Road Trip Gone Wrong

Determined to hike somewhere it wasn't pouring this past weekend, Morgan and I decided to drive as far as it took to find a somewhat dry spot to hike.  We made a spur-of-the-moment decision to go to one of my bucket list places to hike, the Painted Hills.   According to Google Maps, it was a little over four hours away and since we were getting a late start, we quickly packed up our gear, grabbed Cole and jumped in the car to hit the road.

We drove on I-84 east along the Columbia River Gorge in the pouring rain which made for treacherous driving.  Ruts worn by car tires and slightly sunken spots in the road had collected water and would drastically slow or try to change the direction of our car as we hit them.  After about two hours, we finally came upon the exit for highway 97 which would lead us to highway 206. For awhile, a whole lot of nothing was all we had to look at except for giant rolling hills, barren of any kind of tree or shrub.  Much to my surprise though, we quickly came upon Cottonwood Canyon State Park, another place that is on my "must hike" list.  Had we known what was to come of our destination road trip, we would have stopped and hiked there that day.  Or, at minimum, I would have stopped to get a few photos.  Unfortunately I did not know any better and continued on.

Herd of cows, note the tumble weed

In our hurry to get out of the house, I did a quick glance at the Google map and saw that highway 206 should have taken us pretty much all the way to the Painted Hills.  I figured my GPS could get us the last bit there and so we left, without much navigation planning.  Morgan had downloaded the directions on his cell so regardless of signal, which we knew we would lose as we got closer to our destination, we would know where we were supposed to go.  The problem though is that his directions were not coinciding with what I saw on the computer before we left.  I decided to consult the GPS and typed in "Painted Hills".  Soon, Painted Hills State Park popped up and I figured that had to be where we wanted to go.  I selected that as our destination but after 20  minutes of driving I noticed that our new time of arrival was still over an hour away.  I knew that couldn't be right. Even with our stop for a quick lunch earlier, we should have been much closer than that.  At one point, we came upon a group of cows being herded by people on horseback down the highway.  We strolled along behind the herd at about 3mph until eventually they were all on one half of the road and we could slowly pass, not before a tumbleweed rolled by though.  Several more miles down the road, we came across the marker for the 45th parallel and couldn't resist the photo opportunity.

We kept driving and driving.  Not knowing where we were and being in the middle of nothingness with no cell service or place to stop for directions, we decided to continue on highway 19 and follow  the GPS directions. Highway19 turned to 207 which turned to 26 and then the GPS had pointed us to a dead end.  With no other options for navigation and the sun beginning to set, we had no choice but to head home, defeated and virtually pictureless.  We made a quick bathroom stop at a snow park off highway 26 in the Mount Hood wilderness where Cole enjoyed eating some snow, the first he has seen this winter outside of Wisconsin.  I guess he misses it although I do not share the same sentiment.  Very soon after getting back on the road, all daylight was gone and the rain picked up, making our drive over the usually beautiful Mount Hood much scarier.  I hadn't picked up tire-chains yet so I could do nothing but hope that the rain would not turn to snow before we could get to a lower elevation on the other side.

After what seemed like forever of white-knuckle driving, we made it over the mountain range without incident and decided to stop for a much needed break in Sandy where we enjoyed a Thai dinner.  About ten hours, and 423 miles after we had set out earlier that day, we finally arrived home, exhausted and pictureless.  When consulting the Google map on my computer once again, I saw just how close we came to the Painted Hills, it was just about 6 miles from where we had turned onto highway 26. I now know exactly where we went wrong but there is nothing I can do at this point from my home in Portland.  There is nothing to do now but try again, another time. 

