The End of Oregon

I was told last week that I really needed to get on with this vacation stuff because I haven't posted anything from our sports adventures all summer. Fair enough. This will be the last post of the seemingly never-ending Oregon saga. (Bet you think you know how those pioneers felt, don't you? Well, there is an end.)

Any way, the last day was the Columbia River Gorge. You may remember studying about it when you studied Lewis and Clark. A beautiful sight.

Along the Gorge are some waterfalls. I would the guess the most famous of these is Multnomah Falls. Keith and I had visited here a couple times before and were looking forward to seeing them again.

We hiked up to the to the top (and one of us overachievers went on to see other lovely surprises). The boys and I had enough after getting to the top....my cold was full-fledged by the last day so it was all I could do to just get there.

Everything and eveywhere was so lush. This was nothing like our brutal heat that kills off so many more fragile plants.

I would highly recommend this stop if you ever make it to Oregon. Well worth the trip and worth the walk to the top (except maybe if you're not feeling your best).

The next stop was the Bonneville Locks and Dam. The hike totally did me in and James was still a little puny so we napped in the car while Keith and Christopher explored here. They saw the dam, the salmon ladder, incredible turbines and all kind of neat things in the Visitor Center. Christopher also got a quick shower while he posed for this picture...the sprinkler came on just as they were taking this pic.

Now that we are in the dog days of August, I do miss that cool low humidity. Well, not enough to wish that Nationals was there next year. Coming up....other summer updates, including races.

Oregon, the Next to the Last Day II

Sorry, pulled one over on you. I didn't want to combine Mt. St. Helens and Mount Hood all in one post even though we did them in one day.

This is Mount Hood. Majestic in her own right and also a volcano. Mount Hood is just outside Portland and definitely can be seen from the city. (At one point on our drive, we could see Mount Hood, Mt. St. Helens and Mount Rainier all at the same time. Very cool, but all those volcanos would make me nervous.)

The really neat thing about Mount Hood is that you can drive pretty close to the top. We had dinner at Timberline Lodge, which is about 6,000 feet above sea level. It was built in the 1920s (or was it the 30s?) It is the only ski resort in the U.S. to be open all year long to skiing. As you might guess, you have incredible views of the top of the mountain from there.

The snow never really totally melts so in late June, there was tons of it and the guys had a blast. They played and played and played out in it. It really made Christopher wish he lived in a place that got more snow. (Not his mom in case you were wondering...too cold for me.)

But even with all that playing and enjoying the snow, what did my 12-year-old still feel compelled to do? Text. I just don't understand that younger generation, but then maybe it's not so different from being addicted to a crackberry.

We didn't want to leave, especially before dark. The boys were having so much fun. We also didn't want to drive down the mountain in the dark so we finally pulled ourselves away. Our next to the last day was a good one indeed.

Oregon, the Next to the Last Day

Can you guess where this is? It's one of my favorite places to visit because its story is so compelling.

It's a volcano. It was such a majestic mountain and then with incredible force, but lots of warning, the side blew out of it. I could watch the video and listen to the explanation of it over and over again.

It was a lush forest that was pushed over instantly; well, the trees that weren't burned up.

Those skeletal remains leave a vivid reminder of what happened here. After 20 years, the vegetation is just beginning to return. I think she reminds me of how little we really know, but at the same time how much we have learned. God put it all together in a logical, rational way. There is truth to be learned in science...it just takes us a while. It also reminds me of brute power. The kind man seeks to obtain, but in nature He already put it there. Maybe that's why I like coming here.

If you older than 30 years old, you've figured it out. Mt. St. Helens. It is a bit of a trick question because she's not in Oregon...she's in Washington. The drive wasn't too bad and it was well worth it. We all were drawn to take pictures of her. Christopher took this one of Keith. I just love it.

The lens is almost as big as he is. My little budding photographer.

We did manage to get one photo with all of us in it.

By this point, James was really feeling bad. He was such a trooper to keep walking and looking. He got a long nap when we left here.

Probably should apologize for so many pictures. I just love looking at them. Seeing how she blew out the side. Imagining the huge amount of hot pyroclastic material flying out of there. Vaporizing the snow and the trees for that matter and then the vast mudflows that followed.

Her scenes really stick with you.

Cannon Beach, Oregon Part ... who knows?

