Had to squeeze in one more wine tasting, this time at a winery run by Trappist monks and an olive and olive oil tasting in Corning, where the whole town and area is olive trees and related processing.
Then home, and back to real life. This is the last post for this blog/trip. Thanks for joining us!
Whole day at Mt. Lassen National Park. ranger talks, hikes, roadside stops to learn about various features, etc. You can't smell it on the blog, but... definite sulfur smell at our first stop. The mudpot in the photo is moving down the hill, and they've rebuilt the road so it can cross underneath. Mt. Lassen is just quietly (for the moment) overseeing everything and waiting.
Before leaving Oregon, one more street sculpture and one more stop for a food-related tour: Harry and David's. Interesting tour: they produce 800 lbs of mouse munch (popcorn with caramel, nuts, etc.) an hour! We didn't like it that much, but the production was interesting--and very labor intensive.
Then to Mt. Lassen, with spectacular views of Mt. Shasta on the way.
Today was basically a driving day. Good thing, as we got rained on quite a bit. Stopped for more berries though we didn't pick them ourselves this time. Beautiful scenery, but between the long drive and the somewhat cold (as well as wet) weather, other than to get the berries, we didn't try to stop along the way.
Another great day. Started with a walk to get garlic blue cheese bread, quick before they sold out. The bread shop was already out, but luckily someone at the farmer's market still had a few loaves.
Walked home along the river to check out the community project to build a mosaic for a children's wading pool. Hard to tell in the picture, but it will be spectacular.
Then--short driving tour past a church of the Old Believers, a group of Russians who split from the Russian Orthodox Church in the middle ages, and eventually wound up in Oregon. It's a complicated and very interesting story!
And then waterfalls, at Silver Falls State Park. Beautiful walk through temperate rain forest plus the trail goes behind the waterfall, which is always fun. It was Silverton history day at the park, so they had log sawing demos, storytelling, music, historic games for the kids, etc.
Home for a nap, and then to the local wine bar for wine and jazz.
Now staying with our friend Eva in Silverton. She took us on a lovely drive to Salem: beautiful farm country including fields of flowers being grown for seeds. Then to the Oregon Garden, an enormous and beautiful botanical garden (even in the rain). Home for a yummy dinner, and lots of talking.
Figured out how to take the bus downtown, and went on a free walking tour. It wasn't the best every bit out was quite good and we learned a number of things, like why Portland is also called Stumptown. The street art is great fun, too.
Lunch at a "food court"--just the whole ground floor of a building. Cold ramen (yum!) plus soft ice cream (real ice cream, no gelatins or additives).
Then went to see the little garden on the 9th floor of the federal courthouse. Yes, they let us in after making us check our Swiss army knife. Unlike airports, they gave it back. The sculptures were great (sorry--forgot to take a picture for the blog). Favorite was a cat on trial, with feather still in its mouth. The judge was an owl, attorney was a dog, etc.
Home for a nap before meeting our friends Lee and Alan for dinner. They kindly invited us over for a delicious dinner even though they had just returned from their own travels hours before!
Decided to scamper on to Portland for a tour of Bob's Red Mill instead of more waterfalls, especially since it was predicted to be cloudy and a bit cold for us weather wimps. Weather turned out to be gorgeous, but the Mill was interesting (and we couldn't resist stocking up).
After getting settled and a nap, headed downtown where we somehow found ourselves in another brewery (Fat Head) just in time for happy hour. Then went to the opening preview at an art gallery. The artist being showcased was R. Kearney Rathbun. We both really liked his work, but weren't seriously tempted to buy anything.
Then walked across the Tilicum Crossing Bridge before calling it a night.
Relaxed day. Made our way upriver to The Dalles, back at the dry plateau end of the Gorge. Visited the excellent Columbia Gorge Discovery Center & Museum. Then went to an organic u-pick farm in Hood River and supplied ourselves for the next couple days with raspberries (yellow and red), blueberries, and cherries. Yum! Of course we sampled as we picked to make sure everything was as good as it looked 😃. The cherry trees were totally loaded. I've never seen our trees look like that.
Stopped at the waterfront to watch windsurfing and kiteboarding. Quite amazing.
