Early spring 2015

Here in Oregon, we've been experiencing what some are calling an "early spring". I call it a serious lack of winter weather. We've hardly had any precipitation, and hardly any snow on the mountains.

Even though our upcoming summer will likely be very dry and filled with wildfire smoke, it doesn't mean I can't enjoy getting out and driving on one of our recent 65°+ days. It's been a real treat actually!

I packed up the pooch a couple weekends ago, and headed for the hills, literally. I ended up circling a bit – another "let's see where this road goes" detour – but finally found another road (Pike Road out of Yamhill), that after some time on gravel, and seeing only one other vehicle, led me up to the top of an old logging tower spot, that has since been turned into the perfect summer campfire spot.

As we climbed up this road, I could see a view taking shape...

As we came to the top, we got out to enjoy the real view this spot had to offer. It was rather beautiful. As LM and I wandered around, taking in the scenery and the beautiful day, I noticed that I could actually see 4 mountains from where I was standing. If I really looked, I could almost see five. Moving a few feet closer to the "edge", I could see a sixth (though I couldn't get that one in the pic).

You could barely make out Rainier on the left, but Helens, Adams, Hood and Jefferson (not pictured, way to the right) were shining brightly in the February sunshine. Happy I stopped when I did, as the fine layer of "smog or clouds" that was hiding Rainier covered all but Adams and Hood after about an hour.

We wandered around for a while, made sure we both got some exercise. So much so, that LM decided he was tired of all the "nature" and he was ready to walk himself home! Impatient little bugger that he is. Note that all the walking we did that day, made for a very sleepy Chihuahua that evening!! ;)

I had just washed Bea the weekend before, so I took the opportunity or a few glamour shots. Yes, I love my rig. Even though her sister is now her cousin, and residing in a drier climate, Gert (Trudi) will always be my first love. But she's being well taken care of now, making a good friend happy, and I get visitation rights. :) Bea has over 117k on her now, and things are slowly taking shape...there will be more changes as time/money allows, but for now she looks/performs great.

The clean Bea experience lasted until about 30 minutes after this pic was taken. I found mud, and a little trail. :) :) We went about a mile down the trail before the ruts got way too deep (especially for me being out there solo), so we turned back. Was still a fun ride.

As it was beginning to get dark after all the playing was done, I opted to head back down the mountain, and finally came upon another vehicle. Not bad for a February Sunday. I'd like to go back up there and see where the road ends up...since there was much more to see, I'm sure.

Retracing The Tracks Of History

Sometime in March 2013, I met a friend over in The Dalles area, and we went out exploring some off-highway areas. I'd not spent much time out that way at all. At most just passing through as an alternate route, on my way back from Bend/Central Oregon.

There was still some snow on the highways (lesser traveled), and since this area was his stomping ground, we took off in his old beater truck. Fun time! He grew up driving the old dirt roads, and he could really handle the vehicle. We drove around for hours, exploring some various roads, until we came upon the Old Barlow Road. The history behind that particular stretch of dirt path, is that it's considered the last bit of the Oregon Trail. It winds for miles through the Mount Hood National Forest (and Cascade Range). We even passed the Emigrant Springs, which was a natural spring where the settlers used to stop and water their animals. It's actually a neat little bit of history, not too far from the ski resorts on Mount Hood.

After riding with him and sliding around (Dukes of Hazzard style) on a multitude of dirt and gravel roads, for half the day. We decided to swap rigs, and let me drive around and explore a bit. No Dukes driving for this girl. I didn't have my new tires yet! ;)

We got out a few times to go scouting for edible mushrooms, and find a few pieces of interesting wood for me to photograph. Plus, I needed to stretch my legs a bit. You might remember that I'm fascinated by the natural grains, textures and patterns that wood, stumps and rock provide. I tend to make my own "art" out of it. I'll post some of those at another time...but I did snap a few images that I liked.

This stump just caught my attention. Had we not been there in the middle of the day, it would've looked more ominous. Still pretty cool, with all the gnarled and sprawling roots. There were a lot like this, presumably the remnants from logging or past wind storms. 

