A Winter Day at the Oregon Coast

February 28, 2019 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

2/21/2019

We drove over the snowy Coast Range from Portland to Cannon Beach and explored some of our favorite places on a cold, sunny day. Everywhere else within reach was colder, wetter, snowier.

Arcadia Beach State Park

First stop, late morning. High tide was in the early afternoon so the beach was shrinking as we walked a couple of miles south along the shore. We could not get around any of the headlands. Heavy mineral concentrations on the sand-depleted winter beaches made beautiful patterns.

Looking down on Arcadia Beach from above – at low tide we would be able to walk around the headland and north all the way to Cannon Beach.

Tidal channels

Heavy mineral patterns

Foot for scale.

View to the south toward Hug Point and beyond.

Zooming in on Hug Point – as close as we would get to it today.

Hug Point State Park

Tide even higher, so our stop here was brief.

Beach at Hug Point State Park – north view at high tide. We would not be able to see the waterfall or Hug Point itself today.

South view – in the summer the sand stretches for miles at low tide!

Arch Cape Beach

We have stayed near this beach many times over the past 30 years. We found a log to perch on while we ate our lunch. Only the rocky shingle was exposed on the winter beach. Thick foam was washing around in the swash zone, floating on the ebbing water, sparkling in the sun.

Lunch view to the north.

Lunch view to the south, Arch Cape and Castle Rock.

Neahkahnie Viewpoint

At the south end of Oswald West State Park, the view to Nehalem Bay and Manzanita to the south is stunning.

Neahkahnie Mountain

We hiked the three mile round trip to the top of Neahkahnie Mountain – beautiful views on this cold day.

Much of the trail is through shady forest.

View from the rocky top. Nehalem Bay and Manzanita Beach.

Note the snow capped peaks in the Coast Range.

Short Sand Beach, Oswald West State Park

We walked a couple of miles here on the interconnected trails that lead to Short Sand Beach in Smuggler’s Cove.

Bridge over Necarney Creek

View to north from the south beach

View to south from the south beach

North beach of Smuggler’s Cove – Falcon Point and Blumenthal Falls

There were a few surfers in the water.

I accidentally photographed a surfer when I was zooming in on the falls.

Blumenthal Falls

Silver Point View

Looking back toward Cannon Beach and Haystack Rock.

Cannon Beach/Haystack Rock at Sunset

After an early dinner in Cannon Beach, we parked near Haystack Rock. Dan walked down the beach to photograph the sunset. I watched from above, keeping warm in the car. (Hike #11, 8 miles, 1100 feet for the day).

Haystack Rock

Tillamook Head to the north.

Crafting

I finished the first sock of this pair. I have set up a frame to practice canvas stitching.

Winter Gardens, Portland

February 19, 2019February 19, 2019 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

Hoyt Arboretum 2/15/2019

Two hours with no rain – we took a walk to the Winter Garden in Hoyt Arboretum, Washington Park. (Hike #9, 2 miles, 200 feet)

hellebore

wich hazel and daphne

bleeding dogwood

camellia

Erica arborea

heather

rose hips

birch trees

We saw more blooming witch hazel near the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial:

Crystal Springs 2/17/2019

A dry day – we met friends at Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden, and walked all around the lakes and garden paths. We then crossed the road and walked along Crystal Springs Creek through Reed Canyon on the Reed College campus. (Hike#10, 3 miles, 150 feet).

Bridge at the north end of the gardens near the entrance.

Winter plants were blooming, though nothing like the riot of color during rhododendron and azalea season.

Early blooming azalea

hellebore

heather

manzanita

heather

snow drops

an early rhododendron

paper bush

Water birds and reflections:

Crystal Springs Creek trail in Reed Canyon:

The bicycle/pedestrian bridge across the canyon.

Walking east along Reed Canyon.

A great blue heron near the marsh.

The spring inlet on the east end of campus.

The lake on the west end of campus.

Cross Stitch

I mounted the Jane Austen House Cross Stitch on foam board using sequin pins and a few stitches at the corners. The piece is now hanging on my wall!

Jane Austen’s House in Chawton, May 2018. I realize now the cross stitch kit view is the side facing the garden, not the street front.

Knitting

I found buttons for my Brioche Headscarf, and have worn it!

White herons at Ridgefield

February 14, 2019 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge, Washington, 2/7/2019

Cold and snowy in the Pacific Northwest. We went to the wildlife refuge to stretch our legs and look for birds. We walked the Oaks to Wetlands trail in the Carty Unit. Hike #8, 3.2 miles.

Bridge into the refuge.

Old oak tree.

Great blue heron on the path.

Wild geese in the distance.

We saw several great blue herons, and two of them seemed to have a white egret companion, but after a little googling, we found that there is a white morph of the great blue heron.

Two herons across one of the lakes.

We saw another pair in the distance across the northernmost lake.

Icy shoreline, two herons in the far distance.

Zoomed in – the two herons.

Crafting

I knit a Brioche Headscarf, pattern by Margaret K. L. Thompson, out of the leftover Berroco Millifiori hat yarn. Two evenings of knitting, I just need to add a button.

I am working on framing my Jane Austen’s House cross stitch.