So what did I learn from this experience?  First, impromptu road trips are not my style.  I'm a planner and when I stick to what I do well (planning), my adventures usually end up going (somewhat) as desired.  There is a certain thrill that comes with throwing the plan away sometimes though and just going where the road takes you.  In this case, I think a good old-fashioned road atlas would be hugely helpful especially when technology fails, as it so often does.  Also, I will be making the tire-chain purchase a top priority before my next long-distance excursion.  Lastly, I need to make myself take the time to stop and get photos along the way, even when I'm working on a timeline.  The landscape was so beautiful on this trip so much of the time and it saddens me that I have no photographic souvenirs to show for it. Live and learn and then try again; wise words to live by.

To see a collection of my photography, please click here. 

Coastal Beginnings

Cape Perpetua

A new year, time for reflection on the year that has just passed and a look forward to what is yet to come.  It's a good time to set new goals or an opportunity to recommit to old ones.  Anything is possible.  You don't necessarily need a new year to start anew but it seems like a natural time to me.

Day one of my new year began with a trip to the coast.  Morgan, Cole and I hopped in my new-to-me car early Thursday morning and drove southwest from Portland to the central Oregon coast.  It seems no matter which route you take to the coast, they are all full of beautiful landscapes of mountainous hillsides, giant trees, horse pastures and dotted with a few charming small towns.  In some ways, it reminds me of home.  Certain parts are like driving through the back roads in northern Wisconsin where my grandfather used to live, surrounded by trees and weaving through curvy roads illuminated by the sun's rays that barely manage to cut through the foliage.  In other ways, it's a world of difference, the elevation changes in Wisconsin are nothing compared to those here in Oregon.  I love coming around a bend in the road or over the top of a hill and suddenly being met with a magnificent view of giant sloping of hillsides, covered in enormous trees, as far as can be seen.

Strawberry Hill

Once on the coast, we stopped in Yachats for lunch at the Drift Inn.  Colorful globed lamps and painted umbrellas hung from the ceiling while brightly colored art adorned the walls.  There were many appealing options on the menu, making it difficult to choose just one thing.  Once we finished with our lunch, we drove a bit more south to Cape Perpetua, a 2,700 acre section of the coast with wonderful natural features to explore.  We parked by Devil's Churn and hiked south on the trail to Spouting Horn, stopping to explore tide pools along the way.  

After leaving Cape Perpetua, we checked into a charming room at the Fireside Inn, a motel close to the beach in Yachats.  Before dinner, we walked to the beach to watch the sun set amid the cool, fresh air.  At the nearby Adobe Resort, we enjoyed a feast of sauteed mushrooms, seafood and cocktails.  From our table, the view of the ocean and beach, still glowing from the setting sun, was a special added touch to our dining experience.  

The next morning, we made a quick stop again at Cape Perpetua as it was high tide and a perfect opportunity to see Thor's Well.  Afterward, we went further south, stopping at Strawberry Hill before arriving at Heceta Beach to explore the rock-speckled shore.  The beach curved up along a river that flowed under a bridge surrounded by moss covered trees and a few pockets of water froze on the sand.  We climbed an old tree that had fallen and created a sort of bridge over the river.  Once done there, we drove north to Newport to visit a bookstore we had heard good things about, Canyon Way Bookstore.  Afterward, we grabbed some lunch at Pig N Pancake and then found our way to Devil's Punchbowl.  Unfortunately, the friendly little squirrels that had been there during my previous visit the summer before must have left with the tourists because not one could be found anywhere. Though we did manage to sneak in a quick visit to a nearby viewpoint off the Otter Crest Loop before the last light of day disappeared.

As I was saying, a new year is a good time to set new goals and part of what I want to make a priority this year is getting my to-do list organized.  There are a plethora of places I want to hike and with my new car, I'm now able to more easily get away on the weekends and hike the trails around Portland, in the Gorge, by Mount Hood, on the coast and in the central Cascades area. There's an ever-growing list of books I want to read and music I want to listen to.  I want to setup my first official photography website and spend more time growing my photography skills.  Now that my job and home are settled, I want to work on meeting new people and hopefully make some good friends here. Before I know it, it will be closing in on 2016 so I better get going.  I hope you will follow along as I embark on these next adventures!!