After watching so much exercise, we had to go home for a nap, then dinner: grilled northwest salmon and a spinach salad with Portobello mushrooms. I had an excellent red ale and Henry had a porter that seriously tasted like chocolate. Really good...
Spent the day viewing waterfalls, hiking and visiting the Bonneville Dam, lock and fish ladder and hatchery. The waterfalls, and the Gorge are beautiful, as everyone who has been here knows! The dam has a terrific visitors center that includes a viewing area to watch the fish going up the ladder underwater. The photo is the fish ladder from above.
There were also two pairs of ospreys nesting on top of one of the power stations! We were got to the see both three of the adults and the head of one of the babies. I guess it's no crazier than the peregrine falcons that best on the San Jose city hall building.
Dinner at a microbrewery--seemed appropriate for the 4th of July. Killer garlic fries--and the beer was really good, too. Then to the county fair grounds for fireworks. We thought we would freeze while waiting for it, but we survived, and it was a really good show. Happy Independence Day!
Started the day with another wine tasting. Then said goodbye to Leslie, and headed to the Columbia River Gorge. Beautiful, and very interesting how dramatically the scenery changed from dry cliffs in the east to heavy, even lush, forests as we went west. Relatively long drive today, so mostly admired the scenery as we drove without stopping for hikes. Stopped to experience the famous wind, though,
Staying in Stevenson, WA, which has a really nice feel to it. Fireworks are legal here and in Oregon, and many people seem to be starting celebrations early...
Started the day at the Fort Walla Walla Museum, which had some interesting exhibits about the history of Walla Walla, from the pioneer stuff to agriculture to Walla Walla's contributions to WWI and WWII.
The afternoon was devoted to visiting several wineries and one craft distillery ("moonshine", i.e., corn-based). A lot of excellent wine, and the moonshine was also really good (no claws).
Dinner was good, but the fun surprise was a Dixieland jazz concert from a military band. Really good, and just right for 4th of July weekend. Then home to our BnB where we ended up sitting on the deck and talking (and drinking more wine) until almost midnight.
Not much in pictures today, but a very interesting day historically. On the way to Walla Walla, we stopped at the Tamastslik Cultural Center. It was a beautifully done display about the history of the Indiana's in the area, mostly Cayuse, and included many beautiful objects, many with amazing beadwork. Lunch of Indian tacos and salmon corn chowder.
Then to the Whitman Mission Nat’l Historic Site, to learn about Marcus and Narcissa Whitman. Very interesting story.
Then met our friend Leslie, who drove down from Colville, WA to meet us and spent the evening drinking wine and catching up.
Today is a history day. First stop at Kam Wah Chung, a State Heritage Site. This was a home, store, Chinese medicine shop all in one small building. Interesting view into the lives of a couple early immigrants who, unusually, ended up doing very well in both the Chinese and the white communities.
Then stopped at Sumpter Valley Dredge, the largest gold mining dredge in the country (we didn't know there was such a thing). That's the second photo.
And finally, on to Baker City for the night--but with enough time to visit the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center. Very interesting. Thanks to the very dry climate, you can still see wheel ruts from the wagons. What a horrible trip!
Good beer and dinner at another one of those Oregon microbreweries: we spilt fish tacos and a spicy chicken Caesar salad, plus stout for Henry and a red ale fort me. Good thing we can walk home...
The Sheep's Rock Unit is all about the fossils, geology and some history. Spectacular, and quite different from the Painted Hills. Different mineral content, but also formed at different times by a free million years.
There's also an old ranch on the property. unfortunately the house, now a museum, was closed but the orchard provided a few windfall apricots (with permission from a ranger). Very hot, around 100 degrees, but dry so not impossible.
Dinner at a local cafe. Met a couple of local high school teachers. There are only 28 students in the school, so though the main person doing the talking is really a history teacher, he has to teach some of everything. Fun conversation and very good food: a burger from local grass- fed beef and an excellent salad. Strawberry rhubarb pie came home with us for dessert.
Stopped at Pilot Butte before leaving town to admire the important volcanoes (Mt. Bachelor and The Three Sisters) in Bend one more time.
Then headed for the Painted Hills Unit of John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. Spectacular and amazing. Each different color of the, clay really, is not only different mineral content but also from a different era, starting something like 55 million years ago. Tomorrow we'll learn more...
