Call of the Mountains

We had to make a trip to Eugene for a repair to our vehicle. We decided to use it as an excuse to head to the mountains! A little over an hour southeast of Eugene is Belknap Hot Springs, a privately owned resort that offers hotel rooms, cabins, a RV campground, and walk in tent sites. There are 2 hot spring pools there that are free for guests (including campers). We hiked in about 1/2 mile to an awesome campsite right on the McKenzie River. The site was large and private, I would definitely camp here again. In addition to an awesome site and use of showers and hot springs, it makes a great base camp to explore the surrounding area. We hiked to Upper and Lower Proxy Falls, Sahalie Falls, and Koosah Falls, along the McKenzie River and then headed to Tombstone Pass to hike the Cone Peak Trail. It was nice to shower and soak after a long day of hiking, before returning to camp to cook dinner and relax. It began to drizzle just as we were getting settled. We put on our rain gear and enjoyed the fire anyway. It rained through the night and all morning. We packed up a wet and muddy mess, it was time to clean all our gear anyway!

Cannon Beach

The coastline surrounding Cannon Beach is stunning. This was our last stop, and we were lucky to find a spot to pitch a tent in Cannon Beach right before a holiday weekend (July 4). We stayed at a private campground that was walking distance to the beach. If you visit Cannon Beach at low tide, you can enjoy some amazing tide pools. Cannon Beach is a popular destination, and for good reason. It has been called “the Carmel of the Oregon Coast” and is only a 1 1/2 hour drive from Portland. If Cannon beach is too crowded, Ecola State Park to the north and Oswald West State Park to the south, both offer beautiful beaches, trails, and are popular with surfers. We loved both Short Sands Beach at Oswald west and Indian Beach at Ecola. During our stay, we hiked the “Tillamook Head Trail” at Ecola and finished the hike relaxing at Indian Beach, what a day! We stopped at Seal Rock State Park on our way back to Florence (last 5 pics).

Cape Disappointment

We left Cape Lookout and continued north up the coast, across the Columbia River to Cape Disappointment in Washington. In 1788, Captain John Meares was unsuccessful negotiating the river bar in search of the Columbia River and named the nearby headland Cape Disappointment. In 1792, Captain Robert Gray successfully crossed the bar and the Colombia River was named for his boat, the Columbia Rediviva. In 1805 Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery arrived at the base of Cape Disappointment, completing their journey across the country to the Pacific. In 1856, The Cape Disappointment Lighthouse was constructed to warn of the river bar, known as the “graveyard of the Pacific”; it is the oldest functioning lighthouse on the West Coast. In 1862, Cape Disappointment was armed with cannons to protect the mouth of the Columbia during the Civil War, which became Fort Canby, and continued to be improved until the end of World War II.

It was overcast during our stay, but we were not disappointed. We camped next to Wakiki Beach and enjoyed the peace and quiet of this park. We had breakfast in Astoria, walked around town visiting some antique and thrift shops and then went to the Astoria Column for a view of the Columbia River and the surrounding mountains.

Cape Lookout

This post marks the beginning of our summer vacation. We have been living and working on the coast since early December and finished our assignments on June 25. We are not planning to work again until September. We spent our first week off camping and hiking on the coast. We didn’t have any reservations and no real itinerary. It should be no surprise that I had researched campgrounds and trails and had a list of potential locations. We headed north from Florence and decided to camp at Cape Lookout along the Three Capes Scenic Loop just south of Tillamook. The photos below are from the first section of this trip and include Cape Lookout, Cape Meares (Oregon’s shortest lighthouse), Netart’s Bay, and Garabaldi.

The Amanda Trail

The Amanda Trail connects with the Whispering Spruce Trail in The Cape Perpetua Scenic Area and the Oregon Coast Trail. Connecting to the OCT, you hike right into the town of Yachats. This trail is a good training trail as it can be made shorter or longer easily with the connecting trails. It also has some steep sections that are sure to get your heart pumping and thighs and calves burning. There was a mudslide in this area in December and the trail was closed from mid-December until June. There are a lot of downed trees and evidence of the slides is apparent from the trail.

