Stone Foxes, we got a smoothie and walked vendors while the stage switched over for the Jeff Austin Band. We didn't stay for more than a couple of songs, hitting Hapy for food and rest in anticipation of the highly hyped Poor Man's Whiskey show in the Side Stage tent at 10. They were good, but it didn't seem like they had put much thought into their set list. Their songs seemed all over the place in terms of tempo and emotion, leaving the crowd genuinely confused. The songs they hit, they hit well. Most of the rest of the set was kinda all over the place. We left before they finished.

On Saturday, we heard (and liked) Della Mae from the bus while we did morning dishes and later watched Robben Ford and Poor Man's Whiskey on the main stage. After Poor Man's Whiskey, we listened to Chris Robinson while eating candy under a blanket and looking up at the stars (the clouds had rolled off).

Sunday morning, we visited the Side Stage tent, not wanting the festival to be over. We were treated to the Students of String Theory: kids playing some classic, and some modern songs on acoustic guitar and fiddle while singing. They were fantastic.

The Return

home bound

Sunday was the only sunny day, so lots of folks took their time leaving. We did too. as we packed up, we saw many of our fellow festers leaving by a different direction than we had come in. Thinking that they knew something, we fired up the google maps app and turned the same way out of the Rockin' A Ranch. The Google map was wrong and we found ourselves on a gravel road marked "Private". Awesome. From now on, I'm using Waze. Not too proud, I asked a couple who were leading their horses back onto their trailer, and received viable directions. A few twists and tuns later, and we were having a Dundee-like experience crawling through Sisters. Just like the year before, the drive out of the festival ground had shaken a fan wire loose, so we pulled off at the same viewing spot as the year before and fixed the wire. After that, the drive through the Cascades was fantastic. The day was beautiful and traffic light, allowing us to really enjoy the drive, until we arrived at I-5. There had been multiple accidents and rubber-necking opportunities like the drive out of town, so we found ourselves nudging along for about 45 minutes. During that stretch, Hapy would drop into the 1200RPM "limp mode" often. Additionally, the engine would act like there was a sporadic miss. We got home through promises of repair (like John Muir used to muse about in his Complete Idiot book).

That's it for today. Lots of repair adventures to follow. Like always, when I'm not posting, its because I'm out in the world, creating future content :) Thanks for following along-

No Trip is Complete without a Snag

First: NO BUS CONTENT. Today is a trip report instead.
I haven't been to Bend in years. The last time, I went, my trip report (Hot Tub, Hot Thai and High Desert Snow) was one of the most viewed blog postings I've ever had. I don't expect this one to meet that level of reader interest, but the trip was equally adventurous. Back then, the boys were 11 and 8. This time, they're 17 and 13. Amazing how time flies. Similar to the last trip, this one was over Spring Break as well. I took the week off so I could hang out with the boys. C had already planned the first weekend with one of his friends, so we set up a trip for the last 3 weekdays of Spring Break. While we initially were looking for snow, we gave up and decided to try something completely different. Turned out, those were the warmest, sunniest weather days we'd had in the calendar year, so bully for us.

Getting Outta Detroit

Detroit Sleeps

Our exit from home was actually quite pedestrian. Unlike trips I'd taken with the boys years ago, we simply grabbed up some stuff, pulled a bag of groceries and set off. I look at the departure with such trepidation from early years of trouble, but without the ex-, and without a tight timeline, even the trip is part of the vacation. Late morning traffic in the middle of the week was no trouble, and before we knew it, we were north of Salem, turning onto OR22 and towards the Cascade Mountains. Past small farms and warehouses, the flat valley floor eventually turns upwards, and the roads start to wind. We passed the low-water Detroit Lake and stopped in the town of Detroit to stretch our legs. Frozen in time, Detroit waits for Summer. When Fall arrives, the businesses shutter, paused for the cold wet break between annual summer crowds. Being Spring, there was no movement. None. We slipped out quickly before the freeze took us.

Downtown Bend

near Black Butte Ranch

We hit Bend by mid-afternoon after noting the location of the big lacrosse tournament in Sisters. We checked into the Holiday Inn long enough to drop our bags and then headed for downtown Bend. T was anxious to show us OSU Cascade, but that would have to wait until after we ate. Intending to hear some live music, we hit the McMenamin's Old Francis School, but the singer-songwriter venue was standing-room-only. We ate, but with the time delays, and typical sluggish McMenamin's service, there wasn't enough light left to visit OSU Cascade. Instead, we cruised downtown Bend marveling at the number of pedestrians, and skateboarders. For the size of the city, there were a ton of skaters, and everyone seemed groovy with that. We wheeled back to the hotel, and tucked in early so we could hit Smith Rock with some energy the next day.

