November 2025 in Portland

December 20, 2025 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

I took many neighborhood walks this month, watching the season change, and contemplating sad partings.

Fall colors in Northeast Portland

The leaves…

Berries and late blooming or winter flowers…

Sidewalk square of the month…

This one has a human profile etched in the weathered cement.

And of course, the early holiday decorations…

Santa penguins, wondering where the snow is.

Knitting

I finished one cowl, which I am wearing almost every day. The pattern is Ella Improv by Cecelia Campochiaro. The yarn in Malabrigo Lace.

Reading

I finished six books in November. The most compelling was The Mountains Sing by Nguyen Phan Que Mai, a saga of family life in Viet Nam in the twentieth century.

Signs of Resistance

My neighborhood is always heartening in the display of signs of resistance. There seem to be more and more all the time.

Window signs, telling the world how they really feel!

These signs were displayed in front of almost every house on this block.

Including this one, with an Anne Frank tribute as well.

The wall mural I see on the way home from the library, in the low autumn light.

Sadness

This month I lost two close family members; one older, one younger, one with a long illness, both quite sudden. This was unexpected and sad and I have been feeling shaken and unanchored in time. As a family we are scattered geographically, but with the miracles of technology, we have been able to grieve together. It is hard. And it is human. We are all on that train. We are stopped in our tracks by the loss. We are determined to live well in response. Both paths seem wrong. But we go on.

Thanksgiving was celebrated with close friends who invited us for the day, and for whom I am grateful, especially this year.

October 2025 Hiking

December 1, 2025 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

Three hikes this month. Our fall hiking areas on the Washington side of the eastern Columbia River Gorge are still impacted by Burdoin Fire damage. We hiked twice on the Oregon side, and once in the Cascade foothills east of Salem.

10/14 – Deschutes River Trail, Oregon

Our usual loop, up to Ferry Springs, and then return along the Deschutes River (4.5 miles, 600 feet).

Blue sky today, a light breeze.

Walking along the Deschutes River. Reflections, a few water birds.

Rising up above the river, view to the confluence with the Columbia River.

Still losing my breath on the uphill. There are clumps of white and pink blooming buckwheat, yellow rabbit brush, and a few scrabbling lupines. Dried out balsamroots and thistles punctuate the slopes of golden grass where it was blackened and burned a few years ago. Very little sign of the fires now, so much has regrown. Once again, it is peaceful out here – down by the river there are many people fishing for steelhead; we saw one train on the western bank; otherwise a rock wren, a raven call, and us.

We crossed over Ferry Springs, then looked down toward the river.

Looking down on Ferry Springs as it joins the Deschutes River.

And the view to the Columbia River and Columbia Hills.

Almost back to river level, looking through the arch.

Back along the river, walking north –

Milkweed seeds getting ready to disperse.

We appreciated the golden slopes we just walked down, especially after seeing the blackened slopes at Catherine Creek. As we drove back west along south side of the Columbia River, I took a few shots of the Burdoin Fire area in Washington that was burned last summer. There are some very black slopes, but also some unburned areas. I can’t quite see my favorite trees from this view.

Catherine Creek hiking area, from I-84, westbound.

Catherine Creek area. The Arch and Tracy Hill.

10/20 – Silver Falls State Park, Oregon

Another place we have hiked many times. Today we saw six of the ten famous falls (5.8miles, 600 feet).

South Falls

Looking downstream from behind the falls. This time of year the spray doesn’t soak us.

Lower South Falls – We continued downstream along the South Fork of Silver Creek, eventually descending switchbacks and staircases to walk behind Lower South Falls.

Lower North Falls – Next, we passed the confluence of the North and South Forks of Silver Creek, and began walking upstream along the North Fork.

Drake Falls – Continuing upstream along the North Fork…

Autumnal trail – lots of big leaf maple leaves drifting down.

We only get a sideways view of Drake Falls from the viewing platform.

Middle North Falls – A side trail goes under the falls, but we didn’t take it today.

