Hood & St. Helens - Magnificant!

No trip to Oregon could be complete without a drive up to Mt. Hood, well, as least as far up as snow permits! Our first great view came from the valley below where apple trees drenched in warm sunlight make us wonder if the photo, with snow-capped Hood in the background, is a fake?


By the way the little lane that this orchard was on had a very artistic streetsign. We love it! So much so, we're considering changing our official mail forwarding address to it....now do you think you could remember the street name? (oh, and I guess there's a logical reason for the name...I wonder if that's why we needed 4WD?)

A few more miles of winding, turning & climbing brings us about as high as open roads allow, so it's time for playing in the snow with the giant still far off in the distance.


As we start down, the water is already well ahead of us...record snows have caused quiet streams to swell beyond their banks and become raging torrents.

I guess the most interesting aspect of the day's journey is that we were comfortable in shorts & teeshirts, even with all the winter sports still in full swing!

Thanks to a suggestion from our good friend Ronnie White, we spent an extra day while moving further north diverting to see Mt. St Helens, arriving there for the 28 year anniversary of it's eruption on May 18th, 1980. We spent a couple of hours at the educational Visitor's Center, which has excellent photos & videos of the catastrophic event.

http://gonorthwest.com/Washington/cascades/mt_st_helens/mountsthelensvisitorcenter.htm

The 58 mile road to Johnson's Ridge, the best vantage point for viewing the crater was open, as of only a couple of days ago. About midway up, you get the first nice view of the Mt with the huge valley below that was inundated with the giant lahar pushed from the base of the crater.

We arrived at Johnson's to find that massive amounts of snow were still present, the truck being dwarfed by the icey stuff, not to mention how small the walk up to the Ridge made us feel.



The view from the Ridge was dramatic, giving us a feel for how huge the mountain is, and the enormous chunk of it that was blown out of this side, producing the tremendous flow of debis down this side and into the upper Toutle River Valley.

Looking closer into the crater area, you can easily see the bulge of new growth that has formed over the years. The volcano threatened again in 2004, but has remained dormant since. The seismic equipment located deep within the crater was actually showing some activity while we were there, but no one can predict when a major eruption will take place again.

Another interesting aspect of the eruptionis how far the "blast zone" traveled. The pyroclastic flow of molten rock, superheated gases & steam reached out as far as 17 miles. After 28 years, we could still see evidence of it's destruction at the perimeter!

On the way down, we decided to take a look at Coldwater Lake, the gates having just been opened. It's situated several miles northwest of the Mt, and is somewhat shielded by a ridgeline (on the right) from direct path to St Helens.

It was just so stunningly slick & beautiful, I just had to go out for a paddle. Since Kim opted out, I took the big SEDA Impulse with plenty of hull speed to circum-paddle the Lake before dark.

As I paddled along it's banks, numerous waterfalls were formed by the melting snow and runoff, delightful to both the eyes & ears!

Evidence of the massive blowdown from Helen's blast was abundant, from one end of the Lake to the other. The colors of some of the old waterlogged trunks reminded me of the deep red cypress we sometimes found in Louisiana.

This image of the rear mountains shows that the entire face was subjected to the brutal blast, the huge trees still lay strewn across it's surface like matchsticks dropped on the floor.

Although I found the water quite cold, Kim managed to find at least one "cold blooded" creature out for a leisurely swim!

Multnomah Falls!

This may be America's second highest waterfall, but it surely be our most spectacular. Walking up to this awesome sight, hearing the crashing of tons of water pounding the solid rock from 680 feet above and feeling the spray right in your face is quite a sensation!

A great plus is that it's only a few hundred feet from I-84, and has several great viewpoints. The shot above was from the main viewing area next to the lodge, at the very bottom of the falls. Here, Kim & I are posed on the far right side of the bridge that crosses the pool a couple hundred feet up. Walking across the span was exhilerating, as the chilling spray drenched us. The video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcW-91o-qQk will give you a good idea of the power & force with which Nature hurls the tower of liquid from high above. The Falls are the subject of an old Indian legend and must have been an interesting discovery for Lewis & Clark.

http://www.lewisandclarktrail.com/section4/orcities/portland/legend/index.htm


Opposite the bridge, a long, climbing foottrail leads to the very precipice where the stream breaks over the edge, taking one's breath away when you hang out over the railing to get this fabulous view of the scarey plunge to the parking area.

