Cascadia State Park

 This was an awesome bushwacking adventure in a new area for me East of Sweet Home.  The trees were tall and mossy and we felt like we'd stepped into some wilderness in this state park.









The water level was so high in the streams and river!  It was pretty awesome and we expected the waterfall at the end of the trail to be spectacular!










Since it was March, there had been little trail maintenance in the park so we were enjoying bushwhacking our way over trees and lots of climbing, always a favorite pastime for Amy.









This was our first time gaining elevation in awhile since we tend to enjoy flatter snowshoe hikes.  We were breathing hard but it was short and we were all making it happen.









As expected, the waterfall was spectacular!








 It was great to have a rock to climb to soak in the view before enjoying a fabulous cooked lunch.









We soaked in the view for quite awhile before eating lunch and continuing our exploration.









Amy and Sarah both did a bit of climbing on the other side of the trail while I was cooking.









After lunch we headed back down the trail to a flatter walk along the river.









Amy often talks about "Raging Rivers" but this river really was raging and we kept her very close to us as she threw rocks in the water.









She had some opportunities for some "tree hugging".









The trail turned into a stream, much to her delight.  Both she and Sarah were wearing rubber boots but I only had hiking boots on so I think I got the raw end of the deal with the trail wading experience.









We forged ahead until we could forge no longer and then turned around and tromped back through the very wet flowing trail.









We enjoyed the skunk cabbage along the way and Sarah introduced Amy to the concept of a Seesaw log.









On the way home, everyone got a treat.  Amy got her chocolate ice cream and I got cheese curds and a thrift store shop.









We ended our adventure in Salem enjoying Santa Fe Taco Company with Nana.  What a lovely day.  Bushwhacking is great for the soul I say!

Lost Lake Cabin Adventure

 It was March and our feet were itching for an overnight getaway.  We headed up to a cabin near Lost Lake.  It was a cloudy, rainy couple of days, but a lot of fun to be together there.






One of the highlights was playing lots of Frisbee.  Amy would start throwing the frisbee the opposite direction as Sarah or I and run after it and dive.  It soon became tackle frisbee!






Amy was also very excited to go for a morning hike in her pajamas and stay in her pajamas all night and all day!







We stopped to smell the skunk cabbage.






We continued our bushwacking for awhile and then headed back to the cabin to prepare for a snowshoeing adventure.






On the drive out toward lost lake, we stopped at the main house where some guys were doing a workday.  We shared brownies and they shared tea and homemade nut milk.  It was a nice visit.






We were curious about whether we could snowshoe to Lost Lake.  We drove up the road and needed chains about 7 miles from the lake.  We saw another vehicle's tracks and decided to continue.  Unfortunately, we got the Suburu stuck because it has low clearance about 50 feet into the snow.  With some rocking and digging we backed up and parked on dry pavement.







We decided to snowshoe up the road even though there was no hope of making it to the lake.  The snow was Cascade Concrete and it was very wet and rainy.  Snowshoeing in the rain is not my favorite, but we made the best of it by rolling, exploring, and taking lots of breaks.






Of course we had to build a snowman, which is our tradition!




 
Back at the cabin we made a fire and had S'Mores.  The cabin was cozy with a rocking chair and food prep table on the lower level and a sleeping loft with a mattress upstairs.  Of course, Amy spent a lot of time climbing up and down the stairs.  We also played lots of games and read lots of books.  Amy was quite amused by the "mouse alarm" in the main house which is a very annoying high pitched noise to deter mice.  We had quite a relaxing two days.  Then it was back to Hood River and home.






It was lunch time when we got to Hood River and Amy was snoring so Sarah and I had lunch without her in the car.  I pulled off at Cascade Locks and wouldn't you know she woke up in time for chocolate ice cream!

Winter Sauvie Island Adventure

Sauvie Island is one of my favorite close to home adventures but I had never experienced it in winter.  So, in late Feb, during a lull in snowshoeing, and on a cloudy rainy day we thought we would give it a try.

It was great to see the green moss and the mist over the water.  Amy had a blast exploring the muddy trail.

We took time just to enjoy the wetland view and experience the damp beauty found there.

There were many ducks and birds and frogs to listen to and watch.

There were marshy fields, a lake, and the Columbia River.

Every time I cross the Sauvie Island Bridge I feel I have entered a special place, close to Portland, yet quite unique and separate from Portland life.

The only drawback to Sauvie Island is the parking fee, quite steep, but I figure I save the money in gas by not venturing to a farther destination, and the shorter drive time also makes a trip to Next Adventure possible!

We completed a loop- continuing to enjoy the trees, water, and mud.

At the beginning/ end of the loop was a picnic shelter, so we were able to enjoy our warm soup and bread without getting wet, an extra special treat!

It was a nice leisurely hike.  We are sure to be back when we need a break from the riggers of climbing mountains and a close to home retreat.

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!