Thanksgiving

As has been the custom of late, I took the week of Thanksgiving off for a little adventure.  I drive up to Salem, Oregon every year and I like to take the long way around.  My plan was the good old stand by route, Salem via Redwood and Olympic National Parks.

Mount Shasta, CA

It was not to be.

My dad had a mild heart attack the weekend before Thanksgiving and had a triple bypass on Monday.  Instead of a leisurely drive up the coast I bombed up I-5 on Sunday.

Yet another family emergency.  That seems to be all I blog about these days.

American Kestrel -- Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge, OR

On top of all the time spent in the hospital, it rained most of the time I was up there.  It wasn't the kind of rain you can just button up your jacket and go out for a hike in, either.  It dumped buckets for a good part of the time I was up there.  Pongo and I drove out to the coast anyway, but it was too wet to do anything outside.  We got some smoked salmon at Barnacle Bill's and some cheese and fudge at the Tillamook Cheese factory but stayed in the car for the rest of that afternoon trip.

Bald Eagle -- Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge, OR

The Willamette Queen -- Salem, OR

Salem, OR

Actually, we had one good day for getting outside.  It was Black Friday.  Based on the crowd at Silver Falls State Park, the stores probably weren't as crowded as they have been in the past.  Dogs aren't allowed on the Canyon Trail where most of the waterfalls can be experienced, but they are allowed almost everywhere else.  I wore Pongo out hiking on some of those other trails.  Poor guy.

South Fall -- Silver Falls State Park, OR

South Fall -- Silver Falls State Park, OR

South Fall -- Silver Falls State Park, OR

There is a quarter mile trail to the Upper North Fall that dogs are allowed on, so we were able to see one of the waterfalls up close.  I took some pictures there that all turned out blurry because I couldn't keep the lens dry from the mist and the rain.

Lower North Fall -- Silver Falls State Park, OR

Lower North Fall -- Silver Falls State Park, OR

Upper North Fall -- Silver Falls State Park, OR

For the record, by dad is doing well.  He was on his feet the very next day after surgery and was at home watching John Wayne movies and football on Thanksgiving day.  He's grouchy from being bossed around, but he's just going to have to deal with that for a little while.

Silver Falls State Park, OR

Soundtrack:

• The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
• The Police - Message in a Box [1]
• Pearl Jam - Ten
• Pond - Pond
• Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
• Wilco - The Whole Love
• Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues

2BP: Pacific City to Newport

February 28, 2016

Sunday.

My mother had been recovering nicely and would continue to do so.  The list of potential visitors for the day was overflowing.  Pongo had been stuck in a crate for the better part of two days with four more days of crate time looming for the work week.  I was getting itchy feet.

Grand Ronde, OR

Oregon Route 130

I was thinking of going to Mount Hood.  Pongo enjoys snow and we'd never been there.  The weather knocked it off my list, though.  It was raining all over Oregon, meaning it would be snowing at higher elevations.  I like going to the snow but driving while it's snowing is not something I enjoy.  So, we headed to the coast instead.  The nice part of this plan is that I know how long it takes to get from just about any point on the Oregon coast to Salem.  I'd be able to ensure we'd get back in time for me to spend a few hours in the hospital with my mother.

Little Nestucca River, OR

On my last trip to Oregon during Thanksgiving, my dad and I tried to drive down the coast from Tillamook to Newport.  We only made it to Pacific City.  Pongo and I agreed to try to complete that trip.

Nestucca River, Pacific City, OR

Haystack Rock, Pacific City, OR

The Pacific City beach is one of the more spectacular beaches on the Oregon coast.  There are three haystacks know as Haystack Rock on the Oregon coast.  One is near Coos Bay, another is at Cannon Beach and the last--my personal favorite--is at Pacific City.  There's a connection to my mother here.  She's an author.  In her first book, Haystack Rock was a central symbol.  I'm not sure which Haystack Rock it was.  I'll have to ask her when I call her tomorrow.

