between Cave Junction and the Oregon Caves NM is an old RV park/campground called Country Hills that has been there for decades, owned and operated by a retired couple that live on-site in the main building at the entrance. i was drawn to its setting on the river and its funky rundown-ness, so i chose a site in the back corner and settled in for the night. i was due after the last couple high mileage days. the place was absolutely deserted and didnt look like anyone had even camped there for a long time; there was moss growing everywhere, firepits were rusty, and everything about it had a kind of ghost-town feel...
the hosts sold beer and firewood so i didnt need to go back out. in fact, they brought it to me, and i had an enormous campfire that night...there was a trail down to the river that led to this amazing little beach, lit up by the sunset:
i may have been eaten alive that night by mosquitos, but it was so peaceful i didnt care. a feeling of true isolation and security is kind of rare and always worth it.
the next morning i went to the Oregon Caves National Monument...it was like taking a tour of an alien world, difficult to explain. unfortunately i didnt have time for the whole thing, so i had to take the early exit...maybe next time...
apparently they were discovered by a trapper who, in 1874, followed his dog after a bear into the caves and became lost, finding his way out by following the sounds of water trickling. eventually the site became an attraction and was officially declared a national monument by President Taft in 1909. the lodge, known as the Chateau, was constructed in 1934 and remains in use today.
in the gift shop, i overheard a ranger describing a couple of sight-seeing routes to the south through the California redwoods, so i asked for myself and learned about Fern Canyon and the petrified trunk with antlers embedded in it. it all sounded too cool to pass up, so i decided to head back across the border...
