100826 Seattle

Gloria drove us in to Seattle this morning. We saw the monorail that was built for the 1962 Seattle World's Fair on our way to have lunch in the restaurant at the top of the Space Needle. I remember all the media attention surrounding the world's fair, the needle, and the monorail. The monorail was the first one in the country at the time. The restaurant rotates 360 degrees every 45 minutes, so you get a good view of the city while you eat, including downtown and Puget Sound. The food was very good - portions were huge. (You can add this one to your list of restaurants that I recommend, Laura.) On our way up we talked with a delightful street singer, a long-time transplant from New Orleans. Typical Seattle, Gloria says.



We chose activities that didn't require much walking today, as I have an infected toe. But I was ready for a quieter day anyway, so that was fine. I'm having a minor procedure, to get it taken care of, so I'm not going to try to drive for a couple days, and don't plan to head out of town until at least Saturday.

100825 Birthday Celebrations

I spent my morning in Paradise. It's hard to beat that, huh? (That's Paradise, WA, at the base of Mt. Rainier.) I had hurried past the evening before, as it was getting late, so I went back and took my time this morning. I don't think I've ever gotten as close to a glacier as I did at Paradise. I felt like I'd gotten "up close and personal" with Mt. Rainer by the end of the morning.

I walked the short but steep trail down to the base of Narada Falls, so I could see the whole thing, 180 feet from top to bottom. There is no perspective on this photo of the falls. You will just have to imagine some tiny people standing on the platform at the top, so you can see how long these falls are. I think this is the prettiest of the "bridal veil"-type falls that I've seen, complete with a rainbow near the bottom. The falls spreads out over a wider area than most falls of its kind. I'm putting this on my list of my ten favorite falls.

I stopped at Reflection Lake and had my photo taken with Mt. Rainier (he didn't seem to mind). As I went by pretty Louise Lake I thought of my niece (Louise).

The long views down the valleys reminded me of the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park in Montana. Quite impressive.

Woods, waterfalls, vistas, glacier-covered mountains. It's hard to imagine a better way to spend my birthday - and that was just the start!

I spent the afternoon visiting with my cousin Gloria in Buckley, WA. We hadn't seen each other in ages and it was such fun to get caught up on each other's lives, and talk about "the old times" in North Dakota when we were kids.

That evening Gloria took me to a nice restaurant on the Tacoma waterfront, and we sat outside in the perfect weather and watched the sailboats on Puget Sound as we ate our dinner. (Her husband is out of town on business.)

A wonderful day! A wonderful way to spend my birthday.

100824 Mt. Adams and Mt. Rainier

I headed towards Mt. Rainier National Park when I got going in the morning. (I did laundry and other errands so I got a late start today.) I stopped at my cousin's husband's gallery in Packwood first (he's a nature photographer). They have recently purchased the property and are remodeling it into a gallery and cafe. Then I drove to the north central part of the park, to Sunrise Point. I got the best view yet of Mt. Adams from there [see above]. And some good views of the north side of Mt. Rainier as well, but not in good light. Then I drove to the south central part of the park, to the Paradise area. But it was starting to get late, so I headed on out of the park and got an RV campsite for the night.

100823 Mt St Helens

I wandered around in the mountains all day today, mostly getting glimpses of Mt. St. Helens, but finally getting a couple real good views of her. I had seen her from the blast direction before, so I decided to drive around to her south and east this time. I was going to head over toward Mt. Adams, till I realized I would be taking gravel roads, and I didn't feel like doing gravel roads today, so I headed north instead. Stopped for the night in a little town in a valley (Randle, WA) with Mt. St. Helens National Park to the south and Mt. Rainier National Park to the north.

