I arrived in Ashland on Tuesday evening to a warm welcome at Little Creek Ranch, where my mom had been staying with Takoda since Monday. Debbie, the wonderful woman who owns and operates the ranch, had done so much to prepare for Shyla and me, including driving my mom back to I-5 and highway 96 so she could get my truck. When we drove up the driveway on to the ranch, with its lush green acres of pastures and paddocks, I got to meet Debbie's family and many friends who were waiting to say hello to me. The ranch is full of life and activity, clearly enjoyed by so many people, including Debbie's sons and her grandchildren, who must think of this amazing place as a kind of paradise. There is even a pond near where my mom and I stayed in the camper, and I know that if Debbie was my grandmother I would be in that pond all day long, hunting for turtles or frogs, the way I always did at my grandparents' lake in Idaho every summer.

#2014PCT