Christmas is different in Oregon. Where I live now, in Portland, there is no snow. Now this year that doesn't seem to really set it apart seeing as most parts of the country haven't seen much snow but nonetheless, it doesn't feel like Christmas to me. Add to that, due to my Thanksgiving Ditch Trip, I opted to forego a Christmas tree this year in the spirit of saving money and as I write this, a pumpkin candle I received from a friend on Halloween stares at me from my desktop as it castes a soft glow. Maybe this year also feels different because I haven't seen my family in over a year. This is the first time in my life that that has ever happened. I miss them a lot, which is also a first time experience for me seeing as most of my life, I never went more than a couple months without seeing them. I especially miss them now since several people I know have recently lost loved ones. It makes me worry that something horrible will happen to them before I can see them again. I know I don't have any control over that so there's no sense in worrying too much.
This year is the first I'm not spending Christmas with my family. This has even more of an impact as historically, Christmas is the only holiday we ever gathered for to celebrate. I'm finally understanding what it means to get those "holiday blues" and hope that in coming years, I'll be able to make a trip home to be with them. I can't imagine how much harder this will all be once my parents have passed on. I guess this is the price I pay though for following my dreams, of starting a new life in Oregon and leaving everyone I care about behind. The draw of Oregon is so much bigger though than missing my parents and my friends.
Ecola State Park
To be clear, I have absolutely no regrets about leaving Wisconsin. I love Oregon. I love living in Portland. I even love the rain! I love writing at my desk and hearing the rain patter against the window and watch it stream downward while I listen to music. Sometimes Cole joins me and sits on my lap, other times he hangs out in his bed on the floor near my feet. How incredibly lucky am I to be able to pursue my dreams? To have a job? To have both my parents still alive? To have a best and life-long friend? To have Cole? To be healthy and mobile? To be able to be creative through photography and writing? To learn new things? To be able to visit the coast and mountains whenever I want? To be surrounded by so much beauty in all directions?
Cole and I decided to spend Christmas on the coast, my souls true companion. The drive on highway 26 over the coastal range mountains was unusually snowy. Even though it was a bit nerve wracking, the beauty more than made up for it. The trees that line the roadsides were draped in thick snow and all of their branches hung low. It was truly like a winter wonderland. Now this felt like Christmas!!
Hug Point
We visited Ecola State Park first. There we discovered two things. One: Indian Beach was "closed", I imagine due to storm damage. Two: The viewpoint looking toward Haystack Rock was "permanently closed" because the ocean had literally reclaimed it. It is gone, forever, thanks to erosion. Cole played a bit with a dog we met there and I got lots of pictures, as usual.
After we were done at Ecola State Park, we headed south to Hug Point. The high tide didn't leave much sand to walk on but we managed just fine nonetheless. Due to a dog off-leash that "didn't play well with small dogs" according to it's owner, I left Cole on his leash while we walked along the beach. He wasn't too happy about that and frankly, neither was I. I can't imagine bringing an unsocial dog to the beach and then letting them off their leash to possibly cause problems with other dogs. Since the high tide made it impossible to get around Hug Point to visit the caves and waterfall, we didn't stay long before heading back north, toward Astoria.
View from Astoria Column
Once in Astoria, we stopped at the Astoria Column, which sits 600 feet above sea level and is 125 feet tall. Cole patiently waited in the car while I climbed the 164 steps to the top of the column. Once I took that last step and came to a door, I opened it and found it was a direct entry onto the narrow walkway that surrounded the column. My legs shook a bit and my heart raced but I wasn't going to let my fear of heights stop me from taking photos. I hugged the column with my back and slowly made an entire loop around the column to get the 360 degree view of Astoria, the Columbia River, Saddle Mountain, Youngs Bay, Youngs River and the Lewis and Clark River. Once I completed my loop and reached the door, I took one last look to appreciate the view and then began my decent down the spiral staircase to greet Cole, eagerly awaiting my return to the car.
Seeing as I've never taken highway 30 home from the the coast, I decided this would be a good day to see what that drive along the Columbia River was like. The drive was a lot less stressful than the drive earlier on highway 26 seeing as there was no snow to contend with. I even found a nice overlook where I got to pull over and see some very cool fog hover and slowly make its way over the hills and trees far below.
All in all, it was a good Christmas despite not having my family around. Exploring Oregon with my sidekick, Cole, is always a good time. Even when things go wrong. Luckily for us, today it was relatively smooth sailing and a very merry Christmas through my camera lens.
