Eagle Creek, 5.17.06

Well, with John having so much time off, we have been having great fun exploring some areas of the region we just haven’t had time to explore up till now. The Gorge is an area that is quite close to our house—depending on where we go, anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes away. Today we visited Eagle Creek, which was about a half hour drive from home. It’s hard to believe so much incredible beauty is so close to where we live close to downtown Portland. At times I felt as if I were hiking through the Appalachian Mountains. Stunningly beautiful. These photos hardly capture the views, but again, it’s all I have to share the moments.

So, here goes another chapter in our ongoing efforts to share the beauty of our region with our friends and family (and perhaps entice you to come for a visit???

Our journey begins at Eagle Creek:



As you can see, it was quit warm. Look at those white legs!



Interestingly, there were three trees growing out of the root ball of a fallen tree. I’ve never seen anything like this before. Three distinct and largish trees growing directly out of the base of another. It’s hard to tell from this photo:



Such lovely vistas, but hard to capture on camera:



A small feeder that leads to the falls we arrived at next:



This is where we stopped to have a snack and rest up for the trip back. All-in-all we were out hiking for about three or so hours.



Another part of the falls area that I loved. There is a tree growing right out of the side of the cliffs:



Eagle Creek through the trees on our way back:



Our journey completed, we headed over to our favorite cafe for hummus and tea. What a glorious day!!! Definitely good for the body and the soul.

Our Trip to the Gorge, 5.10.06

The Columbia Gorge is partly what sold us both on moving to Portland. John marks standing at an observation point overlooking the Columbia River, with a full view of much of the Gorge, as the defining moment in his decision to live in the Pacific Northwest. So, it is always special for us when we get to spend some time there, either hiking around one of the numerous, incredibly lovely waterfalls, or stopping to have lunch in lovely Hood River or at the Multnomah Falls Lodge. Today it was hiking around Horsetail Falls and Oneonta Gorge and Falls. Not a huge hike—only around a total of three miles. But some of those miles were up, up, up! And what sights we saw! We recorded a bit of it, but really, the views were too lovely and stunning to capture on a small, point-and-shoot digital camera.Still, we gave it a try! Here’s a shot of Horsetail Falls. It’s too large to fit into my very limited camera lens, so I stacked the pictures on top of each other to try to give the overall effect:




As we hiked up the trail towards the top of the falls, we were treated to this view we couldn’t pass up:



At the top of the falls, there is a smaller falls called Ponytail Falls. I think there’s a definite equine theme here. Quite lovely in the midst of all that green:



Once we reached Ponytail Falls, we spent some time behind it, delighting in the dark little cavern that we discovered there. No bats, but still, quite neat:



Here’s a couple of views of Ponytail Falls from behind:



Here is Alex on the way back down:



It was one of the most fun days we’ve had in a long while. I think John is enjoying his time off!! I know that I am! Thanks for enjoying our trip with us...

John's job change

John has decided to charge forward into new directions in his life. He had been struggling for quite some time with the idea of working for a company that concerns itself only with how to make more money for itself. Home Depot is a great place to shop, but not really a place to make a difference in the world in terms of work. John has chosen to leave Home Depot so that he can apply himself full-time to the search for meaningful work. He is exploring several different non-profit agencies and I’ll keep you posted on what develops.In the meantime, he is enjoying some much needed time off and relaxation! We are both enjoying it, actually. We are spending a lot of time together and trying to get in some working out and exercise as well as having some picnics at the park while we are at it. Stay tuned for updates on how his job search progresses...