An Oregon Day At The Beach

A new day brings another car adventure.

It was an overcast morning with rain in the forecast. 

However, a true Oregonian is never one to shy away from a few rain drops. 

We decided to grab a few adventurous friends, and head out to the beach.

Rain or shine, highway 101 is a beautifully scenic road that will take you up and down 

the entire Pacific coast line.

 

When most people think of a day at the beach, they think of sun bathing in the hot sand,

 and swimming in the ocean. Spending the day at the beach in Oregon is a little different. 

 While the summer months tend to be a bit warmer and dryer, rain is to be expected.

It is the rain after all, that makes this land so alive and unique.

We put on our rain gear, and headed out to enjoy a full day at the beach

in true Oregon style!

On the rocks off shore we spotted lazy harbor seals laying about.

These creatures learn to swim from birth. Strong swimming abilities allow 

harbor seals to playfully swim around effortlessly in the rough ocean currents. 

They spend half their day on land safely away from large ocean pretors. 

Harbor seals are large animals. They can reach 5 to 6 feet in length, and weigh 

up to 300 pounds. It is a sight to see them moving about on land by awkwardly 

flopping along on their bellies. 

The power of the Pacific ocean is truly appreciated when you see something like this.

A large red wood tree has been striped of bark, and tossed ashore 

like a toothpick.

The force of the ocean is demonstrated here with this HUGE tree stump. 

The surface is weathered, and worn smooth by being tumbled in the ocean current 

before it was deposited on the rocky shore line. 

It is incredible to think of how much power it would take to lift and move this tree stump.

With an abundance of water and minerals all around, life clings to every surface. 

Yellow monkey flowers highlight the vegetation claiming this steep sand stone cliff. 

At the waters edge life is even more abundant.

 As the tide goes out the life forms that live on the ocean water are exposed.

 I found this clusters of gooseneck barnacles, among a bed of blue mussels 

exposed to the open air.

Ochre Sea Stars can be found in this lovely purple shade...

... as well as this fiery orange hue.

The starfish cling tightly to the side of the rocks, moving slowly as they feed on mussels.

Giant green anemones cluster together in underwater gardens.

           Anemones use their long green tentacles to sting, and then capture prey

such as small fish that swim by.

We made our way back up the beach to find another group of harbor seals lounging about 

on rocks, further out in the ocean.

After a full day in the rain exploring the beach, we were all ready to eat.

 We ended our day at the beach with a warm meal cooked out on the grill.

Little Known Fact; A picnic always tastes better in the rain.

The Oregon Adventure Continues on.

I invite you to follow along on the next chapter!

The Oregon Adventure Continues

  Back In The Car, 

The Adventure Continues...

After getting some much needed rest and relaxation in Parkdale, we jumped back in

 the car. With Excitement in the air, we headed to the old stomping grounds of 

Eugene, Oregon.

No matter how long I stay away Eugene, is a town that will always be home. 

Eugene is a town like absolutely no other.

 It is alive with possibilities of fun, and openly welcomes creative open minded people.

On this visit we stayed for a few days, and stuck to the four areas of town.

On our first day in town, we made tracks around the Cuthbert and Whiteaker districts.

We arrived in town for a show at The Cuthbert Amphitheater.

The Cuthbert Amphitheater is an outdoor venue with a few unique features. 

Cuthbert is nested in the trees of Alton Baker park. Alton Baker park is located 

on the shore of the Willamette River. The river winds it's way around the park. 

Many creeks feed into the Willamette River, like this one behind Cuthbert. 

Here many people with kayaks and canoes gather to float on the water, and hear 

the music drift through the summer air.

As the sun stated to set, the band we had come to see Beats Antique took the stage.

The music is best described as electronica meets world fusion.

The amazing Zoe Jakes mesmerized the crowd as she interpreted the music in 

tribal fusion dance. It was inspiring to say the least.

You cannot visit a brew town like eugene without sampling a few "barley sodas".

My all time favorite brewery is Ninkasi.

We where fortunate enough to be invited to the Ninkasi brewery after the show 

for a tour and tasting. 

Ninkasi has grown in size and popularity over the last three years since I was last

 in Eugene. 

In 2012, Ninkasi sold 68,193 barrels of Ninkasi craft beer, which is equal to 

136,366 kegs, or 16,909,384 pints! 

Ninkasi knows how to brew a fine ale. So fine in fact, that I could not pick a favorite!

 I narrowed it down to a top four. 

It was a tie for the best IPA, between "Tricerahops" and "Total Domination". 

Honestly, you cannot go wrong with either one!

The seasonal "Spring Reign" is an ale that is so refreshing I could drink it all day, everyday. 