To view more of my photography from my nature-adventures, visit:
My goal: Trillium Lake (Photo by Mitch Schreiber Photography)
On Thanksgiving day, I planned to go for a short 172 mile road trip from Portland, to Trillium Lake on Mt. Hood, to Bridge of the Gods in Cascade Locks, and then back to Portland on Hwy 14 to explore the Washington side of the Gorge, stopping at any places along the way that looked good for photos. Once back in the city, I planned to meet up with a neighbor and then go out for Thanksgiving dinner at a local restaurant.
Cole and I got on the road around 10:00 AM and after grabbing a quick drive-through breakfast and filling up on gas, headed toward Mt. Hood on Hwy 26. I was hoping to stop at Mirror Lake first but quickly realized that there were not any roads to the lake, only hiking trails. Since I wasn't prepared for a winter hike, I continued on toward Trillium Lake. The gate for the forest road was open and although it was a bit snowy, it seemed relatively safe. As I headed down hill on the road, I soon came upon an SUV stopped in the middle of the narrow road, motioning for me to stop. I did so and then sat there for a bit, not knowing what was going on up ahead beyond the curve in the road. Since the guy ahead in the SUV wasn't coming over to me to fill me in, I threw my car in park, turned off the engine and got out, leaving Cole in the car, and walked up ahead to see what was happening.
Once I got a little farther down the road, I saw that there was a car that had spun out on an icy curve at the bottom of the hill, blocking traffic. Everyone appeared to be alright though and since there was nothing I could do to help, I turned around to head back to my car to wait for things to clear up. As I walked back toward my car, I saw that my car was sliding down the road, toward another car that was backing up and me! Fortunately, I was able to motion to the car backing up to get out of the way and my car gently slid off the road and stopped in some brush, getting hung up on a stump before going all the way over the edge and down a steep embankment. I quickly ran over to check on Cole and get him out of the car. I breathed a deep sigh of relief when I discovered he was perfectly fine, although clearly confused and a bit shaken. I got him and my cell phone out of the car and luckily had enough signal on my phone to look up a tow truck company and call for help.
The person I spoke with on the phone said that someone had already called ahead of me and that a tow truck driver was on the way. In the meantime, more cars began to arrive on the scene and quickly started to get stuck on the icy road when they had to also come to a stop on the hill. Luckily, there was a woman among the group with a wonderful thing called "snow socks". She let all the stuck cars use them to get up the hill and had my car stayed put, I would have been one of those lucky people. An hour later when Brian, the tow truck driver from Clackamas River Towing, showed up, there were only two cars to assist, me and the girl who had spun out down the hill causing all the chaos.
Brian proceeded to help get the car that had spun out up ahead, out of the way first since she had called for help first. He offered for me and Cole to sit in the tow truck to keep warm and suggested I call my insurance company to see if I had roadside assistance on my policy and if so, he could simply direct-bill my insurance. So, while he positioned the truck to tow the other car out, I navigated through a series of phone prompts and a couple different people at Allstate about my policy. Unfortunately, that's when two more unfortunate things happened. First, I discovered I did not have roadside assistance on my insurance plan and second, the tow truck winch was malfunctioning and Brian would not be able to get my car out without going back into town for a different truck. He was able to hook up the first car to the tow truck and simply drag it up the hill while someone sat in there and steered. After the first car was un-tethered at the top of the hill, I rode along with Brian back to the shop to get a different, fully functioning truck, to retrieve my car out of the ditch.
While in town, after switching vehicles, we made a quick stop for gatorade and snacks, which Brian treated me to as well seeing as my wallet was still in my car, and then headed back to the mountain to retrieve my car. While loading up my car, some more cars began to arrive. I stood on the roadside a bit farther up the road to try to alert traffic that the road was blocked up ahead but the first car to arrive had troubles stopping and proceeded to skid toward me on the ice, clearly out of control. I quickly ran to the other side of the road to avoid being run over and the car proceeded to crash stop on top of a small boulder on the side of the road. More cars quickly began to arrive behind that one and skidded to stops but were unable to turn around and get back up the hill due to the ice and were now stuck as well.
Once my car was pulled out of the embankment, we began to assess the damage. The stump that I was thankful for keeping my car from going over the edge of the embankment also wreaked a little havoc while my car was being dragged out. My front bumper was barely hanging on. My radiator was hanging a little low. My back bumper was also hanging on by a thread. Uncertain on whether my car would be able to make the hour and fifteen minute drive back to Portland, I opted to file a claim on my insurance policy and have my car towed back to Portland for repairs.