This is a mountain laurel bush. It has a pretty bloom! The colors were amazing in the bright sun. Yet another reason why I love exploring Oregon in the springtime. Great color! 

This is an altered photo of moss on a rock. The patterning (almost mold-like) of the moss was super cool to me, and when I tweaked the colors, just took on a whole new look to me. It sort of looks like the texture of a starfish, but not as amplified. Pretty cool! 

While we were out exploring, we found a cool camping area next to this river. Great river rocks everywhere...probably decent fishing too! There was evidence (sadly) of a recent group of campers/party-friendly folks, who unfortunately left their trash/cans scattered about. Sad when they do that – leave their trash for others to pickup, or worse yet, for it to become part of the environment. Luckily, we had an extra trash bag to help alleviate some of the mess.

Guess my motto about this has always been: pack it in, pack it out and leave the area as pristine (or better) than you found it. You know, so the next person can enjoy the same beautiful area, instead of seeing your trash! GRRRR.

Of course, I just HAD to take a shot of Bea...while she was waiting for me to wander about with the LM, take photos and pick up other people's trash. :) See? Still had my old KM2s on. At this point, I had very little tread...in fact, a few weeks after this, that right front tire let me down! Literally! :) Luckily, I wasn't driving, had just parked at the beach, came back after walking to find her deflated. Wah-wah-waaah... She's got new kicks now!!

What would a mini road trip be without my favorite partner in crime, LM? He's with me almost everywhere. Poor little guy was tuckered out from a long day of dirt road riding, mushroom hunting (aka squirrel chasing) and walking.

Speaking of tuckered out...think I'll go take a nap! Enjoy the pictures.

A Long Time Ago...

So, since it's been a LONG time since I've blogged, I've been feeling the need. Checked out this blog a few days ago, and realized I miss documenting my travels, and having a space where I can show people my goings and doings.

I've been neglectful of my cameras, and have just recently offloaded a bunch of pictures from March-May of this year (2013). This post will contain a few of those images.

I'll get right to it. You all know I love to drive, so one day last March (2013) I set out toward Tillamook State Forest, more specifically Jordan Creek Road to explore some roads/trails for future more in-depth usage! I ended up driving for hours, running into very few ATV riders, as it was March and still somewhat snowy. It was nice to have the forest and roads mostly to myself, and I was able to truly enjoy nature, even taking an occasional wander outside the warmth and comfort of the Jeep to let the co-pilot use nature's facilities, as well as to snap some pics.

TSF is very scenic, moss covered and green at this time of year. I got lucky and had some light, in an otherwise gray and overcast early spring day.

This photo is of a creek (presumably Jordan Creek) that flows through the TSF and the OHV area.
The water was pretty high, and it was truly beautiful. Much more-so than this image reflects. Gorgeous time of year to be out and about! 

Below is another shot of Jordan Creek from a rough campsite area. Found some fantastic sites for camping. Haven't as yet used them, but it's always fun to scout out future sites! Again, very moss-covered, green and definitely Oregon-esque. Pictures can't relay the true colors, or certainly the sounds of the rushing water. Beautiful!

Along my trek that day, I ran into some snow. Nothing fancy. Just a little left scattered along the sides of the gravel roads. Up ahead further in this pic (around the corner, actually), the road was covered by a few inches of snow, but it only lasted a few hundred yards, then it was back to this lovely well-traveled gravel.
It was actually very serene up there. The elevation gained quite drastically at a few points, and since I was the only one out there, it was wonderfully quiet and peaceful.

This pic was taken about mid-way through my day's journey. I came upon a logging site (shut down for the weekend). Just added to the serenity. Machinery shut down, quiet and resting under a light dusting of snow. Pretty cool. Especially since the mountains under the clouds (ahead) were higher than I was. I spent a few minutes here just communing with nature – albeit some of it chopped and scarred with grader tracks – it was still beautiful. Again, hard for the image to relay the true color, and beauty that you're surrounded by up there.

More to come...

Bea's first road trip.