For those times when you need a meal in a bottle, nothing can beat "Oatis" a deliciously

malty oatmeal stout. 

There are new brews constantly being added to the Ninkasi product line. 

You can keep up to date by following the fun and informative Nikiasi Blog.

After all that beer, it was time to find some food.

Luckily there is no shortage of good food late into the night in Eugene.

Many new restaurants have opened their doors in the time I have been away.

We walked from Nikaiasi to Izakaya Meiji, or Meiji's for short. 

We got a table outside on the patio. 

All seven of us proceeded to order a hamburger and fries. 

All seven of us ate every last bite. 

Completely stuffed, we proceeded to Sam Bonds Garage.

Sam Bonds Garage is a neighborhood bar, with a great stage for performers.

By this time the bar was closed. However, we had friends that had played a show 

 that evening, and had an invitation to stop in after hours. 

Sam Bonds has a great laid back atmosphere that is always refreshing. 

My favorite part is the backyard area. It feels like home away from home, 

and you are always guaranteed to have a few unique conversations!

Our night did not end there - However, this blog post will.

There is much more to this Oregon experience!

Follow along as we make our way to the Pacific ocean, to explore the Oregon Coast.

A Walk In The Oregon Woods

After being cooped up in a car for days all I wanted to do is get outside and enjoy 

the clean pine scented air. 

A hike along Hood River seemed to be a perfect way to enjoy a sunny Oregon afternoon.

The trail cut between large river rocks covered in moss. 

Trees filtered the warm sunlight through the canopy over head. 

The sound of rushing water beckoned us the river's edge. 

The first view of the river was mesmerizing.

Here we stood motionless listening to the song birds, and basking in the sunshine.

We continued along the river trail to found an abundance of native wildflowers in bloom.

 Busy bees collected pollen from Cascade Lilies, Broad-Leaved Arnica, and delicate Nootka Roses.

I was able to catch one bee in action gathering pollen from an Oregon Tiger Lily.

Numerous sprays of delicate white flowers bloom from the Creambush along the rocky shoreline.

Cascade Lilies also known as Mount Hood Lilies are one of my favorite wildflowers. 

The sweet fragrance of these showy flowers filled the air.

I was impressed with the the strong roots of this tree.

I imagined what the river must look like swollen from winter rains.

 The swift current could easily sweep those boulders away if it was not for the firm grip of that tree's roots.

The native Red Columbine, Aguilegia Formosa  provides beautiful contrast to the lush green background.

I took in one last view of the lovely Hood River as we finished our rive hike.

 Recharged from the beautiful walk along Hood River, we made our way back to 

the guest house. 

This spectacular view of Mount Hood rising above the trees dominated the skyline as we

 made our way back to the town of Parkdale.

The Oregon adventure continues on!

I invite you to follow along to our next stop in Eugene.

Westbound USA Cross-Country Adventure *Part 4*

*Part 4*

Oregon Or Bust!

We being this chapter continuing the driving West on Interstate 94.

I awake to find the scenery has changed. We are now in the big sky country of Montana. 

I have always loved Montana. 

Ranked 4th largest state in size, and 44th in population this is a land of 

open spaces and rocky mountains. Home of Glacier National Park, and last refuge for the 

American grizzly bear, Montana offers amazing opportunities to explore the natural world.

However, there was no time for exploration on this last leg of the trip. 

We motored on Westward. 

As we passed into Idaho on Interstate 90 the rain and fog took over the once blue sky.

Being from the Pacific Northwest I find the gray sky and sound of rain to be comforting.

I slowly fell back asleep to the sound of rain drops.

I awoke hours later to find that we had passed into Washington State. 

The rain continued to fall as the sky began to darken fading into night.  

Here we rested for a few hours. 

Excited to be so close to Oregon it was a short and restless sleep.

We begin the new day traveling South on Interstate 82.

Before the sun was up on the fourth day of travel, we were back on the road. 

As the sun began to rise the rain clouds that had be hanging overhead began to melt away.

We had crossed the Columbia River into Oregon.

Arriving in Hood River we stopped at a little cafe for a hot breakfast of organic 

farm fresh eggs benedict with salmon and coffee.

Fueled up we continued on the road to our destination, the town of Parkdale 

in an area of Oregon referred to as the "Fruit Loop".

As we hit the town of Parkdale the low laying clouds parted like a curtain, 

revealing our first glimpse of magnificent Mount Hood.

At 11,249 feet in elevation, Mount Hood is the highest volcanic peak in Oregon.

After days of traveling across 15 states we had finally reached our destination. 

Let The Oregon Vacation Begin!!!

There is much more to this adventure! 

Follow along to see more as we travel through Oregon.