Meanwhile, the other cars that had gotten stuck in both directions of us called the same local towing company that was helping me at the time. Being a holiday, Brian was the only driver working that day, and his company was the only towing company for quite some distance who could help. Not wanting everyone to have to wait two and a half hours in the cold on the side of a mountain with the sun quickly going down, I opted to forego the immediate ride back to Portland, and let him take my car to the top of the road, drop it off, and go back to get everyone else out, one by one.
Thanksgiving dinner in the tow truck
While Cole and I hung out in the passenger seat of the truck, Brian went back one by one, rescuing all of the stranded drivers. One of the last cars he pulled out gave him some fruit, snacks and a bottle of wine as a tip. To show his appreciation for my patience, he offered the bottle of wine to me, which I graciously accepted after learning it was one of my favorite types of Riesling. Once everyone was gone and safely back on the road, we loaded up my car onto the flatbed and headed back to Portland but not before stopping at his neighbors house along the way who had two plates of their Thanksgiving dinner wrapped up and waiting for us to eat. I shared mine with Cole who seemed to appreciate the meal as much as Brian and I did. Once in Portland, we unloaded my car at the Toyota dealership and, not having a way home, Brian offered to drop me off at my apartment. Once home, I poured a big glass of bourbon and sat on the couch with Cole, thankful that he and I were both OK and reflected on the days events.
My parting gift
The next morning when I woke up, I had a voicemail from the dealership saying that they didn't do auto body work and that they recommended another place, J&M Collision, where they send all of their body work to. I called over to that body shop but there was no answer. I called back to the dealership and they said they'd call over to the manager at J&M and have someone get in touch with me. Long story short, it turns out the body shop was closed that day but lucky for me, the manager came in special to get my paperwork going and get me a loaner car through Enterprise. Unfortunately though, all of Enterprise's locations were sold out of cars because of the holiday weekend and they wouldn't be able to get me a car until the following day, Saturday, at noon. That wasn't going to be helpful though in getting me to the Southern Oregon coast on Friday afternoon where I had a non-refundable room reserved for a two day, one night photography trip.
So, what did I learn from this latest misadventure? First, don't go driving down mountain roads in late November in Oregon without tire traction (chains, snow socks or something else). Also, don't get out of your car if you can help it. Had I stayed put in my car, I would have been able to control it better when it started to slide down the road and likely would have avoided going off the road as far as it did. Most importantly though, I saw how wonderful people can be in times of need. People like the lady who was loaning out her snow socks to all the cars so they wouldn't have to pay for a tow. The other woman who gave away the snacks and wine in appreciation of Brian's help. The auto body manager who came in on his day off to try to get me a loaner car so I could make my next trip to the coast. Brian's neighbor who brought us Thanksgiving dinner in the truck. Maybe most inspiring though was Brian the tow truck driver. For not only giving me, the customer, his wine tip for my patience while he helped out the other people who were stuck but mostly for his positive attitude through the whole seven hour ordeal, despite being hungry and missing spending the holiday with his three year old daughter, just to work on Thanksgiving, helping people in need avoid freezing to death on a side of a mountain. It wasn't the Thanksgiving I was expecting but in the end, I think it was better than anything I could have ever planned.
For a fun little photographic and musical slideshow of my journey that day, check out this video:
To view more of my photography from my nature-adventures, visit:
Believe or not, I've never been kayaking, although it's been on my bucket list for some time now. A friend of mine rounded up a couple kayaks and lucky for us, this past weekend was unusually dry and sunny for Portland. With conditions ideal for a crisp fall day of kayaking, we headed east, toward Benson Lake, reputed to be good for a newbie kayaker such as myself. Once we got there though we discovered that the Columbia River Gorge wind was particularly strong and was creating large, choppy waves on the lake. Seeing as this would not make for an enjoyable first kayaking experience, we decided to try another spot on the Columbia Slough by Kelly Point Park in North Portland and luckily, conditions there were perfect.
Also lucky for me, our access point was on a gentle incline on the shoreline. This made getting in the kayak fairly simple, although getting out was a bit harder, I am happy to report that I did not fall in the water! At my current level of kayaking skill, if I had to enter/exit from a dock, I don't know if I could say the same thing. Due to this fear of falling in the water, I left Cole and my good camera at home and only brought my iPhone, snug in a Ziploc bag, with me to document the experience.
Once in the water, we first paddled up the slough toward where the Willamette River meets the Columbia River. Then we turned around and went the other way, passing under a bridge and railroad tracks. We stopped to explore a waterway that went inward a bit from the slough where I proceeded to get stuck on a couple of rocks lurking just below the surface of the water. Fortunately, I was able to get going again fairly easily. We continued down the slough for awhile longer and decided to turn around and head back at a fork in the waterway.