News flash. I have been horribly disorganized, not motivated, and very busy this summer. I'm sure that you have missed the consistent blogging of days gone by. Ok, not really, but I have been really busy and it seems that blogging just took a back seat. Not that I haven't had cool and fun things to share...it's just taken a back seat.

We're going to finish up the Oregon trip and move on to the rest of the summer, which is actually over for us. James officially started 7th grade today. He does still long to go to school, but is hopefully beginning to really understand why he is homeschooled. Maybe a post for another day.

This is rather famous rock formation off the coast of Cannon Beach, OR. You may have heard about Cannon Beach because in the '60s a huge tsunami hit in that area of northern Oregon. (Or, it could have been because that was the focus of our honeymoon years ago. Focus because we didn't stay anywhere long, but that was the main place Keith wanted to go. Another good post idea.) This rock is called Haystack Rock. The first time we went, you could actually climb up on the rock. Just a few years after that, they had quit allowing people on it so you have to enjoy it from afar.

To me, what's really cool are all the rocks around it. James had heard about tidal pools from a friend earlier that day. He was a man on a mission to see tidal pools at low tide. God was really watching out for us that day because did we not only make to Cannon Beach with daylight, we made it just at low tide!

So, at low tide you can see (and touch) all the interesting vegetation on the rocks. All kind of slimy stuff...the stuff boys love.

Yes, it was cool there. This day had been fairly overcast and misty all day. Even when the sun was out, I think it was probably upper 50s. Any way, back to these rocks.

Not only was it fun to poke at the vegetation and the volcanic rock....

There were critters to touch. We had been given instructions at the aquarium earlier that morning about how to touch the anemones without hurting them. Very cool. They felt a lot like Velcro.

I love this place and I think the boys did, too....

...even if it was windy and cold (and we all got colds).

Maybe one day I'll get the videos we made posted. (I have to download them first....told you I am fairly behind on everything.)

I am pretty sure we have a picture of this old guy in all our honeymoon pictures. Looks pretty good for the wear.

We finally headed on to Astoria, but we were blessed with a gorgeous sunset. Thanks, God, for paying attention to all those details.

Oregon Coast Aquarium

The Oregon Coast Aquarium was pretty nifty. You wound your way inside and outside through different exhibits. I really liked the way it was laid out.

It had the expected touching pool, but a little intimidating since not only did they have sea stars, a.k.a. starfish, but other spiky things. Seeing this and getting a text from a teammate made James very focused on finding real tidal pools. Easy enough since there is a lot of rocky coastline except you have to be there at low tide. That started a day of trying to time arrival at some rocky coastline at low tide. You have to keep following the trip to find out if we made it. (Hint: Some of my favorite pictures came from that quest.)

This was a pretty cool exhibit. I should stop and ponder sometime why the jellyfish (or is it sea jellies?) are always my favorite exhibit. They're always so pretty.

The cool thing here were the multiple tunnels where the fish were all around you. Made me dizzy looking at them, but very, very neat. Christopher took it all in...he just loves animals and watching them.

No words to do it justice. (I know hard to believe.)

Oh, wait. They weren't an exhibit. Nice smile from James who says he doesn't really know how to smile for pictures.

If you ever get to the Oregon coast, you should definitely make time to see this aquarium. Worth every minute (and dollar).

Structural Sights

Ok, I promised lighthouses and you will get lighthouses, but I also included some other architectural/structural sights. There's a ton more on the site, but maybe this gives you a flavor of the kinds of things we saw.

Sandy Creek covered bridge. Also, the site of a few Todd races from the car, down the path, across the bridge and a bit further on the path on the other side. Until there was a dispute about exactly where the finish line was. Still, it was nice to get out of the car and stretch our legs.

Staircase at Yaquina Head. Intimidating. There could only be a few people at the top at once so we had to stand in line. Long enough for those of us afraid of heights could get ready anxious.

By the top, he was very anxious. This pic is actually on the way down when he was not so focused on the steps that he could stage a pose.

Survive was about right.

Yaquina Head...the view from outside.

Could just eat them up. Don't they just look the most loving brothers?

Yaquina Bay.

Christopher was very particular about getting this picture exactly the way he wanted it.

Love pictures with me and my little men.

Umpqua Lighthouse

Oregon Coastline. Nice shot by Keith.

Heceta Head. I originally thought I would put a bit about each one, but honestly, I don't remember. They all started running together. Neat nonetheless.

Next stop will be the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport. I think you'll like that stop.