September 2024 Hiking – two views of Hamilton Mountain, WA

October 5, 2024September 29, 2024 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

We like to look at where we’ve been, we like to look at where we’re going…

And we could do that from both trails this month – we looked up at Hamilton Mountain, first from the Columbia River level, then from half way up the mountain.

September 16th – Strawberry (or Hamilton) Island, North Bonneville, WA

We have been out here before once, on a foggy day when a herd of elk emerged from the mist. Today, it is a good place for a flat walk with no danger of falling (hand healing protocol). We saw some birds, crossed a dry channel to an island in the Columbia River, and had a good view of the mountains on both sides of the river (2.5 miles, 100 feet).

Totem at the Trailhead

Trailhead map

Our Gaia track for the day

View of Hamilton Mountain from the west end of Strawberry Island

A selection of fall foliage, flowers and berries:

Hawthorne

Blackberries

Wild Carrot

Tansy

Blackberry leaves

We circled around the to the south and saw that the channel between Strawberry Island and Ives Island had mostly dried up, with a pond in the middle. As we walked down to investigate, we noticed two egrets along the shore.

South side of Strawberry Island, two egrets in the channel

Egrets

They flew up, and then to the west side of the channel slough,

and joined two Great Blue herons there.

Herons and egret

Heron and egret

It was a beautiful view down to Beacon Rock.

We then walked eastward, crossing the dry river channel over to Ives Island.

East end of the slough

View back to Beacon Rock

And a wide panorama view from Beacon Rock to Hamilton Mountain.

Micro-mudcracks on the rocks at the bottom of the channel.

Our return took us over the high point of Strawberry Island, where conveniently placed benches provide a nice place to admire the views in all directions.

Up to the high point

South – Columbia River and Oregon

East – Bonneville Dam

North – noting the shoulder of Hamilton Mountain (Little Hamilton Mountain), where our next hike would take us.

September 23rd – Little Hamilton Mountain, Beacon Rock State Park, WA

My husband’s hand is sufficiently healed, and he has the surgeon’s okay to hold a hiking pole. We need to get some elevation in our legs, so we will see how far up Hamilton Mountain we can go. I think about half way, and I am right. Without the hanging cliff gardens of spring wild flowers, I lost my “up” legs about half way. It is a steep trail and a good work out. Also, the views from Little Hamilton Mountain are better than the tree-obstructed views at the top, though we won’t see Mt Adams from here. It was a good day, a little warm, so I appreciated the tree cover on the way down (4.2 miles, 1355 feet).

View to the top of Hamilton Mountain from the power line cut on the trail.

Rodney Falls and Pool of the Winds, about a mile up the trail.

Downstream from the falls.

The next section is shady and steep!

No flowers, just reddening poison oak…

Looking up at the cliffs we must climb…

We made it to the viewpoint at Little Hamilton Mountain, in time for lunch and a good look around.

Western view

Mt Hood to the south

Looking down on Strawberry Island, where we hiked last week.

Zooming in on the benches at the top of Strawberry Island.

Eastward view toward Bonneville Dam

And Hamilton Mountain looming behind us – another 1000 feet up, but not today.

We rested in the shade for a bit at the falls on the way down.

Hardy Creek and falls

We have plans for more adventures next month, and hope to finish the year strong, after this time off for my husband’s hand surgery.

September 2024 at home

October 4, 2024September 29, 2024 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

We spent a lot of time working on home projects this month while following doctor’s orders to stay off trails while my husband’s Dupuytren hand surgery healed. The good news is that his hand is much more functional, and we are back on the trail – see the next post. Meanwhile, at home in Portland, it has mostly been a beautiful month – not too hot or smoky, and we’ve had a few local adventures…

September skies-

Art in the Pearl, September 2nd – I like to walk through the exhibits, and be thoroughly inspired by the many thousands of hours of artistic creativity on view – a few of my favorites:

YanFang Inlow

Michael Mckee

Lindsay Fox

Lyn Sedlak-Ford

HONG RUBINSTEIN

Backdrop of new and old buildings…

And a comparison – last year I took a photo of the graffiti on the side of an old building near a vacant lot – this year there is a whole new building in the space…

2023

2024

Bookgroup views from Suavie Island on a beautiful evening-

North Portland

Mt St Helens

Neighborhood gardens-

Picnic lunch at Laurelhurst Park- on a day when we were running errands around town. We haven’t been here for years, though we visited often when our children were young.