100822 Long Beach, WA, and Astoria, OR

I finally drove over the four-mile-long Columbia River bridge to Washington this morning. I've been looking at that bridge for days, and finally made it over. Purpose was to get to Long Beach, WA, for the International Kite Festival. I've never been to a kite festival; it sounded like a fun thing to do. (At 18 miles long, Long Beach claims to have the longest beach in the world. I was kind and didn't mention anything to them about 130-mile-long Padre Island in Texas.) I made it in time for the Mass Ascension, which gave me an idea what kites were at the event. I was hoping for some good photo opportunities; I wasn't expecting to be mesmerized by a team doing a kind of "kite ballet". They're called iQuad; the team was made up of six, then seven, people flying kites in unison, using these new "Revolution" kites that allow for impressive control, and the team was very good. I couldn't keep my eyes off them, and they were a favorite of the crowd too. Especially the team leader - he was playing with the crowd when everyone else was on break, making his kite act like it was alive, bouncing on the sand, balancing on someone's hand, just like it had a personality. There are videos of the team on Youtube with four kites, but I saw them do seven!!

I drove just south of there, to Cape Disappointment, to see the mouth of the Columbia River, where Lewis and Clark finally reached their goal - the Pacific. I liked the view of the Cape Disappointment lighthouse there. I found another Waikiki Beach, named after a Hawaiian sailor who was buried there. Not as impressive as the original, but impressive, still.

(By the way, I solved the mystery of "South Jetty". There is a "South Jetty" on the south side of the Columbia River, in Oregon, and a "North Jetty" on the north side of the river, in Washington. Duh. )

My cousin Lance convinced me to visit the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria before I left town, so I drove back over the bridge to go to the museum. I wasn't sorry I did. I was intrigued by the information about the bar, the area where the Columbia River plows into the Pacific. They described the river as having the force of a fire hose. It sounded kind of like the irresistible force meeting the immovable object. They said that it's the most dangerous bar in the world, and thousands of vessels have been lost there. I gained a new respect for the Columbia River bar pilots, as well as for the Coast Guard rescuers who work those waters.

It feels good to finally be in Washington.

100821 Tide-Poolin' & a Puffin

Aug 22, 2010 - Long Beach, WA
I started the day yesterday by trying to visit the Twilight Eagle Sanctuary, but they were closed. :-( I guess they're closed on weekends. I was disappointed.

Then I drove over to Fort Clatsop, which is part of the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park. It's the last fort they built on their trip, where they ended up, where they wintered over before beginning the trip back to St. Louis. I've seen lots of statues of Sacajawea on my journeys, but this is one of my favorites. This one, of Sacajawea and her son Pompey [above] almost makes you think you've come across them walking through the woods on their way back to the fort. Since I've been to the point where Lewis and Clark started, as well as crossed or followed their path all along the way over the past couple years (Columbia, MO; Mandan and Williston, ND; Great Falls and Pompey's Pillar, MT; Salmon, ID; the Columbia River Gorge, OR), I thought it was only fitting that I see where they ended up.

I drove the 25 miles back to Cannon Beach in the afternoon so I could be at Haystack Rock at low tide, for some tide-pooling! Finally, a successful tide-pooling trip! Saw lots of sea creatures in the tide pools - especially green sea anemones and orange and purple starfish. It was kind of like an impromptu tide pooling party and everyone was having a fun time. Just as important, I also saw a puffin in flight! (I was glad there was a staff person standing beside me on the beach to confirm it really was a puffin, as they look a lot like common murres when they're flying and there were lots of those.) Most of the puffins have returned to sea, where they spend most of their lives except for when they are breeding, nesting, and hatching), but there were a few left.

Last, but not least, I got a recommendation from the woman who works in the office at the RV park, and ate at Buoy 9 restaurant in Warrenton for dinner. Had an excellent seafood pasta (you can add this one to your list, Laura, if you make it up this far north).

What a delightful day!