Winter Falls – From here, we crossed the river again, and passed the nearly dry Winter Falls while ascending to the rim and walking back to our starting point.

10/28 – Tom McCall Point, Oregon

One of the prime wildflower locations of spring; orange oak leaves color the slopes on this quiet autumn day (3.6 miles, 1000 Feet).

Our destination – Tom McCall Point, through the mist.

Looking north from the lower plateau – Rowena Curves below; Lyle, Washington across the Columbia River.

Bright orange oak leaves; Memaloose Hills to the west.

Zooming in on the shoulders of Mt Adams – the most we would see of it today.

We startled a small family of deer near the summit.

Summit of Tom McCall Point, covered with clumps of dried balsamroot foliage.

The neon orange oak leaves that brightened our day.

October 2025 at home

November 26, 2025November 26, 2025 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

We returned from Philadelphia during the first week in October. I have been at home for the remainder of the month, watching the Halloween enthusiasm and the changing foliage fill the neighborhood with color and whimsy, against a background of quiet and not so quiet resistance throughout our city.

Around the neighborhood…

Halloween decorations. Some folks go all out. New or notable for me this year:

Fall Colors:

Creatures:

Sidewalk of the month:

In our yard:

Knitting

I finished three hats for donation, a scarf, and a pair of socks:

Books

I finished eight books in October:

Ribbitting with the resistance in PDX…

National ‘leadership’ continues smashing everything, like a giant wrecking ball. I am proud of my Portland people for exhibiting a mostly peaceful resistance, responding with whimsy and relentless persistence. Some highlights of the month:

Some of our famous Portland Frogs, from Instagram.

And my son took this picture in Paris, France!

Our hikes of the month are in the next post.

We go east, Sept 26- Oct 5, 2025

November 2, 2025 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

We went to Connecticut and Pennsylvania to visit family. There were meetups and restaurant dinners; hikes, art museums, and historical sites; a fair amount of driving, and then the hunt for elusive parking spots in Philly.

9/26 – Portland to southern Connecticut

From my window seat today, I saw Cascade Mountains, Great Lakes, and the Statue of Liberty as we flew into Newark Airport.

Shortly after take off, I had a great view of Mt Adams, with Mt Rainier in the distance.

Close view of the cloud cap on Mt Adams.

For most of the midwest, there was cloud cover, and not many views. But as we approached the Great Lakes, the cloud layer separated into a sheet of puffs, and I knew I had seen them before in the Art Institute of Chicago, as painted by Georgia O’Keeffe!

Clouds over the midwest as we approached the Great Lakes.

Sky above Clouds IV, by Georgia O’Keeffe, 8 feet by 24 feet!

Sky above Clouds IV caption, Art Institute of Chicago

The New York City metropolitan area was glinting in the afternoon sun as we approached the Newark Airport. I even picked out the Statue of Liberty on her Island,

Descending toward Newark; Lady Liberty under the arrow.

We rented a car and drove north on the New Jersey Turnpike toward Connecticut. Oregon is known for its patient and polite drivers. Not so much, New Jersey!

New York City to the east as we drive north on the New Jersey Turnpike.

City view as we cross the Hudson River on the George Washington Bridge.

We made it to Hamden, CT, not far from New Haven, and spent three days with family, friends, and dogs there.

9/28 – Sleeping Giant State Park, CT

This small mountain near Hamden is popular hiking locale. We opted for the three mile Tower Trail, about 600 feet elevation gain. There were a few late wildflowers blooming, and plenty of other people on this 80 degree day. I appreciated the shade! And the first glimmers of fall color.

Trailhead – the trail is a gently graded gravel road.

Wildflowers – asters, silver rod and goldenrod.

A ‘territorial’ view toward Long Island Sound from the top.

9/29 to 30 – Delaware Water Gap, PA

The next day, we drove west to the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania, and then spent the following day exploring Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. After a stop at the Visitor Center, we decided to hike the Tumbling Falls Trail – shady and not too steep, as it was another hot day, and I was still regaining my hiking stamina. It was a pretty hike through oak and pine woodlands.