Viewpoint from Otter Crest Loop
 

 To see more photos from my nature adventures, click here. 

A Look Back at 2014

Fort Stevens State Park, Oregon

"To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe."  
~ Anatole France

For the last several years, I had dreamed of moving to Oregon.  As time passed, that desire grew and grew until one day, I couldn't fathom the idea of staying away any longer.  This year, the stars seemed to align to point the way, the time was right. 

A relationship that I thought was going somewhere and worth staying put in Wisconsin for ended unexpectedly.  Not too long after that, my grandfather lost his battle with Alzheimer's and passed away.  At his funeral, I saw a slide show of photos from throughout his life and they had a strong, introspective impact on me.  What would my "slideshow" look like when I reached the end of my road?  Growing more dispassionate for the non-profit work that I once poured my heart and soul into and also wanting a better work-life balance, I began to wonder if the time had come.  Should I make the move? 

I had just completed planning and executing the most successful fundraiser in my company's history.  I had also been contracted to coordinate a four day summer festival for the Verona Chamber of Commerce. The extra income from those two events made it possible to invest in a new DSLR camera, something I couldn't imagine moving to Oregon without.  It also left enough money to finance a cross-country move.  I decided to make my dream come true, to get myself to the life I knew with every fiber of my being was waiting for me in Oregon. 

The drive from Wisconsin to Oregon was long but beautiful.  There's something so peaceful to me about a long drive: music going, my dog by my side and the wide open winding, road.  Iowa was fairly uneventful other than some giant, unidentifiable bugs I saw flying around at one of the gas stations.  I drove through a spectacular thunderstorm in Nebraska.  Wyoming was wide open, speckled with some rocky points here and there.  My jaw dropped at the majesty of the Utah mountains.  Southern Idaho was fairly uneventful.  All of my Oregon drive was spectacular with mountains, rivers and small towns all along the way. 

Once in Oregon, things continued to come together perfectly.  I found an amazing job with a wonderful company in Portland.  Shortly thereafter, I met Morgan, a surprisingly good match for me and my sense of adventure.  I found a wonderful downtown apartment right by the Willamette River and just a short train, bike ride or walk away from work. The ease and speed in which these events came together only strengthens what I already knew to be true:  this is exactly where I am meant to be. 

South Beach State Park, Oregon

I've done lots of exploring in Oregon since I arrived in late June.  From Latourell Falls and Mosier Creek in the Gorge to Sauvie Island just north of Portland to Jones Creek in the Tillamook National Forest.  Of course I've been to the coast, everything from Cannon Beach on up to Cape Disappointment (in Washington) down to Bandon and Gold Beach for a 4th of July trip.  I camped with a friend at Fort Stevens State Park near Astoria and visited Ecola State Park, Rockaway Beach, Hug Point, Manhattan Beach, South Beach State Park with Morgan.  In the Mount Hood area, I hiked a trail up to Tamanawas Falls, ate dinner at Timberline Lodge where I could see the peak of Mount Jefferson from and also did a short hike to Little Zig Zag Falls.  I did several trips into Washington and saw Mount Saint Helens and the magnificent Mount Rainier.  I also met up with a Wisconsin friend in Bellevue and did an overnight work trip in Seattle. 

Other notable events happened this year too.  One of the photos I submitted to a local coast publication's photo contest made the top ten.  In early December, I made a trip home to Wisconsin for an early Christmas celebration with my immediate family and visited with friends in Madison.  Just this past week, I purchased my very own car, ending my four years of no-car streak.

I believe this past year to be one of the hardest yet one of the most rewarding years of my life to date.  I have taken away so much that will impact my life in the years to come.  Some of the challenges I took on this year proved that I am capable of so much more than I may think possible of myself.  I proved that the unknown is not something to be afraid of, that taking risks is essential to following your dreams.  When you listen to your intuition, you will always be making the right decision. 

