Beauty Everywhere

Our last full day at Silver Lake (Mt. St. Helens) we took a ride to the Kelso/Longview area just to see what it was like.  Gary has this “thing” about small towns although these two towns aren’t all that small!  We discovered this wonderful park and lake right in the middle of Longview—Lake Sacajawea Park. The water source for this beautiful lake is from the Cowlitz River. The water is pumped from the river to an open ditch that flows into the north end of the lake. It flows to the south end where the overflow exits into the diking system and ultimately into the Columbia River.

There are 3.5 miles of trails that wind under landscaped bridges past many species of trees and flowers in bloom and past the lake’s two spectacular fountains.  People kayak, fish, canoe and picnic throughout the park grounds that line both sides of the lake.  The City of Longview calls Lake Sacajawea their crown jewel and when you look at the pictures below you will see why!

Gary with Sherwood & Sadie at the park in a beautifully landscaped circular seating/viewing area.

 

This is a photo of the "island" that I think has the Japanese Gardens on it.

 

Another lake shot.

 

One of the two fountains in the lake.

 

This is some of the flora that was in the beautifully landscaped seating/viewing area

where I took the picture of Gary and the dogs.

 

Isn't this a crazy shaped tree/shrubbery?  It was just so unusual. 

Fountain in the background to the left.

 

I think (and it's just a guess) that these are black-eyed Susan's? 

Anyone out there know if I'm right or wrong? 

 

Call me crazy, but I think this is crazy!

It's an umbrella pine!  Too cool.  Don't you love the shape of the needles?

 

 

Thar She Blows!

At 8:32 Sunday morning, May 18, 1980, Mt. St. Helens erupted and blew down or scorched 230 square miles of forest ... 30 years later, recovery at Mt. St. Helens continues. Shaken by an earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale, the north face of this tall, symmetrical mountain collapsed in a massive rock debris avalanche. In a few moments this slab of rock and ice slammed into Spirit Lake, crossed a ridge 1,300 feet high, and roared 14 miles down the Toutle River.

The avalanche rapidly released pressurized gases within the volcano. A tremendous lateral explosion ripped through the avalanche and developed into a turbulent, stone-filled wind that swept over ridges and toppled trees. Nearly 150 square miles of forest was blow over or left dead and standing.

At the same time a mushroom-shaped column of ash rose thousands of feet skyward and drifted downwind, turning day into night as dark, gray ash fell over eastern Washington and beyond. Wet, cement-like slurries of rock and mud scoured all sides of the volcano. Searing flows of pumice poured from the crater. The eruption lasted nine hours, but Mt. St. Helens and the surrounding landscape were dramatically changed within moments.

A vast, gray landscape lay where once the forested slopes of Mt. St. Helens grew. In 1982 the President and Congress created the 110,000-acre National Volcanic Monument for research, recreation, and education. Inside the Monument, the environment is left to respond naturally to the disturbance.  To watch a short video (that includes a photo of the pre-volcanic blast), click on this link:  http://www.fs.usda.gov/mountsthelens

This was truly one of the main highlights of our travels so far.  We just weren't expecting the experience. There are no words I can say that would probably get you there, but go if you can!  And, if you do go, be sure to go all the way to Johnston Ridge Observatory and watch the videos--amazing and astounding.

On our way up to Mt. St. Helens, we stopped at Coldwater Lake. This is one of two lakes in this area that were formed as a result of the volcanic explosion. Coldwater Creek was dammed by the blast and created Coldwater Lake.

 

Here's Gary outside the Hoffstadt Bluffs Visitor Center (it's the second visitor's center on the road to Mt. St. Helens).

There are actually four visitor's centers and we hit three of the four (with the observatory being the last one on the route). There's no "observatory" at this center ... it's simply the closest center to the base of Mt. St. Helens that includes excellent viewing and picture taking opportunities. Hourly they show a great movie inside the center that includes unbelievable footage of the blast and the aftermath.  Also hourly a park ranger does an oral presentation of the event on the outdoor open quad area. The park ranger told us that it took the wave of energy only 23 seconds to reach the Johnston Observatory location ... which happens to be seven miles from the blast site!!  That's how long anyone who was seven miles away had to live once the top blew ... only 23 seconds!

 

It was a little hazy when we started out, but a fairly cloudless sky which meant the full mountain was exposed, not covered by clouds.  In looking at this photo, the area between the two mountain bumps is the main slide area, and where the top of the mountain used to be until the avalanche.

The next photo has Mt. St. Helens on the left and you can see Castle Lake on the right. Castle Lake is the second lake that was created as a result of the volcanic blast.