Visitor Center, Delaware Water Gap. We would see this view of Mt Tammany later in the day.

The Tumbling Falls Trail – a 3 mile, 400 foot loop, through pine and oak forest.

Lunch view across the Delaware River to the Jersey side.

Tumbling Falls – just a trickle this time of year.

Pickerel Pond, near the trailhead. Again, just the beginning of fall color on the trees.

After our hike, we drove south, to a couple of viewpoints of the Gap.

The road along the Delaware River was like a green tunnel.

We went to the Point of Gap Overlook for this classic view of Mt Tammany, NJ.

Closer view of the Paleozoic rocks on Mt Tammany

Then we drove across the river to the Kittatinny Point Visitors Center.

This sign explains how the Gap formed by stream capture.

Calm and reflective Delaware River at Kittatinny Point.

Mt Minsi to the south, on the Pennsylvania side of the Gap.

As we were driving in the area, we spotted this stone house, ready for Halloween about a month early.

10/1 – Washington Crossing Historic Park, PA

We spent the first part of the day driving to Philadelphia. The Washington Crossing Historical Park on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River was a convenient lunch stop.

We crossed the river on an auto bridge, looking toward the Washington Crossing.

The park has wide green fields on both sides of the river – plenty of room for the annual reenactments that happen here.

A plinth tribute to George Washington stands along an avenue, with flags of the colonies.

We sat on a bench to eat our lunch, with this lovely view of the crossing. There is a very nice path along the river, and more construction was underway.

On the night of December 25th, 1776, there was a blinding snowstorm here, and the Delaware River was choked with ice. The Continental Army successfully crossed, despite the conditions, and went on to defeat the Hessians in Trenton.

Today there are only geese and ducks swimming around.

We stepped briefly into the Visitor Center, just long enough to see George, and a nearby plaque honoring Thomas Paine.

“Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered.”…words for the ages.

10/1 to 5 – Philadelphia

After lunch, we continued on to Philadelphia. Our son lives near the center of the city, and we stayed in a nearby condo hotel. Over the next few days, we ate in several great restaurants – Thai, Italian, and our first Philly ‘cheese steaks’ (I’m not sure it counts if you opt for vegetarian or chicken versions). We walked to two museums on Franklin Boulevard. It was nice weather, and we really enjoyed our time, especially with the people we got to visit.

On our first day, we got to meet these two cats of Philadelphia, named Cowboy and Ghoul.

We also toured this venue space, that we will visit again next summer.

View to the Delaware River from the Pen Ryn Estate.

And we met this artful zebra(?) in our hotel lobby.

10/2 – Barnes Foundation

We walked to the Barnes Foundation, an art museum on Franklin Parkway that is particularly known for its enormous collection of Impressionist Art, especially by Renoir. The collection is displayed without placards, and arranged in settings that juxtapose many different artists and media in each room. One must scan the art with a phone to find out the maker or context. The collector, Albert C. Barnes (1872-1951), acquired this art after making a fortune in pharmaceuticals, and he created his foundation to provide art education for everyone. I admired much of the work, and if I lived in the area, I could become familiar with the many types of art and artists on display. For a casual walk through, I found it a bit overwhelming to have to interface through my phone to learn about the art and artists.

Walking toward the Barnes Foundation on Franklin Parkway

Artwork arranged in ensembles chosen by Barnes.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Autumn Landscape, c. 1884.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Bois de la Chaise,1892.

Paul Cézanne. The Allée at Marines, 1898.

Paul Cézanne. Mont Sainte-Victoire,1892–1895.

Georges Seurat. Entrance of The Port of Honfleur, 1886.

Walking by the reflecting pool again, on the way out.

And of course, we visited ‘The Thinker’ again, at the nearby Rodin Museum, before walking back to our hotel.

As we walked around for these two days, I admired the juxtaposition of old and new buildings, and of many huge murals on the sides of some of the buildings.