So in January 2011, I added another TJ to my budding Jeep collection...based on recent history with a certain ex, I decided to name her Bea. Sort of worked out, since my Gray Jeep is "Gert", that my Black Jeep is now "Bea". That's perhaps the most politically correct way to explain the name...if you really want to know what the "real" reason for the name Bea, you'd have to ask! This is her the first weekend I had her...over by the OHV area near Terrebonne, Oregon. Okay, maybe that technically was her first "road trip", but what follows is the first big one. She looks so "naked" without the winch/lights I've since added. :)

Anyway, I got a bee in my bonnet and wanted to go to Yosemite again. Had been a few years since I saw Half Dome in person...so I planned to meet my friend DHB in his hometown of Reno, then head over together. Well, due to our fantastically strange weather, there was still snow (yes, in May 2011) on the passes, so Yosemite was closed. :( Talk about sad! But we were together, had a Jeep and a week off, so we decided to just go somewhere. After poking around in the Nevada desert for a day or two, neither of us really wanted to make a decision on where to go next. So, we honestly flipped a coin to pick a direction!! It worked. Took us to some random places, but it was one of my most fun vacations ever, so completely worth the coin tossing!
Long story short...we started in Reno, then went out towards Fallon, then down to Tonopah, then over to Bishop, CA, and on over to San Francisco, then flipped a bitch, and headed back for Reno. Then I drove home to Portland. A non-stop vacation, that put a lot of fresh miles on Bea, but beautiful scenery, and a great friend and conversation to share it with. Oh, and of course Cujo was with us too.

The first evening I was there, we of course started driving...why not. If you know either of us, you'll understand. He took me out to Pyramid Lake, which is said to be haunted by the way...and this is where I discovered that I think Cujo can see ghosts! :) Another long story...but the evening made for a beautiful backdrop for an awesome Bea shot.


The above shots were taken outside of Fallon, NV...elevation was about 10,000ft. Overlooking a military installation (not THAT military installation). It seriously felt insane getting up to this point. The road was VERY steep (and still had snow on some spots), and when you sat against the seat, and looked out the side windows, all you could see was air...no land beside you, just sky and view. Have to say, was (and is) one of the coolest spots DHB has ever shown me. I'm going back next time I'm down there. Amazing views...strong wind! And absolute desolation.


After this, he took me to a little ghost town called Poinsettia. How the crap he knew where to find this was beyond me...near an old (but still working) Silver mine, down a very dusty road. (duh!) I think we only saw maybe two other vehicles that day. Crazy. But here is a pic of Bea doing a tiny bit of articulation...not much, but notice the co-pilot up there! :)
After we left Fallon, we decided to head toward Tonopah, NV. Those of you familiar with aviation, will know this as the home of the Tonopah Test Range, which developed the F-117A Stealth Fighter (Nighthawk). We took a drive-by near that particular installation, which by the way is very well tucked away.

Not far from its entry, was a small airport that had these great old, HUGE, wooden hangars. Granted, we were there at a good time for photos...but the colors of the wood and the sky were out of this world. Amazing buildings. Did I mention huge? Giant. Awesome, is the best way to describe them. Just relics from the past, sadly rotting away. But amazingly beautiful.

After Tonopah, we flipped the coin, and headed to San Francisco. Where we walked across the Golden Gate, then grabbed some amazingly delicious Italian food, then parked underneath the GGB and enjoyed a beautiful sunset in the comfort of the Jeep.

Lots of pictures of the bridge, so maybe I'll make it's own post later, but for now, here are a few quick shots.
View up one of the bridge towers...

Bea relaxing in the shade of the Golden Gate...

Taken from the end of the parking area under the GGB...was the perfect weather that day! The bridge was visible!

And finally, our "dinner" view of San Francisco from underneath the GGB. Amazing, is all I can say. There were surfers in front of us too...so we had dinner and a show! :)


And this ends my posting for now...will go through some more pics soon and try to catch up!

A new partner for my travels!

