Mailtribune.com - Oregon Outdoor Features

Soaking it all up

When planning our summer vacation this year, my wife, Mary, and I asked ourselves, "What would be the best way to treat our sore, old bones and relax our work-wearied minds without cashing in the farm?"

In search of a fresh perspective

Sometime about midday on a recent Saturday I pulled my motorcycle onto the rocky shoulder of Highway 31, somewhere along the western shore of Summer Lake in Central Oregon.

Wild education

While some folks this spring were having regular hot showers and driving to the movies on a Saturday night, Matt Conroy was living without such luxuries. The 27-year-old Medford resident loaded up his backpack and, along with 12 other students and several instructors, spent three months in the Rocky Mountain wilderness.

What's your impossible?

For some people, climbing Mount Hood might rank as the physical achievement of a lifetime. For John Wimmer of Medford and his friend Diego Gonzalez Joven, the mighty mountain will serve as a mere stepping stone.

Trekking the Kharta Valley of Tibet

Last October, my friend and cycling buddy, Rick Berlet, and I spent a month in Tibet and Nepal exploring a seldom-visited and stunning part of the world.

Hiking from inn to inn in the Swiss Alps

Two girlfriends. Two backpacks. Twenty-five years of meeting someplace every summer for a hike. That meant it was time for a big celebration!

Hooked on Wolf Watching

To many, the word "wolf" still conjures visions of the villain in Little Red Riding Hood. Since the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone in 1995-96, my husband, Kurt, and I have spent many hours watching the habits and antics of several very visible packs.

Cycling the Loire Valley

After our fourth child left for college three years ago and Barb and I became empty nesters, we decided to pursue our passion for travel and adventure.

How I swam across France on a bicycle

"Coach, tell me again why we're doing this.

Flying with Eagles

An immature golden eagle frequents Woodrat mountain, above Ruch. He is a master at showing off. He will drop into a stoop, folding his wings at his sides. After a moment he spreads out to his fullest, catching the air, ascending back to the level where he started.

Fishing with the bears in Alaska

In late June of 2002 my husband, Kurt, and I took an Inland Passage cruise to Alaska. I wasn't too thrilled about the trip, preferring more exotic destinations. But one look at the awe-inspiring landscape rising from the ocean was all it took to change my mind. We had to see more. Thus began three years of planning for what would become our first retirement adventure.

Talent man keeps on moving

What can you say about a 69-year-old man who can still bike up mountains and run steep, brutal trails? Perhaps that he's a fitness junkie? At 5'7" and 142 pounds, Dieter Rilling possesses a quintessentially fit body, but he doesn't consider himself a fitness nut. Perhaps he's an outdoor enthusiast? That's certainly true, but both the activities that keep him fit and the outdoor surroundings through which he moves go hand in hand.

Polar Bear Express

Charlie and Sandy Campbell headed north to see the polar bears, and despite some traveling nightmares that might make other tourists growl, it was well worth it, they say.

On Top by Sun-Up

I was as snug as a slug in a mug in my 12,000-foot loft with a view — a five-star mountain for one. A screen of ebony stretched above me, a star-sprinkled ceiling with a clarity only the high country can give.

Phoenix teen wins motocross title

"Braaaaappppp!" It may sound like a nonsensical utterance, but if you know motocross racing, it makes perfect sense.

Miles to go before we sleep

It took four years — 100 or so miles every summer — but Medford's T.J. Harvey and his son finally conquered the Pacific Crest Trail through Oregon.

'A Hunter's Tale'

The grizzly bear was massive, with legend saying it stood nearly 12 feet tall.

Geezers go for the Gold

At first, they said you couldn't row after age 30. Then they said you were too old for rowing after 40. Then it was 50. But longtime rowing champ Stephen Kiesling, 49, wasn't buying any of it — and now he and fellow athlete and friend Andy Baxter, 40, are training hard for the Olympic trials next spring.