Pacific City, OR

Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area

According to Wikipedia, the Haystack Rock in Pacific City is also known as Chief Kiwanda Rock.  Huh.  I had no idea.  Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area is adjacent to the Pacific City beach.  It has cliffs and tide pools and a big dune that kids love to climb.  My brother tells me we used to like to climb the dune and run down it when we were kids.  I have no recollection of that.  There's nothing unusual about that.  He's got a sharp memory.  Mine's a bit dull.  Funny, those facts work both for and against both of us.

Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area, Pacific City, CA

Two people died falling from those Cape Kiwanda cliffs last month.  Sad.  Yosemite has the same problem with its cliffs.

Stay away from cliffs.

That's my public service announcement for the day.

Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge, OR

Canada Goose

Our next stop was at Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge.  It's a beautiful refuge along Highway 101.  I've seen a few bald eagles there.  No eagles on this trip, unfortunately.  We saw a lot of dusky Canada geese, though.  Canada geese aren't the most exciting birds to spot, but I still enjoying seeing them in the wild.  I like how geese are distributed along the West coast with Canada geese in the North and now and Ross' geese in California.  We get a few Canada geese in California as well.

Siletz Bay, OR

Boiler Bay State Scenic Viewpoint, OR

Boiler Bay State Scenic Viewpoint, OR

Otter Crest, OR

Devil's Punch Bowl State Park, OR

I don't suspect most people n Oregon have considered how Otter Crest got its name.  Sea otters used to be plentiful along the Oregon coast.  They are all gone now.  They were hunted to extirpation.  The last Oregon sea otter died over one hundred years ago.  They may be making a comeback.  A lone otter was spotted in Depoe Bay (a few miles from Otter Crest) in 2009, but as of yet a permanent population has yet to return,  We can only hope.

Devil's Punch Bowl State Park, OR

Yaquina Bay Bridge, Newport, OR

California Sea Lion

When we reached Newport, Pongo and I headed down to the waterfront.  I didn't really have a plan.  I was thinking about grabbing some chowder at Mo's, but the sun was out so I didn't want to leave Pongo in the car.  as we drove we heard the barking of sea lions so I found a place to park and we got out to take a look. Holy cow!  What a show these beasts put on!

California Sea Lion -- Newport, OR

California Sea Lion -- Newport, OR

Pongo used to be frightened by the noise sea lions make.  He begged to go back into the car on one of our first trips when we encountered a large number offshore in the Seventeen Mile Drive in California.  He's come a long way.  On this trip he poked his head through the fence railings to get a better look.  They were close and they were loud but he just grinned and wagged his tail.

California Sea Lion -- Newport, OR

Out on the South Jetty in Newport we saw a wide variety of birds including a number of harlequin ducks.  Boy, they are beautiful.

Harlequin Duck -- Newport, OR

Harlequin Duck -- Newport, OR

Harlequin Duck -- Newport, OR

Beverly Beach State Park

We headed back to Salem after the stop at the jetty.  We had plenty of time to get back and for Pongo to have dinner before I went to the hospital.  I sat with my mother and showed her the pictures from the day.  She seemed to enjoy them.  She says she enjoys my photography.  I'm never sure if she really means it or if she just says that because she's my mom.  One of the things I am sure of, though, is she understand my need to be alone.  She's the same way, although she handles people better than I do.

Beverly Beach State Park, OR

Thanksgiving 2013: Over the River and Through the Woods

Over the River and Through the Woods

November 26, 2013

Soundtrack:

• Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds -- Dig, Lazarus, Dig
• The Decemberists -- The Crane Wife

Tuesday's drive was broken into two distinct parts.  Part one was the drive through the Northwest corner of Oregon from Lincoln City to Astoria.  The second part would be the drive up 101 through Washington to Olympic National Park.  In between would be the bridge.

Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge, OR

I always am surprised at how long it takes to get from Lincoln City to Astoria.  Salem to Portland is forty-five minutes unless traffic sucks.  Portland is right on the Columbia River, and if you look on a map you'll see that both Salem and Lincoln City are on the Forty-fifth Parallel.  With Astoria being on the Columbia River as well, and given it's a straight shot North from Lincoln City just like Portland is to Salem, you might think that it would take perhaps an hour given the driving occurs on 101 rather than I-5.  It took me over four hours on Tuesday.  Granted, I stopped a lot, but even without stopping the drive would have been closer to three hours than two.

Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge, OR

There are two things at work here.  One is the funky shape of the state of Oregon in that Northwest corner.  That little bump at the top isn't so little in real life.  While Portland is forty-five miles North from Salem, Astoria is one hundred ten miles North of the same latitude.  It's a winding hundred ten miles, too, through a number of small towns.  Google says it'll take two and a half hours to make that drive, but from my experience that's optimistic.  Count on three.  Don't worry about it, though, it's a beautiful drive.

What's up with that one goose facing the other way? -- Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge, OR

I stopped at Nestucca Bay Wildlife Refuge just North of Lincoln City.  I hiked up to the observation platform and saw an osprey, a hawk and a couple of sparrows.  The view of the ocean from up there was amazing, though.  Down on the meadows right off of the highway I saw a large flock of canada geese and caught a brief glimpse of my first bald eagle of the trip.

My next stop was the cheese factory in Tillamook.  Tillamook is one of the few brands for which I've developed a keen loyalty.  There's a nice observation platform inside where you can watch the cheese getting packaged.  The employees were all friendly and waved at the people watching them.  Conveyor belts are mesmerizing.

There were plenty of samples to try as well as a large gift shop and ice cream parlor.  It's the best roadside attraction on 101 between San Francisco and Olympia, if you ask me.

I like how the little rocks seem to have just popped out of the big one -- Oregon Coast Highway, OR

Astoria is a cool little town.  It's got a lot of character, which is something a lot of towns outside of Portland seem to lack in the beaver state.  There's a distinct lack of strip malls on the Northern end of town, and the houses all look like they've stood there for decades.  I suppose it's a little like a hilly version of Alameda, but with killer views of the Columbia River rather than the San Francisco Bay.

Astoria, OR

The highlight of the day was finding the house where The Goonies was filmed.  I drove around a bit and couldn't find it, so I ended up looking up the address on my droid.  I was giddy after seeing the house.  Silly, huh?  The Goonies wasn't even that great of a movie.  I know it backwards and forwards, though, since it had a pretty long run at the Elsinore Theater when I worked there.  I've always had a fondness for it for some reason.

The Goondocks, Astoria, OR

Belted Kingfisher

Washington was a different kind of pretty.  101 stays mostly inland through the state, but it's still an impressive drive.  Rivers and wetlands abound.  The logging industry appears to still be thriving in Washington, at least if the amount of clear-cutting along the highway is any indication.  I'm surprised and disappointed at how few pictures I took on this portion of the drive.  I guess the views were so plentiful I took them for granted.

I finally got a decent picture of a kingfisher at Wilapa National Wildlife Refuge.  It's not a great one, mind you, but better than anything I've been able to get so far.  These guys don't sit still for very long.

Palix River, WA

Bald Eagle

I got my first good look at a couple of bald eagles about a half hour outside of Olympic National Park.  They were sitting in a couple of trees.  The light wasn't very good, so I wasn't able to take great pictures.  Still, I was pretty excited.  Little did I know my eagle encounters were only beginning.

Red-tailed Hawk

I stopped for the night at Kalaloch Campground.  I went to Kalaloch Lodge thinking I'd have to get a room there for the night because the South campground was closed, but they sent me on up the road another mile to the campground.  Nice folks.  It was a fairly warm night, but showering on and off.  I found a site that was well covered by trees and didn't have any problems.  I made a dinner of bacon, eggs and pancakes.  I love breakfast foods, but I rarely actually eat breakfast in the morning.

There's a bald eagle in the water on the beach, but he's too small to see -- Kalaloch Lodge, Olympic National Park, WA