In 2015, I'm looking forward to living a more authentic life, making new friends, staying connected to old ones, growing my photography and to more Pacific Northwest outdoor adventures.

Netarts Bay, Oregon

"We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure.  There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open." 

~ Jawaharlal Nehru

To see more photos from this past year, please click here.  

Record Road Trip

I spent a Sunday the other weekend at home listening to new, old records, selecting one after another and discovering I had started my new record collection with some great music.  How grateful I am for the generosity of Sue, a local Oregon author I discovered just a year or two ago.  I was still living in Wisconsin when I first read her book, Shoes Full of Sand.  I so loved reading her story of moving from California to Oregon and then following her adventure through her blog, Unleashed in Oregon. The summer before moving to Oregon, a friend and I did a week long road trip down the Oregon coast.  Sue kindly accepted my request to meet for lunch to pick her brain about Oregon and she was just as nice as I expected her to be.  Little did I know that in just one year, I too would be having my own adventure of moving to Oregon.  Today marks the sixth month I've been an Oregonian myself and I could not be happier!

Sue posted on Facebook last month that due to inclement weather during her garage sale, she had some items left over and wanted to give them away to anyone who was interested in putting them to good use.  One item in particular on the list caught my eye, records.  I quickly expressed my interest and we arranged a time for me to stop out to her coastal home the weekend after my trip to Wisconsin to pick them up.

Morgan, Cole and I arrived at Sue's in the early to mid-afternoon and visited for awhile.  It was fun to see, in person, the places she writes about in her blog, meet her dog, Annie, and even her neighbor for a bit.  The neighborhood was just as she describes in her writing, quiet and tucked away, surrounded by tall trees in all directions.  It seems like the perfect place for a writer to work and live.  Once inside, I was delighted to learn there were four boxes of records waiting for me with a selection that varied from Frank Sinatra to Johnny Mathis to Jackie Gleason. It was hard to contain my excitement as I flipped from one record to the next. 

South Beach State Park, Oregon

South Beach State Park, Oregon

After leaving Sue's house, we headed just a little bit down the road to South Beach State Park.  There, Morgan and I let Cole off his leash to romp around in the soft sand.  The sun was slowly beginning to make it's decent toward the edge of the ocean and the light that came down through the mostly clear skies cast a beautiful golden glow upon everything around us.  There is a point where the waves stop rolling in on top of the sand and then retreat back out to the ocean.  We strolled down that point of the beach for some time and reveled in the surprisingly warm, calm, sunny December air.


Once we had our fill of sun and sand, we hoped to check out a bookstore that we heard good things about in Newport.  Unfortunately when we got there we learned it had already closed for the day.  We decided to grab an early dinner instead and chose a dog-friendly seafood place where we devoured tasty scallops, mine grilled and Morgan's fried.  It doesn't get much better than dining on a seaside patio in December on a warm night among good company, with beer in hand and your dog by your side. I suppose a trunk full of records waiting to be played is just icing on the cake.

My new records, day one

To check out photos from the beach, as well as my other nature photography, please visit my Flickr page here.

Going Home

After six months in Portland, it was finally time to go home to Madison, Wisconsin and visit with friends and have an early Christmas celebration with my immediate family.  With Cole safely at a friend's house, my journey home begun at 4 AM on a Thursday morning the first week of December.  After a quick shower, I left my apartment and began my day of travel.  This, of course, is when the problems began.  First, I had to wait for a freight train to pass by before I could get to the Max stop to catch the light rail train to the airport.  Figuring I had plenty of opportunities to grab a bite to eat at one of the four airports I would be visiting that day, I decided to skip breakfast in Portland.  Unfortunately both the flight from Portland to Los Angeles and the flight from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City were running late so my layovers were minutes long and left no time for grabbing a bite to eat so I sustained myself on airplane pretzels and cookies until I arrived in the cold, 27 degrees of Madison, Wisconsin at 6 PM. 

