The Southern Willamette Valley’s Outdoor Magazine
Even though some of our machines rode with quirks and limits, together, we traveled hundreds of miles, conquered storms, dirt roads and trails, craters, and lava fields, and returned home with memories richer than anything money could buy.
In the South Willamette Valley, where the Coast Range folds into the broad floor of the Willamette Basin and oak-dotted prairies once stretched as far as the eye could see, fire has always been more than an element.
Fall is also the time of the humble surf perch, of empty beaches and breaking waves, of hit and miss coastal excursions where casting a fly line into the mighty Pacific brings me as much joy as a forty pounder if only for the absolute absurdity of the endeavor.
Active breeds—like Collies, Shepherds, Huskies, wolf mix breeds and many retrievers—are built for movement. These dogs thrive when they can stretch their legs, sprint through the forest, and follow their noses down winding paths.
I love a good scary story; as a matter of fact, I have a few of my own that I’ve relayed to both friends and strangers over the years. And so, in honor of the spookiest time of the year, I’m offering to you, the reader, one of my many strange personal experiences.