Going back toward our launch point, we worked against the current and my arms got got a good work out. All along the way, lots of Great Blue Herons and ducks frequently flew over our heads. It was so quiet that we could hear the sounds of their wings cutting through the air. The entire time, we were surrounded by the beautiful fall colors of leaves that still remained on the trees, all reflecting perfectly in the mirror like stillness of the waters surface. The sun peaked through the trees that lined the shore and beams of light streaked down to the water. At times, I just sat in silence and enjoyed the warmth from the sun, the silence and the slight bobbing that came from floating on the slowly flowing body of water.
Meanwhile, during this exact same time, I saw reports via Facebook from friends back home that it had snowed in Wisconsin. In Portland, it hovered right around fifty degrees but despite having slightly chilly hands and feet, I was quite comfortable the entire trip. It was one of those wonderful moments when I realized, yet again, how happy I am with my Oregon life and how lucky I am to call this magnificent state home.
I truly enjoyed my first kayaking experience and am thankful for my new friend and his kindness for making this trip happen. If done slowly, it seems very feasible to attain the various items needed to incorporate this type of recreation into my life on a regular basis. In the meantime, I will have to rely on the generosity of friends to keep getting out on the water. My hope is that by next summer, I'll have my own gear so Cole and I can do a weekend camping/kayaking trip with friends. Cole looks quite good in a doggy life-vest and I think he would be just as thrilled with the kayaking experience as I am.
To view more of my photography from my nature-adventures, visit:
"I never found a companion that was so companionable as solitude."
Henry David Thoreau
Halloween weekend, while the heavy rains rolled into Portland, Cole and I hopped into my car, not-so-bright and early on Saturday morning, and headed toward sunny eastern Oregon. We drove on I-84 through the Gorge, along the Columbia River all the way to Pendleton. After a quick stop to refuel, we continued east, on Highway's 11, 204 and then 82, through Enterprise and then into Joseph where I stopped to get photos of the beautiful Wallowa Mountains and also some friendly horses too. From Joseph, we took Highway 350 east and drove the Hell's Canyon Scenic Loop, stopping at the Hell's Canyon Overlook -- where I experienced the quietest view of a canyon ever, before driving Highway 86 to Baker City where we stopped for the night.
In the morning, after a good night of sleep and an hour added to the clock, we were back on the road, headed west, on Highway 7. We stopped at the Mason Reservoir, then the City of Sumpter to see a gold drudging machine, and then a covered wagon at an overlook in Prairie City, before visiting the Morse Gulch Overlook and John Day Fossil beds area off of Highway 26. As we entered the Mt. Hood National Forest, the sky became cloudy and as we got closer to Portland, the light rain turned a bit heavier.
It was an amazing 800 mile trip. I took about 1,300 photos and enjoyed the open road and solitude with only Cole as my co-pilot and my iPod belting out some good tunes. On this trip, there were no detailed plans. The only real major landmark I had planned to stop at was Hells' Canyon, the rest was up in the air. It was wonderful to decompress from the work week and relax, to be alone with my thoughts and just see where the road took us, which was to some very beautiful places, all made better because they were all surprises.
I've taken many solo road trips, both short and long, and have always enjoyed my time. I thought a good travel buddy always made a trip better but I seemed to have an epiphany on this trip: I really do enjoy my own company and besides Cole, I might just be my own best travel buddy. Traveling alone allows me the time to truly be alone, adventure without anyone's help and allows me to completely rely on myself. It gives me the freedom to really explore and just follow my intuition. Best of all, it seems to fill my soul and who could really ask for anything more than that?
For a musical and visual snippet of my Eastern Oregon road trip, check out this video!
To view more of my photography from my nature-adventures, visit:
Do you have a moment in time when you can pinpoint the single most significant change in your life? I can, and it happened in August of 2007. I had been in my new position as the Finance and Administration Assistant for the National Credit Union Foundation in Madison, Wisconsin for less than a month and was sent on my first business trip (ever in my life) for ten days. I spent those ten days on Bainbridge Island, Washington with a group of fifty strangers from all corners of the United States as well as several other countries. There were no modern day conveniences I had thought to expect while traveling such as television, vending machines, or even caffeinated beverages. We were located at a place called IslandWood in the middle of 250 acres of forest. This was long before I discovered my love for the outdoors and camping and amidst a hefty caffeine dependency. Needless to say, I was extremely uncomfortable, lonely and feeling far from home. I almost resigned and hopped a plane back to Wisconsin right then and there on my first night. Luckily, I stayed and spent twelve hours or more on each of those days in close proximity to this group of strangers, helping to facilitate experiences for the group to work together, learn from each other and discover the true spirit of cooperative principles, credit union philosophy and international development issues. I was intrigued with all the stories and experiences these people shared. These people, who had traveled the world, living for extended periods of time in exotic places, making lifelong friends along the way all while making a real difference for real people and their families, were inspiring. I never knew that life could be lived with that kind of purpose and passion.