Check out this dazzling dynamic duo! We're standing on the patio outside the Johnston Ridge Observatory with Mt. St. Helens in the background.

 

And, as an added bonus, from the quad area outside the visitor center entrance, you get this awesome view of the top of Mt. Rainier.  This was like a two-for-oner visit!

But, that's not what makes Mt. St. Helens one of the more memorable places we've visited so far. It's the story of this mountain and what happened in the time between the earthquake, the subsequent avalanche, the volcanic eruption, and the continuing process of forest regeneration and restoration.

 

Psalms 46:1-3 // God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah.



Head for the Hills!

History:  The Willamette Valley is a huge and varied appellation that includes six sub-appellations:  Chehalem Mountains, Dundee Hills, Eola-Amity Hills, McMinnville, Ribbon Ridge and Yamhill-Carlton.  It is Oregon’s leading wine region that has two-thirds of the state’s wineries and vineyards and is home to more than 300 wineries. It is recognized as one of the premier Pinot noir producing areas in the world.  No grape variety is as reflective of climatic and site differences as Pinot noir.

Overall, the climate boasts a long, gentle growing season – warm summers with cool evenings; bursts of Indian summer into fall; mild winters followed by long springs. In ideal years the maritime climate provides the best conditions possible for growing the cool-climate grape variety for which Oregon is best known: Pinot noir. In lesser years, fall weather can be tricky, causing winemakers to pull their hair. In this matter the Willamette Valley compares favorably with the Burgundy and Alsace regions of France. And, like it or not, the often finicky Willamette Valley climate is the “promised land” for Pinot noir in America.

Now, having given you all that fascinating history, it’s time to tell you about our wine tasting adventures as we headed for the hills … Dundee Hills to be exact.  We were going to hit only two wineries today, but the GPS took us on a route that was different from what we expected and we were able to get in three of the wineries on my list.  “What list?” you impudently ask.  Well, I did some homework (i.e., Internet search) asking for the top 10 wineries in the Willamette Valley.  I culled through the information and found some Wine Spectator magazine recommendations and also a blog or forum where the question was asked and different people responded.  I compiled my list and decided the list included enough wineries for anyone who was traveling around in an RV with limited storage space.  The three on my list were superb … the one recommended … not so good.  We could have done without that last stop, although they had an excellent Chardonnay which we bought.  The Pinots there were less than satisfactory.

The wineries we visited today were:  Archery Summit and Domain Serene (both Wine Spectator recommendations), De Ponte (Internet recommendation), and Vista Hills (the one we should have avoided!).  The Pinots at the first three had a wonderful clean finish that both Gary and I really enjoyed.  Pinots are a little lighter than the normal red I usually favor, and I consider them a more “casual” drinking wine than a Cabernet or Merlot.  We also stepped outside the proverbial box and tried some Rose wines.  I was totally opposed to the idea at first because I hadn't drank a Rose in over 30 years.  But two people at this one winery both told me to enjoy everything, so I thought to myself, "Why not?"  So I did!  I didn’t really care for the first one I tasted, but at the second winery that we tasted a Rose, we liked it so we bought a bottle.  Actually, one of the people said that Rose wines are having a resurgence ... go figure!  See, anyone (even me) can step outside the box every once in a while!

The photo below was taken at Domain Serene--with me holding our "stash".  The guy who took our picture is the guy who made the winery recommendation that we didn’t like.  I didn’t hold it against him, though.

The next wine tasting excursion included the winery, Penner Ash. What kind of wine, you ask?  Pinot noir, of course! This winery (like Domaine Serene) had beautiful grounds.

These two photos are looking out over the valley from both the front and back of Penner Ash Winery.  Don't you love that pastoral look?

Finally, here's a video panning the valley from the Penner Ash Winery to give you an idea of the full view.

Enjoy your journey … we’re enjoying ours ... and remember while it generally is the right idea to serve the good wine first, maybe it's not always the best idea.  The guy in the story below didn't (although he thought he was) and he ended up with an amazing miracle taking place in his midst!

John 2:1-11 // On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.  When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine."  And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come."  His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."  Now there were six stone water pots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each.  Jesus said to them, "Fill the water pots with water." So they filled them up to the brim.  And He said to them, "Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter." So they took it to him.   When the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom, and said to him, "Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now."  This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.

This and That

Yeah, this blog is just going to be a compilation of mindless (well, maybe it should say "mindful") meanderings:  things that are fun, things that are interesting, or just things that need to be said.