[one of Haystack Rock's "neighbor" rocks, "Sven", right]

100820 Astoria, OR

Astoria, OR - 20 Aug 2010
When I arrived at this RV campground last night, the woman in the office gave me an impressive spiel about the local attractions, and I plan to take some of her suggestions. To start with, I walked the 164 steps to the top of the Astoria Column. It's situated on the highest hill around, for impressive views in all directions. What grabbed my attention was the mighty Columbia River and the over-four-mile-long bridge to Washington to the north, including several ships going under the bridge and up the river. The town of Astoria is laid out below the hill, on the waterfront. There are also bridges across the rivers to the south and west, over to the town of Warrenton and south toward my RV park.

(At least I SAW Washington State today, Gloria!! I'm getting closer!) :-)


Then I took the little trolley tour along the riverfront. This town has retained many of its Victorian homes and is a pretty, quaint little place. It's built on a hill and reminds me very much of San Francisco in that way. Interesting little town.

Then I drove over to the "south jetty", which is on the north end of the Warrenton peninsula. (No, I don't understand the name either.) And that's where I had the most excitement of my day. Or for some time, actually. As I got Carri stuck in the sand on the beach. Yeah, I know. But I've driven my RV on the beach so many times...and there were other vehicles parked on the beach...and there was a white pick-up truck right in front of me. I figured, if he could do it, so could I. Wrong!! I found out later, after I got stuck, and he was attaching a cable to my vehicle so he could pull me out, that he had to use four-wheel drive to get through the sand. Duh! Those other pick-ups probably did too. I never thought of that. Well, I was real fortunate that the guy in the white pick-up was right there, and willing to help pull me out. And I learned a couple things. I'll be a lot more careful about driving on beaches in the future. And I'll keep in mind that I can't necessarily go everywhere other vehicles go (especially if they have four-wheel drive!!). (Sorry, but I have no pictures of THAT part of this adventure!)

I’m still stepping outside to see the geese fly overhead when I hear geese honking. I’m the only one. Everyone else is so used to it, I doubt they even hear them anymore. In fact, around here they're considered nuisances. But I still find it magical to hear them honking away on their way – where? I’ve seen several groups in V-formations now, but, so far, they don’t seem to be heading south. Good. I’m not ready for fall to be so close yet. I have too many places to go and things to see.

100819 Cannon Beach & Ecola State Park

Astoria, OR - 19 Aug 2010
The sun was shining when I got on the road today, and it was another beautiful day. My drive took me along Tillamook Bay, then I stopped at Garibaldi to take a few photos of the haystack rocks there [photo above]. I also stopped along the road at Neahakahne Mountain to get a close look at a plant I'd never seen before - turned out to be a kind of thistle, but it was about six feet tall and had an impressive shining purplish flowering stalk. [Anyone know what this is? I haven't been able to find anything about it on the Internet.] I also saw lots of hairy pink honeysuckle [left], some California poppies (that remind me of Arizona's desert poppies) [below], lots more wild sweet peas (everlasting pea), and a rare white foxglove [below].
I stopped for lunch at Mo's in Cannon Beach, and was late enough that I beat the crowd this time. There are several Mo's on the coast and they are all very popular. I had stopped at one a couple days ago, for a late lunch, and the line was so long (probably 20 groups ahead of me) that I decided not to wait. Today the crab and avocado salad I had was excellent. I chose outside seating, and enjoyed the sunshine and a fantastic view of Cannon Beach and Haystack Rock while I ate (probably the best known off-shore rock in Oregon). And I brought some chowder home - for dinner this evening! Smart girl!! :-)

Before my trip to the Oregon coast, when I asked people who had been here for their favorite places, Cannon Beach and Ecola State Park were mentioned the most often. And I can see why. The view south of Cannon Beach, from Ecola View Point, is quintessential Oregon Coastline - cloud-topped green mountains, haystacks offshore, beautiful white surf. What an incredible view! [right]

100818 Tillamook

Tillamook, OR - 18 Aug, 2010
I started slowly today. Why not? I'm on vacation!! :-)