I started to reflect on my own life: Who was I? What was I doing with my life? Where was I going? What sort of legacy would I be leaving behind? It did not take me long to realize that I was not living my life, I was just merely existing. I wasn't truly applying myself to anything. I was in a co-dependent marriage, settling for less than I needed with no real goals or vision for my future. I made a conscious decision that I needed to change my life and in a big way, although I knew I would have to start small and work my way up to the bigger things. I used that one experience at IslandWood, that one week in time, to make the single biggest and most important change in my life thus far.
Keep purpose constant ~ A favorite saying of Edward Filene, father of the U.S. credit union movement
From that point on, I began a deliberate shift in how I would do things. I started small, with trying new foods. Then, I started to look at opportunities with my "yes" goggles on. I wanted to seize every opportunity that made sense, regardless of my fear, or the possibility of failure. Realizing the difficulty that exists in making true friends, I founded the Madison Women's Social Meetup group as a platform for women of diverse backgrounds to gather for the sole purpose of developing meaningful and lifelong friendships. Most of my closest friendships today are due to the women I met in that group and better yet, there have been many similar success stories for other women in the group. This was my first taste of what it could mean to do something that was bigger than me, that could have longterm effects for the world around me. After several years of success and growing the group to over 800 members, I decided it was time to move on to other endeavors, so I handed over the leadership to someone new and the group continues to be successful for the women in Madison, Wisconsin.
The very first meeting of the Madison Women's Social Meetup Group
The confidence I gained from seeing the success of that group gave me the courage to do more. I went back to school and also began volunteering for Alliance for Animals, to support causes that I was passionate about: animal and environmental rights. Then, I got divorced, again. At the time, it felt like my biggest failure -- getting divorced not once but twice before I was even thirty years old. Thank goodness for a great therapist who talked me through some very dark days. It didn't take much time at all to realize that my divorce was exactly what I needed to happen to really succeed in my pursuit of a meaningful life. I started to travel more. First to Orlando for my 29th birthday to visit a coworker and then a few months later to New York City with a friend. I took a series of solo trips, first to Mexico then to Las Vegas and then a road trip, based solely on seeing an artists work on the internet that moved me so much that I simply had to see it in person -- Ohio being the closest place I could do that at the time. Solo traveling is an experience that I think everyone, especially women, should have. There is a lot to be learned about yourself when you have no one to rely on and need to make your own way in the world.
The connections I made through volunteering at Alliance for Animals led to a job opportunity managing an animal shelter in Neenah, Wisconsin. The idea of helping animals while in a leadership role was alluring. I knew it would be challenging, involve a huge time commitment and would mean leaving behind everything I had built in Madison. I decided to go for it and packed my bags and moved a couple hours away to Oshkosh for the opportunity. It was challenging, as I knew it would be, but also rewarding. I learned a lot along the way, everything from managing people to the politics of the nonprofit world. The best part of the experience though was making a sudden and unplanned decision to adopt a little black pug name Coleman -- named after the city in which he was born. He was surrendered by a recently divorced woman whose long work hours didn't afford her the time to give him the love and care he needed. Enter Cole -- the number one best decision in my life!
Hiking with Cole at Pewitt's Nest, Wisconsin
When the shelter job no longer aligned with my values, I resigned and moved back to the Madison area, this time to Verona, and then shortly thereafter back to the west side of Madison. Seven or so months later, I decided to sell everything I owned and relocate to Seattle, Washington in pursuit of something new, something bigger -- although I wasn't sure exactly what that would be. After an amazing cross country road trip with Cole and my two cats, I was saddened when I quickly discovered that permanent work was harder to come by than I expected and the temporary work that I was promised ahead of time wasn't panning out. I quickly went through what little money I had in savings, and reluctantly decided to move back to Wisconsin. From the outside looking in, it was seen as yet another failed endeavor -- on top of taking a chance on a job that didn't work out and two failed marriages. I got a tattoo the day before I moved back to Wisconsin. Despite feeling defeated, lost and not sure what I was going to do next, I wanted to commemorate the circumstances that had gotten me to that point and count my blessings for all the opportunities for growth and change that had come into my life after making that one big decision at IslandWood because of the people I met through DE training.
