Days 19 & 20: Crater Lake, Klamath Falls & Keno, OR

After leaving the O'Casey cabin by the river, we headed south for Crater Lake. I remembered it as one of the highlights of my last trip. This time, it had snowed up at the crest, so it added another beautiful dimension. We helped Emilee traverse the snow and ice and got some great pictures.

If you're ever in Southern Oregon, take the time to go see this nearly 2,000 ft.-deep lake in the crater of an extinct volcano. There's nothing like it.

After Crater Lake, we made our way to Klamath Falls to a motel that the preacher in Keno (Steve Snyder) had arranged for us to stay in, not just tonight (Saturday), but also on Sunday night. It even had a hot tub which we enjoyed. It's good to meet people and stay in their homes--we've had some great hosts--but it's also nice once in a while to retreat to a motel to sort out clothes and have some private time. The preacher and his wife and granddaughter took us to eat at Sizzler. They were great encouragers.

The next morning we drove the 17 miles to Keno, where I preached at the 9:30 service and then did the LATM presentation at the 11:00 Sunday School hour. The people were super.

Phil

Days 17 & 18: La Pine, OR

My cousin Terry has always been one to "push the envelope." When we were kids, he was the one who talked me into helping him bash the windows out of our neighbor's old junk car. Some of his pranks in his Bible college dorm years are legendary. When he got married, he changed his name legally by adding the O' from his wife's last name to Casey. At his last ministry, the new church building was done in the form and style of a lighthouse. At the grand opening, he rapelled out of the lighthouse tower into the auditorium before his sermon. So I knew we were in for an interesting couple of days when I called to let him know we were in the area and wanted to come by and see him. Terry and Carol and their 13-year-old son Isaac were gracious hosts during the two days we spent with them in the Cascade Mountains near La Pine, OR.

Their home is just a stone's throw from an icy mountain stream where they love to fly-fish for salmon and trout. The first day they took us on a tour of some beautiful mountain lakes and described the geology of the surrounding volcanic region. Within two hours time, Terry had caught and kissed a duck and a land-locked salmon. The next day, Terry and Isaac took me in his Ford F-150, through some awesome ponderosa pine forests on a gravel road, up to a Forestry Service lookout station on top of a nearby mountain peak. WOW. The ranger graciously welcomed us in to his little glass cathedral for a spectacular view of the surrounding mountains, forests and lakes. What a place to contemplate the beauty of God's creation! I knew I could count on Terry to show me some of Oregon's natural beauty that I wouldn't have a chance to see without the knowledge of this adventurous mountain-man. Thanks, Terry, Carol and Isaac! Come to Joplin and we'll show you the strip pits and Turkey Creek!

Phil

Days 15 & 16:Cottage Grove to Monroe and Eugene

Greetings from the Eugene, Oregon library. We are ready to head East to the snowy mountains to see Phil's cousin, Terry O'Casey, who now ministers in La Pine, OR. We plan to get some chains before leaving town.

We went from Cottage Grove to Monroe, a short drive, after spending some time in Eugene. We ordered Phil's ipod Touch for his birthday and finally got it yesterday, Oct 3rd! Yeah for Oregon, no tax to pay! We arrived at Monroe and met our host in the church parking lot. We followed him to his home. Walt and Carol took great care of us. I enjoyed petting "Freckles", their over-friendly black and white, and extremely hairy cat. Part of her came away with me! At 6:00 we drove back to the church and had a cookie hour before speaking. We had a fair crowd of 15-20. Next morning after a great breakfast, we returned to Eugene where we joined our former Administrative Assistant for LATM, Jenni Piotrowski, and her husband Niki for lunch. (They came also to our evening presentation at Garden Way CC with their two boys, Kaz, 1, and Judah, 2). It was a joy to see them again and Phil was fascinated as Niki showed us where he works at a Christian Publishing House that does printing on demand, a new possibility for LATM.

We went to the Garden Way church a little early and we were soon met by our host, Esther. Her husband, Gordon, was out of town on business. They have a beautiful home, a great dog, and an apple orchard beside their home. They will do the first picking in another week. We picked 2 bagfuls to bring with us! After a wonderful dinner, we raced back to the church for the presentation. We were able to see Gordon and Erma Thompson, longtime friends of LATM. Again, about 20 or 25 were there. After a restful night, we headed for the Eugene library again. But time has passed and it is time to be "on the road again"! Thanks for following us in our journey. I'm sure some great pictures will soon be on the blog, since we are headed for snow and mountains.

Just a word about Eugene. I think this is the town where all the Hippies of the 60's and 70's retired. I sat for 20 minutes in front of the library yesterday and waited for Phil. I saw every shape, size and color of person you can imagine. And the outfits were very--well, strange. Some boots with socks and no skirt--just bright striped long socks. Lots of tattoos, chains, bikes, piercings, and hair. Even the OLD people were a bit strange. They came from the library, one with a pottery jug tied around his waist and a bright colored poncho around his shoulders. One man came out in a suit, but was moving his lips as though someone was beside him on the other end of the conversation. A lady came out with 30 or more books, looking furtively about her, sneaking from tree to tree. This only describes a few, but man is it wild here! A bit out of my comfort zone. I wonder what they thought about us?!

