Someone posted this video about Portland, Oregon on Facebook. It might be a little much, but it includes clips of some of my favorite places, and why we are happy to call Portland home.
Archive for the 'Oregon' Category
Yay for the farmer’s market! We went on our first visit of the year today. As usual, it was great fun wandering the many stalls, meeting up with friends, watching our kids stain their faces with fresh berries, and basking in what felt like the first real sun of the season. Also, Chloe is now old enough to enjoy the fountain, and Lorenzo was good enough to show her how it’s done. They had a grand time.
Maybe it was all that sun, because I feel wiped out! Thankfully, we got the last of our veggie starts in the ground today. Now we just wait for the delicious bounty that is sure to come (that is, if the slugs don’t get to them first!).
Today, on a very windy beach at Manzanita. One of my favorite places in all the world. As part of my goals for 2010, I am posting a weekly self-portrait “plus.” See the entire set here.
David fishing with Chloe, loved the reflection and the misty clouds
David in action on the water and me experimenting with exposure
David took this last photo, but I really liked it
We had a very out-of-the-ordinary day yesterday, beyond the fact that it was Halloween. It included:
• a long drive to go fishing
• wading in to retrieve a kicked off baby shoe, followed by a sock
• feeding my daughter lunch with a Wheat Thin because I forgot a spoon
• hiking in the woods
• finding a surprise batch of gorgeous mushrooms
• eating dinner at a restaurant
• having the power go out halfway through our meal
• gathering our things, including the baby, in the dark
• remembering I had a headlamp in the diaper bag
• having to wait over an hour because of a car accident that downed powerlines and closed the road (see aforementioned power outtage)
We finally arrived home at 11pm, very tired and too late for tricker-treaters, but VERY glad to be home!
With the clouds and rain that mark the closing of summer, comes the beginning of golden chanterelles dotting the forest floor. It was a good day for a hike in the woods, and David was a trooper for carrying Chloe on his back the entire time.
Things I like about mushroom hunting:
• The thrill of the hunt
• Enjoying the outdoors
• Letting the dog run off-leash
• Getting something for free
• Knowing that they’ll make something tasty and delicious
Things I don’t like about mushroom hunting:
• Walking through spiderwebs
• Possibly getting lost
• Possibly picking the wrong type (however unlikely)
• Hearing the gunshots of hunters in the distance
Roseburg
By day three we had reached our friends for the Fourth-of-July weekend. Our first day there we drove down just south to visit to the drive-through Wildlife Safari. We went in the afternoon and it was a pretty warm day, so I don’t think the animals were as active as they’d be in the morning or late evening. The ranger said that I could even hold Chloe on my lap, which was a nice change. Really fun to have the animals so close! I was kind of afraid the camel was going to do some damage to our car as he walked by, but he was just rearing his head and smacking his hump. Strange, but fascinating!
McKenzie River Area
I don’t know why, but after this I put my camera away for a few days. Then on day 5 we left and headed to the McKenzie River so David could do some fishing. We camped at Riverside Campground, so he could throw his line into the Santiam as well. Barkley, Chloe and I just sort of hung out. Barkley’s leg is almost perfectly healed, thank goodness. You can hardly see the demarcation line where his fur is growing back (although he still has a bald spot on his back by his tail, where they shaved him WAY too close). And here’s a trial self-portrait with my slr, much harder than with a point-and-shoot!
Self-portrait with the SLR, much harder than with a point-and-shoot!
Barkley relaxing by the river, finally back off-leash
So, I had every intention of writing about the rest of our trip, but I think now I’m just going to summarize the highlights in one long post. We had a good time, no question, and I do want to share, just not as individually detailed as I had planned. I haven’t been in a very bloggy mood lately, probably because Chloe is evolving faster than I can keep up. She’s amazing. But more on that later. Here’s some pics from the remainder of our trip.
Shore Acres State Park
Restored formal garden
Grandiflora Crimson Boquet Rose
The hidden gem of Simpson Beach
This park is awesome. Imagine owning a private estate on the coast, with your own sandy beach, and building a gorgeous summer home on a bluff high above the waves. Then add a formal garden, including a Japanese-style garden surrounding a 100-foot lily pond, all in the early 1900s. Unfortunately (or fortunately for us), the great depression occured. Now the mansion is gone, but the gardens have been restored and there now sits an enclosed observation deck on the original home site. I would have loved to have spent more time here (just down the road from Sunset Bay State Park), but Chloe was getting tired and we wanted to let her sleep on the drive down to Bandon. Thus, we also missed Cape Arago State Park, just south.
Bandon
Part of the Bandon coastline, plus a view of riders probably from Bandon Beach Riding Stables
Coquille River (Bandon) Lighthouse
By noon of day 2 we were in Bandon, Oregon. We treated ourselves to a fresh and delicious! halibut fish-and-chips lunch at Bandon Fish Market, before perusing the little shops. Dessert was yummy chocolate and handmade candy samples at Cranberry Sweets. (Steer clear of Bandon’s Coffee Cafe, though, our latte was very disappointing.)
Port Orford
Misty boats at the Port of Port Orford, Circa 1856
Port Orford coastline
Florence to Coos Bay
We drove from Portland to just north of Florence for our first visit to the Sea Lion Caves. They don’t tell you this on the web site, but be prepared for the biggest stink of your life. I was actually fine, but David had a stronger reaction. Kind of expensive, but worth seeing, as it is the world’s largest sea cave.
Heading south on hwy 101 to Florence we stopped briefly at the Darlingtonia Botanical Gardens, a preserve that protects a small area of naturally occurring cobra lilies Darlingtonia californica. I find these insectivorous pitcher plants fascinating!