First meandering:  Gary fell in love with the dog parks in Portland.  They are located within a park and are wide open spaces without fences.  The dog areas are usually defined by “markers”.  This picture is of the one he frequented the most.  Doesn't look like any South Bay dog park we ever went to! So much nicer and more fun for the dogs (and owners, too!).

Second meandering:  Of course, I have to update you on our most recent church experience!  Gary did a lot of Internet searching to find a church for us to attend last Sunday.  So he finally read me this one church’s website information that included “beer after church.”  Well, that was it!  A church that serves beer afterwards, this is something you don’t often get to see.  The pastor is young (30’s with two young children—under 5), attended LIFE Bible College and then moved back to Oregon (he’s from here originally).  Most of the leadership are also young and are either his good friends from high school or LIFE Bible College.  Here's a picture from their website of their worship service.

Here’s what I liked about this church:  They had tons of kids.  They did contemporary worship and it seemed like a number of the songs may have been “originals”.  They set up in a ballroom and scattered around between the rows of chairs are tables.  On the tables are info cards and the “bulletin” (it was scantly filled out).  I loved the tables J.  Afterwards, they had a potluck to create community (this pastor is very big on community). We joined them and met some wonderful people.  They are also focused on their local community and once a month they do NOT have a worship service.  Instead they do a community project whether it’s cleaning up the neighborhood or getting a school ready for the school year. The pastor had a great message, and we really enjoyed ourselves.  They have between 60 and 100 people who attend, but this time of year (summer vacations) they are down a little.  Still, very lovely young people and a great vibe.  And, oh year, at the potluck we each had a beer!  Next time you’re in Portland on a Sunday, here’s their website.  http://theoregoncommunity.com.  Check them out!

But wait, there’s more to their story.  This young church (about 3 years old) felt called to develop a non-profit pub for the community, The Oregon Public House.  When you’re eating or drinking at the pub, you can choose the charitable organization that you want to receive the profit from your meal/drinks.  Their motto is “Have a Pint/Change the World”.  Isn’t that amazing?  Here are just a few of the non-profits on their list of recipients:

• The Neo fund (helps fight poverty).
• Friends of the Children (mentoring program that is transforming the lives of Portland's most vulnerable children).
• My Voice Music (engages marginalized youth in music and performance in order to promote self-esteem, social skills and emotional expression.
• Compassion First (restoring the lives of the sexually trafficked, working in specifically under-served or unserved regions.
• Habitat for Humanity (building homes for those who need them).
• Black United Fund (mission is to assist in the social and economic development of Oregon's low-income communities and to contribute to a broader understanding of ethnic and culturally diverse groups).
• Friends of Trees (Friends of Trees' mission is to bring people in the Portland-Vancouver and Eugene-Springfield metro areas together to plant and care for city trees and green spaces).

They believe this ground-breaking model for business is literally the first of its kind and could begin a new wave of business and mission that has the possibility of changing the way people work, spend, and care for their communities.

In addition, The Oregon Public House will be a place where people in their community can learn more about a number of outstanding non-profit organizations and discover practical ways they can become involved in transforming their world and improving the lives of others.  Here's a picture from their website of their pub.

Third meandering:  I just love meeting all these new people on our journey.  We just met another couple (unfortunately, they were leaving the day after we met them) here in Willamette wine country.  We spent a couple of hours with them sitting outside in their RV site in the shade, drinking some Willamette wine, and sharing stories of full-timing.  We really enjoyed our time with Mel and Sandy (who live in Arizona), and traded email and cell info with them hoping that we will cross paths sometime in the future.   Every day is a new opportunity to meet some great people, and (for the most part) RVers are nice, friendly people who also want to meet you!  We just love this aspect of our journey.
 Fourth (and final) meandering:  Our dear friend, Paula, shared this marinade recipe with me for steaks and it is fabulous.  KEY to fabulous marinating ... at least THREE days in the refrigerator.  Then you can either cook or freeze until you want to cook.  If you freeze, defrost and it is ready to go because it has already marinated three days!

Paula's Steak Marinade -- Pour/place the following ingredients (you decide on how much you want to include for your own taste) over steak in a plastic bag.  Seal, shake, and marinate at least three days!  Grill and enjoy

• Worcestershire Sauce
• Red Wine
• Garlic salt (or fresh garlic) and pepper
• Parsley
• Sage
• Rosemary
• Thyme

It’s all good in the Hood!

We finally had a good weather day to head to Mount Hood.  I simply did not want to travel there unless we were going to be able to get some decent pictures of the mountain.  Boy, did we get blessed because on the drive over we just weren’t sure.  It may have cleared up down below, but a cloud was hovering over the Hood!
 