Lewis River Waterfalls, a hat finish, and snow in Pdx

February 8, 2019 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

January 31, 2019 Moulton Falls, Bells Mountain trail, and Lucia Falls, Washington

Our first time hiking here. We have passed through on our way to Silver Star Mountain in the summer, and noted the crowds enjoying the swimming holes along the Lewis River near Battleground, Washington. Today we stopped to see the waterfalls in the off season, and to hike up the nearby Bells Mountain trail for a view of Mt St Helens.

The rails to trails path along the Lewis River goes over this beautiful bridge, the East Fork High Bridge, which is apparently a popular jumping spot in summer.

Downstream from the bridge.

Upstream from the bridge.

Looking down…

My shadow self portrait.

Up the Bells Mountain trail – about 1000 feet up in 1.5 miles, so a good work out.

Uphill through ferns and second growth forest…

Until we cross a clear cut area, and the view to Mt St Helens opens up.

Ice on the trail

Lunch time view – across the Lewis River area to Mt St Helens.

Passing Moulton Falls on the return hike

Nearby Yacolt Falls

And Lucia Falls:

Total for the day: 6.7 miles, 1100 feet, hike #7.

Knitting

I finished my Brioche Watch Cap, after having to buy an extra skein of Berocco Millifiore yarn, just in time for snow in Portland.

Neighborhood, 2/5/2019

Snow…

And a view of Mt St Helens and the Ross Island and Tilikum Crossing Bridges from the OHSU eighth floor waiting room. Latest follow up results are all good!

1/29/2019

Exploring North Devon – Lynton to Ilfracombe, UK

February 7, 2019February 7, 2019 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

Day 14 – More North Devon Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Our plan for the day was to explore along the coast of North Devon to the west of our lodging in Lynton.

Valley of Rocks – Castle Hill

Our first stop was in the Valley of Rocks again. We wanted to climb to the top of Castle Hill this time. We had great views and a wildlife encounter.

Valley of Rocks

This bird escorted us up the path on an otherwise quiet day.

Dan ascending, the bird on the upper left.

I hiked up the next rise to find my path blocked by feral goats.

We found another path to the top.

Looking down on the goats.

An ‘arch’ of Devonian sandstone near the top.

View to the west, where we hiked two days ago.

Looking down on the goats again as we head down hill.

Another ‘cheese wring’ across the road.

Trentishoe

Next, we drove west through the rolling landscape, and stopped for a coastal view at Trentishoe Hill.

Looking east along the Devon coastline.

A rocky cove beyond the blooming gorse.

Holdstone Down

We took a short hike to a trig point at Holdsmore Down.

Track across Holdstone Down.

Holdstone Down trig point

View to the west

Looking south across downs to the manicured counterpane farm fields.

Combe Martin

We explored the rocky cove and beach at Combe Martin as the tide was coming in. it would have been nice to explore around to the next cove, but seemed too risky.

The beach at Combe Martin, tide rising.

Dipping Devonian sandstones form one wall of the beach.

The walk along the cliffs.

Spring flowers above.

Looking back to town.

Sandstone and the view across the harbor.

Walking around the cliff edge.

Tide pools

Tide coming in along the outer walkway.

Limpets and snails

Eroding stairway up the cliff.

After exploring the beach we drove on to the western viewpoint looking back down to Combe Martin beach.

The walkway along Combe Martin beach.

We could also see to the west from the upper viewpoint.

Ilfracombe

Our last stop was the sprawling town of Ilfracombe. It is surrounded by water and spread out over several rocky hills. The rising tide meant we could not go into the famous Tunnel Beach. Instead, we explored the viewpoints and some local art installations, and finally stopped at a teashop for a famous Devon Cream Tea – two light and fluffy scones with Devon cream and strawberry jam, and a pot of tea. All was delicious.

Ilfracombe Harbor

We walked through town, then uphill to the Ilfracombe Observatory, with great views all around

Back to the southeast.

We had our tea in one of these shops.

To the southwest.

To the north – the sea.

Top of the hill.

The Tunnel Beaches are along those cliffs to the west. As we admired the view, we noticed an interesting mosaic installation just beyond the beach.

We could actually pace out the distance this local athlete had triple jumped while setting a (still standing) world record in 1995.

It’s hard to imagine going this distance (18.29 meters/60 feet) in three ‘steps’!

Looking back to the beach and Observatory Hill.

After our tea, we walked back toward the harbor, with the goal of seeing another local art installation called Verity – which, at more than 20 m high, can’t be missed!

Verity by Damien Hirst, Ilfracombe Harbor

This side of the statue displays the organs beneath the skin.

This was our last stop for the day. We found our way back to Lynton, and packed up our belongings, ready to leave tomorrow for our next stop, Bath. And more Jane Austen history.

Silver Falls and Steigerwald

February 2, 2019February 2, 2019 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

1/27/2019 Steigerwald Wildlife Refuge, WA

A short walk on a foggy day with one of our sons.

Ducks

Swans

Great Blue Heron near the bridge

Ephemeral reflections

Bald eagle pair watching over all.

2.3 miles, hike #5 for 2019.

1/28/2019 Silver Falls, OR

Windy and cold in Portland, but warmer to the south. We drove to Silver Falls State Park in the Cascade foothills east of Salem, Oregon, where the North and South Forks of Silver Creek fall in steep drops or shorter cascades over ledges of volcanic rock. We hiked the Trail of Ten Falls, though we skipped one – so the Trail of Nine Falls. One or more waterfalls every mile of the seven mile loop keeps the trail interesting. Lots of water in the falls, compared to my last visit in August of 2017!