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.
Eight books read in August 2025
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.The first leaf of fall?Salmon River from the bridgeView to the nearby ridge across a marsh on one of the nature trails.Shady reflections in the waterForest bathing here…More reflectionsSalmon sculptureRiver access for picnickersUnderwater viewing chamberWe 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.
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…
View south from the balconyView north from the balcony
8/3 – Bandon Beach South
Our first evening, we took a walk to the south of our hotel…
Walking south of BandonLots of shore birdsWalking north again, with birdsSunset from the balcony
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 south from the Face Rock overlook.View north from the Face Rock overlook, our destination for the day.Sea stacks and reflections.Lots of shiny stones in the swash zone.Dry sand blowing into the ripple marks.Pelicans and cormorants on the islet.Elephant rock.More reflections.
We spent a fair amount of time watching a flock of whimbrels.
WhimbrelsZooming inWalking southWith sea stacksWalking north
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.
Seals nappingCloser viewThis one is awake.Seal pup.
Walking back south, we encountered a bit more marine life…
Walking south along Bandon beachSea anemonesOyster catchers
Back at the hotel, we were treated to another lovely sunset.
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.
Looking north, Shore Acres State ParkConcretionsTide pools in the dipping sandstone beds.Not much wave action.
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.Concretions close upAnother viewSouthern viewpoint.Water rushing in at low tide.
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.Seals and cormorantsMore sealsMarine nursery
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…More sea lions on the rocksAnd a pelican flightLooking south from the trail
And then we walked the short trail down to the South Cove.
South Cove, Cape AragoLooking south from the beach.Sea stack and sandstone outcropPebbly sandstone textures.
Next, we walked through the Shore Acres Gardens.
Entry to Shore Acres GardensFormal GardensOur favorite area was the pondBeautiful reflectionsLily padsLilies
We drove back to Bandon, and had a delicious fish and chips dinner at the harbor.
BandonDinner!We sat at a picnic table on the pier.It was a beautiful evening!
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 viewpointsView to the southView 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.Art information
On to Cape Blanco, remembering our lovely walk here in January.
Cape Blanco LighthouseTrail down to the beachOnce 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.PelicansBeautiful viewsShiny rocksSea star and crabSea anemonesFog rolling in on our hike out.
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.
McCullough Bridge, Coos Bay, Oregon
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.
Margaret Quilts 