After my leisurely morning, I went on the Tillamook Cheese factory tour. Part of the tour is a free cheese-tasting. The ice cream isn't free, but it's a tradition. I've never seen a cheese factory before, and it was interesting. I noticed after I got into Tillamook County yesterday that I was seeing lots and lots of dairy cows. :-) The Tillamook factory receives 1.6 million pounds of milk each day, and they ship over 160,000 cheeses daily. Wow! It was interesting to see the huge tanks of milk and cheese, and fascinating to watch the assembly line process big blocks of cheese into packages ready to ship. I also made a brief visit to the Blue Heron Cheese factory - smaller, more intimate.

Then I drove the "Three Capes Scenic Loop" and finally saw some of the "haystacks" for which the Oregon coast is famous. The loop took me by Cape Lookout, the coastal town of Oceanside [photo above], the Cape Meares Lighthouse (a pretty little lighthouse with some red glass in the lens) [photo left], the Octopus Tree, and Tillamook Bay. My favorite part of the day was a long walk on the Ocean Bay Spit. It was just me and the birds and the beautiful bay. Loved it. [photo below]

I saw some fuschia today [not columbine, as I previously stated erroneously]. Can you believe these bright red and purple flowers are wild flowers??

I did mention that I'm going S-L-O-W-L-Y, right? I'm just thankful that there was little fog today, so I could see the coastline!

100817 Oregon Coast

Pleasant Valley, Oregon - 17 Aug 2010
Weather – It started raining before I left the campground this morning, then sprinkled on and off all day. It was a foggy, cloudy day. This was only the second rainy day I've had, though, since I left Mesa, AZ, on June 15th.

Aquarium – The Oregon Coast aquarium in Newport had been recommended to me, so I went by there before I left Newport. I was surprised at the number of people there. There was a long line waiting to go in. Maybe part of it was the rainy weather. The aquarium doesn't really compare to the world-class Monterey Aquarium that I visited in June. But I thoroughly enjoyed the water bird aviary (surprise, surprise!). I especially enjoyed the tufted puffins,which I'd never seen before. Such cute birds – so full of personality. I can see why people are so fond of puffins. One swam right up to me and was dunking himself in the water, without minding that I was right there, at all. It was nice to see common murres and pigeons guillemot up close too, and to be able to get a good look at them. I had planned to visit the two lighthouses in town, but, with the heavy fog, you couldn't see a thing off the coastline.

Flowers - I saw some beautiful garden flowers today. Some kind of beautiful pink mums (Spider Mums maybe?), that make me think of muppets. And, at my campground, some of my favorite flowers - stargazer lilies - in white, pink, and red! I've never seen them growing before, just in flower shops. They are so pretty, and I love their fragrance too.

100816 Independence, Newport, and Devotion

Newport, OR - I'm in Newport, on the coast this evening. As I headed over that last hill, the temperature dropped from 97 to about 67. Literally. I went from wearing tank tops and capris, and sweating, to wearing a jacket and jeans, in about 15 minutes. Maybe I can find a "happy medium" somewhere around here. But at least the sun was shining here - a beautiful little town on a pretty little bay. A beautiful day, really. Of course I had seafood (chowder and calamari) for dinner. At Mo's. Yum!

