CHAPTER XIII
Lake of the Woods to Diamond Lake

What is a border? Between some countries it could be barbed wire and armed guards marking a dividing line of freedom and slavery, life or death. Traveling from state to state it often is only a 6 cent difference in the price of a gallon of gasoline.

For us, crossing into Oregon was many things. Both Bernice and I, as native daughter and son, were coming home. I hope I don't sound too chauvinistic (oh, how I used to love that word before female liberationists stole it from the dictionary) in writing that Oregon is much more than a state of mind.

Although noted for tall trees and majestic mountains, it is the relationship of the people with their land that makes this state worthwhile talking about. Because of a cult of the outdoors, sports as hiking, skiing, white water river running, have been popular pastimes long before becoming 'discovered' in other parts of the country. This 'oneness' with a wilderness wonderland has often been described as being, "Oregonized."

Because of this, even though the number one industry was logging, there also is an attitude of conservation. Oregon has led the way in environmental legislation. It's bottle bill and Willamette River clean-up are but two outstanding examples. It is this respect for the land that accounts for the fact that Portland, Oregon's largest city, time and again has been selected as one of the most livable metropolitan areas in the United States.

The only reason two million Oregonians haven't acquired a reputation for braggadocio more blatant than that of a single Texan, is that most webfoots want to keep everything about this hidden land a secret. In fact their apologies for rain, remoteness, rudeness, have contrarily become a form of pretentiousness. Governor Tom McCall made national headlines with a statement that new industry, new residents, or visitors were not welcome. There is a society that prints a road map that proves that the most direct route between San Francisco and Seattle, is a detour through Nevada, and Idaho.

Almost as a direct contradiction of this "keep out" philosophy, the first sign of change we noted was made of metal, diamond shaped, green and white, with a picture of a fir tree, and a legend that read PACIFIC CREST TRAIL SYSTEM. Now on the Oregon Skyline section of the PCT, we also had reached the Pacific Northwest Region of the U.S. Forest Service. We were no longer outlaws!