The stream feeding this sight seems somewhat mundane, gently flowing and gurgling through the woods before it's hand shake with gravity.

Aided by this same force, the hike down was a bit easier, providing a few interesting diversions along the way.

One couldn't help thinking about visiting again as we headed back to the truck after seeing one of this state's most beautiful treasures.

PORTLAND! It's Green! It's Colorful! It's Spring!

For the past weeks we've heard countless stories about "THE Oregon Trail", so with much enthusiasm we searched the maps, googled it, GPS'd it and I'll be darned, we found it! We spent about 30 minutes at the visitor center, learning all about the hardships of pioneer & settler life, walked out on the huge viewing deck, and saw nothing but a bunch of dust blowing over the valley below (hey, but that's not just any dust that's "Oregon Trial" dust!). So, for a closer look we drove down to where THE Trail is accessible with only a short hike (in the cold howling wind) and found it....so here it is folks The Oregon Trail! Seriously, the Trail does have a rich history and I guess one day we'll have to hike part of it to fully appreciate it. http://www.isu.edu/~trinmich/Allabout.html

So, somewhat similar to Utah, we go once again from desert-like prairie to rich fantastic greenery and mountains within just a couple hundred miles. Being from south Louisiana, and having seen the mighty Mississippi all my life, it was hard to imagine a river that would compete in size, and blow the old Ms. totally off the map when it comes to sheer beauty. But, if you never seen the Columbia, you simply must! Now I know how Lewis & Clark felt overlooking this scenic giant....
Our main purpose in traversing the Portland area was to get the trailer repaired in Clackamas (just southeast of Portland proper). So, we spent the first day at the Komfort factory (see Post) getting the tour, etc. While there, and having a couple of days free, we discovered a Frank LLoyd Wright designed home was in nearby Silverton, also the home of the Oregon Gardens...so off we went...

The home had been moved to the Garden site and was orginally built for the Gordon family farm. The exterior was typical of Wright's clean, cantileavered modern style, and in a beautiful hillside setting overlooking a peaceful wooded area. The design used much of Mr. Wright's "poor man's stained glass" both inside & out, adding somewhat of a southwestern flare to the overall look & feel of the dwelling.


We enjoyed a personal tour that allowed us to see just about every space & detail within. Here's a sample of the many interior pictures, which should convey the fine detail & artistry of the
Master.




Just across the parking lot was the entrance to the gardens. Our senses were already in heaven from Portland's brilliant tree greens contrasted against striking rhododendron reds punctuated by the intense smells of Spring, when wham we get hit with sensory overload! To emphasize the point, Kim & I took over 200 photos within the garden alone! So, here's just a few of the many...


you can learn more about the home and the gardens at http://www.oregongarden.org/WYS_gordonhouse.html

After the trailer work was complete, we moved across the Columbia to Vancouver, WA to spend a couple of days with kim's paddling friend from Louisiana, Irene Sheppard. Irene was a gracious "southern host" cooking for us the first eve, then making us feel "back at home" in Louisiana by taking us to a Magaritaville resturant look alike in the marina. After a couple of drinks, I could've sworn we were on the lake in Nawlins'.....


Next day found us doing the "scenic drive" overlooking the River on Hwy 14 East, wow what views!
We arrived at Eagle Creek early enough to get a in nice five-mile hike up the creek's cool & peaceful canyon. We first noticed the thick spring-green moss that blankets virtually everything due to the Pacific moisture that baths the area due to the predominently west winds.

The immense size of the trees are a hint of what's to come later this year when we'll explore the coastline on our way back from Alaska. Tiny wildflowers thrive in areas drenched in sunlight between these giants.


A constant gurgle below soothes the soul setting the stage for our first views of the creek, which surprisingly, is home to a new life bird, the Harlequin Duck far below! Other flying cratures are found as we glance downward along the trail.

The path narrows and gains altitude, providing the perfect platform to view the trail's first waterfall....


Farther along we pause before turning back to enjoy "the punchbowl", a long cascade, the favorite of many local photographers and artists.


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You might also enjoy sharing the sights & sounds of this nice moment with us through this video: