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Tag Archives: Oregon

Another Day, Another Park

For the second half of our camping trip, we went to Fort Stevens State Park in Oregon. It is also at the mouth of the Columbia River but on the south side. It is an enormous park with lots and lots of paved bike trails and miles and miles of beach. Much of the beach is open to driving which decreases the wild nature of the place but there weren’t too many cars on the sand while we were there. The tracks were evident though.

The campground is a long ways from the beaches so we drove to them with the dogs. Some beaches are much less popular due to a high dune to cross to access the water. And the campgrounds cram a lot of people into a small space so they were noisy and crowded. We probably won’t go back to Fort Stevens. Oregon has lots of other nice state parks on the coast. This park is good for families and people that bring their bicycles.

Part of the famous Astoria bridge that crosses the Columbia. It is over four miles long!
Container ships waiting to go into Portland. Someone said they were there for months, waiting.
See that white head poking out from behind the dead seal?
This Bald Eagle did not go far and it was not disturbed by the presence of people, dogs or cars.
A kite surfer
Luna wanted to meet the kite surfer
But then she changed her mind.
Sunset at the south jetty
Jellyfish at sunset
Dog at sunset
Ken’s brother Carl joined us for our first night at Fort Stevens.

Sweet Creek Falls

I had a chance to explore a little bit of western Oregon last week following a wedding near Eugene. You can see photos from the wedding here.

Afterwards, I visited my cousin at her place in Florence and of course, the girls (dogs) and I spent time at the beach, but the highlight may have been a hike with my cousin and her husband to Sweet Creek Falls. It’s a Forest Service trail near Mapleton and you can learn more about it here.

The falls are really worth the trip. It seemed that around every corner, there was another cascade of flowing water. I was glad I had packed a tripod and polarizing filter. They made all the difference in the world. Even though we were there in the mid-afternoon, the water was often shaded by the tall Douglas fir and maple trees that dominate western Oregon’s forests. Sweet wildflowers were sprinkled in with the thick ferns and other undergrowth.

One last post from the road (trip)

It’s time to move on. Not that the honeymoon is over, that’s for sure. But the road trip is. There is a lot to be said about enjoying life on the road and getting away from day to day tasks and worries. And there is a lot to be said about being home and enjoying one’s own bed and shower and waking up to familiar birds and devoted dogs. So here are a few more images from our trip to Oregon. All of these are from my phone.

Malheur’s vast water

One of the craters

On the road from Burns to Bend – 130 miles of Sagebrush and Juniper

Oh gosh, there’s the ocean!

The bridge at Newport

And another thing…………..

We liked the Rogue Brewery.

The trail to the beach through the rain forest.

Ken was like a kid at the aquarium.

I wonder if it’s still there?

At the beach. We considered doing all of our wedding photos in this style……..

We always ate well.

Watch out for tripping bikes.

That’s a good one.

Astoria

Over the bridge and into Washington again.

Klickitat oaks

Post cards from the Oregon Coast

I’ve always loved going to the ocean but now I find that tempered a bit with the recurring images of the tsunami that rolled over the Japanese coast this spring. As I stood on the rocks and watched waves rushing in, I imagined what it would be like if they just kept coming and did not retreat. Most of the time I managed to subdue that image in my brain and enjoyed the waves and the sand and the rocks and the birds and tide pools.

 

 

 

Gooseneck Barnacles

 

Sea Anemones

 

Sea stars and mussels

Dungeness Crab shell

 

Strange colors in that deep dark spruce forest on the way to the beach

 

Waldport Green Bikes

 

Wreck of the Iredale

 

Fort Stevens near the mouth of the Columbia. That’s Washington across the way.

 

Ken got to ‘go fly a kite’

Another kind of kite flying that we did not try

 

Brown Pelicans

Caspian Terns – maybe some of those from the colony that collapsed due to pressure from eagles and gulls on Sand Island.

 

 

 

 

The Newport Aquarium

Once we left the interior of Oregon, we headed straight out to the coast and set up camp at Carl G. Washburn State Park between Newport and Florence. The weather wasn’t always nice and we spent one day at the Newport Aquarium. It was a great way to while away a rainy day full of fascinating animals displayed in large spaces with great viewing opportunties. Being near the end of the school year, there were many student groups out on field trips. They were having lots of fun and maybe learning something too.

 

Some of the displays surround the viewer with water all around. This is looking straight up.

 

 

 

These jellyfish – Sea Nettles – were my favorite.

 

 

Moon Jellies

 

Not all the species were water based.

 

Tufted Puffin

 

Common Murre

 

The seals and sea lions looked like they were having so much fun gliding through the water.

 

 

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