Laurelhurst Park Lake

The dance studio

Charlie Brown van we passed near the park

Neighborhood whimsey- I noticed several new fairy gardens, and a new resident bear while on walks this month.

Lael Wilcox finished her Ride Around the World! – I followed this endurance athlete all summer as she circled the globe on her bicycle. I listened to her brief daily podcasts, and cheered her on from afar! (photos from Instagram)

Of course there has been knitting – I finished a scarf and cowl, started a hat, and acquired new yarn for gift socks…

New sock yarn

Chevron Cowl

Innsbruck Scarf

New sock yarn

New hat

Other news of the world –

A quote by one of my favorite artists:

Another (another another another) sad event:

And yet I continue to hope for change…

Neighborhood yard sign

August 2024 Hiking

September 7, 2024 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

I went on four hiking adventures in August – two to the coast on very hot days, and two to the slopes of Mt Hood.

August 5 – Ecola State Park and Hug Point, Oregon Coast

I like to spend my birthday in nature. It was too hot for hiking inland, so we headed to the coast for the day. We started at Ecola State Park, had a picnic lunch with a view, and took a 3 mile hike down to Crescent Beach and back.

View south from Ecola Point

Looking north from Crescent Beach toward Ecola Point

High tide was in the middle of the afternoon, so we wandered around Cannon Beach for a bit. I treated myself to a few quilting fabrics at Center Diamond, then we had an early dinner in town.

Birthday fabric, including puffins that remind me of Iceland.

Next, we went to one of our favorite beaches – Hug Point. First we walked south, looking at all the landmarks from the summers we spent entire weeks here with our kids.

View south from Hug Point

I was pleased to see pods of pelicans flying along the surf line.

The Cave

Big Barnacle Rock and Castle Rock

The little blue cottage on the bluff where we spent many a happy summer week

Farther south, more pelicans on a sand bar

Pelicans!

Then we walked north, up over Hug Point.

Walking toward Hug Point,

as the tide is going out.

View north from Hug Point

and looking toward the beach just on the other side

Oyster catcher among the mussels, barnacles and anemones on the Hug Point road bed

The Waterfall

Goodbye for now…

It was a beautiful evening – not too crowded, hot, or windy. As we drove home, I was completely satisfied with my birthday adventure.

August 8 – Sitka Sedge State Park, Oregon Coast

Another hot day inland, we decided to investigate this relatively new State Park near Pacific City, a little farther down the coast from our usual spots.

Our trail through Sitka Sedge Natural Area, about 4 miles.

The entry trail along a dike separates the Sand Lake Estuary from a wetland to the south. Then the trail goes through a vegetated dune that runs parallel to the coast. We walked through the forest for a bit, and ate lunch looking back toward the estuary wetlands.

Sand Lake Estuary

Sandy trail over the dunes

Heron and gulls from our lunch stop

After lunch we emerged onto the foggy beach, and walked south for a ways, before circling back up and over the dune, completing the loop to the entry trail.

Emerging onto the beach

Looking north, beach off limits for now, as it is sand plover nesting season.

Looking south – lots of jellyfish in the flotsam

And back over the dunes…

It was a good place for a walk on a hot day – we saw a few birds and a hang glider, but not many other people.

Wetland south of the dike, with sand pipers

Sand pipers

Yellow legs

Cedar waxwing

August 14 – Umbrella Falls, Mt Hood

Another hot day, and an easier trail on Mt Hood. I still feel like I am getting my hiking legs back. I had never been to Umbrella Falls, always opting for the harder hikes in the area that go up higher on Mt Hood. Also, one can practically drive to Umbrella Falls from the Mt Hood Meadows parking area, but we wanted to hike. This trail offered a fair amount of shade, some wildflower meadows, a peek at the mountain and two waterfalls.

Mt Hood, from Hwy 35

Shady trail junction from the Elk Meadows Trail

Views across the ski runs of Mt Hood Meadows

We could see the top of the mountain from our shady lunch spot

Mt Hood, Sitka Mountain Ash berries

Umbrella Falls

Umbrella Falls

Fireweed

Meadows of pearly everlasting

Pearly everlasting

This tree spoke to me on the way down

Trail junction

It turns out that the trail viewpoint of Sahalie Falls requires scrambling down a steep cliff, but I could see from the map that we could drive to a better view point along the frontage road.