I ate at two restaurants worth mentioning today. Mo's is on the bay in Newport (and other coastal towns) and is famous for their clam chowder (if you've been reading my blogs, by now you know that I love all kinds of seafood chowder). But I also ate at a burger joint that I want to tell you about, not only because the food was very good, but because it is a unique restaurant. I've never been to anything like it before. My "cousin" Joan (pronounced Joe Ann) and I went to lunch at Stardusters Cafe in the little town of Independence. We had gone to visit her husband at the local care center first (more about that in a minute), then she took me out to eat. Independence is 20 miles southwest of Salem. To get to Independence we drove on a meandering state highway that ran next to the Willamette River - a pretty little drive through farmland, wine country, and Christmas tree farms! There is a neighborhood in Independence that is restricted to only people who own airplanes. In addition to all the regular things the homes have, including a garage for their autos, all the houses also have LARGE garages - for their airplanes. And besides streets and sidewalks, there are runways, so people can get their airplanes to the neighborhood airport,which is right on the edge of the neighborhood!! I've never seen a neighborhood like it before. There is a house just next to the airport that has been turned into a burger-joint-type restaurant. So as I sat eating in the restaurant, I was looking out the window at planes taxi-ing by on the airport runway, and taking off!! And besides all this, the jalapeno burger I had was excellent!! As was the chowder. It had bacon in it (a standard ingredient for Oregon chowders), and even carrots (my New England friends will roll their eyes right about here) - but it was thick and delicious. If you ever have occasion to visit the Salem area, consider trying out Starbusters. You won't be disappointed.

The focus of my chronicles has been my travels, but tonight I'm going to change the focus for awhile.

Joan is a really sweet person. And she is also the essence of devotion. As I watched her lovingly wash her husband's face and shave him, as I watched her carefully move his useless legs so that she could tug and pull the splints on him that he must wear, I was impressed with her devotion to him. There just really isn't any other word. It's part of commitment - but it's more than that. She casually mentioned that she and Arvid had had both "better and worse" in their marriage, implying that this is just part of taking the bad with the good, the "whole package", so to speak. And that's true. Certainly for her, this is just part of a marriage. But its essence is love. There is no resentment, just love. And I thought thankfully about how many strong women I have been privileged to have in my life. And how often women are the caretakers for the important people in their lives - from their children, through their spouses, to their aging parents, and often others as well. Joan has been caretaker for her brother through his mental illness, her daughter through two bouts of cancer, and for her husband through his hip surgery as well as his current more serious problems. And that doesn't even count raising three girls, and all the caretaking and commitment and devotion that takes. When the tables are turned, sometimes men are just as devoted caretakers of their children, spouses, parents. But, more often than not, it's the women who bear this responsibility. Even for their in-laws. And I admire that devotion. It signifies an admirable strength of character. And a blessing. What a blessing, to have the kind of relationship in your life, where caring for his most basic needs, is an act of love.

Okay, enough of that. I promise not to do that very often. :-)

The last 2 1/2 weeks have been intense - full of family, reviewing old photos, talking about old family history, working on our family ancestry records. I enjoyed all of that. We had a little fun in there too - lunch on the Willamette Queen sternwheeler as it went down the Willamette River, dinner at a local restaurant, a walk across the Willamette River bridge on a beautiful day. I will miss the Salem contingent of my family as I head down the road. But I am ready for something new and different. Adventure!!

100807 Mt. Hood

7 Aug 2010 - Albany, OR I drove to Portland today (75-minute drive) to spend some time with my nephew and his girlfriend. I parked Carri in a parking lot, and they drove us through Mt. Hood National Forest to the Timberline Lodge, situated at 6000 feet, on Mt. Hood. This is all lush, green, and beautiful ferned, flowered, and forested country. As we were above the lower level clouds, we were able to see the summit of Mt. Hood.

I've promised my friend Laura that I will include good places to eat in my blog, so I want to be sure and let you know that I recommend the lunch buffet at the Timberline Lodge. We had one of the best buffet meals I've had. Everything tasted good, from the bread and salads and beef stew through the roast beef and tri-tip roast sandwiches to the Swedish Creme berry parfait dessert. (The theme was Oregon beef today, and other Oregon produce.) And while you eat you're looking out the window at the clouds below you. On a clear day you're looking out the window at the mountain peaks in the distance. Can't beat that!

We drove through the Columbia River Gorge on the way back to Portland. We stopped briefly at the Bonneville Fish Hatchery, and I was captivated by some delicate pink roses there that almost seemed to glow. We saw some great views of the gorge from the river.