Perhaps the biggest thing that happened last April (2011) was that after years of thinking about and looking for, I decided to add a tiny partner to my travels...in the form of a Chihuahua. Cujo came into my life on April 12, 2011 and I haven't looked back. He's almost always with me, loves road trips as much as I do, and doesn't mind me stopping to ooh and aah over a sunset now and then. He's about 9 pounds of pure Chihuahua stubbornness, and I couldn't ask for a better travel companion. He fits seamlessly into my life and my Jeeps!

I just love his ears! He "alerts" to things all the time. Kinda freaky when he alerts to something behind or above me! Makes me think I'm being attacked by giant/stealthy bugs.

At any rate, here he is, my little pup, who is not so photogenic anymore...now that I've had him over a year, and after about the thousandth picture of him, he's bored with my photography! But when I took these (with my cell phone, sorry for the quality and random focus), he was still willing to pose.

He enjoys a good nap, for sure...so here he is, in all his sleepy glory. Barely able to keep his eyes open.




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Talk about a time gap.

Well, since it appears it's been OVER A YEAR since I last posted...I'm thinking it's time to toss up some new pictures here for your viewing pleasure! :)

Lets see if I can backtrack to about where I left off...

Looks like in early April of 2011, I was once again chasing sunsets with Pat. Here are a couple snaps at our "favorite" spot, out near a Newberg elementary school. It's right on the edge of town, and we get a decent view of the sky, without driving too far. The only downfall is that there are no hammocks there to sit and enjoy the sky show. :) Of course, we never think to bring our lawn chairs!

There were a lot of "good clouds" on this day. Big, fluffy, shape-shifting clouds. Gave us a different shot every few minutes. Too much fun when that happens. This little formation looked a bit ethereal, so I decided I liked it well enough to include it here.


Each time we go watch the sky here and take pictures...we draw a crowd. Usually the cars passing by slow down to see and a few people sneak out from the nearest neighborhood as well. It's almost like they see this everyday, so don't take notice of it, until two random strangers with cameras decide to capture the scene. Then they notice the beauty that's right in front of them. Course, the same could be said for everybody. Guess that's why I tend to carry my camera with me most times. Just so I can grab that impromptu shot!

This is one of the trees in the school "yard". I always enjoy the way the colors of the blooms bounce off the sky colors.

March Sunset

Wow. See? I caught up the last five months in just a few posts!
I feel bad that I've been so tied close to home, but it's for good reasons!

My latest sunset was last Friday. Again, with my friend in Newberg. We went to our usual spot, some farmland adjacent to a newly built elementary school. A close, but somewhat scenic area that provides a lot of available sky.

This day wasn't spectacular, but as as always, when I find myself staring at a cloud-filled sky, I think how thankful I am to live in such a beautiful area. And more importantly, that I am able to enjoy one of the simplest things this life has to offer...a beautiful sunset.

I often take random snapshots of myself and found this one pleasant enough to post. Me in all my sunset-lit, freckled glory!

As per usual, I am driving Gert (my gray Jeep). She's been with me through all the posts on this blog (or most), and I think it's time to acknowledge her! I can't believe it's been almost eight years since I took her for a test drive and later signed the papers. Awww... :) She enjoys a good sunset too!!

Crisp Mount Hood

Another one of my sunset hunting expeditions, which ended up mostly fruitless. This evening in early January 2011 left us wanting for a "real" sunset, but the colors that were thrown onto Mount Hood were lovely.

I was able to get a couple decent shots of the mountain, though it is days like this one, that I renew my interest in finding a nice long lens for my "big" Nikon. Something else for my list!

These pictures were taken off the St. Paul Hwy, just outside of Newberg, Oregon. I remember being SO VERY COLD taking these pictures, and hoping the sky would throw just a little more color at us. But it must have been too early in the year (Jan. 4) for Mother Nature to waste the good color on such a short lived sky show.

Bagby Hot Springs

My sister and I decided we needed a treat for our birthdays. So, over the first weekend of December, we decided to drive up to Bagby Hot Springs and take a dip!

It was cold, but not snowy down in the valley, but once we started heading up towards the hills, we saw more and more snow. Once we made the final turn off, I thought it prudent to actually pop the Jeep into four wheel drive. There was about 6" of rutted snow on the road. Though fairly well traveled, it was still snowing and made for some slippery driving.