CUDE tattoo, Seattle, Washington 2010
Once back in Wisconsin, I went back to school, yet again. I worked temporary gigs through employment agencies and got politically involved when the Scott Walker protests started in Madison after watching a co-worker at a temp job essentially being silenced by her ultra-conservative husband. I applied and was accepted into Organizing For America as a community organizer and I even participated in a conference call with President Obama. Then another connection from my volunteer days at Alliance for Animals approached me about volunteering for her newly formed non-profit organization, Heartland Farm Sanctuary. Through a series of events in which I said "yes" instead of the more realistic "no", I landed a paid gig. With other passionate and kind people, I helped bring one visionaries goal of building an organization from scratch that not only helped animals but also people suffering from trauma, to fruition.
Cannon Beach, Oregon 2011
Meanwhile, a plane voucher, gained from purchasing a flight back to Wisconsin from Seattle in anticipation for my sisters wedding, sat unused. Unbeknownst to me, the decision to use that voucher for an Oregon vacation with a good friend would yet again change my life in a big way that I had no way of seeing was coming. Once I took that first footstep onto the Oregon coast, I was hooked. I had found the home that I never knew was missing but had always felt it's absence. I vowed one day to call Oregon home -- but this moment was not the time.
After my divorce, I focused on pursuing a life of purpose and after three years of solitude, I ventured into my first relationship. During that relationship, I discovered my true love of hiking, nature and photography that, together with my Oregon vacation, sparked an appetite for nature adventures. After a year and a half, the relationship had run it's course and it became clear that I needed to move on. With a heavy heart, I made the difficult decision to end the relationship but I started writing again -- something I hadn't done in years -- and thinking more seriously about Oregon. Within four months, I met someone else who seemed pretty great and we dated for the next six months but alas, it didn't work out either. Shortly thereafter, my grandfather lost his battle with Alzheimer's and passed. After his funeral, I reflected yet again on my own life, as so many people do in these types of situations. What was I doing with my life? What would I be remembered for? Was I really happy with where I was at in life?
I decided it was the right time to make my move to Oregon. I worked hard to gain some extra income by picking up a contract job coordinating the Verona Hometown Days festival and, together with my gala bonus from Heartland, invested it in a nice camera and then a cross country move to Oregon. Since the move to Oregon, I've had many adventures in nature which I used the photos from to start my photography website. I've also had two relationships, neither of which worked out but both contributed to me growing and learning a lot more about myself and what I needed in a relationship to be happy.
So what has changed in the last eight years since that one experience sparked the new direction in my life? A lot. In ways I could never have imagined. From events that could easily be seen as failures to anyone looking in from the outside. I, myself, felt like a failure many times over but all of these experiences have helped me gain a strong sense of independence and confidence that I can pursue anything I put my mind to. I learned how to connect with people better. I learned how to go after what I want. I learned how to not settle for less than what I deserved. I developed a desire for spontaneity and adventure. I live a life of compassion for people, animals and the environment. I believe in karma and following the golden rule to do unto others as you'd like done to you -- even when it would be easier to wish ill upon someone who hurts you. I continually make time for introspective self-reflection through writing and solitude in nature. I allow myself to dream big but still live a simple life that values experiences over things.
We're all in a constant state of change. Of growing. Of improving. Of experiencing setbacks. Often, what seems like a failure at any given time may just be a jumping off point to something so much better. Although difficult to do, it's important to have faith that where we are is exactly where we are supposed to be and what is happening to us is exactly what's meant to be happening. There is no telling what we'll take away from those experiences and and how we'll apply that to our decisions going forward. Life really is a mix of destiny and simply floating like a feather on the breeze. But what really makes up a persons life? Is it the things we leave behind? Or the people we've touched? Perhaps it's the memories we've built? Or the art we create? I'm fairly certain that these questions can be answered simply by being open to what life puts in front of us and listening to our instincts when deciding what next step to take, in whatever direction we're meant to go.
To view more of my photography from my nature-adventures, visit:
Fall has arrived in Portland. The leaves are beginning to change from their myriad greens to beautiful reds, yellows and orange. The days are getting shorter and the nights a little cooler. The rain is beginning to come back here and there. Perhaps most appreciated is the disappearance of the unusual amount of ninety degree days. Besides the natural beauty that blankets the area, the moderate weather is one of the things I looked forward to most when moving here. Mother nature sure does seem to have a sense of humor, I've found.
