For the first two weeks of July we joked that we were caught in a Sisters-Portland Oregon vortex due to some unexpected logistics related to RV upgrades, gravel bike procurement and hair care. All told we ended up staying twice in both Portland and Sisters over the course of two weeks although we at least took different routes travelling between the cities each time. Suffice it to say that we took full advantage of the hospitality of family and friends and fully explored some of my old stomping grounds over the course of the first half of July.
Do you have any friends today that you met in junior high? More than one? Wendy doesn’t have any and thinks only a “Stand By Me” or “IT” moment could keep people together that long, but I am fortunate to have three friends in particular that I’ve managed to stay in touch with since Junior High – two of whom we were able to catch up with during our trip!
We driveway surfed at Joe Lisac’s (friend since Junior High) beautiful Portland home on and off for a total of about a week in the month of July. Joe and Bernie provided fresh coffee every morning, great meals, at least one 2 mile walk per day, RV water hook up, wonderfully relaxed conversations in their park-like backyard and several card game nights. Namaste.
Unincorporated Portland is conveniently close to downtown but has a neighborly feel of being miles and miles away. With each house unique and each yard a blooming garden, we enjoyed our walks and talks with the Lisacs. We also got a good sense of their kids and precocious grandchildren though were understandably/unfortunately unable to visit with them in person.
Joe and I 
Daily walk with the Lisacs 
Joe and Bernie are the kind of people that don’t think twice about helping you in any way they can. There are many many examples of their dedication to their immediate and extended families as well as close family friends though they’re both incredibly humble about it. We were the recipients of two examples of their generosity while we were there:
First, Joe made a quick call to the hair salon he used to own and manage to get an appointment for Wendy with their best stylist, Antonio, no easy feat in a Covid era. She hadn’t gotten a professional color or cut since February so she was thrilled and later proclaimed she felt like it was her birthday because her hair turned out just the way she’d hoped and that night we picked up an amazing NY style pizza to go and then had homemade blueberry lemon crisp for dessert.
In process 
After
Second, after hearing about my struggles to find a bike shop that had inventory of a specific gravel bike I’d been eyeing for this adventure, Joe called two bike shop friends – one of whom was able to place an order for 1 of only 4 left in Giant’s US inventory- for delivery the following week!
On our return trip to Sisters we took a “Doug Heigel, this is your life” tour – starting in Newberg, OR where I went to junior high and high school. We met up with my longtime friends, Todd and Karen Hall (Todd from junior high and Karen from high school and college days) who made us a wonderful meal and introduced us to a drink they call the Huckleberry Hound! We each had two and stayed longer than expected so they welcomed us to camp in front of their house even though they had busy schedules the following morning.
The next day we left Newberg and drove through the Oregon wine country on our way to Corvallis OR to tour the Oregon State University campus. This was fun to share with Wendy as my Uncle Roger, my dad Wayne and I all obtained mechanical engineering degrees from OSU – Go Beavs!
Sisters Visit 2:
The focus of our second stay with Kellen and Corey in Sisters was the installation of the Firestone Ride-Rite Air Springs that had been drop-shipped to their home. Corey spent his day off with me back at his workplace where we were able to use the shop lift to install the airbags. As a bonus, while the RV was on the lift we also changed the oil and rotated the tires! It was great to see Corey in his element and we really appreciated his expertise and generosity.
While Corey and I worked on the RV, Kellen was able to give Wendy a tour of the town of Sisters, which was hosting a modified (Covid) version of their infamous quilt show. They returned to the shop with Sno Cap Drive In burgers, onion rings, and delicious chocolate shakes for lunch before heading to Dee Wright observatory to view the mountains that surround the area.
Downtown Sisters 
Quilt Display in Sisters 
Dee Wright Observatory 
View from the Observatory
The next day we met my cousin Brian, Brian’s wife Omi and their daughter Isa for a picnic lunch in Shevlin Park at one of the great picnic spots right next to the river.
Catching up with their family was great and Isa really took to Bailey. She walked her so much that Bailey put herself to bed as we pulled out of the parking lot.
While we were out, Corey went fishing and was kind enough to fry up and share these beauties.
Isa with Bailey 
Corey’s Catch
On our journey BACK to Portland we took a route towards Mt. Hood and were able to visit again with Todd and Karen at their vacation home in Black Butte, just a few miles from Sisters. We enjoyed a tour of their recently renovated home (and admired Todd’s hand-crafted dining room table, light fixtures and mirrors!). After a great lunch on the patio of one of Black Butte’s restaurants we were back on the road to Mt. Hood.
Mt. Hood is situated just about half way between Sisters and Portland and so was an ideal place for a stop for the night. First was a visit to Timberline Lodge – the original ski lodge on Mt. Hood and home to one of the only year-round skiing operations in North America. It was fun to see the combination of skiers and mountain bikers gathering in the parking lot after their downhill fixes. From Timberline it was just a short drive to where we had scouted a spot to boondock for the night at the Trillium Airstrip dispersed camping area – near Trillium lake at the foot of Mt Hood. After taking a couple of the classic postcard pics of Mt. Hood’s reflection in a mirror smooth Trillium lake we were on our way to Portland.
Mt. Hood from Trillium Lake
Our second stay in Portland was just as enjoyable as the first – and included the aforementioned salon cut and color for Wendy and a trip BACK to Mt Hood with Joe to collect the gravel bike from Hurricane Sports. A huge thanks and shout-out to Petr Kakes and his Hurricane Mountain Sports Bike Shop (the mountain bike concessionaire at the Mt. Hood Skibowl Adventure Park) for having the bike ready for pick-up in just one week! The gravel bike (Giant’s Advanced Revolt 2 ) has already proven itself on this journey as being much more versatile than the road bike on the varied riding terrain that we’ve been encountering.
Hurricane Sports – Joe with my bike leaning against the table. 
Joe, Petr, and I
Sometimes it was hard to tell within the Oregon vortex if we were coming or going, but our stays with generous and kind friends and family along the way reminded us that it’s less about where you are than who you’re with!