Another giant mural on an older building

10/3 – Calder Gardens

The next day, we planned to meet some cousins in the afternoon, and to visit a new museum on Franklin Parkway, dedicated entirely to the art of Alexander Calder (1898-1976). Calder, from Philadelphia, is particularly known for three dimensional mobile and stabile sculptures, made of wire and steel. His works are displayed both indoors, and in the outdoor garden grounds.

The museum is partially below ground level, set in a newly landscaped outdoor gardens with paths and sculptures. The outdoor wall of the museum is reflective, presenting distorted views of both the garden and the city scape.

Some of the sculptures are in lower level outdoor galleries, accessible from within the museum.

This sculpture (The Cock’s Comb, 1960) is near the museum entrance.

Once inside, there is a balcony that overlooks the lower galleries. It seems an effective way to display both hanging and standing sculptures. And it is interesting to be able to see them from various angles.

Both of these sculptures have the same inspiration. Black Widow, 1948 (hanging); Black Widow, 1959.

Looking back toward the balcony from below.

There were many colorful paintings in the lower gallery. I love the bright colors and organic shapes!

William Penn, 1888, by Alexander Milne Calder. This is a smaller version of the bronze William Penn Statue atop the Philadelphia City Hall, which was created by Alexander Calder’s grandfather.

After our museum visit, we walked around in the Passyunk neighborhood, and found an Italian Restaurant for another delicious dinner.

10/4 – Valley Forge, PA

We visited Valley Forge Historic Site, where George Washington’s army of 12,000 people camped during the winter of 1777-1778. This park is huge, encompassing 3500 acres. There are miles of walking trails, and bike and horse paths. We looked at reconstructed cabins and defensive structures, the National Memorial Arch, and George Washington’s Headquarters.

Map of Valley Forge; sites we visited circled in pink.

A redoubt, or defensive structure. Note the city skyline in the distance.

Reconstructed cabins; each provided accommodation for 12 soldiers.

The National Memorial Arch, dedicated in 1917.

Tours of this building were unavailable today due to the government shut down.

Unfortunately, none of the buildings or Visitor Centers were open, and it was too hot to stay outside. We went to nearby King of Prussia to find a cold beverage, and then to meet up with our soon to be in-laws for dinner. What I didn’t expect was that I would see Valley Forge from the air during our flight home tomorrow.

10/5 – Philly to Chicago, then PDX

I had great views on our flight to Midway Airport, Chicago. Once we left Philadelphia, I realized we were flying over Valley Forge. Having been there the day before, I recognized the road pattern and the Schuylkill River.

Goodbye to Philadelphia and the Delaware River.

George Washington’s Headquarters on the Schuylkill River.

We flew on, over lots of checkerboard farm fields, and rivers cutting through the folded landscape. I also got a good look at Cleveland and Chicago (and their giant football arenas!)

Looking down on Cleveland, on the shore of Lake Erie, with the Cuyahoga River winding through.

Closer view as we descend to Midway Airport.

Our connecting flight to Portland was after sunset, so I didn’t see much. I thought about watching the earth go by beneath me from the air; all the baseball diamonds and soccer fields, farms and towns, all the people down there going about their day while I fly above. It gives me perspective about my tiny place in this great big world. Overall it was an enjoyable trip, especially for the family connections reinforced and new connections made.

A Walk After A Rain, October 19th, 2025

October 25, 2025 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

On the day after more than seven million people marched in No Kings Day protests,

And after a night and morning of pouring rain,

The sun is out, and all the sidewalk windows up to the sky are briefly opened.

I glance into each puddle as I pass to see what is temporarily on offer.

I see clouds, trees and leaves, telephone wires, and a lot of imagined possibility.

There is a glimmer of hope reflected, that so many showed up, peacefully danced with inflatable frogs, and no violence occurred.

I appreciate the glimmers today.

September, 2025

October 17, 2025 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

In September we visited an art festival, and went on two hikes in the mountains, and one at the beach. I took my usual neighborhood walks, read a few books, and made very little notable progress on my ongoing knitting projects. At the end of the month, we flew to the east coast to visit family there (next post).

