Columbia River Gorge Waterfalls

On Wednesday Kevin drove us about two hours east to visit the waterfalls along the Columbia River Gorge. I had seen pictures of this area, and really wanted to see it. I asked if it we could go for my birthday, and Kevin agreed. The entire area just east of Portland is beautiful!!

Someone told me that a permit was now required to drive on scenic Highway 30 to view the falls. This was started last year as the area was getting extremely crowded. During my research, I found a company called Sasquatch Shuttles. For $15 each, we could park in their lot at the start of the area and be shuttled to six of the waterfalls. That sounded like a great deal. We arrived and waited just a short while for the small bus to pick us up. Our driver, Keenan, was raised in this area and shared lots of local knowledge.

The first stop was Shepherd's Dell which is one of the lesser known waterfalls. It is 92 feet tall, but some of the top is hard to see. In 1915 farmer George Shepperd donated all of his property which included the waterfall to the City of Portland as a memorial to his wife. Later the city gave the land to the state, and Shepperd's Dell State Natural Area was formed.

The next stop was Latourell Falls which is 249 feet tall. The Talbot family donated the land surrounding these falls in 1929. The historic Columbia River Highway was completed in 1915, and many generous landowners began donating their land to preserve the beauty of this area.

The rocks at the top look like a heart.

I like how the sun made this diamond effect.

We continued on to the highest part of the road, Vista House Crown Point. The house was built in 1918 to serve as a comfort station for travelers, and as an observatory from which the view both up and down the Columbia River could be appreciated. The house is staffed by volunteers, and was closed. Our driver speculated it was due to the expected high temperatures in the 90s. 

The views were definitely spectacular. It was a bit hazy, maybe due to fires elsewhere. Notice the pretty streetlights lining the roadway.

View to the east

View to the west

Back down the hill brought us to Horsetail Falls which is 176 feet tall. 

There are towers in the river for eagles to make their nests. We saw several eagles on these perches.

Our final stop from the bus was at the granddaddy of the waterfalls, Multnomah Falls. It did not disappoint. We did learn that there is about seventy percent more water flowing in the spring, but it was still magnificent. In total it falls 611 feet, upper falls is 542 feet and lower falls is 69 feet. It is the second highest year-round waterfall in the United States, and the most visited tourist attraction in the Pacific Northwest.

We could have caught a shuttle to the next waterfall, but decided to hike the half mile along the trail. Kevin saw this unusual looking bug. I found out it is a banded alder borer which eats only downed and decayed trees. Kevin's shoe is in the picture for size perspective.

Wahkeena Falls is 242 feet tall. It was the hardest one to get a picture of the whole waterfall. It starts up near the top where you see the trees, but rocks and trees keep it pretty well hidden. Wahkeena is the Yakima Indian name for most beautiful.

We hopped back onto the shuttle and headed back to the parking lot. The last waterfall we visited was Bridal Veil Falls. It can be accessed along the road, but you have to hike down a trail to it. If you take the shuttle trip, you can access it from below, which looked to be much easier. Another beautiful site!!

After indulging my waterfall obsession, Kevin deserved a break. We headed to Oakshire Brewery where he tried a flight of four beers. His favorite was the amber ale. I had a delicious Bauman's Loganberry Hard Cider. 

To top off a perfect day, we stopped at Joann's Fabrics on the way home. I needed some thread, and have not been to Joann's since last summer. I found some other items that I couldn't live without as well.

The scenic drive back along highway 6 was through lots of pine forests and over the Cascade Mountains.

The day before our waterfall trip, we did some more crabbing with Brad and Martha. This time we caught three large, two medium and lots of small sized crabs in about two hours. This trap was so full, it was very heavy for Kevin to lift. They were all too small, and had to be thrown back. 

We feasted on the five that were keepers for supper. So, so yummy!!! Kevin and Brad have the licenses, so do all the hard work and heavy lifting. We all work together to cook and clean them. What a treat!!!!!!

We're in Garibaldi for two more weeks. We have another crabbing adventure coming up this week. Stay tuned for more pictures!

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Garibaldi, Oregon

 We're staying in Garibaldi for a month to enjoy the cooler weather on the coast, and to do some crabbing and sightseeing. We had our first crabbing experience last week. Our friends Brad and Martha have been so generous in sharing their equipment and knowledge with us.

We went to the crabbing pier and used their three crab pots to see if we would have any luck. We used chicken legs for bait, zip tieing them to the trap so the crabs don't just steal it all. 