Sahalie Falls, from the old road

Trail Map – 4.3 miles, 700 feet elevation gain.

August 20 – Cloud Cap Shelter and TImberline Trail High Point, Mt Hood

One of my favorite spaces on the edge of the sky…requiring a long drive up a deteriorating road to the trailhead at the Cloud Cap Campground (elev. 5800 feet). Then up the rocky and sandy East Eliot Moraine trail, a few close ups of the Eliot Glacier during our lunch stop, a visit to the Cloud Cap Shelter, then a gradually rising track across the alpine slopes to the 7300 foot high point on the Timberline Trail. The mountain was mostly under the cloud cap today, but I still and always enjoy the elevation and the views!

Looking northeast from the East Eliot Moraine – Mt Adams peeking through the clouds, and our starting point from the Cloud Cap Campground. The Cloud Cap Inn/Crag Rats Headquarters has a new roof!

Zooming in on Mt Adams

Looking along our trail up the moraine toward the Eliot Glacier

The Cloud Cap Shelter on the skyline

Zoom view

The mountain is trying to come out!

Eliot Glacier close ups…

Elliot Glacier

Eliot Glacier

Sun break

Crossing south to the Cloud Cap Shelter

No one else here, though we did pass a few groups of backpackers today.

Lupine and buckwheat

Southbound along the cairn-posted Timberline Trail

And looking back northeast – the Hood River Valley beyond.

Asters

Partridge foot

A few short snow crossings

Approaching the high point of the Timberline Trail

My husband took this photo of me walking along the high point ridge to our usual rest stop.

The other side of the ridge – Mt Jefferson on the horizon. The Timberline Trail continues down to Gnarl Ridge.

Mini lupine

Heading back to the Timberline Trail high point saddle – We can see Cooper Spur, but the top of Mt Hood is still hiding under the cloud.

We walk back along the edge of the sky.

We take the main Timberline Trail below East Eliot Moraine on the way down, and I look for the giant boulder that has been teetering on the edge the last few times we have hiked here.

It is still here!

Monkey flowers and lupine in Tilly Jane Creek

And this little ground squirrel, wishing us farewell until next time…

Later in the month, my husband had a surgery on his hand, so we will be curtailing our hikes for a few weeks. But there will be more adventures soon!

August 2024 at home…

September 1, 2024 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

August is my birthday month. I had a lovely day at the Oregon Coast, and 3 other hiking adventures this month – described in the next post. In the meantime, I have been walking the neighborhood, knitting, visiting with friends, and trying to keep hopeful for what happens next in the world!

Neighborhood flowers, shadows, cracks, other sights:

Cat

Fairy garden

Farmers Market and summer fruit:

Tomatoes and blueberries

Peaches from Boring, OR

Strawberries

Homegrown Italian plums

Hollywood Farmers Market

Knitting – I finished my Emotional Support Chicken and a pair of socks, with a few other projects in progress:

Emotional Support Chicken

Finished socks; Innsbruck scarf in progress

Iceland/Caladiz Vest

Scrap yarn One Chevron Cowl, in progress

Other ...We have been laying low at the end of the month, as my husband recovers from a hand surgery. A few images from around town and elsewhere:

Portland – I love the flying geese imagery of the Fremont Bridge across the Willamette River:

Fremont Bridge, westbound

Camas, WA – My friend’s Echinacea and bees are thriving:

The Columbia River from Camas, WA, August 12, 2024

North Carolina – Our daughter has a new office space on the Duke Campus:

Durham, NC, August 2024

In New Zealand – The Northern Royal Albatross Web Cam chick is near fledging:

In memory – My mother would have reached her 100th birthday this month. This is one of my favorite pictures of her, at Mt Rainier, in 1995, age 71.

She died in 2006. I always regretted that she didn’t get to see Obama elected president – she would have been so happy. But she would have been crushed by what happened in 2016, so I’m glad she missed that. She would have been fully hopeful, as I am, about our future:

July 2024 update…

August 9, 2024August 9, 2024 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

We were in Iceland for the last week of June and first two weeks of July. When I returned, I had a 24 hour travel day, a nine hour time shift, and a very mild case of Covid as part of my re-entry process. I made it through all, and then was able to share some time with visiting family members.