Sa Bai Thong - Best Thai food in Madison

After picking up the rental car, which I begrudgingly agreed to a free upgrade from a fuel efficient compact to an SUV, seeing as it was the only option, and running a quick errand, I met some friends at my favorite Thai restaurant, Sa Bai Thong.  After catching up while enjoying delicious food and wine, a couple of us headed over to the Vintage for $3 beers.  Another friend surprised me and met up with us there and then we headed over to Mid Town Pub whose specialty was "porn corn" which I hope got it's name for it's desirable taste and not for the many other less appealing ways in which it could have come about.  After saying goodnight to one of my friends, we headed over to the Free House in Middleton where we were delighted with the fine sounds of 90's hip hop.  Wanting a change in soundtrack, we headed over to the Hody which is always a fun, guilty pleasure spot to people watch.  Once it was time to call it a night, I headed over to my friend's place to crash and apparently slip into a coma.

My dad's famous Old Fashioned

I awoke the next morning a little past noon.  Apparently my day of travel and night of hitting the town had taken it's toll on me.  I got ready and headed out as quickly as possible and after a quick bite to eat, attempted to do my one-stop Christmas shopping in 20 minutes where I was surprised to come across a man that I swear could be my dad in another 15 years.  I managed to find everything I was looking for and wrapped it all on the tailgate of the SUV in the parking lot outside the store.  Once finished, I hurried off to Topp's Hideaway in Windsor to meet my sister so we could make the hour drive east together to our parents house in Delafield for our Christmas celebration complete with Old Fashioneds and homemade lasagna.  The night ran late, as usual, but it was good to spend time with my parents and sister.  I believe it may have been the first time in a very long time that it was just us four and there was something kind of comforting about that. 

Me, my Mom, Dad and Sister

After a rough night of sleep on my parent's couch, which I remember to be so much more comfortable than it was that night, I showed my parents some of my photos of my adventures in the Pacific Northwest over breakfast of left over deviled eggs.  Once through those, my sister and I said goodbye to our parents and then were off, headed back to Madison.  After dropping off my sister, I met up with a group of friends for a sushi lunch at Takara, home of the best California Roll ever.  It was fun catching up with everyone but slowly, one by one, people had to head out to continue on with their weekend plans.  I had hoped to catch the movie Wild but unfortunately it was not in theaters yet in Madison so a couple friends and I ran some errands together so we could keep the conversation going.  Once those were done, we met up at Louisianne's in Middleton to listen to Johnny Chimes play piano while we sipped cocktails in the warm dark glow of the lounge.  Hilary's Annual Tacky Gift Exchange Party had been postponed so once the music ended, instead of heading to her place, we went to Le Tigre Lounge.  If the name doesn't give it away, it is a lounge covered from ceiling to floor with tiger themed decor.  We stayed until close and then one friend and I, being the last two still going, had a late night/early morning greasy breakfast at the local Denny's restaurant. 

Sushi lunch at Takara with friends

Not getting to bed until about 4:30 in the morning, I decided to cancel the plans for brunch at noon at the Green Owl and just hang out with a friend and her daughter at their place until it was time to head to the airport.  Once the time came, I said goodbye and headed to the airport to return the rental car, do a little white elephant party gift shopping in the airport and then caught my first of two flights back to Portland.  My flight got in to Portland later than expected from Salt Lake City but my friend picked me up from the airport with Cole in tow, a wonderful homecoming! 

All of us with Johnny Chimes after his performance at Louisianne's

All in all it was a great trip to Wisconsin.  It was wonderful to see and catch up with friends in person after six months away.  It was equally good to come home though to the mild 50 degree temperatures of Portland.  Although it felt as nothing had changed the minute I started driving around in Madison, I know for certain that Portland is home and where I am meant to be.  I love it here!