The second half of summer has been filled with much exploring: waterfalls, the coast, parks, hiking, camping, road tripping, concerts, mountains and more. I've been so busy exploring, that I've done a poor job of reporting back here to give you the stories behind the photos. If you've been following along on Facebook, you've seen the pictures but here are some of the stories behind my recent Pacific Northwest adventures.
Bridal Veil Falls
Bridal Veil Falls is a 120 foot waterfall located in Corbett, about 40 minutes east of Portland in the Columbia River Gorge. Here I experimented with my first (of what will probably be many) long exposure shots. Afterward, I stopped at the Crown Point overlook to watch the sunset over the Gorge. On the way home, coming around a bend, the moon was looking spectacular behind some light fog and high cliffs so I stopped to snap some photos from the roadside.
Indian Beach
Indian Beach is one of my favorite spots to visit on the Northern Oregon coast -- I go back often, it never gets old. It's located within the Ecola State Park grounds, about 90 minutes west of Portland. On this particular visit I had the pleasure of observing lots of crabs hanging out in between the rocks that cover the southern end of the beach.
Mt. Tabor
When I first moved to Portland from Madison, Wisconsin, I lived in Northeast Portland near 60th & Glisan. Mount Tabor Park is very close and Cole and I walked there once on a hot summer day but unfortunately we did not get to explore the park much at all that day. I finally went back this summer and enjoyed the views. To the west is a birds eye view of Portland and Mount Hood can be seen to the east. On this visit, all the views were taken in among the beautiful golden glow of the evenings slow setting, summer sun.
Fret Creek & Oval Lake
A secluded 5 mile trail in the Mount Hood National Forest, Fret Creek and Oval Lake were challenging but rewarding experiences. The trail started with a steep incline which eventually leveled out for a long while but toward the end, turned very steep for quite some time. The serenity of the forest trees made up for the effort though. After reaching the end of the trail and sitting by Oval Lake for some time, the weather had cooled dramatically and the wind picked up. On the way home to Portland, I enjoyed a delightful dinner at Timberline Lodge and finally was able to get a table by a window with a view that seemed to look out into forever.
Providence Bridge Pedal 2015
For twenty years, Providence Health and Services has hosted an annual Bridge Pedal fundraiser where, this year, 20,000 participants rode their bikes over the many bridges over the Willamette River that connect the east and west sides of Portland. Taking photos of the riders is not something that would ever have occurred to me to do on my own, since I normally stick to nature and landscapes, but I'm happy I accepted the invitation to try my hand on a new subject. Shooting from the St. John's Bridge, I was delightfully surprised to see how so many of the riders came alive and hammed it up for the photographs. It was one of those rare moments that somewhat restored my hope in the good of human kind.
Seattle & Mt. Rainier
I had another work trip to my firm's Seattle office and since this time I was healthy and cold virus-free, I took the opportunity to walk around the city a bit and explore, something I hadn't done since I lived there in 2010. I finally made a visit to Pike's Place Market. A band was performing which drew a decent crowd. I also explored a bit more around the Space Needle and discovered a lovely art museum and sculpture garden called Chihuly Garden and Glass where I could easily spend a years salary if I was so inclined. After two days in Seattle, I drove back to Portland but stopped for another visit at Mt. Rainier National Park. Along the way, I stopped at several points to take photos of the mountain, surrounding scenery and especially enjoyed my time at Reflection Lake. As you may be able to guess, the lake serves as a perfect mirror to capture the reflection of Mt. Rainier.
Labor Day Weekend Road Trip
Painted Hills
Blue Pool
My Labor Day weekend consisted of a 1,872 mile road trip through Washington, Oregon and California and yielded over 1,300 pictures. From Portland, I drove east through the Gorge and then north to Leavenworth, Washington, a Bavarian style town nestled in the foothills of the Cascade Mountain range, where I encountered a strangely aggressive man preaching "the word of God". Next I enjoyed my first Dave Matthews Band concert at the Gorge Amphitheater. The view of the Gorge from high up on the hillside was definitely a spectacular backdrop to the stage and music that emanated from it.
The next day I stopped at Palouse Falls before driving through Starbuck on the way back to Oregon to see the Painted Hills. I camped at 5,000 feet elevation in the Ochoco National Forest where I may or may not have had a close encounter with Bigfoot.