July 18-23 – Visiting with my family in Portland and Eugene. We spent a few days in Portland, and came across quilt shows in the Portland Central Library, and at Powell’s Books. We also visited the Peninsula Park Rose Garden.

Portland’s beautiful Central Library, with art show:

Quilt show at Powell’s Books:

Peninsula Park Rose Garden:

Family events in Eugene and Portland:

A favorite garden in Eugene

A belated birthday party

Knitting – I made progress on the Emotional Support Chicken, very fun! And started knitting a vest with the Allafoss Lopi yarn I bought in Iceland.

Emotional Support Chicken, in progress

Vest swatch

Hiking – Larch Mountain, Oregon – July 30th – I went on one short hike at the end of the month. It was cloudy, so no mountain views today. Lovely to be in the forest and see a few wildflowers.

Sherrard Point Trailhead – only a third of a mile, less than 200 feet, to the top.

Stairs to the top of Larch Mountain

Views to the south – Mts Hood and Jefferson behind all those clouds.

Looking north – clouds, rocks, wildflowers

Traveling – June 23 – July 13 – We drove completely around Iceland, more than 1200 miles of driving, and more than 50 miles of hiking. We visited every size and shape of waterfall; also, volcanic rocks, geothermal fields, glaciers, fjords, black sand beaches, birds, and wildflowers. I plan to create a more detailed post in the future. Below is a highlight photo collage.

Fjadrargljufur

Skaftafelljokull and Svinafellsjokull glaciers from the Sjornipa Overlook, Skaftafell

Harpa, Reykjavik

Reykjavik

Skogafoss

Ice Cave, Mýrdalsjökull⁩, Vik

Whimbrel and chick, Dryholaey

Reynisfjara – Black Sand Beach, Vik

Svartifoss

Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon, Vatnajokull National Park

Atlantic puffins, Borgarfjordur

Icelandic sheep, Seydisfjordur

Vestdalfossar, Seydisfjordur

Godwit

Selbrekkufoss

Rjukandafoss

Dettifoss

Dimmuborgir lava field

Namafjall Geothermal area

Lake Myvatn

Godafoss

Nootka lupine, buttercups, cuckooflowers; Siglufjordhur⁩

Angelica, Siglufjordhur⁩

Arctic thyme, alpine lady’s mantle

Hruanfossar

Meanwhile, a couple of family members were also traveling:

From Iceland, my husband continued eastward to Chamonix, France. He completed an 80 mile hiking tour of Mont Blanc with a tour company!

Mont Blanc

And my daughter was able to travel with friends to Portugal, then on to Paris for a bit of Olympics!

Portugal

Paris

Looking forward…with hope…

June 2024

July 14, 2024June 20, 2024 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

June, so far…Three hikes, watching the tomatoes grow, pulling weeds, checking off the medical and dental appointments, some home maintenance, and getting ready for travel. Then off we went to Iceland for three weeks… (See next post)

Some views from the tram plaza at OHSU:

Knitting – I’m making slow but pleasant progress on my Garter Mesh scarf, using the Linello yarn I bought in Innsbruck last summer. I enjoy watching the rainbow unfurl as I go. And I’ve got the second sock of a pair ready for airplane knitting.

Knitting in progress…

I started knitting an Emotional Support Chicken, using leftover sock yarn. So fun! This one really calls to me, even though I have other things to work on.

Garden – The tomatoes, basil, and flowers are growing – I have foiled the snails and squirrels so far. I’m hoping for an overgrown profusion of flowers and tomatoes when we return.

Tomatoes, basil and marigolds

Snapdragons, zinnias, cosmos, dahlias, and pentstemon.

Delphinium in the neighborhood

Hikes –

June 6 – Saddle Mountain, OR – We love this hike, though it seems steeper each year. The yellow monkey flowers were particularly bright this year, and I found the first of the Lewisia columbiana, just starting to bloom. All the Cascade Mountain peaks were out today.

Saddle Mountain from the trailhead, and a meadow of candy flowers

Monkey flowers along the trail

Topknot Rock

Meadows, approaching the penultimate high point.

But we still have to go down the saddle and then up to the summit; fortunately, the wildflowers pull me up.

Mts Rainier, St Helens and Adams from the top

Panorama – west to north – Pacific Ocean, Astoria

Panorama – north to east – The High Cascades: Mts Rainier, St Helens, Adams, Hood and even Jefferson in the haze south of the lower summit.