9/1 – Art in the Pearl

Some of my favorite artwork in this year’s show:

9/2 – Crescent and Cannon Beaches, OR

A hot day in Portland. We drove to the coast for a short hike to Crescent Beach in Ecola State Park, then went to Cannon Beach to walk near Haystack Rock at low tide.

View to Crescent Beach and Cannon Beach from Ecola Point.

Trail through the forest, about 3 miles round trip.

Descending to Crescent Beach, looking south.

We walked down the beach and found a spot to eat lunch.

Zooming in on Ecola Point, where we began our hike. We hiked back up after lunch.

After an ice cream break in Cannon Beach, we walked toward Haystack Rock. It wasn’t a particularly low low tide today. My husband took a much longer walk, while I found a good perch right in front of the Needles, and watched several pods of pelicans fly north along the breaker zone.

Zooming in on The Needles, with pelican.

9/10 – June Lake, Mt St Helens, WA

Another hot day. Another relatively easy hike, first to June Lake, then up onto some of the lava flows (Worm Flows) on the south side of the mountain (4 miles, 800 feet).

Some of the late wildflowers along the way:

June lake is calm, reflecting the waterfall coming out of the lava flow above.

Then we went up a fairly steep trail, and onto the Loowit Trail, and the lava flows:

A glimpse of the top of Mt St Helens beyond the clouds.

We went just high enough to get the full mountain view.

Zooming in on a glacier near the summit ridge.

The trail not taken ahead – our knees and balance had enough for the day.

We descended, with another stop at the beautifully reflective June Lake…

9/16 – Little Crater Lake, Mt Hood, OR

And yet another hot day! Another easy hike, first to Little Crater Lake, then to the eastern edge of Timothy Lake along the Pacific Crest Trail (3.5 miles, 50 feet).

This small artesian spring-fed lake is always a treat, with its deep turquoise color, reflections and transparency. An indulgent photo stop.

We walked to the eastern edge of Timothy Lake, then retraced our steps.

Pacific Crest Trail – nice and shady on a hot day.

We were told we could see Mt Hood from the Timothy Lake Dam, so we drove around the lake to see the view – it was just a glimpse over a ridge.

Neighborhood walks

Flowers and landscape elements I noticed in September:

I haven’t done much quilting lately, so I composed a concrete quilt from some of my favorite sidewalk cracks.

September books

I finished six books in September. The most inspiring was the biography of Robert Louis and Fanny Stevenson – A Wilder Shore, by Camille Peri. They were a very unusual couple for their time. He chose writing instead of the family business of lighthouse engineering. She grew up in rural Indiana, spent time with her first husband in the mining camps of Nevada, then in bohemian San Francisco, before going to France with her children to study art. They traveled all over the world, by horse carriage, train and ship, eventually settling in Samoa. It seems amazing to me that they were so widely travelled, and that she lived her own style, ignoring much of the expected behavior of a proper Victorian lady. I was inspired to reread my childhood copy of his poem, The Land of Counterpane, from A Child’s Garden of Verses, with illustration by Garth Williams – this is one of the definitive visual memories from my childhood – the quilt, and the imaginary play it inspired.

Also in Portland…

Things started to heat up. Deliberate misinformation reported a ‘war zone’ throughout the city. The only actual activity is near the Federal ICE facility in southwest Portland, where the true spirit of Portland is on display in peaceful protests that defend free speech and due process. I am writing this in October, when things have gotten crazier but in September, we were just getting ready for threatened invasion! I’m sure I will be adding something about the frogs next month.

The rest of August, 2025

September 24, 2025 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

August began with a birthday week stay in Bandon on the southern Oregon coast. The rest of the month went by with the usual home activities, in Portland, Oregon, which, contrary to some news reports, is a very pleasant place to live.

Around the neighborhood –

Lots to look at this month while walking – gardens…

Sidewalk art, architecture, and more Portland quirkiness…

Yard creatures…

Homegrown treats…

Asters that survived the roofing, painting and tuck pointing.