We took a brief tour of Florence’s Old Town before continuing south through the Oregon Dunes National Rec Area and Coos Bay to Sunset Bay State Park. We chose to camp here for our first night, and I’m surprised now to find I hadn’t taken any photos. I can definitely see coming back here someday when Chloe is older. The little bay offers a charming sandy beach with calm water, a large expanse of grassy, wooded play and picnic area, and warm showers after you’re all done.
Port Orford, Oregon Coast
We just got back earlier this week from our second family camping trip – this time to see a bit of the southern Oregon Coast for the first time, enjoy the Fourth-of-July weekend with friends and then get some fishing in for the husband. We actually only camped a couple days, and stayed with friends in between. It was good to get away. I’ll be sharing a few of the highlights in the following posts.
Chloe went on her first camping trip this weekend near the Mckenzie River (so Dad could go fishing, naturally). It was just one night – a test to see how it would go. Dad helped make it nice and plush by somehow fitting an air mattress in our two person tent. This left Barkley to sleep in the vestibule, but he didn’t mind. He was just glad to be outside!
Traditional Handmade Wooden Clogs
On Saturday we headed to Astoria to check out the Scandinavian Midsummer Festival (found via Greenclogs). I like any excuse to visit Astoria, located in the far northwestern corner of Oregon, where the wide Columbia River meets the Pacific. I love its history and Victorian homes, seeing the huge ships and smelling the salty sea air. At the festival we sampled krumbkake, prune tarts and krab kakor (nordic crab cake in a sour cream dill sauce, wrapped in puff pastry), browsed the boutique stalls where I picked up a jar of chocolate hazelnut butter and enjoyed a performance from an honest to goodness yodeler. We didn’t stay very long, because I wanted to spend some time in town, but it was plenty of time to get a glimpse into that proud and wonderful heritage.
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1. Flags flowing over the fairground walkway 2. A platter of krumbkake
3. Chloe playing dress up 4. Chloe checking out the giant wooden clog
5. Hand carved traditional wooden wedding clogs
This is where David, Chloe and I went on Saturday. It was about halfway between Portland and the coast, high up in the mountains. After turning off the highway, the first dirt road we tried was snow covered, slippery and very steep. It made me nervous, especially with the baby. Finally I asked that we turn around. If something happened, it is possible that no one would know for a long time.
Before the baby, I probably would have viewed it as an exciting adventure. But now, her safety was foremost in my mind. I had visions of us sliding down the snowy mountainside and her helpless and freezing, if we didn’t survive. That was just too much.
So we turned around, and David found another way, an entry closer to the west that started at a lower elevation. Luckily, it was a beautiful drive that followed a river. The final climb was no less steep, but had much less snow until we reached closer to the top. It was breathtaking to see the miles of the tree covered mountain range. David stopped to re-check the map, thinking we should be there, and then looked up to find we were there. Through the trees the lake glistened, patiently waiting.
We thought we’d be completely alone (after all, who would make this kind of trek in the winter?), but it was Saturday and there was one small family already fishing, though they didn’t stay long. And finally we had this incredible place all to ourselves.
The thing I remember most was how quiet it was. At one point all I could hear was my heartbeat and Chloe’s breathing, despite being heavily bundled up against my chest. I sat with my back against a tree near the lake’s edge to nurse her, when other sounds came to my attention – a woodpecker that I spotted nearby, the faintest rustling of leaves, and the soft thudding of Barkley’s paws as he ran between us and where David was fishing father out. It felt magical, and I was again thankful to live in an area where such beauty could be experienced so peacefully.
While we were at the coast this weekend, we also went mushroom hunting for Chanterelles. It is a surprisingly fun past-time, especially with friends. You get to spend time outdoors, hiking in the deep woods, keeping your eyes peeled for little spots of color along the ground. Then you get the thrill of the find, sometimes falling upon a whole group at once. And later, once the little beauties are all checked over, cleaned, trimmed, and sliced, they get cooked up for dinner. We had them sauteed in butter and parsley this weekend, but the leftovers will likely find themselves into omelets, mushroom risotto, and other tasty dishes (like maybe mushroom turnovers with sour cream, a recipe from my new copy of Everyday Food).
Another cool thing about mushroom hunting is that you see things that you might have missed if you weren’t trying to look at everything so carefully. I’ve seen these little snails along the ground before, but I’ve never seen this little red woodland lizard that Marcy found. They are tiny things, and easily overlooked, but they all share the forest. It is cool to think about.
On our way home from the coast, we stopped along a side road off the highway, in an area that looked to be promising. We pretty much came on several batches right away, and stayed for maybe an hour. I was pretty exhausted and sore after hunting around the day before (imagine me for a moment, 34 months pregnant, clumsy and awkward, climbing over fallen logs, and up steep hillsides. Then imagine Marcy doing the same thing with a 6-month old strapped to her chest. At least we survived unhurt, unlike my poor husband who actually sprained his ankle). At this new place, however, it was almost like they just popped up on their own. I was hardly trying and there they were. So we borrowed Alex’s dehydrator and are giving that a whirl. After a few more harvests like this one, we’ll have mushrooms to last the winter.
Sahalie Falls, McKenzie River, Oregon
This is one of two breathtaking waterfalls we saw this weekend. I only got a couple shots before my camera died, and I didn’t have a spare battery with me. The other falls, not far down, was called Koosah Falls. We were in the area so David could do some fly fishing on the McKenzie, which is 2+ hours south of Portland. If my camera had been working, I would have taken some great shots of David reeling in his catch. I’ve been trying to convince him lately that we should start keeping the big ones for dinner (instead of always releasing). He came so close this time, but in the end the beauty of the fish overwhelmed him and he had to let it go. That’s okay, honey, maybe next time.
Postscript: David just showed me this video on how to clean and cook river side trout “McKenzie Style.”
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