This year will be the year I get my Canadian beer.  Starting on July 16th at Crater Lake in Oregon and ending in Canada on September 13th.  Thats the plan.

We got an early start heading up to Oregon from Escondido because we knew from last year we wanted to spend more time in Oregon at the Umpqua Valley wineries.   There is a mandatory visit to the “Chocolate Shoppe” in Gardnerville Nevada.

When you visit the Umpqua wineries you are given a sheet so that you can record the wineries you visited and after you have visited 5 wineries you get a gift.  Of course we needed to get the gift and after 5 we got our nice wine pouch.  That was on day 1.  So, on day 2 we did another 5 wineries and got another pouch.  Of course we probably bought about $200 in wine in the silly quest for another pouch.

After that we made it to our destination of Redmond Oregon.  After church on Sunday we went for a ride to find the place where Lenora was going to pick me up after the first week just so she would know where it was.  It is an easy pickup spot right on major road Hwy 58.

I’m nervous about starting the journey but my pack is all loaded and ready to go.  Did have a change of starting location.  Based on where we are in Redmond it is a 3 hour drive (at least) to get to where I was planning on start on the lower end of Crater Lake by Hwy 62.  However only 1.5 hour ride to rather start at upper end of Crater Lake by Hwy 138.  Since the hike from 62 to 138  is 26 miles and basically waterless, I felt that starting from 138 would be prudent.  Don’t have to get up so early to get started, which is only worrisome for the drive back, and don’t have to start the trail on a very long waterless stretch.