The Oregon Trip, Day Two

After touring the Pacific Coast between Cannon Beach and Cape Disappointment, traveling the Columbia River Highway west of Portland on our first full day, Marika took us to see some of the falls along the Columbia River east of Portland for our second day's adventure. First stop was at John B. Yeon State Park and a hike up the Gorge Trail to Elowah Falls.

First view of Elowah Falls from the trail.

The base of Elowah Falls.

Full view of Elowah Falls.

Gotta get a wild flower guide! These around the pool at the base of Elowah Falls.

On our way back down the trail from Elowah Falls, we decided to take the trail to the Upper McCord Creek Falls. This trail afforded us some views of the Columbia River  that the lower trail did not, so it was pretty cool. A few rain drops along the way, but nothing significant to keep us from enjoying the moment.

Upper McCord Creek Falls. Next post will find us visiting the town of Hood River, Horse Tail Falls and Multnomah Falls.

Hiking the Rim Trail

At the Lafayette Reservoir.
This time of year, things are pretty dry and the days can still get warm. It was in the upper 80's when I was out this past Sunday and after a long summer, the trails were pretty dusty, moon like in some places as you can see from the tread marks. It's only a 4.7 mile hike, but it is steep in places and with the dirt and dust, I don't recommend doing it in sandals.

The trail offers some great views of Mt. Diablo and Las Trampas Regional Park as well.

Came upon this doe but she didn't want to pose for very long. Maybe it was the time of day or the relative obscurity of the trail when compared to the more popular and paved lower trail, but only encountered a handful of other hikers and joggers on this portion of the trail.

             
 A tamer portion of the trail at the eastern side of the reservoir. The hills of Briones Regional Park are on the horizon.

And a pretty nice view of the reservoir itself. I was on the trail for three hours which made for a nice afternoon hike and mini-photo safari to a place I've frequented often, but not seen from the vantage points the Rim Trail offers.

Last Day of Summer, 2012

To commemorate the last day of summer yesterday, decided to take a hike around the Lafayette Reservoir. It turned out to be a warm day, but even so, change is in the air as evidenced by the poison oak (toxicodendron diversilobum)already turning color. There's a lot of it there, so it's best not to pet any dogs that may be on a stroll with their owners. Also a good idea to be careful when going off trail, especially once the leaves have dropped, since it's really hard to identify then and the stems and branches still contain the evil oils. Very nasty stuff if you're the least bit sensitive to it.

Poison oak aside, it was a beautiful day and walk. Even though the days are getting shorter, the light is magnificent. I could easily call this my favorite time of year.

Portland, Pearl District, Night

After a long day of driving along  the Oregon Coast and Columbia River, we were hungry and maybe a little tired, but not so much that we weren't up for some IPA's and ribs at Deschutes in Portland's Pearl District. It was all very, very good!
Views are looking up NW 11th Ave and the Gerding Theatre at the Armory.

Sunset, Columbia River Highway

Leaving Cape Disappointment, we crossed the Astoria Megler Bridge again, hooked up with US 30 and headed east along the Columbia River. Not too far out of Astoria, the fog started to dissipate and we were treated to the beauty of the scenery along the East Columbia River Highway interspersed with afternoon sunlight. 15 miles or so west of the town of Clatskanie, some fellow travelers apparently were distracted in the process of negotiating a curve in the roadway and wound up with their car in a pretty bad way off the side of the road. First responders were already on site, so we continued onward,  albeit a bit more cautiously, an ambulance speeding towards us serving to reinforce the need for drivers to drive and pay attention to the road. A few miles east of Clatskanie, we were heading up a hill and treated to the setting sun behind us. We pulled off onto a logging road and I managed to squeeze off a few shots. I'm a sucker for sunsets-used to chase them when I was young and look for higher ground so I could capture the final rays of light in the deepening sky. Not an easy task in the  relatively flat farm country of Northern Indiana, but it was great fun.

North Tower Antenna Mast

The Newseum in Washington, D.C., has a permanent exhibit featuring headlines from around the world following the horror of 9/11/01, including the antenna mast from the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

It is not enough to remember all those who perished in the 9/11 attack. We must also remember all who perished and who will perish as a result of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts as well. It should serve as a sobering reminder that whomever we elect to represent us in the United States, they must be qualified to lead us and lead us wisely in times of great crisis. Our elections should not be determined by campaigns waged by pre-packaged candidates and partisan PACs with millions upon millions of dollars to spend on reckless, fear mongering tv ads and hit piece direct mail campaigns. It's said that the 2012 Presidential election will top 1 billion dollars. Think of the good that would do to underfunded school districts, community food banks, homeless shelters instead of lining the pockets of political ad agencies, printers, and owners of tv stations.

Cape Disappointment, WA

Following our visit to Cannon Beach, OR, we decided to look for the sun and headed north on the Oregon Coast Highway, aka US 101. A few patches of it broke out around the town of Seaside. Undaunted, we continued north to Astoria, OR, and when things didn't improve, figured, might as well cross the Astoria-Megler Bridge and see what was on the other side- the state of Washington, of course. Learning of a place called Cape Disappointment not far off, headed there. 

Even with the fog and heavy air, I can't say we were disappointed, the gray gloom adding to the mystique of the park, even if it didn't provide us with the picture perfect postcard view. This also coincides with my sense that there is always something of interest to photograph if you are open to seeing in terms of being in the moment rather than letting  preconceived expectations cloud your vision of it.

 

As if to be rewarded for persevering in the face of such a foreboding seascape, we discovered the existence of the North Head Lighthouse. 

Though not as tall and magnificent as the lighthouses we visited on Long Island in May, it does have it's unique charm and utilitarian dignity standing as it does on a cliff overlooking the Pacific. Unfortunately, we arrived after the last tour of the day and so were unable to go inside. Nevertheless, it did present a number of graphic possibilities as the detail of the entry door attempts to portray.

Detail of the entry to the North Head Lighthouse

Lighthouse keepers lived large. This is the lightkeepers house for the North Head Lighthouse you can vacation in. There's a smaller assistant lighthouse keeper's house on the grounds, too, also available for overnights. It, too, seemed more than adequate for the task.

More Cannon Beach, OR

Looking south down Ocean Avenue in Cannon Beach. A gravel road at that, and yes, dusty.















It wasn't that windy to bend that Cypress tree over when we were there, but it's safe to assume there's a prevalence of a nearly constant on-shore breeze to train it that way-and judging from the sparseness of the limbs, those breezes can be strong.

Cannon Beach, Oregon

 The Coaster Theatre, in the City of Cannon Bach, Oregon, began life as a roller skating rink in the 1920's. In 1972 it was acquired by Portland art patron Maurie Clark who renovated the building into the theatre it is today. When he died in 2001, the Coaster Theatre Playhouse became a not for profit organization. 

Here's a good example of employing elements of vanishing point perspective to draw the eye to the theatre's marquee.

Building materials & architectural elements of the Coaster Theatre.

The City of Cannon Beach is very much a resort town-it has 1600 or so residents but attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors a year. There are a number of very attractive beach rental properties available and in the mix, a fine array of eclectic and individually appointed residences as well as the usual mix of Cape Cod themed homes. Coincidental with the tourist trade are souvenir and novelty oriented shops and restaurants, however it would appear the civic leaders take their role seriously and keep the tackiness level to a minimum.

A   very healthy hydrangea waiting to devour a house on Ocean Avenue.

Some of the local labels available at the wine shop across from the theatre. Sorry to report I cannot give a review of any of them. Maybe next time.