Sounds like an adventure. You'll love it, no dount. My wife did a few trips like that, up and down the desert, grand canyon, tahoe, CA coast, and everything in between. I think everyone in life should do it at least once. Good on ya.
October would be alright, but I was hoping for a little sooner.
A while back a couple of folks posted up about So. Oregon, so I just thought I'd follow up.
Here's a shot of a little get-together we had last night(no one from this board, though): This is my back yard.