The next morning I watched the sun rise at Smith Rock State Park before driving the McKenzie Pass Scenic Byway west, stopping at Dee Wright Observatory and enjoying the view of the Three Sisters (mountain) and a huge lava field. Continuing west, I stumbled upon the Smith Reservoir before hiking the Tamolitch section of the McKenzie river trail to the Blue Pool which held water bluer than what I had seen at Crater Lake several years before. Not quite ready to head home yet, I drove toward the coast and stopped to walk the beach and watch the sunset in Bandon, my favorite city on the southern Oregon coast.
Giant Redwood Tree
After an unsettling night at a shady hotel in Brookings, Oregon, I drove south on Highway 101, stopping for a bit in Crescent City, where I found a neat pier shrouded in fog. I continued south to visit the magnificent coastal Redwood trees and then, before turning north to head back home to Portland, I took the scenic Highway 299 east through the Shasta-Trinity National Forest to pay a visit to the mystical Mt. Shasta but not before stopping for a quick visit at Castle Crags State Park for a sneak peak of the mountain from a distance.
Camping at Spruce Run
Located about an hour west of Portland, not too far off Highway 26 on Lower Nehalem Road is the Henry Rierson Spruce Run campground in the Tillamook State Forest. Here, I camped at a beautiful, secluded site along the Nehalem River among friends and after exploring the rivers edge and campground a bit, enjoyed a lovely night of interesting conversation around the soft glow of a warm camp fire with the comforting sounds of the Nehalem River rushing by in the background.
Cannon Beach
Although Cannon Beach is the birth place of my love affair with the Oregon coast in 2011, it is not my most favorite of places to visit as a now resident of this great state of Oregon. It tends to be overcrowded with visitors and parking is frequently hard to come by. There are a lot of great art galleries and shops to explore though and of course the magnificent 235 foot Haystack Rock provides for a spectacular backdrop. On this particular trip, I began to see the more charming qualities of this little town and enjoyed eating some of Mo's famous food at a picnic table alongside the beach. The seagulls made for great entertainment, one of which sadly had a fishing hook stuck in his beak, but seeing as he was bigger than most of the other seagulls, he seemed to be getting by quite well.
As the winter approaches, my nature-adventures may slow down a bit but I'm looking forward to using the time to work on processing and perfecting some of my shots from this summer and sharing them with area publications and social media outlets that may be of interest. This also means there will be more prints available for purchase on my website, if you're so inclined, so check back there frequently.
To view more of my photography from my nature-adventures, visit:
"How many of us, I wonder, can recall that childhood moment when we experienced happiness as a state of being, that single moment of untarnished joy that moment when everything in our world, inside and out, was alright, everything was alright." - Hector and the Search for Happiness
Recently, Netflix recommended that I watch a movie called Hector and the Search for Happiness. I never heard of it before but Netflix suggested if I watched it, I would rate it five stars. Since I rarely rate movies that highly, I decided to give it a try. Essentially, the movie is about a psychiatrist named Hector who travels the globe searching for what makes people happy. Throughout the movie, he creates a list of the ideas he comes up with. Below is Hector's list.
1. Making comparisons can spoil your happiness.
2. A lot of people think happiness means being richer or more important.
3. Many people only see happiness in their future.
4. Happiness could be the freedom to love more than one woman at the same time.
5. Sometimes happiness is not knowing the whole story.
6. Avoiding unhappiness is not the road to happiness.
7. Does this person bring you predominantly A. up B. down?
8. Happiness is answering your calling.
9. Happiness is being loved for who you are.
10. Sweet Potato Stew!
11. Fear is an impediment to happiness.
12. Happiness is feeling completely alive.
13. Happiness is knowing how to celebrate.
14. Listening is loving.
15. Nostalgia is not what it used to be.
This movie and this list got me wondering what would make it onto my "list"? I have to agree with a lot from the list above, particularly the ideas of being loved for who we are and not avoiding unhappiness.
For me, waking up each morning with Cole curled up next to me and snuggling him makes me feel happy.
After a nature adventure, looking through my photos and finding one especially good shot in the bunch makes me happy.
Having one life-long friend who knows more about me than anyone else in the world makes me happy.
Having the freedom to pursue my dreams and make my own decisions makes me happy.
No matter what happens, my family will always love me and knowing that makes me feel happy (and secure).
Living life as my authentic self makes me happy (although it seems one of the hardest things to actually do).
With all the things I know make me feel happy for moments, I'm still not sure what it means to actually "be happy". I know it can't be something we are every moment of every day. I also know that without knowing unhappiness, we would have no barometer for what happiness is. The filmakers of Hector and the Search for Happiness have their own idea of what "happiness is". Watch it and let me know what you think.