Mount Hood is a stratovolcano (a tall, conical volcano built up by many layers (strata) of hardened lava, tephra, pumice and volcanic ash.  Stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile and periodic explosive eruptions and quiet eruptions.  The height assigned to Mount Hood's snow-covered peak has varied over its history. It is somewhere between 11,240 and 11,249 feet high. The peak is home to 12 named glaciers and snowfields. It is the highest point in Oregon and the fourth highest in the Cascade Range.

Our second picture opportunity was Pulitzer prize winning!  Check out these gorgeous photographs of Mount Hood.

Psalms 90:2 / Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.

 
Of course I asked a couple if they could take our picture and of course we returned the favor.  So here we are.  I'm "overdressed" (it was pretty warm) and Gary's dressed just right!  Oh yeah, and it’s another Sadie butt shot, too J

And, here’s a picture of both dogs at our photo stop (which happened to be a cross-country skiing access area).

Not too bad, huh?  We were so happy the weather cooperated and the skies parted just enough for us to get these beautiful, full mountain shots including cumulus clouds and azure blue skies.

On our way back down the hill we saw at least seven emergency vehicles head up to Mount Hood and wondered what in the world had happened for so many emergency vehicles to race up the mountain.  Found out today a snowboarder had decided to board under an ice cave which ended up collapsing on top of him.  Here's a quote from the article I read, "12 personnel used chainsaws and other hand tools" to remove "several tons of debris" from the trapped snowboarder's body."  Now we know why so many rescuers were racing up the mountain roads.

As a parting shot, here’s a shot of our darling dog, Sherwood, crashed on our way back home.  We bought him his own special car pillow so he can be nice and comfy … what good parents we are!

 

Boy, Did We Gorge Ourselves Today!

But not on food!  It’s Wednesday.  It’s Portland.  It’s time for a day trip!  So we headed out to the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.  And what a stunning scenic site it is.  It actually is an 80-mile drive from Portland to the town of Biggs.  However, we didn’t do all 80 miles.  We exited Highway 84 at Bridal Veil Falls and followed Highway 30 (the scenic highway) through to Dodson, at which point we turned around and headed home.  We were able to catch three of the seven waterfalls that line this meandering stretch of highway that tracks the Columbia River.

As I mentioned, we stopped at Bridal Veil Falls first.  The falls consists of two cascades in quick succession along angling rock faces dropping about 118 feet.  Here’s a bit of trivia about this fall … There is a post office in the nearby community of Bridal Veil.  Many couples have their wedding invitations shipped there in order to have the town's postmark applied to them.

This first shot was taken on our hike down to the falls (about .6 of a mile each way).  It is the creek into which Bridal Veil Falls empties.  We hiked down on the way to the falls and up on the way out!  We stopped three times on the way back up so we could take breathers and we made it just fine.

 

This shot of the falls is from the end of our hike, taken from a platform set up for viewing and photo ops.  This is a stunning set of falls in a lovely, picturesque, leafy-green setting.

Here’s a video of the falls and I apologize that I took it vertically and can’t turn it.  I guess you’ll have to just turn your head while you watch J.

 

The next falls on our drive was Wahkeena Falls.  The hike for this one was uphill first and then downhill on the way back.  On this hike (because it was only .2 of a mile each way) we took the dogs with us.  What a superb 242 foot fall this was and we think the dogs enjoyed the journey as well.  They sure made their mark a number of times on the way!  The first photo shows the fall from top to bottom, and the second photo shows just the lower portion of the fall as it winds its way down into a creek.

Not too far from Wahkeena is the MOST FAMOUS falls on this scenic byway, Multnomah Falls.  No hiking needed for this one, it is conveniently located roadside!  Plummeting 620 feet, Multnomah Falls is the second highest year-round waterfall in the United States and receives nearly 2 million visitors each year. The falls drop in two major steps, split into an upper falls of 542 feet and a lower falls of 69 feet, with a gradual 9 foot drop in elevation between the two, so the total height of the waterfall is conventionally given as 620 feet. 

Multnomah Falls trivia:  On Labor Day in September 1995, a 400-ton boulder, loosened by erosion, fell 225 feet from the face of the waterfall into the upper cascade pool, above Benson Bridge. It caused a 70-foot splash of water and gravel to wash over the footbridge, causing minor injuries to twenty members of a wedding party that happened to be on the bridge posing for photos at the time.

I've included this first photo so you could get an idea of how many people there were roaming around this famous fall.  At this stop, there's a restaurant, the Forest Service has a kiosk you can stop at, a souvenir kiosk, a grab-and-go kiosk, and a very nice outdoor picnic/patio area that you can sit at and see the falls.  The second photo was taken closer up and you have a better look at that footbridge mentioned in the trivia above.  That's Gary's head in the lower right-hand corner of the photo.

