We are camped in the Pacific Northwest.  The natives complain that spring refuses to come.  Weather continues cold and rainy despite the cherry and tulip blossoms.  The rivers are flush and the ground soggy.  After a few days of gray fog I became depressed.  Then, arriving here after leaving Ashland OR the sun emerged and cheer returned.

In Ashland we visited family and friends.  Enjoyed the comfort and joy of these acquaintances but spent less time birding.  That may have been fine because the neo-tropical migrants seem not to have arrived and many of the water fowl have departed.  The few birds we have not yet found here are playing hard to get.  A walk later this Easter morning may reveal them, but we may miss a few of the Northwest specialties.  We are, after all, skirting the edge of this region.

Here too we stop mostly to visit family.  Were last here six years ago.  It is far from home.  So, there is a reunion, a brunch out yesterday and dinner together at home this afternoon.  Tomorrow morning we continue north to the slope of Mt. Hood east or Portland.  There for a few days we will look up upon the snow and try to make a loop around it through the mountain forests and along the gorge of the great Columbia River.

This is volcano country, perhaps the hottest part of the lower 48.  Enjoy all the cones.  Between Red Bluff and Ashland was the monster Shasta.  The weather favored us and the clouds opened upon our approach to reveal the massive vanilla ice cream cone surrounded by smaller bumps.  Ashland itself is surrounded by intact and blown-up cones.  Not really much to worry about, but it does make you think. 

Next stop Mt. Hood.  After that Mt. Rainier.  One after another.  We will be very happy if it is raining only half of the time.