The trail is named for Amanda, an elderly, blind Coos Indian woman, who hiked this trail barefoot with her tribe in the 1800’s. The tribe was forced off their land in the North Bend area and forced to move to a reservation in the Yachats area. Many died on the journey and many more died of starvation and disease once they arrived at the reservation. It is said that Amanda left a trail of blood behind her on the journey, and the trail is dedicated to her memory. There is an area on the trail with a statue in her honor.

Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park

Washburne SP lies north of Florence and South of Yachats. It includes a day use area on the west side of 101 and camping to the east. There is a large RV camping area and then there is a tent only camping area that is a nice distance from the RV area. The tent sites are walk in only, however there is a parking area with wheelbarrows to assist you in getting your gear to the campsite. The sites are huge (there are 3 sites that are awesome, the others are still nice) and you can hear the ocean from camp. There is a little road noise from 101, but it dies down in the evening. It is a short walk to the beach from camp. There is a trail (The Valley Trail) that connects the park to other trails in the area, however it has been closed all winter. We received a lot of rain on the coast this winter, resulting in land slides which damaged some area trails. The campground is close to a number of trailheads making it a great base camp.

Our Home

It took us a while to get situated in the 5th wheel. The furniture that came in it took up too much space and wasn’t comfortable. We have now replaced all the moveable furniture in the 5th wheel (except for a coffee and end table) to better suite our needs and improve our comfort. We really love our new home! I finally took some pictures of the interior with our new and improved set up.

7th Anniversary

To celebrate our anniversary, we rented a house up the coast between Florence and Yachats for the weekend. It was a peaceful place set upon a cliff overlooking the ocean. We watched waves crash against rocks and seals swim along the shore until the sun set, painting the sky. We reminisced of places we have been, obstacles we’ve overcome, and experiences we have had over the past 7 years. We look forward to seeing where the next 7 years will take us, one experience at a time.

Kentucky Falls

Kentucky Falls is a beauty, tucked away high in the Coast Range in the Siuslaw National Forest. To get there, you must traverse gravel logging roads, which I would not advise during or following adverse weather. If you would like to see the falls in soft light, you need to head out early. The commute to the trailhead is at least 1 1/2 hours from Florence or Eugene. It took us longer than we anticipated and by the time we hiked to Lower Kentucky Falls and North Forks Falls, there was a harsh glare, making photography difficult. I have been trying to reel myself in from becoming so obsessed with my photography. I rarely use a tripod anymore, which was once my pride and joy. I find these days that more often than not, it becomes a burden, killing the spirit of the moment and taking away from the experience.

Logging is big business in Oregon, and with it comes much controversy. There are laws and regulations in place to “protect the forests” by replanting, however evidence shows that the clear-cutting method commonly used in Oregon has negative impacts on the environment, ranging from destruction of wildlife habitat to pollution of streams and drinking water. I bring this up because while driving these logging roads, you get a clear picture of recent clear cut. I will say that I have also observed groves of trees with signs posted stating the date they were re-planted. These planted forests were lush and beautiful, albeit the trees much smaller than the groves of protected old growth forests. Logging is a big part of the economy in Oregon. It has been a way of life for generations of Oregonians. Shipments of lumber to China date back to the 1800’s and over 1,500 lumber mills were running by the 1950’s. Only 10% of old growth forests remain uncut, protected on federal land.

A Spring Vacation in Oregon

In early May Rob’s cousin Burton and his wife Priscilla (who are awesome people and close friends) came to visit for a week. They were a site for sore eyes…and it was time for a much needed vacation from the daily grind. We picked them up in Portland, had brunch, then headed southeast towards Silver Falls State Park. We had a small, rustic cabin reserved there for 2 nights, and planned to hike the beautiful “Trail of 10 Falls” the next day. On the way to Silver Falls, we stopped at “The Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival” near Woodburn, OR. The festival was winding down and the tulips were not at their prime, but it was still nice. Silver Falls is a beautiful park and the trail is stunning, rewarding you frequently with its numerous waterfalls. We left the mountains and headed for the coast, where we rented a house at Rockaway Beach for some rest and relaxation. We stopped at Cannon Beach on our way back to Portland. We arrived at low tide and were able to explore the tide pools, which was really cool. We had an awesome trip, enjoying good times with good friends. Times like these pass all too quickly.