I forgot to talk about our special treat last night. Yankee
RV Tours had arranged for us to attend The Grape Country-Western Wine Dance at
Faith, Hope, and Charity Vineyards. We rallied up at the campground and headed
to the vineyard. It was something that was not on the road log, but it was a special event that Rod & Helen put together for us!
It was an outdoor event at the vineyard, which was in the
middle of nowhere. There was a great band with food and naturally, wine to
purchase. It was a great time of visiting with friends, dancing and eating!
We even got to see a bit of the sunset over the
ridge!
Saturday, was a free day to explore the area and take care
of housekeeping items. So Charlie and I decided to go to breakfast in Redmond
and hit the laundromat there to get all the laundry done at once.
We selected Regis Café for our breakfast stop. It was
a great choice. It was a Mexican café with traditional American breakfast items
and Mexican style breakfast items. Charlie selected a traditional breakfast …
naturally I went for the Mexican version!
We went to the Express Eco Laundromat on Highway 97,
just a few blocks from the restaurant. I checked out the reviews, before we
went. Everyone said that it was clean, although a bit pricy, but all machines
were always working! I have to say, since the machines charged by the weight, I
did not find the prices bad. I was kind of missing our friend, Pattye, while we
were there. I was thinking that she decorated the place. It was done in her
colors, blue and lime green!
We learned a little bit about Redmond, while we were
there. At the turn of the 20th Century, pioneer farmers, irrigation companies,
railroads and entrepreneurs carved Redmond from the rocks, sagebrush and
juniper trees of Central Oregon’s High Desert. Irrigation water was two years
in the future and the railroad seven years away when schoolteachers Frank and
Josephine Redmond pitched their tent on right-of-way for the projected canal
and railroad northeast of what would become their namesake downtown in 1904.
Each week until irrigation water reached their farm, the Redmonds hitched the
horses to a wagon and made the 10-mile round trip to the Deschutes River at
Cline Fall to fill a leaky wooden tank with water. Once home they filled every
container that would hold water … pitchers, jars, bowls and basins -- with
enough water for people and animals until the next trip.
After our laundry was done, we toured the town, just
a bit. We saw Redmond’s very interesting public art statue, “Thoughts of Flight.”
In 2011, the Redmond Commission for Art in Public Places with the City of
Redmond have installed this piece of public art, the 35 foot tall “Thoughts of
Flight” by local artist Jerry Werner.
The city had six sculptures on display in downtown
Redmond, on loan to the city, for two years. In the spring 2013, the City hosted
a public vote to choose one of the sculptures to purchase as part of the
permanent collection. Their selection was “Thoughts of Flight.”
Redmond is one of only two Flag City USA cities in
the country. It all began in 1991, the idea of a flag monument first arose from
among the townspeople. On July 4, 1991, 180 borrowed flags were placed
throughout the city of Redmond in support of the homecoming troops of Operation
Desert Storm. Since then, the practice has grown to approximately 1,400 full
size American flags that are placed along the city’s main streets and downtown
area. All flags originally flew over the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. In
1999 thanks to efforts of Congressman Greg Walden, the U.S. Congressional
Record identifies Redmond, Oregon as “Flag City USA.” Redmond’s Flag City USA
Monument is on Highway 97 just south of Highland. It flies the American flag,
followed by flags of the State of Oregon, POW/MIA, Flag City USA and Redmond’s
City Flag.
On our way back to Crooked River Ranch, we stopped at
Smith Rock State Park. These rocks seem to come out of nowhere. Where did they
come from? Around 30 million years ago the Crooked River Caldera was created by
the sudden collapse of overlying rock into an underground reservoir of molten
rock. Massive amounts of ash and debris resulting from the eruptions of nearby
volcanos filled the caldera and hardened into rock. Smith Rock, the largest
rock formation on the western rim was the outcome, creating massive walls and
spires up to 550 feet. Flows of basalt lava then poured into the area over half
a million years ago from vents almost 50 miles away, creating the cap on the
tuff in the caldera. The Crooked River then made its way through the rock
layers to carve the features seen today. At 3200 feet high, the Smith Rock ridge line rises 600 feet above the river gorge below.
The park was obtained between 1960 and 1975 by purchase and gifts of land from the city of Redmond and Harry and Diane Kem. Many believe that Smith Rock is named in honor of John Smith a Linn County lawman or Pvt. Volk Smith a soldier who fell to his death in the park during a battle with the Northern Paiute in 1863. The Debate Continues...
The juicy version is that US Calvary Private, Volk
Smith, lept to his death from the rock ridge to avoid capture by the Indians. While
many think it's a myth, there is some evidence to suggest he did indeed die at
the park, although more as an accident. Settlers and prospectors pouring into
shrinking native hunting grounds in the mid-1800s turned the area into a
"no man's land." US soldiers were assigned to protect Indians on
reservations. They were mostly there to prevent horse stealing, as horses were
valuable commodities. Chief Paulina, who chose to not join the Warm Springs
Reservation, raided horses from the Indians that lived there. One night in
October of 1863, Chief Paulina split his forces to elude the soldiers in
preparation for such a raid. 30 of his men lay in ambush in the rocks of the
now park area. When the soldiers pursued the horse thieves into the canyon
toward the only river crossing for 20 miles, they entered a bloody battle that
went on for an hour. During the fight, Private Volk Smith scrambled to the top
of Smith Summit with no ropes, in his cavalry boots for a vantage point. He
lost his footing and fell to his death.
If you enjoy scenic views of deep river canyons or
rock climbing, Smith Rock State Park is the place for you. There are several
thousand climbs in the park, more than a thousand are bolted routes. It also
offers miles of hiking and mountain biking trails. You can see golden eagles,
prairie falcons, mule deer, river otter and beaver, in the park.
We finished the day with a meal made by Charlie Ragland and Helen Coe. It was beef tips in gravy, with mashed potatoes and Charlie's famous corn salad!
After dinner, we had our road log review for our travel day tomorrow.
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