Some of the flowers:

Monkey flower and rosy plectritis

Iris

Meadow rue

Shooting stars and saxifrage

Prairie smoke

Paintbrush, viola, chickweed

Paintbrush, buttercup, checker mallow, phlox, chickweed

Lewisia columbiana

Saddle Mountain bittercress, fleabane

Tufted saxifrage

June 11 – Salmon Creek Greenway Trail and Klineline Pond, WA – One day our appointments were near Salmon Creek in southwest Washington, and we had some extra time for a walk here. It was okay – a bit too hot to walk very far on this unshaded trail, and far enough into the summer that things were getting a little weedy and dry – not a wilderness experience, but a valuable resource for locals – a swimming and fishing pond, a bike path along the creek, and nearby sports fields. We could hear lots of birds in the trees.

Bridge over Salmon Creek

Salmon Creek from the bridge

Klineline Pond

Another pond along the greenway

June 19 – Lookout Mountain, Oregon – Somehow we got the idea that this hike was accessible, and the trailhead (6000 feet) is, but half a mile and 400 more elevation feet up the trail, and it was all snow. We weren’t really equipped for that, so we spent a little time looking at the abundant shooting stars, marsh marigolds and buttercups in the High Prairie Trailhead meadow.

High Prairie Trailhead

400 feet higher – the trail disappeared under snow.

High Prairie Meadow, Mt St Helens beyond

Shooting stars and buttercups

Marsh Marigolds

On our return drive, we took a short walk on the Cook Meadows side trail that we explored last summer in July when it was bursting full of wildflowers. We saw just the beginnings of the bloom there.

Cook Meadows view of Mt Hood, June 2024

Same view, July 2023, with scarlet gillia

Some of the flowers we saw today:

Trillium, Oregon anemone

Balsam root

Jacob’s ladder

Dusky horkelia

Yellow paintbrush

The first of the season King/Coho salmon was available from a native fish market in Hood River, making our trip worthwhile, even if our hike was abbreviated.

And of course, Happy Solstice and Happy Pride Month!

Next stop, Iceland!

May 2024 Hiking, wildflower season…

June 4, 2024 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

We went on five hikes in May. Though most were repeat hikes, we return for good reason – to see the wildflowers. And we found a new trail with mountain lady slippers in bloom!

May 2, Stacker Butte, WA – We hiked along the road above Dalles Mountain Ranch to the top of Stacker Butte on a foggy day – the clouds lifted and did not rain on us. All the wildflowers were out! (5 miles, 1000 feet)

Looking up from the trailhead…

Paintbrush, lupine, and balsamroot

Daggerpod, desert parsley, large head clover, and buckwheat

Looking toward the crest and some of the many cell towers at the top

Paintbrush, phlox, and all the rest

Lunch view from the top, looking north. Clouds blocked our view of Mt Adams; bight yellow wildflowers painting the slopes above Swale Canyon.

Long view to the east, with wind turbines.

And looking south, back to the river, The Dalles, and Dalles Mountain Ranch.

Lupine and balsamroot

One of many meadow larks, singing.

There is a famous rusted out jalopy near Dalles Mountain Ranch – often seen in flower-filled photographs this time of year. The short trail usually has lots of visitors, but there were none today, so we visited for the first (and likely the last) time, and took our share of photographs.

May 8, Weldon Wagon Road, WA – We took the usual hike up through the forest to the open slopes painted yellow with balsamroot and desert parsley (4.7 miles, 1200 feet).

The open slopes, and Mt Hood

Along the trail

Fern leaf parsley

Bare stem biscuitroot/parsley

May 14, Tom McCall Point, OR – Again, our usual hike to the top, on an almost too warm day, with some later season blooms near the top (4 miles, 1000 feet).

Our objective – Tom McCall Point from Rowena Crest trailhead; Mt Hood peeking up on the right.

Looking back at Rowena Crest, the Columbia River and Mt Adams.

Penstemon, balsamroot, paintbrush and Mt Hood.

Looking toward Lyle Cherry Orchard from the top, and a distant yellow canola? field. We’ve never noticed that before.

Another view down river, with Mt Adams.

Blue flax

Clarkia

Whitestem frasera

And another pass through parsley alley on the return.

May 20, Cape Horn, WA – Our daughter joined us for this hike through the tall larkspur-lined trail – a seasonal treat! (3.3 miles, 600 feet)

Much of the trail looks like this – shady forest and tall larkspur, this time of year.