Blessings, Susan

Day 14: Hillsboro to Cottage Grove

We woke up to a rainy day and hurried over to the restaurant next door where our breakfast had already been paid for. Then as soon as we cleared the motel room out, we drove back over to Crossroads to meet with Tom Burgess and his friend Frank Miller so that we could go to lunch!!! UGH Not another meal! So they took us to a Buffet! We had a great visit about missions and LATM before we waddled out to the van. We had only an 1 1/2 hour drive south to Cottage Grove, so we stopped in Eugene for awhile. Since I had slept all the way down, Phil stayed in the van and slept while I shopped. (Since I had hives for a month before we left on this trip, my Dr. put me on a new RX that causes drowsiness, and I've slept clear from Joplin to Oregon! I only wake up to eat!!) After several stores and a few phone calls, I finally ordered Phil's birthday gift. His ipod Touch should be in today around 4:00 p.m. We had looked in Joplin, Denver, Boise and Portland and EVERYONE has been sold out as soon as they arrive. We will have to wait to pick it up until we come back into Eugene for lunch tomorrow. But they promised to hold it for me.

Then on to Cottage Grove where we had a great crowd of around 50 people. Very encouraging. We stayed with a lovely cancer survivor, Barb. She was quite an encouragement to us! Emilee was happy to see Disney for a while, and then camped out on the sofa. We enjoyed a very comfy bed that Barb gave up while she slept in a spare room. We drove back up to Eugene to find a Walgreen's to get an RX filled, then here to a wonderful public library to get caught up on some paper work. Emilee played every game on their children's computers and is now reading. She is quite a trooper! She even forgot that we missed lunch. WE missed it on purpose. Soon it will be time to go and meet our hosts for the evening, and EAT ANOTHER MEAL!! Love to all, Susan

Day 13: Portland area

We didn't have an assigned church at which to speak this morning, so we decided to attend Crossroads Christian, where Tom Burgess is senior minister. Chris DeWelt and Victor Knowles know Tom well. We have seen him at conventions and such. The service was impressive; the congregation seems to be healthy and dynamic; the building is modern and spacious. Tom said it took them 7 years to build it, since they decided not to go into debt for it, but rather built as funds were available.

Crossroads Christian is where our friend Sarah McGuire attends. She graciously took us to lunch at Olive Garden. We had a good visit with this dear lady, then crossed Portland to rest a few minutes in our motel room before our evening assignment.

At 4:30, we showed up at the Christian Church of Hillsboro (Portland suburb), where Jim Keefe is senior minister. We set up the display and I got to meet the ministers (Evaristo Rojas and Luis Serrano) of the hispanic church which uses the same building for a service in the afternoon. Ralph, when they saw your & Cindy's picture in the catalog I gave them, they remembered you being at the Convención Nacional Cristiana when it was in Portland.

Hillsboro Christian's missions chairperson Harlene Conley was our contact person here--very sharp lady--and took us, along with Jim and Caroline Keefe to eat at a Red Robin (akin to Fuddrucker's) where Susan and I split a fish-n-chips and Emilee chowed down on a cheese pizza. I had met Jim 11 years ago on my previous NWSOM tour, when he was ministering at a church in Edmonds, WA. At 6:30 we arrived back at the church building, for dessert and coffee, then around 7:00 went into the auditorium for my presentation. It is always so encouraging to hear the comments of the people who attend these sessions. I hope I am blessing them as much as they are blessing me.

Day 12: Boise, ID to Portland, OR

Today was a travel day between regions. We left the "Rocky Mountain" region and moved to the "Northern/Western Oregon" region. The trip from Boise to Portland was about 9 hours, taking us over the last territory traversed by settlers and pioneers who took the famous Oregon Trail. Some of that land would have been truly daunting to cross on foot or in horse- or ox-drawn wagons. The last half of the trip is right along the Columbia River, which becomes an impressive gorge the closer you get to the Pacific.

We stopped at the beautiful Multnomah Falls to hike up to get a close view and to take some pictures of these impressive falls. I took advantage of the lush background to get a few "glamour shots" of my two female companions, as well. Our lodging tonight was in the Red Lion Hotel, across the road from the Hillsboro airport, to the west of Portland.

Day 11: Boise, ID

Today I spoke at Boise Bible College for their chapel service. My old Ozark classmate Terry Stine is now president of the college. He had written to request that I speak at chapel as soon as he found out I was going to be doing the NWSOM. He had to be out of town, but we were well received and taken care of by Student Dean Neil Kluckow (from Zimbabwe!) and Carol Stine and Joyce Anderson. I was surprised to see Chuck McCoy, a teaching colleague from my Nebraska Christiain College days, now in his first year on faculty at Boise. The student body was very respectful and attentive. We moved the display from the chapel to the gym/cafeteria after chapel, where special tables were set up for students to sit with us during lunch. I visited with several there, including Jake, the cook, who prayed over me.

We took advantage of some spare time this afternoon to get the van's oil changed and pick up some groceries and other necessities. This evening, we spoke at Capitol City Christian Church in Boise, where Gary Anderson ministers. We were ten in all, but the people were kind and responsive to the presentation. When I came to the PowerPoint slide with John 3:16 in Chinese, Gary read it! Never in my 15 years has that happened!