Fort Stevens Yurt Adventure

It was spring break, and I needed some time away.  The guys in my house needed to work on papers, but Amy was off school and we needed an extended adventure.



 I have always wanted to stay in a state park Yurt and was able to make a reservation at Ft. Stevens State Park in the Northwest corner of Oregon where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean.  I invited my mom to join us and to my delight she agreed!  This was near the anniversary of my sister's death so it was a special time to be able to be together.



We started our adventure in Astoria and climbed the 164 steps to the top of the Astoria Column.  It wasn't quite the hiking adventure we usually have.  Amy and I were equipped to handle mud, but my mom is more of a fare weather hiker and the column was just the compromise!



There was not much of a view, but the fog overlooking the Columbia River was mystical and we imagined what seeing this for the first time must have been like for Lewis and Clark.  Unfortunately, our history comes from the perspective of explorers and there is just a slight nod to the Clatsop First People who were here before the explorers.  It is becoming more difficult for me to enjoy forts and monuments from the exploration era because I know that settlement of the land also led to genocide of the First People.



Trying to put some of that behind me for this trip, I focused on how fun it was for Amy to climb the stairs and the rainy view from the top.



The view from the parking lot was also lovely and we enjoyed some lunch in the car today.



At the site was also a Native Burial Canoe with tribute to one of the chiefs.




We headed down into Astoria and enjoyed tea at my favorite bakery, the Blue Scorcher.




We still managed to make it to Ft. Stevens state park before check in time at the Yurt, so there was more exploring to be had.  I headed down to the beach to check out the Shipwreck.  It was windy and rainy, a great backdrop for this!





Amy was up for a short stroll near a lake to check out the boardwalk.




Finally, we checked in to the long awaited yurt, and Amy was so excited to sleep on the top bunk for the first time.  There was a frog living under the yurt which we discovered both in the afternoon and again at 2am!  We enjoyed reading books, playing games, and making very pathetic attempts to build a fire in the wet fire ring.  I ended up doing most all the cooking on my small backpacking stove, but did give it a very good effort.



The next day we did some more exploring to the Pacific Ocean and a man made Jetty that helps keep the water from enveloping the entire point here.




It was fun to see the waves crashing against the rocks, but the wind and cold detoured us a bit and we did not spend too much time enjoying this scene.




Amy actually stayed in the car because she was not a fan of the cold wind and rain today.




We took a short walk on the calmer, east side of the point.




We explored a few bunkers briefly, but as I said earlier, these are sad places for me.  There was supposed to be a replica of a Native American Longhouse here but it was just a pile of wood needing repair.  This added to my sense of this story being very one sided.




All in all it was a wonderful adventure- just a lovely time to be together, enjoy each other and a new experience of sleeping in a yurt, as well as a little nature.  In one of the small towns we drove through I spotted a TV repair shop which so reminded me of my dad, who loved history and nature so much that this trip would have been right down his alley!

Beautiful Clear Day at White River, Mt. Hood

What an amazing beautiful day for a snowshoe adventure.  Clear skies and sun led me and my crew in search of a good view.

I can't believe I have never been snowshoeing at White River before.  Despite the crowds, there is a view of Mt. Hood the entire way and it was just gorgeous!

The river itself was mostly frozen but we were able to snowshoe above it and enjoy an occasional glimpse of it through the snow.

The blue skies warmed us all the way through to the core.

Of course there were lots of snack breaks to be had.

We admired the snow covered rocks and wanted to explore and climb them when possible.

Mt. Hood loomed in the distance as we continued our trek toward it.

Amy did not want to ski the entire time but was determine to either follow the ski tracks or the big footprints from snowshoers.  She usually enjoys the challenge of the path of most resistance with her short legs!

When we got to our desired viewpoint destination, we took some time to soak it all in.  What an amazing mountain view on a beautiful sunny day.

Amy and I did sledded a very small hill (since I am pregnant and don't think sledding is on the approved list), but she and Sarah continued to look for bigger and bigger sledding hill challenges!

I so enjoyed just watching the fun of the sledding and soaking in the sunny mountainous view!

Amy, as is her custom, found some cozy holes to crawl into on our trek back.

We got one more glimpse of the mountain as the clouds overtook it.

What a fun day to enjoy each other's company and the beautiful mountain views!  What a gem of a snowpark.

A Very Rainy Day

 It was a very rainy day in Oregon.  Not so great for hiking or snowhoeing but we are NOT fare weather hikers.  So we decided to drive toward my favorite waterfall, Falls Creek Falls.  Unfortunately, I was not aware that the gate is closed in the winter.

Since we had driven quite a ways, we decided to explore the road and woods nearby.  By this time it was pouring out and Sarah was wearing jeans (not a great choice on a cold rainy day), but Amy was so happy with all the puddles that this made up for it!

We had a delicious hot lunch to help warm us up mid trip.

 We saw puddles and moss and a beautiful stream and got back to the car in good spirits and refreshed.  Fortunately I had extra pants for poor Sarah whose jeans were feeling quite heavy by this point.

Don't let anything stop the adventures from coming.  All weather has beauty and  we Oregonians have to adapt to rainy days!  They keep us hearty!

Oldman Pass Meander

Oldman Pass is a place up in Washington that I have always wanted to visit.  I love this area and was excited to see it covered in snow.








We took a long drive up to the ski park on this sunny day and found melting snow that was a little like Cascade Concrete, but was fun to explore nonetheless.








It was a beautiful day to meander through trees.  Amy was a bit less motivated than usual, so there were lots of breaks for snacks, water, lunch, and deep breaths.







We managed to build a very small snowman which is usually one of the requirements of a good snowshoeing trip when possible.







It is usually a "snowwoman" and is best when we can find some mossy hair for it.  Amy was pleased with this creation.







Amy did not want to put on her skis today so she trudged through the snow on foot like we did.  She stopped for several breaks in small holes that she found and thought would make good forts.






She also did some diving.

Though we did not have a view on this trip, we enjoyed taking the time to look up and the ski was absolutely beautiful today.






Unfortunately, due to the long drive and slowness of the meander, we were unable to check out the sledding hill near the snow park but that will have to be an adventure for another day.