Our neighbors shared their abundant tomatoes.

Knitting –

I made progress on my cardigan and a pair of socks. Our local coffee shop, KISS Coffee, has taken to reserving our Friday morning knitting table.

Reading –

Of the eight books I finished in August, my favorite was There Are Rivers In The Sky, by Elif Shafak. It is set in Victorian and modern London, and ancient and modern Mesopotamia, and links several character’s lives through water and literature. There is a hopeful conclusion, despite the hardships endured. I also enjoyed rereading the Elizabeth Von Amin books set in her German garden.

8/19 – A walk in the Wildwood Recreation Area –

This was the only hike for me in August, after our trip to Bandon. Usually August is a prime hiking month for us, but I had to address some health issues. There were many appointments, including PT for my wonky hip. Everything seems to be getting better, so I hope to have many more challenging hikes in the future. But one hot day, we drove up Mt Hood to the Wildwood Recreation Area, which we had not visited before. This is a BLM site, at about 1200 feet elevation, on the Salmon River. There are several miles of mostly flat trails through shady forest, and along the Salmon River. I imagine many school field trips come here because of the easy access, and abundance of educational signage and picnic tables.

Trailhead sign… we walked trails on both sides of the Salmon River.

In the parking lot, I watched a Big Leaf Maple leaf slowly float to the ground.

View to the nearby ridge across a marsh on one of the nature trails.

We saw a few very small fish in the viewing window. Salmon pass through here in spawning season.

The Wildwood Recreation Area was a great spot for some easy forest bathing on a hot summer day.

And lastly –

A few birthday gifts and cards…

An aspirational window sticker seen in the neighborhood…

There is so much going on that I am constantly whiplashing between system overload and full ostrich. It is a challenging time, and yet we will continue to do what we can to be hopeful and helpful.

Bandon, Oregon, August 3-7, 2025

September 22, 2025September 22, 2025 / margaretquilts / 1 Comment

We had planned a trip to Mt Rainier for my birthday week. Then my wonky hip started acting up, and my breathing felt really challenged on my last couple of mountain hikes. When my doctor decided I needed a full cardiac work up, we realized that expecting to enjoy hiking the steep trails at Mt Rainier was unrealistic. Luckily, the place we stayed in Bandon last January had a room available, so we pivoted. At the worst, I could sit on the balcony overlooking the beach and stare at the horizon and the wave trains. I could go for some flat walks on the beach, and find a rock to sit on while my husband walked farther. It turned out to be a very good week for us. We had beautiful weather, some lovely beach walks, and so far, all my medical work ups have not turned up anything other than a likely bad reaction to a new medicine I was trying, and being out of shape because of not doing as much hiking as usual while I was in Utah (too hot), and while my husband was recuperating from his neck surgery in the spring. And maybe, just the entropy of being one year older…

8/3 – Bandon Beach South

Our first evening, we took a walk to the south of our hotel…

8/4 – Face Rock North

We were expecting low tide in the afternoon, so a perfect day for walking north from Face Rock, enjoying the beautiful beach and the marine wildlife.

View north from the Face Rock overlook, our destination for the day.

We spent a fair amount of time watching a flock of whimbrels.

I wasn’t the only one beach combing for agates in the swash zone as the tide went out.

Pebbles of many colors. I looked for the smallest one I could find of each color.

Around lunch time, we saw a pod of seals napping on a nearby islet.

Walking back south, we encountered a bit more marine life…

Back at the hotel, we were treated to another lovely sunset.

8/5 – Shore Acres and Cape Arago State Parks

We drove north to Shore Acres and Cape Arago State Parks. This road was closed by a landslide when we were here in January. We visited several beach overlooks and a beautiful cove, and then walked in the historic Shore Acres Garden.

Location Map of Shore Acres and Cape Arago State Parks.

Our first stop was the Shore Acres cliff viewpoints, where we could see dipping sandstone beds and their oddly eroded concretions. It reminded me of the shoreline at Point Lobos, in California. The one other time I was here, it was windy and there were huge waves. Today, it was very calm.

