>What do Irises and Malheur have in common? They are both at their best in
>May in Oregon!! In addition to my birding interests, gardening and
>landscaping are strong interests and I have for years wanted to go to the
>bearded iris festival at Cooley's in central Oregon. This is one of the
>largest iris farms in North America and over 600 varieties will be blooming.
>Of course, after all the discussion of Malheur on tweeters this year, I
>couldn't go to central Oregon without making a trek a little further east.
>
>So what I'm wondering is, are there any tweeters out there who share these
>two interests and would like to join me? My husband doesn't have enough
>vacation time and isn't big on birds or flowers. The iris festival runs May
>18 - June 2, and it seems mid-late May might also be a good time to drop in
>at Malheur. I don't like driving long distances by myself, and would like a
>female companion or a couple/mixed group would be good too. I don't plan to
>camp, am looking into B&B or cabin-type accommodations. Would there be a
>Portland-area tweeter who could put up a couple of birders for a night
>and/or join us for a day trip?
>
>One possible itinerary:
>
>Day 1: Leave Seattle early, get to Silverdale (near Cooley's)
>Day 2: Spend most of the day at Cooleys, then drive to Malheur area
>accommodations
>Day 3: Malheur
>Day 4: Malheur then back to Portland
>Day 5: Ridgefield NWR, then back to Seattle.
>
>Other side trips or ideas could work too.
>
>Let me know directly:
>
>Teresa Michelsen
>tcmnem at halcyon.com
>
>
While at Malheur you may wish to consider the Diamond Hotel (503-493-1898,
in Diamond -- an alternative to the Frenchglen Hotel. It is a charming
small hotel with great food.

Bob Barnes
Portland, Oregon
rbarnes at teleport.com