Here's a video of Multnomah Falls and once again, sorry for the sideways viewing L

Finally, the last falls we stopped at to view were Horsetail Falls featuring a 176 foot plunge.  This one was also very easy to get to and could be seen from the roadside.  No need to take the dogs out and no need for us to hike around.  I sure liked that.  Here's Gary at the sign for Horsetail and he's sporting his new Tillamook Air Museum t-shirt.  What a dapper dude, don't you think?

 Looking at this fall, you can certainly see how it got its name!

Below is Gary, my tree hugging husband!  He just couldn’t help himself. Too many trees.  Too tempting.  As you can see from this photo, he secretly wants to be a real tree hugger, although I don’t think this secret revelation would hold up in a court of law!

Finally, on the way home, we stopped at a highway viewpoint and were able to get a couple of shots of the Columbia River.  This river is so wide it’s amazing.  The river divides Oregon and Washington about 80% of their borders.  The dividing line runs down the middle of the river.  There are also a number of islands in the Columbia, the largest being Government Island.   Some of the islands “belong to” the state of Washington and some “belong to” the state of Oregon (Government is an Oregon island).

 

To end this perfect day, we had a perfect sunset.  This photo was taken from our RV site at the Columbia River RV Park.  Lovely, wouldn't you say?



 

Psalms 65:8 … They who dwell in the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs; You make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy.

 

Flyin’ High!

Well, we didn’t actually fly anywhere, but we did head on over to the Tillamook Air Museum.  In 1942, the U.S. Navy began construction of 17 wooden hangars to house the K-class blimps being used for anti-submarine coast patrol and convoy escort. Two of these hangars were built at the Naval Air Station in Tilllamook, and were commissioned in December 1942 to serve the Oregon-Washington coastal area. The Tillamook Air Museum is now housed in one of those hangars. First photo below is a picture of the outside of the hangar/museum.  The second photo is of the inside.

The air museum is now home to 30 magnificently restored vintage flying aircraft.  The following photos are just a few of the planes we viewed (these photos I pulled from their website.

Ki-43 Oscar:  A very rare Japanese fighter recovered from the Kuril Islands North of Japan and restored to flying condition.

 P-38 Lightening:  This "forked tail devil" is one of only a handful of the aircraft in the world still in flying condition. Tillamook's P-38 has been named Tangerine.

F4U-7 Corsair:  With its inverted gull wing, and set back cockpit, military commanders felt the pilots would have a hard time landing on aircraft carriers. Eventually a new landing technique was developed in which the pilot made a wide, sweeping approach in order to keep an eye on the landing deck at all times  until the last seconds when he would roll the wings level and pounce on the deck.

P-51 Mustang:  The Mustang was among the best and most well-known fighters used by the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. Possessing excellent range and maneuverability, the P-51 operated primarily as a long-range escort fighter and also as a ground attack fighter-bomber. The Mustang served in nearly every combat zone during WWII, and later fought in the Korean War.

P-47 Thunderbolt:   Affectionately nicknamed "Jug," the P-47 was one of the most famous AAF fighter planes of World War II. Although originally conceived as a lightweight interceptor, the P-47 developed as a heavyweight fighter and made its first flight on May 6, 1941. In April 1943 the Thunderbolt flew its first combat mission -- a sweep over Western Europe. Used as both a high-altitude escort fighter and a low-level fighter-bomber, the P-47 quickly gained a reputation for ruggedness. Its sturdy construction and air-cooled radial engine enabled the Thunderbolt to absorb severe battle damage and keep flying. During WWII, the P-47 served in almost every active war theater and in the forces of several Allied nations.

The Erickson below (isn’t that just about the ugliest plane you’ve ever seen?) was a plane that we were able to go inside and tour.  This large guppy was used to transport grounded helicopters back to home base for repairs.   About 1/3^rd of the back end was actually “hinged” so that the aircraft would open to a dolly-type of mechanism that would move the busted copter to the front allowing the loading of more than one at a time.  That's Gary standing in front of the plane to give you some perspective.  The second photo is a picture of the cockpit.

Finally, here are pictures we took of each of us next to planes inside the hangar.  Gary is standing next to a MIG-17.

 I'm standing next to an Aviat Aircraft Husky, a small spotter plane.

 

 



Psalms 55:6-8 … I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!  I would fly away and be at rest.  Behold, I would wander far away, I would lodge in the wilderness.”  Selah.  “I would hasten to my place of refuge from the stormy wind and tempest.”