The Adventure Continues

The company I work for recently opened a Seattle office and I was eagerly looking forward to traveling from Portland to Seattle the week of Halloween to help get things setup with supplies, furniture and such.  I was all set to leave Thursday morning for the overnight trip and make the three hour drive to Seattle.  I figured it would be a good opportunity to squeeze in some time to explore the city Thursday night when I was done at the office.  Unfortunately, I woke up Monday that week with round two of an awful cold.  My fun work trip just turned into a not-so-anticipated obligation.

I left the house Thursday morning and picked up the rental car.  At my first stop for fuel, I noticed that in my foggy, virus-infused haze, I had put on my sweater backwards.  After resolving that issue, I continued north through the rain which varied from light to heavy all the way to Seattle.  I arrived in one piece, although my head felt somewhere else and after greeting the staff and a quick bite to eat, proceeded to get organized with my plan for helping the office come together.  When I was done with the planning phase at the office, I had just three blocks to drive to get to the hotel.  Unfortunately, the rush hour traffic inadvertently diverted me onto the interstate and my easy drive to rest and comfort turned into an hour long affair.

Once checked into my room, I mustered up the energy to grab some sushi nearby which lucky for me was having a happy hour in the lounge so all the food was far reduced in price.  Once back to the hotel, I loaded up on the NyQuil and dozed in and out of sleep all night.

The next morning, I was surprised with a fever which made my navigating the city and running errands all day oh-so-much fun! This is where I learned that all day, not just rush hour, the traffic in Seattle, no matter where you go, is atrocious.  My last stop at Home Depot ran way longer than it should and after a series of comical customer service experiences (which warranted a lengthy letter once I was feeling better), I high tailed it for Portland.  The delay in getting out of town left me stuck in stop-and-go traffic pretty much the entire way back to Portland.  The trip was less than fun but it did feel good to do the work that needed to be done without postponing the trip.  The next time I go to Seattle though, I will be sure to take the train which I'm told is a beautiful ride, sans stop and go traffic.

View from my new home

November 10th was my eagerly anticipated moving day.  I cut out of work early to pay my deposit, pick up the keys and see my apartment for the very first time.  I was pleasantly surprised to learn that in addition to the courtyard view I was promised, I also had a nice view of downtown Portland.  After completing my move-in condition check list, I picked up the U-Haul I reserved.  Once back on the east side, I started to load up the truck.  Luckily my roommate was home and helped with a few of the bigger furniture items.   By the time Morgan arrived, there were only a handful of things left.  With Cole on Morgan's lap, I drove off to my new home, my first apartment rental in Oregon!!!  The combination of security door and elevator to the 5th floor proved a slow unloading for the two of us but we pushed through and dropped the truck off a little after 9pm that night.  We grabbed a quick bite to eat before heading back to the apartment to fall fast asleep.  With all of my furniture and boxes still in Wisconsin, my apartment is a bit bare but I do have the essentials I need to get by for now.  I am officially home!

Hilary, Me and Morgan exploring Portland's night life

A week after moving into my new place, I had a friend from Wisconsin in town and she stayed with me for the weekend.  That Friday night, Morgan and I took her out to a few of the fun places to eat and drink around town including Departure, Jackknife, Gruner, Vault, Driftwood and Muu Muu's. The next morning, although unusually cold for Portland, we grabbed some coffee and hit the Saturday Market.  While at the Market, we did some shopping and ate yummy food-cart food and then went over to Tugboat Brewing for a low-key evening of board games and beer.  We walked over to Sizzle Pie for some pizza and then to Pints for a quick beer before heading home to get comfy and watch a movie before calling it a night.  Sunday morning Morgan had to go to work but Hilary and I went out for brunch at the Daily Cafe (which was delicious).  All too soon it was time for Hilary to head back home to Wisconsin but it was great to be able to host a friend from back home and show off some of the awesomeness that is Portland.