Smith Rockin

starting our descent

Smith Rock, if you've never been, claims to be the birthplace of "bouldering". After spending a day climbing around, I'm not about to argue. We didn't just want to walk a trail, but we didn't want to take a run at the wall either, so we headed down a horse trail (Homestead Trail) towards the river. As it neared a cliff drop-off, T & C decided that was as good a spot as any to go off-trail. Down the face they started climbing; I had little option but to follow. After about 50 nearly-vertical feet of descending, it leveled off on a lip where we could stand and rest. The rest of the descent was at least 60* to the river's edge which was littered with a healthy mixture of boulders and large-dog sized rocks. We chose to work our way upriver, looking for a spot where we could cross without getting our phones wet. After about an hour of clambering in a steadily warming sun, C was able to bounce back and forth from shore to shore, but T and I couldn't. We were able to find a spot where we all made it across after another 30 minutes, though.

climbing back up

We rested long enough for our sweat to dry and to splash some river water on our skin.. and have that dry. C then pointed his nose back across the river towards where we were parked and set off to find the most direct route back to the car. After a couple backtracks, he made it in under 30 minutes. T and I followed. Most of the ascent was straightforward rock-hopping. The final 20 vertical feet, however, were almost straight up with minimal hand/foot holds. While we climbed, a 4-some of bicyclist-styled climbers approached from below. They had found a trail marking that took them to "the ladder". We all arrived at the cliff lip at the same time, though, so I'm not sure their route was actually any better.

By the time we got to the car, Smith Rock was packed. There were people and cars everywhere, and more cars circling for a parking spot. We pulled out and visited the small shop (Rockhard) just past the state park line for drinks and ice cream. Dr. Pepper never tasted so good. After a few hours of clambering around on the rocks, we were hungry, so we hit a new local place in Bend.

Pop's Place
I learned of Pop's from restaurants-dot-com. I didn't link to them because Pop's proprietor, Sean, was not very enthusiastic about them. We were enthusiastic about Pop's, though. Tasty burrito's with flavor separation so you could taste every ingredient. Very fresh. Salsa bar. Sold. Sean & Co made us feel like regulars from the moment we walked in.

down and back again

OSU Cascade
From Pop's, we drove through town (10 minutes) to the OSU Cascade / COCC campus. As a high school junior, T is looking at colleges and OSU Cascade is at the top of his list. I can see why. Bend is flat-out awesome, and OSU Cascade is a small school within it. Smith Rock is 40 minutes away; so is Mt Bachelor, so for an active outdoor kid, Bend makes sense. OSU Cascade was not holding classes when we were there, but there is considerable active construction of multiple new buildings. The existing buildings are well maintained, and don't look terribly old either. With the alpine climate setting, sunny skies and dry air, I can see the attraction. I've since asked around about it, and indirectly I know a few folks who are there. They love it. The classes are smaller than a typical state school and the costs are in-line with typical state costs. Compelling.

No Trip is Complete without a Snag

satisfied faces post-lunch

We hit the hotel pool after visiting OSU Cascade, and then ate the pizza we bought as we were leaving Pop's. Even cold, that was some good pie. At some point, one of the boys went down to the car for something during the evening of watching a movie and accidentally locked us out. Unknowing, we scarfed our complimentary breakfast, packed out of the room and checked out. Arriving at the car, we discovered that we were unable to get into the cabin, but we could open the trunk. I have AAA because I drive a 40+ year old bus, but I think I've used it more on Flash, the Jetta. I used it again to get the door unlocked and the boys threw the lacrosse ball while we waited for the wrecker. The tow truck driver was fast. When the guy arrived, I sent the boys to the c-store for drinks. The car was unlocked before they got back, and the c-store was only just across the small parking lot.

snow-less Hoo Doo

HooDoo
Once back inside the car, we pointed towards the US20 and Sisters. Before we left the Central Oregon desert, we had one more stop to make: Sno-Cap. Sno-Cap isn't like most of the rest of the main strip through Sisters. It is more of the throw-back to yesteryear. The rest of the main drag has evolved into a new age gentrified scene attracting tourist-types and brunch fans. Being Spring Break, the US tourist was out in force, complete with cargo shorts, tall white socks with sandals and the occasional fanny-pack. Seriously people. Look at yourself. Anyway, Sno-Cap is a drive-in looking burger joint near the west end of town. Look for the line of in-the-know folks queuing out the door. The old guy behind the counter has been there forever, collecting orders and managing the flow. Behind him, there are 3 or 4 younger folks moving with great speed and purpose. So, while the line seems to move slowly when you're hungry, your order appears in front of you rather quickly once you've placed it. As T says, "we'll stop here every time".
Once fed, we sped westward, stopping at HooDoo Ski Area just to see what it looks like up close. The picture tells the story: virtually no snow. From the base, it was hard to imagine the trails, and the lodge looked small. I've heard the vibe is very similar to Ski Bowl on Mt Hood, so we'll want to come back when there's snow to give it a go.

The drive from HooDoo was uneventful and fast. Traffic was thin for a Friday afternoon heading into the Portland area from the south. We were home, unpacked and laundry rolling by mid-afternoon. Other than the one hang-up from the door locks, Flash behaved very well. Even his A/C was cold.

That's it for today. I've been making lots of progress on the battle against the rust I described in my last post. I'll update more fully next time. As always, thanks for following along...