Hiking the Stout Grove Trail

Kelly Jo and I drove back to the beautiful road through the redwoods to do some hiking on Thursday....

But first we needed some KFC for a picnic under the majestic trees. It was finger licking good!

We headed for the trail that leads down to the Stout Memorial Grove.

We stocked up on water before we picked up the chicken. If a fat boy is going to hike he needs huge amounts of water! No sense in getting dehydrated out in the redwood wilderness...

Full of chicken and stocked up on H2O we hit the trail!

This particular grove was donated as a memorial in 1929 by the widow of Frank D. Stout who made several fortunes in the timber industry.

Here is Kelly Jo standing by the roots of a tree that fell many years ago.

This place is awesome! We can't get enough of all these massive trees!

Anyway, we had a great day.

Davy

Jedediah Smith State and National Parks (Redwoods)

The most beautiful Redwoods that we have seen are in Jedediah Smith State and National Park near Crescent City, California. We came through here in June of 2005 on our way to some of the same churches we will be preaching in the next several weeks. We found a campground in the evening and ask about pretty drives in the area. A ranger directed us to a gravel road that runs through the Stout Grove. He said we would like it and we did. It is a 6 mile drive right though the heart of a fabulous grove of Redwoods. In 2005 Kelly Jo and Odie road in the back of the truck so they could take it all in. Kelly Jo thought about climbing on the luggage rack on Mr. Cheap Jeep this time but we forgot the bungee straps and it was pretty chilly!

After five years of dreaming we made this drive again Wednesday evening and it was just as great as we remembered it. We love it so well we will probably drive it again before we leave. Please enjoy the pictures and let us know what you think.

Hope you all had a great day as well...

Davy

Sutherlin, Oregon to Crescent City, California

Two Posts for Wednesday's travel.

We left Sutherlin, Oregon around mid morning and headed south on I-5 to Grants Pass. It was a mountain drive the whole distance. 5 and 6 percent grades up and down constantly and beauty at every turn.

This was a 6% grade going up for several miles. This trucker was nice enough to drive on the shoulder so as not to impede the flow of traffic. Because there were no straight runs to build up steam it was very hard to make any time going up hill. I went down the steep and curvy slopes very slowly so this guy would barrel pasted me going down and I would pass him going up. I passed him on this hill in third gear going 42 mph! I would say I used a fair amount of diesel today...

At Grants Pass we exited onto Hwy 199. It is very curvy, steep and narrow in places but it is the only way to cut over to the coast at that point. It is about 85 miles over to Crescent City, California. We took our time and enjoyed the scenery all the way through. There were several times I wanted to take pictures out the windshield but two hands on the wheel were required to stay on the road.

Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Davy

Visit With The Morgans

Hello friends!!!!
Yes I am still alive in Ohio! Having a wonderful time with my family. Last week I spent 6 days with the Morgan crew in Hillsboro.

At Gran and Papaw's you have to sit in the right spot to even get a text through with Verizon. So that is why I was absent last week. Monday night I starting typing a Blog. Yesterday afternoon I had it almost completed when my fat fingers deleted the whole thing. I was not happy!!!!

Now back to Hillsboro, I am so very glad I got to stay with Gran and Papaw last week. I think this was my longest visit there. Usually on trips home I only get brief visits to Hillsboro so I cherish my extended visits. Thanks Gran and Papaw for a great week!!! I love you!

Our family always has something to laugh about. One of us usually does something crazy when we are together. I have couple new Papaw stories but I won't post them here. Just ask me to tell you next time I see you. LOL Papaw, Thanks for all the trips to Dairy Queen!

You all already know I LOVE my all my cousins. I had to wait 8 years before I ever had a first cousin the Morgan side. Courtney, Kayla, Hunter, Morgan, Wade and Seth are all 6 of the world's best cousins! I got to spend time with all of them. If you live near Hillsboro watch out Courtney now has her license. Courtney, I'm proud of you!!!!

August 3rd was Papaw's birthday. I was so glad to be there to join in the celebration. We just had pizza, cake, and ice cream. What could be better?

Now I am back in Waynesville. Its still HOT! I have some random Boggs shots I'll try to post soon.

Odie



Odie Boggs Visit davykellyandodie.com Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

The Columbia River Gorge

We left Umatilla, Oregon pretty early this morning and headed down the Columbia River. Bro. Garmin (My GPS) led me astray within the first mile so I knew I was in for a ride today! A wrong turn now and then is not to bad unless you are 45 feet long plus Mr. Cheap Jeep and you can't back up much at all without unhooking the jeep. Well, a tour through a high school parking lot and we were on our way!

As I said yesterday, I had heard and read much about the Columbia River Gorge so we were very anxious to see it for ourselves. We had crossed the Columbia River on I-90 back in 2005 while pulling our fifth wheel and again the next day going south on I-5. We were impressed then but nothing prepared us for the beauty we saw today as we drove West on I-84. The Columbia River was to our right and it was great! The river flows through a gorge for miles and miles and we were in awe the whole distance. We probably took 50 pictures but as we often say pictures can not capture what the eye can see. Let me put it this way, if you love mountains, canyons, cliffs and water then you will love seeing it all mixed together in the Columbia River Gorge!

We left early so we could be at Cascade Locks by 10:30 to board a stern-wheeler for a two hour tour, a two hour tour....No, we didn't become castaways on a deserted island, we didn't even get on the boat. We called ahead to make sure they had Bus and RV parking and they assured me that they did. When we pulled up to the place it had a 12ft. clearance. Out of the four RVs we have lived in through the years only one of them would have fit into their parking lot. They suggested I park on the street! No, thanks. We ditched the boat ride and kept driving. Of course I had to turn around twice in that little town. The first time I cut through a dirt parking lot at a pretty steep angle (while Kelly Jo was in the shower) and the second time I drove 6 miles before I could find a place to turn around.

Next we followed the signs for Multnomah Falls (A Must See Along The Columbia River) and found ourselves on a very curvy, very narrow road winding our way around the bend about 5 miles to the falls. When we arrive we discover you can exit off the interstate right there and walk through a tunnel and into the parking lot we were in. We couldn't access the interstate there so we had to continue about 3 more even curvier and even more narrow roads before we could join I-84 again. I told you I knew as soon as Bro. Garmin lied to me that it was going to be one of those days. lol The falls were worth it though! Plus I had a great visit with a group of Amish folks from near Goshen and Shipshewana, Indiana on a cross country bus tour. And we had a great lunch in the bus.

We have settled for the night in a campground in Sutherlin, Oregon. We made it about 368 miles. That's not too bad considering all the stops we made along the Columbia River taking in the scenery. But we are not quite half way to our destination in California.

God bless,

Davy