Tide pools in the dipping sandstone beds.

Looking south from some of the viewpoints:

Viewing Gazebo, on the far left – a protected viewpoint for windy days, built on the site of the historic Simpson Mansion.

Another view of the dipping sandstones and eroding concretions.

We drove farther south in the park, to the Simpson Reef Overlook.

View to Simpson Reef, with seals and sea lions. It was very noisy, with the sound of the marine mammals barking!

Seals piled up on the beach, and on the rocks.

Farther south along this dead end road is Cape Arago. We walked the short trail to the North Cove overlook.

Looking north from the northern tip of Cape Arago…

And then we walked the short trail down to the South Cove.

Next, we walked through the Shore Acres Gardens.

We drove back to Bandon, and had a delicious fish and chips dinner at the harbor.

8/6 – Port Orford and Cape Blanco

Another beautiful, calm day on the Oregon Coast. We drove south to Port Orford, where we had been once before, in 2007, to see the views and the beaches. We walked the trails at Port Orford Head, to the viewpoints, then had lunch at nearby Battlerock State Beach.

Port Orford Head is the site of an historic Coast Guard Museum.

The trails go through the woods, and emerge onto cliff edge viewpoints

View to the north. Cape Blanco, in the distance, where we would end our day.

Zoom in on Cape Blanco light house through the mist.

Lunch stop at Battlerock Beach:

My husband took a walk down Battlerock Beach, while I sat on a rock and admired the views.

View to the north, toward Port Orford Head, where we hiked earlier today, and Port Orford harbor.

A large outcrop of serpentinite in the beach cliff.

Artwork in the nearby Visitor Center, made of upcycled marine debris.

On to Cape Blanco, remembering our lovely walk here in January.

Once again I mostly stayed put while my husband took a much longer walk.

I could sit all day, watching the waves as the tide receded.

By the time we returned to our hotel, mist had rolled in all along the coast, so there was no sunset view.

8/7 – Home again, home again, jiggity jig

The next day, we drove home, passing over one of the beautiful Art Deco bridges on the Oregon Coast.

It had been a lovely week, despite my hiking limitations. I brought home some agates, postcards, and a few small birthday gifts, along with my memories.

Return to Bird Creek Meadows, Mt Adams, WA, July 22, 2025

August 30, 2025 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

We hiked again where we have hiked before, through the lush wildflower meadows on the southern slopes of Mt Adams, on the Yakama Nation Tract D. We started at Bird Lake, and went counterclockwise uphill to the Hell Roaring Viewpoint of Mt Adams, then down along the Round the Mountain Trail and back to the lake (~5.5 miles, 1000 feet). We saw wildflowers, waterfalls, and some views through the burned forest, on a day when we only had fleeting glimpses of the mountain itself. The wildflower meadows were ‘beyond category’ today, and I took a lot of pictures!

Lower trail, from Bird Lake to Bluff Lake:

Bird Lake. Mountain not out, but pretty reflections in the lake.

Partridgefoot and lupine on the lower trail.

Next, continuing uphill to the Round the Mountain Trail:

Staircase Falls, just below the Round the Mountain Trail.

And continuing above the Round the Mountain Trail, on the Trail of Flowers, we finally had a glimpse of Mt Adams from under the clouds.

Bracted lousewort, with more magenta paintbrush and lupine

Orange paintbrush, yellow ‘daisies’ of some sort, and white sitka valerian.

And another view of Mt Adams as we hiked up to the next rock ledge.

The ledge along the upper Trail of Flowers Loop provides a view to the landscape to the south.

Looking south toward Oregon – blue arrow pointing to the smoke plume from the Burdoin Fire.

Closer view of the Burdoin Fire smoke plume.

And a wider view across the southern flanks of Mt Adams, and its ghostly forest, burned several times in the past twenty years.

We continued upward through more meadows to the Hellroaring Viewpoint…

Hellroaring Viewpoint – top of the mountain back under the clouds.

