sneaking up on the mysterious dam
It's time again, friends, for another episode in the grand saga of our adventures over the Summer! Yep, they're coming pretty slowly, I know. Believe it or not, I (Keegan) have a pretty good excuse for this, which I will cover at the end of this post. For now, let's dive into another one of Louis and I's adventures from this summer.
This little jaunt revolved around a place that Louis had seen many times before from the McKenzie highway between Sisters and Redmond: an old, probably abandoned power plant, rising above the Deschutes River just downstream from Cline Falls. We had also noticed some old bridge pylons on the edge of a nearby canyon, so we made a quick stop to check those out before proceeding to the main course.
This little jaunt revolved around a place that Louis had seen many times before from the McKenzie highway between Sisters and Redmond: an old, probably abandoned power plant, rising above the Deschutes River just downstream from Cline Falls. We had also noticed some old bridge pylons on the edge of a nearby canyon, so we made a quick stop to check those out before proceeding to the main course.
Because Cline Falls is an official recreation area, parking along the side of the highway was actually pretty easy. There were other people doing it as well. We found a spot which would give us easy access to the bridge pylons first, geared up, and headed out to explore.
Another sign of the old highway, aside from the pylons, was this old road.
A little ways west down the unused, overgrown road, we found the pylons we had spotted from the road.
Before going back to the 'Burb to head to the dam, we decided to have a quick look through this little canyon.
It was time to get to the main attraction. We hiked back out of the little canyon to the car, and drove it the short distance down the highway, parking on the other side where there were once again many other vehicles. However, none of them were parked there to go where we planned to venture.
As we made our approach, we saw a truck on the higher side of the dam moving. This could have been a threat to our being able to explore, as it looked like there was actually active work being done on the dam. Perhaps they were trying to repair it. In any case, we did not give up, and chose to advance stealthily, hoping the man in the truck would leave.
We had managed to get closer to the dam, really just a few meters from being in the complex. However, the truck had not moved. We found a good hidden position in the rocks and began waiting it out. While perched there we found some old animal bones. Louis scanned the surroundings with binoculars.
Eventually, we saw a man get in the truck and drive away. It was late in the day by now, so we figured he must be the last of the work crew, whatever they were doing here, leaving for the afternoon. We waited around a few minutes longer, just in case we saw other movement or the truck came back, but after several minutes of nothingness elapsed, we hopped down the rest of the hill into the complex of the old dam. In a comfortably hurried fashion, exploration began. There's not much to say that the photography cannot, so I'll let the dam speak for itself.
We had by this point explored all of the dam and its facilities, so we made our way back out. We followed essentially the same trail back to the highway to where the 'Burb was parked.
Our adventure would be immediately rewarded. As soon as we got back to the highway, I spotted a six pack of gatorade sitting on its side on the edge of the highway, sort of crammed under the barrier. Upon further inspection, it turned out that the pack was completely new and totally unopened. It was, indeed, a blessed gift from the Sky Father.
Our adventure would be immediately rewarded. As soon as we got back to the highway, I spotted a six pack of gatorade sitting on its side on the edge of the highway, sort of crammed under the barrier. Upon further inspection, it turned out that the pack was completely new and totally unopened. It was, indeed, a blessed gift from the Sky Father.
We loaded ourselves and our bounty into the 'Burb, waited for a break in the traffic, and then dusted off down the highway towards home.
That concludes the tale of our adventure, but does not conclude this post. I want now to talk about some more current happenings.
As the summer progressed, certain developments in my life opened the opportunity for me to do something I have always wanted to do: buy a van and live out of it. I'm happy to announce that as of a few weeks ago, I bought myself a crummy Dodge van from the 80's and retrofitted it with the necessary amenities, using whatever funds I could spare. I live in a van now.
The transition has not been without its challenges. It's fair to say that the last little while since jumping behind the wheel of that big beige monstrosity has been the most stressful little while in a long, long time. Cash is tight, there's a lot of things I don't know, and a lot of doubt in my mind. However, I am steadfast in making this work. I have the help of many, many close friends as well as my family. I am a blessed traveler.
I'm hoping to write some blog posts about my van dwelling adventures real soon. I'm also considering turning my Instagram account into a van-dweller-themed operation, so if you are interested in maybe following my exploits a little more closely (I hope I have the discipline to actually do as I am saying), then go follow me @keeganvanhook.
Alright, ladies and gents, that's going to be it for this "episode." Louis and I really hope you enjoyed. We'll be posting another of our summer stories soon.
That concludes the tale of our adventure, but does not conclude this post. I want now to talk about some more current happenings.
As the summer progressed, certain developments in my life opened the opportunity for me to do something I have always wanted to do: buy a van and live out of it. I'm happy to announce that as of a few weeks ago, I bought myself a crummy Dodge van from the 80's and retrofitted it with the necessary amenities, using whatever funds I could spare. I live in a van now.
The transition has not been without its challenges. It's fair to say that the last little while since jumping behind the wheel of that big beige monstrosity has been the most stressful little while in a long, long time. Cash is tight, there's a lot of things I don't know, and a lot of doubt in my mind. However, I am steadfast in making this work. I have the help of many, many close friends as well as my family. I am a blessed traveler.
I'm hoping to write some blog posts about my van dwelling adventures real soon. I'm also considering turning my Instagram account into a van-dweller-themed operation, so if you are interested in maybe following my exploits a little more closely (I hope I have the discipline to actually do as I am saying), then go follow me @keeganvanhook.
Alright, ladies and gents, that's going to be it for this "episode." Louis and I really hope you enjoyed. We'll be posting another of our summer stories soon.
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