I'm planning to spend another week in the Salem area. I've made arrangements to have some warranty work done on my awning (I had intended to get this done in Mesa before I left on this trip, but the guy ordered the wrong part...it's a long story). While I'm waiting for that to get done, I can "pick the brains" of my cousins here, who are the "family historians". I'm getting lots of good info on my dad's side of the family, for my family tree. And I'm loving the weather here - 80s and sunshine! So I'm looking forward to another week here.

100731 Sahalie Falls & Detroit Lake

7 Aug 2010 - Albany, OR

I checked out Clear Lake again in the morning, then Koosah Falls, then Belknap Springs. Koosah Falls was nice; if I hadn't already seen her sister Sahalie, I would have been more impressed. Belknap Hot Springs was okay; it's basically a resort. They pump the 200-degree water that they get from the natural hot springs and mix it with cold water, to cool it down to 104 degrees, and fill their pool with it. But the grounds are nicely landscaped (preparations were underway for a wedding to happen later). By the time I went back by Sahalie Falls, the sun was full on her, and she looked even better than she did yesterday. [photo above] These are some of the prettiest falls I’ve ever seen. Almost perfect. And all the green plants and moss in the area, from the humidity and mist, makes it even more beautiful, with the contrast of the blistering white falls against all the green.

Detroit Lake, Oregon - I had to stop in this little town and get postcards for my friends and family who live in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. As I was leaving town, I made a point of stopping at the one spot in town where you get a good view of Mt. Jefferson over the lake.

The National Park Service identifies 14 "major" volcanic peaks in the Cascade range in the US. I'd seen four of them prior to this trip: Mt. Lassen and Mt. Shasta in California; Mt. Hood, near Portland; and Mt. St. Helens (Washington). So far on this trip I've added: Mt. McLoughlin, Crater Lake, Diamond Peak, Three Sisters, and Mt. Jefferson. I have four yet to see: Mt. Adams, Mt. Rainier, Glacier Peak, and Mt. Baker (all in Washington).


I found a very nice but reasonable campground only 30 minutes south of Salem, in the town of Albany. What a deal!

100730 McKenzie Pass

2 Aug 2010 - Albany, OR

Bend, OR - It was nice to spend part of a day in a city, after being so "out in nature" for the past week. I took advantage of it, and got groceries and had my nails done. So I got a late start on the road. But one of the first things I saw was my first peek at Mt. Jefferson. It's got the classic "pointy top" volcano shape and is one of my favorites, so far. [above]
McKenzie Pass – I took the scenic route, which climbed up over 5000 feet, and took me right through the middle of a lava field, which I've never experienced before. I got close to the North Sister and Middle Sister. Also got good views of Mt. Washington and Mt. Jefferson. And Belknap Crater, which erupted with all this lava. I've never before seen anything like the memorial building at the pass that was made of lava rocks. I was surprised to see bear grass on the way back down the west side of the mountain – and I thought Glacier National Park was the only place that had bear grass!

McKenzie River - I’m finally into what feels like Oregon to me – old growth forest and waterfalls. I stopped at a beautiful – perfect – McKenzie River waterfall – full and wide - the Sahalie Falls. But it was getting dark, so I didn't get a real good look at it.

Clear Lake - I stopped at a beautiful lake, Clear Lake, near there. The setting sun reflected in the water, with four female ducks floating by, was the picture of a perfect end to the day.

Fish Lake Campground - So I decided to stay here. I want to spend more time at the lake and the falls tomorrow. And there is another falls nearby also that I haven't seen yet. But they have no camping at the lake resort. And the two nearby campgrounds that I checked, are full. Found a campground that costs nothing (no services or utilities) - you just pull in and park.

No Mosquitos – Even though I’m around lakes, rivers – no mosquitoes. Or gnats. Or other bugs. I don’t get it! But I like it.