Checking in: McClaine House revitalized as bed and breakfast

February 2018 Posted in Community, Travel | Comments Off on Checking in: McClaine House revitalized as bed and breakfast

[caption id="attachment_8204" align="alignleft" width="225"] Karen Choules looks forward to new guests at The McClaine House. Nancy Jennings[/caption] By Nancy Jennings Karen Choules is a “homebody” who loves decorating, painting furniture, cooking and gardening. These qualities suit her well as the new owner/innkeeper ...

Patagone: Adventurer shares her pack through Patagonia

December 2017 Posted in People, Travel | Comments Off on Patagone: Adventurer shares her pack through Patagonia

[caption id="attachment_8040" align="alignright" width="300"] Stevie Anna Plummer assembles her crew for the 1,000-mile journey through Patagonia[/caption] By Brenna Wiegand Though her party consists of herself, her dog and two horses, Stevie Anna Plummer is taking the whole world along on her ...

A Grin at the End: Parklandia – Driving 1-5 or 1-205 can cause you to swear

October 2016 Posted in Columnists & Opinion, Travel | Comments Off on A Grin at the End: Parklandia – Driving 1-5 or 1-205 can cause you to swear

My wife and I were heading for the airport, on our way to pick up one of kids. Oh, did we get I-205ed. To the ultimate max. It took us an hour and a half to get from Clackamas to the airport, ...

Venturing off road: Wild adventures in Costa Rica

March 2016 Posted in Travel | Comments Off on Venturing off road: Wild adventures in Costa Rica

[caption id="attachment_6776" align="alignright" width="268"] Costa Rica[/caption] By Steve Ritchie Driving to the remote Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica would not be easy, I suspected, but I tend to be an optimist when it comes to travel. My wife, Susan, and I had ...

A ‘pura vida’ destination: The people and nature make Costa Rica a memorable adventure

February 2016 Posted in Travel | Comments Off on A ‘pura vida’ destination: The people and nature make Costa Rica a memorable adventure

[caption id="attachment_6652" align="alignright" width="300"] Susan Murray and Steve Ritchie in Costa Rica[/caption] By Steve Ritchie Leaving the beach at Junquillal on the Pacific Coast after watching another gorgeous Costa Rican sunset, I was brushing the wet sand off my feet before hopping ...

Cuban adventure: A land old, new, and changing

October 2017 Posted in People, Travel | Comments Off on Cuban adventure: A land old, new, and changing

By Steve Ritchie It was 9 a.m. on a Monday morning in early February. We were God knows where, bouncing around the pot-holed back roads of Cuba in the second rear seat of a 1948 Plymouth sedan packed with nine people ...