We retraced the trail back to the Trail of Flowers, then down to the Round the Mountain Trail, and continued westward through numerous meadows divided by small creeks that are all branches of Bird Creek.

And more meadows! Next we crossed a slight rise, and then descended to our start point, by going down the Crooked Creek drainage…

This slope along Crooked Creek was so colorful!

The slopes below Crooked Creek Falls are heavily burned, but the creeks are still colorful with flowers…

Monkey flower, lupine, Sitka valerian, paintbrush

And back to Bird Lake…

Back to Bird Lake, partial view of Mt Adams this afternoon.

Meanwhile, dark clouds formed a backdrop for these glowing ghost trees

And a last view of Mt Adams from the gravel road down.

It was a “wildflower bathing” day on the slopes of Mount Adams!

Thoughts on the Burdoin Fire, Columbia River Gorge, WA, July 2025

August 29, 2025 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

Part 1 – in real time…

I wrote most of this post in July, as this event unfolded.

The Burdoin Mountain Fire started on Friday, July 18th, near Coyote Wall: a hot day, an east wind, and whoosh, by Sunday, July 20th, it had burned all the way east to the Klickitat River. In Portland, I followed news reports of evacuations of homes and families and communities; of firefighters on the ground and planes scooping water out of the Columbia River. I kept checking the map on the Watch Duty App – as the red line crept east, remembering all of the many hours we have spent in the fall, winter and spring, hiking the open grassy slopes and rocky cliffs above the river. Wildflowers and fall colors, all captured in my mind’s eye, and stored on my computer hard drive photo files…

July 19th fire boundary – Screenshot from the Watch Duty App.

July 24th fire boundary. Screenshot from the Watch Duty App

The biggest concern is for the area residents and their homes. I was keeping my fingers crossed for my favorite trees, too. I hoped the speed of the fire as it traveled through the grass would cause the conflagration to bypass some of the trees:

The guide tree above Rowland Lake – a tall ponderosa pine near the spot where we often have lunch when hiking the Labyrinth – it overlooks many of the trails here in its high perch – will it still be there?

Arrow pointing to the guide tree – from near the Labyrinth trailhead above Rowland Lake, October 24, 2024.

Guide ponderosa as seen from Rowland Wall, April 20, 2018.

Guide ponderosa from the west as we hike toward our lunch stop and turnaround point, December 16, 2017.

Lunch stop near the ponderosa, with all the eastern gorge on view, October 17, 2023.

Also along the Labyrinth Trail, my favorite oak grove:

Labyrinth oak grove in the spring, May 17, 2025.

Labyrinth oak grove in the fall, October 27, 2021.

The solitary oak tree that perches on the cliff edge is always photogenic, as seen going uphill, to the east:

And downhill, to the west:

On the way down, I always say goodbye to the one-eyed oak sentinel on the lower trail:

I have been browsing my photo library, and there are so many other beautiful trees there. As the red fire boundary moved farther east on the map, to the Catherine Creek slopes, I thought of the many ponderosa pines, and the small oak groves, including those guarding the fairy ponds:

Even farther east, there is my ‘ent’, a snag guarding the eastern slope where there is always so much birdsong in spring, and so many flowers!

Next I see fire has made its way all the way east to the Balfour-Klickitat Reserve where we go to see the juvenile bald eagles practicing flight in the small lagoon off of the mouth of the Klickitat River every winter…

We are in the Schroedinger phase…that is, all I know is the fire outline on the map, that keeps spreading eastward. I don’t know what has burned and what has survived.

Part 2 – Preliminary outcome report

As of this writing (late July), the fire is contained, evacuations lifted. Tragically, 19 homes were destroyed and 47 were damaged. No lives were lost. Local people have reported that the burned area was patchy in nature. Many trees were spared. The local residents have a difficult path ahead. Land managers will be monitoring the trail situation. We don’t usually hike here in summer. When the weather turns to cooler temperatures, I hope to find myself on these trails again, to visit my trees and report back.