Cookie decorating on Thanksgiving

Having no family in Oregon, I was thankful to be invited to a friends family Thanksgiving dinner with her husband, daughter and daughter's boyfriend.  With Morgan, Cole and the pumpkin pie I baked the night before in tow, we headed out to enjoy a lovely afternoon with delicious food and fun conversation with Genie and her family.  It was a great opportunity for Cole to get familiar with their home too since just the next week, he would be staying there for four days while I traveled back to Wisconsin for an early Christmas celebration with my family and friends.   The two cats seemed to be relatively OK with Cole's presence so I felt good about leaving him there, especially since Genie and Ed are some of the nicest people you will ever meet.

All in all, my ever-evolving transition from the Midwest to the Pacific Northwest is coming together splendidly!!

To see my PNW adventure through nature photography, please visit my Flickr page here.  

Mountains Galore!

A good friend from Wisconsin was in the Seattle area for work recently so of course I wanted to make the short three hour drive up to see her.  Even more predictable, I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to sneak in some "naturey" things along the way.

Mount Saint Helens

Located about an hour North of Portland in Washington, my first stop was at the visitors center. While eagerly awaiting the informative film to start, I read through the timeline that covered the walls which detailed the events leading up the the eruption in 1980.  The film gave lots of good additional information and included commentary from people who were there when it happened.  It also commemorated a few that did not survive.  After the movie, I headed east on Highway 504 toward Mount Saint Helens, stopping at each viewpoint to take photos and enjoy the scenery.  I didn't have enough time to go all the way to the mountain but what I did have time to take in was pretty spectacular, especially after knowing more about what happened there.

Mount Rainier National Park

I'm fairly certain this may be the most beautiful place I've explored yet!  The area is full of waterfalls, creeks, trees as far as you can see and snow-topped mountain peaks in every direction.  Although rainy most of the day, it was still a beautiful experience, one that was unexpectedly emotional.  I am still struggling to find the right words to communicate the visit.  The John Muir quote in the picture above speaks volumes about this place.  I'm in the process of doing some more reading of Muir's reflections in hopes of finding inspiration to help describe my own feelings about these magnificent places in the Pacific Northwest.  If you are ever in this area, I would definitely add this park to your "must do" list. There are many trails that I did not have time to explore so I will be going back when I have more than a half-day of time so I can wander the mountaintops and truly breathe in the experience.

Oregon Wild Fundraiser

After spending a couple of days enjoying some of the most beautiful places here, it felt good to volunteer at Oregon Wild's Call of the Wild fundraiser helping with the silent auction tables.  Oregon Wild is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and protection of Oregon's wildlands, wildlife and waters.  At this fun event, a brand new, one-of-a-kind beer from Migration Brewing Company called "The Wilderness" was unveiled.  There was also a silent auction featuring all kinds of outdoor gear, rafting adventures, date packages and so much more - it was a nature junkie's paradise!  There was a live blues performance by Joe McMurrian, a trail mix bar, food from local caterers and a special video presentation highlighting the importance of preserving Oregon's wild places.  My favorite part of the night though was the announcement of the photo contest winners whose framed prints were available for bidding on in the silent auction.


The rainy season is beginning to get underway here in Portland and unlike most of the natives here, I am excited to say goodbye to the hot sunny days and welcome the cooler, wet weather.  That may all change after the sixth month of rain but only time will tell.  The fall colors are not as abundant as they are in Wisconsin but that's a small price to pay for all the lush greenery which smells heavenly here.  The rains were particularly heavy at times the past couple of days and there was even a little bit of thunder, a rarity I'm told here.  Also rare are tornadoes but Longview, Washington had one of those today too.  Ever since I arrived in June, the weather has been unusual and crazy. Rumor has it that they are predicting a warmer and dryer winter in the Pacific Northwest this year but even if it turns out to be a normal Pacific Northwest winter, it will still be warmer than all of the Wisconsin winters I've struggled through in the past and definitely will be less snowy.  That is something to look forward to!

To see more of my nature photos, please visit my Flickr page by clicking here.