Larkspur

We walked all the way down to the waterfall viewpoint.

View up the Columbia River to Beacon Rock from the Waterfall Overlook.

A few other wildflowers seen today…

Red columbine, blue-eyed Mary, purple iris, white thimbleberry

Fringecup and larkspur

Honeysuckle

And more larkspur!

May 30, Lady Slipper Trail, Brooks Memorial State Park, WA – This was a new trail for us, about a two hour drive from Portland, in the Simcoe Mountains north of Goldendale, WA. We had heard that the Lady Slipper Trail here was a place one can see the elusive mountain lady slipper orchids. The plants are rare and endangered, so locations are not publicized. The park ranger told us approximately where to look.

Lupine in the picnic area, about 2600 feet elevation.

After lunch in the picnic area, we slowly hiked along the Lady Slipper Loop, looking carefully. We eventually found one patch of about a dozen blooming plants! (1.5 miles, 200 feet)

Mountain lady slippers near the trail

Another few clumps in a nearby clearing

Closer view

The other cheek

With forest beyond

Very pretty!

And we could see Mt Hood in the distance on the return trail.

After our hike, we stopped at the Maryhill Art Museum, as described in the previous post, before driving home. We have certainly seen our share of the wildflowers in May!

May 2024…

May 31, 2024 / margaretquilts / 1 Comment

May was a busy month, with a visit from our daughter being the best part. We also planted our garden, and went on several hikes (next post). I cut out some new quilt block pieces and knit on several projects.

Sewing – Emily taught us to make her famous sock monkeys, and we got a good start. We will finish during her next visit.

Emily’s Sock Monkey

Other monkeys, in progress

Knitting – I finished a shawl and one sock, and started another scarf.

Modified Chloris Shawl

One sock done, one started.

Garter and Lace Scarf made from the Linello yarn I bought in Innsbruk last summer

Quilting – Friends All Around – I cut patches for quilt blocks from the leftover Transparency Quilt fabric.

Tentative patch placement – Modern Quilt Studio – Friends All Around blocks

Garden – We planted tomatoes, basil, cucumbers, marigolds, a few other flowers….

Neighborhood Rainbow – So many things blooming in our neighborhood! I collected a rainbow on my walk one day…

Art Experiences – Emily and I visited our friend Claire’s latest exhibit in a downtown hotel. I love her ability to capture the beauty I see all the time in our favorite natural places.

Paintings by Claire Christy-Tirado

Coyote Wall

View from Timberline

We also saw this nautilus when walking around downtown.

May 30th – We took a short hike at Brooks Memorial State Park outside of Goldendale, WA, then stopped to see the latest exhibit at Maryhill Museum.

The setting…

View from the museum plaza looking …east,

South,

And west.

I was particularly interested in seeing their new exhibit, a collection of historic and new paintings and photographs, arranged in geographic order from east to west along the Columbia River. I’ve shared a few of my favorites below.

The most impressive piece was a four panel journey along the Columbia River – beautiful!

And random extras – We were served by a “robot” waiter in a Burmese Restaurant.

Robot waiter

A lovely Mother’s Day card…

April 2024, hiking, etc…

May 16, 2024May 15, 2024 / margaretquilts / 2 Comments

April is prime wildflower season in the eastern Columbia River Gorge. Before and after our road trip to California in the middle of the month, we hiked some of our favorite wildflower trails.

April 2nd – Tom McCall Preserve/Rowena Crest, OR – We walked the lower section of Tom McCall Preserve, and then a loop on Rowena Plateau, on a day when the balsamroot were just opening, and unusual clouds were reflected in the Columbia River.

Looking back at the Rowena Crest viewpoint

Popcorn flowers in the meadow

Glacier lilies

Balsamroot just starting to bloom at the lower elevations

Fresh balsamroot

Parsley alley, with purple Columbia desert parsley

and fern leaf parsley

Over on Rowena Plateau…

Clouds reflected in the glassy Columbia River

And in the pond on the plateau

April 5th – Memaloose Hills, OR – My childhood friend Susan visited for the first time since the pandemic. We took her to see the balsamroot in the Memaloose Hills, on a slightly rainy and windy day.

Walking up the southside of Chatfield Hill with freshly blooming balsamroot.

