Silver Falls State Park, August 1, 2016

Ben had told us about Silver Falls State Park, so Patty I decided to spend the day checking it out.  We drove in from Silverton on Oregon Route 214 and parked at the North Falls parking area, just inside the park boundary.  A park ranger suggested we hike the loop that would take us to the ten waterfalls and then told us about an easy route to return.  So we set out and within a few minutes came to the first of the ten waterfalls on the trail.

The trail is well maintained and has railings good enough to make me feel comfortable.  The North Falls has the trail even go around and behind the falls and is simply amazing.  This short video gives a great view of this part of the trail and falls.

As we continued on, we came across more waterfalls of different sizes and shapes.

We went on a short side trail, off of the main trail, to see this double waterfall called Twin Falls.

We continued to be amazed by both the natural beauty and quality of the trails.

When we reached the South Falls, we found information about the work done here during the Great Depression by the CCC.  It is still in good condition.

We spent about three and a half hours hiking and the shortcut we took caused to make a bit less than the total distance - but still a great place to hike, plus there are other trails and waterfalls that we missed, as well as those worth coming back to see again.

The next morning, Tuesday, August 2, Mr. Shadow and I encountered some of the colorful flowers that seem to be omnipresent in Portland - a pleasant omen of things on my upcoming trip to Ireland.

A Long Hot Weekend, July 29 - 31

On Friday, it was another, hot sunny day.

But some plants like that weather.  

On Saturday, Patty and I visited OMSI, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.  It is about two miles from home, so we decided to walk there.  We passed a portable toilet with a cute name - Patty thought this appropriate, knowing how I need restrooms frequently.

We saw a 3D movie, Jean Michel Cousteau's Secret Ocean.  The museum is housed in a former generating plant for Portland Gas and Electric, and is located on the east side of the Willamette River.  The museum is much like the Boston Children's Museum and because of the sunny Saturday, it was very full.  We spent a couple of hours there before heading home.

On Sunday, we walked to and hiked in Mount Tabor Park.  Along the way, we came across a reminder of Portland's history.  When they built streets a century ago and more, the curbs had rings in them for tying your horse when you stopped to visit friends or businesses.  On our way to the park, we came across several cute ways to use the hooks now.

On Sunday evening, Ben and Martha had guests for dinner.  Patty and I went to Laurelhurst Park for a free concert by a brass ensemble of the Portland Festival Symphony.  They were great, including an extended intermission where kids could come up close and touch and learn about the different instruments.  Patty and I had grilled sausages, chips and cold drinks from a vendor for our dinner.

Historic Route 30, July 28, 2016

On Thursday, Patty and I set off to explore Historic Route 30.  The road had been built to make a scenic route along the Columbia Gorge, and that sections that remain are absolutely gorgeous.

Our first stop was the Portland Women's Forum scenic vista at Chanticleer Point.  There is a great view of the Columbia Gorge, especially as you look east to  the Vista House - the house is barely visible, even when I zoomed in to the max allowed by my phone's camera.

Then we drove on to the Vista House.  Historic Route 30 is an amazing road, constructed to preserve the scenery and with keeping to a maximum slope of five percent and curve radius of 200 feet.  That means it is not only scenic, but pleasant to drive.  It was not made to speed through the area - that was later accomplished by the construction of Interstate Highway 84 - which replaced the eastern part of Route 30.  I am so glad they retained this section.  We stopped at the Vista House, read some of the scenery, got coffee and spent time enjoying the views.

Our next stop on the eastward journey was Guy Talbot State Park and Latourell Falls

We took a short hike out to the falls, back under the highway and up on the other side.

We continued on to Shepperd's Dell, again taking a short walk to view the falls there.

We had planned to go further, but were stopped by a traffic jam.  It may have had something to do with the hot weather.  So we turned around and headed back home.
 

Salmon River Trail, July 26, 2016

On Tuesday, we drove out to the Salmon River Trailhead for a nice hike, about 90 minutes out and the same back.  The trail parallels the Salmon River and the hike provided us with a pleasant three hours in the woods before having a late lunch and returning to Portland.

Here is a video giving some of the sights and sounds of the Salmon River.

After lunch, we stopped in the town of Government Center and visited the Mt. Hood Museum, then drove up to Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood.  We decided that we will need to visit Timberline Lodge when Megan visits in October.

We drove back down the mountain, then went east and north to and through the town of Hood River before driving back home to Portland.