Once you get to the parking area, it's a couple mile hike up to the springs.
They're doing some renovation to the buildings/tubs, so the public tubs were mostly out of commission. We chose to share one of the private tubs. Which was perfect, since not long after we got there, a load of teenagers showed up and filled up the remaining private tubs.

Was great to go sit in the nice, toasty water. I do wish it was a bit more sound proof, since some people have no filter on what they say. However, the hot springs experience just isn't the same without the naked hippie folk running around.

These are a few pics from the hike up and back. The river looked so pretty surrounded by snow! Makes me want to do a series of winter river shots next year. Great idea!! I'll have to put that on my list.

Catching Up On Sky Shows...

So, I see it's been awhile since I posted on here. Not much to tell. I've stayed pretty close to home the last few months. But I have managed to capture a few sunsets (when we actually have sun).

Let's see...I have a few pics from December. One BEAUTIFUL sunset taken from the parking lot across from my friend's house in Newberg. The sunset crept up on us, so we couldn't get to a more "picturesque" location, but we at least got to snap a few pics of this absolutely stellar sunset. I couldn't believe how BRIGHT and GORGEOUS the colors were that day. Truly amazing.

This wonderful old oak tree is in her park, and the fading sunset can be seen through its leafless limbs.

Seems like we have had so few sunsets this year, that it's nice to look back on these pictures and be able to actually post a few sunny images! With any luck the rain will dry up soon, so I can get some more great sunset pictures.

Wine Country in the Springtime

So, I got the chance to drive up in Oregon's wine country (aka, the hills behind Newberg/Dundee) and was surprised by how many wineries now make their home in Oregon. I recall driving up 99W through Dundee in the early 80s and seeing Argyle Vineyards reform a Victorian era farmhouse into a tasting room. As a kid, I thought they were nuts! I'd heard of Napa Valley wines, but who in the dickens had ever heard of Willamette Valley wines?? Not me, for sure!

Well, fast forward some 20-odd years and the hills of Oregon's Willamette Valley are strewn with grape vines. A friend's nephew will be getting married at one such vineyard atop one of the many grape planted hills outside of Dundee, and we drove up to get a look at the site. I have to say I was very surprised by not only the amount of vineyards, but with the meticulousness with which they are kept. The rows of grapes are perfectly trimmed and wired, not a stem out of place.

And the views of the valley below are quite breathtaking. We happened to pick one of the few sunny afternoons we've had this Spring, and were witness to a beautiful sunset, and some spectacularly sunny views of Portland and the Cascade range. Unfortunately, my camera isn't equipped with a bad ass lense to capture those faraway sights, but I was able to snap a few shots of the grapevines and sky.

On the same trip, we also stopped alongside Hwy 99W, just before you turn off to Hwy 18, at a little rundown shack which apparently used to be a roadside stand. It has been abandoned for many years, and I'm sure would make a barnwood frame-maker a very rich man! This shack happens to sit next to a beautiful, lush field of green grass, and as we passed, I noticed the sun about to set over the hill behind the field. So I had to stop and take a picture! As we wandered along this field of grass, I noticed that there was a "perfect shot" through one of the openings in the little shack. When you walked through the building, you came out to this perfect scene of golden light across this grass field. My camera certainly did not capture the absolute majesty of this...but it gives a good impression of what I saw that evening.

After that, we drove back toward Newberg (the "back" way) and my friend showed me the Lafayette Locks. In all my years of living in Oregon, I'd never even heard of them! There isn't much left these days, just some cracked cement and a few nearly submerged wooden pilings. But apparently, this was quite the busy place when they were still logging the area. She said the river used to be filled with logs, and they'd work them downstream (Yamhill River).

Today, it looks like a great river to kayak on, but it's awfully stinky right in that area. I suspect there is some sort of agri-pollutant entering the river nearby, as there was a lot of white foam along the edges of the river. It's a shame that such a healthy-looking, beautiful river is probably not too safe to swim in any longer. We humans sure know how to wreck a good thing, don't we? At least I was only taking a picture...