More flowers of the day…

Shooting stars and balsamroot

Death camas

Blue-eyed Mary, chocolate lily

Big leaf maple

Buttercups, balsamroot

And we stopped to show her Multnomah Falls on the way home…

Multnomah Falls

April 22nd – Dalles Mountain Ranch, WA – We hiked the Upper Loop near the ranch through these famous blooming fields…

Balsamroot and lupine, Dalles Mountain Ranch

Balsamroot

One tree to rule them all!

Phlox, Mt Hood

April 22nd – Catherine Creek, WA – And we heard that the Lewisia had begun blooming at Catherine Creek, so we made a short side trip up to the Fairy Ponds on our way home.

Bitterroot on basalt

Camas

Swales of camas and orchards of Mosier

Bitterroot

April 30th – Mosier Plateau, OR – A short hike on a slightly rainy day.

Mosier Plateau, and the S curve of Coyote Wall across the Columbia River

Meanwhile, in Portland …

Dogwood and camus were blooming in the neighborhood….

Dogwood

Giant camas

I took my friend to Powell’s Books, where the small art gallery had a display of book art….

I finished knitting a cowl, and made progress on my travel socks…

Ebb and Flow Cowl, pattern by Michele Bernstein; Barrett Wool Company Evenfall yarn

Travelling sock

And in the spirit Keeping Portland Weird, someone in my neighborhood has gone full Mad Hatter’s Tea Party with their yard decor…I love it!

Meme of the month…

California Road Trip, part 3, Northbound – April 2024

May 15, 2024 / margaretquilts / Leave a comment

We drove home to Portland through the redwoods of Northern California and past the beaches of southern Oregon.

Tuesday, April 16 – Returning North – We left Oakland via the Richmond Bridge, heading north on 101. We passed the exit to my college, but did not stop until we reached the redwoods.

Crossing the Bay Bridge – Mt Tamalpais to the west.

The hills in Sonoma County were green!

Waving at Sonoma State University as we drive past…

Our first stop in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, was at the Gould Grove.

Stretching our legs at the Gould Grove Nature Trail, a short loop.

Into the forest…

Just breathtakingly beautiful!

and large!

Red wood

We drove a little farther along The Avenue of the Giants…

Avenue of the Giants

And then stopped for another walk, in the Founders Grove.

Founders tree

Looking up…

Oxalis on the forest floor

Horizontal nurse log

Foliage

Scale…

Shattered tree

Looking up again.

We stayed that night with a friend in Arcata, and went to dinner in a fabulous old building in the town square – The Plaza Grill.

Wednesday, April 17th – Continuing northward…we stopped in the morning for a short hike on the Trillium Falls Trail in Redwoods National Park –

Trail guide

Redwoods

Red wood

Trillium Falls

Trillium

We continued driving north on 101, into Oregon. We were planning to stop at some of the beautiful beaches in the Boardman Corridor, but the wind was howling, so beach walking not a good option. We stayed in Bandon, our destination for the evening, hoping for a calmer day tomorrow.

Welcome back to Oregon!

Beach views at Arch Rock in southern Oregon

Arch Rock

Crossing one of the many Art Deco bridges on the Oregon Coast – over the Rogue River in Gold Beach.

Looking North from the Face Rock viewpoint in Bandon – the wind it is howling!

View toward Bandon Beach from our hotel.

Thursday, April 18th – The wind had calmed! We had time for a long walk on Bandon Beach in the morning, before heading north again towards home.

Crossing the beach dunes…

Looking north toward Face Rock

But first we walked south, to the rock formations on the beach

Reflections in the sand…

And shadows

Serpentinite

with veins

Time to walk north, toward Face Rock

Sea stacks, with oyster catcher

Oyster catcher

Sea stacks

Face Rock viewpoint, where we nearly blew away last night

Flying geese

Face Rock

Goodbye to the beach for now – though I would love to return to Bandon for a longer stay. We drove north on 101, with a short detour to the Darlingtonia Wayside near Florence, to eat lunch and take a quick look at the carnivorous plants.

Another Art Deco bridge, this time over Coos Bay.

Darlingtonia Wayside

Carnivorous plants

From there, it was about 3-4 hours driving to our home. I loved seeing the California landscapes again, and I hope to return and see many more places we have yet to visit.

Location Map, California Road Trip, April 2024

Margaret Quilts

Quilting, Knitting, Hiking