Here's Kevin throwing out one of the pots. Be careful you don't get your legs caught up in the ropes!

Hey, there are crabs in there. How cool is that!! It looks like serious business from the looks on our faces. Ha, ha!

To keep the crabs, they have to be male and at least 5-3/4 inches in width across the top of the shell. We got one!! Those pinchers hurt if they get you! Gloves are necessary.

We ended up with three keepers after about two hours of work. Lots of them were either female or too small so they got thrown back. Brad and Martha have the cooking equipment. Brad likes to cook them whole. 

Other people pull the legs off and just cook those. There was enough meat in the three crabs to feed the four of us. So good!!

The next day some of the others in our group rented a boat and went crabbing further out in the bay. They got 31 crabs. We worked together cooking and cleaning them and had quite a feast that night!

Garibaldi is a small coastal port town. There is a large marina with a number of commercial and amateur fishermen. This smokestack has been here since 1927. It was built by a large lumber mill and stands about 200 feet tall. It is one of the tallest structures on the Oregon Coast.

There are many barn quilts at locations up and down the coast. I thought this one at our RV park is a great representation of the area.

The town of Tillamook is just 15 minutes south of us. We went to the farmer's market last Saturday and then stopped at the Tillamook Creamery for a self-guided tour, some cheese shopping and ice cream. The tour is self-guided with windows and information to explain how the cheese is made. The employees must feel like they're in a fish bowl.

We bought some cheese curds and also received samples of three flavors of their cheese. It was good, but we like our Wisconsin cheese better. Probably just what you're used to. The Tillamook cheese seemed drier and sharper in flavor than the cheese from Wisconsin.

The building is beautifully designed. This is the side facing Route 101, the main road through town.

Above the main entrance door is this mural of Flower, the award-winning show cow of the creamery.

The ice cream was delicious. You could purchase a flight with three flavors. Kevin likes to try flights of beer at the breweries we visit. This is the first time I've seen a flight of ice cream. Now that's my kind of flight. There were about 20 flavors to choose from. My favorite was mudslide. It was so yummy, I totally forgot about taking a picture!

Yesterday we went to Cape Meares State Park. The lighthouse there is the shortest on the Oregon Coast standing only 38 feet tall. That's because it is on a cliff that is 217 feet above the ocean. You can imagine the struggle they had building it in 1890.

Although it was a bit overcast, the views were spectacular. We've found that near the water, there is almost always a marine layer of fog. If you click on the picture below, you can see the rocks in the ocean have arches in them.

Also, in the park is the Octopus Tree, a 105 foot tall Sitka spruce. No one really knows how it grew this way, but what an unusual tree. It is 46 feet in circumference, and is estimated to be 250 to 300 years old.

Another short trail in the park takes you to Big Spruce, the largest Sitka Spruce in Oregon. It is 144 feet tall, 48 feet in circumference, and about 750 to 800 years old.

Here's an example of the fog rolling in off the coast towards the campground in the late afternoon. If it is sunny, the fog usually comes back later in the day.

Last week, five of us went golfing. Martha and I were a twosome as the three guys played together. It was a scenic, challenging, nine hole course. We had a great time on a beautiful day.

The campground is on the bay. Here is the view on one side.

Today we are going to try crabbing again. We'll see if we have crab for dinner or hot dogs. You never know!

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Waldport and Newport Oregon

When we left Redmond, Oregon the temperatures were over 100 degrees. A few hours later we arrived in Waldport, Oregon on the coast to temperatures in the 60s. That's a drastic change, but welcomed after all the heat on our trip so far.

We stayed at McKinley's RV Park and Marina with a site overlooking the bay. What an awesome view. Here's what our view looked like after we got set up the first afternoon. 

What a surprise it was to wake up the next morning to this view.

We are not used to being in areas where the tide is a big part of life. It was fun each day watching the water come back in. Lots of birds enjoyed the easy fishing during the low tide including this egret and heron.

The park has rental boats with all the equipment needed for crabbing for $100. We saw people coming back with lots of crabs. For a small fee, the park will even cook them for you. We didn't go because we had plans to crab with friends we were meeting at the next stop.

We did go to the Devil's Churn lookout area. It's a crevice that has eroded in the lava rocks. During high tide waves come crashing in. We went near high tide, but didn't see many crashing waves. It was still a beautiful area.

The next day we golfed at a cute nine hole course called Crestview in Waldport. Here's Kevin putting. Over the trees you can see the marine fog layer over the ocean. Every morning we woke up to fog which burned off around 10 am. But, over the ocean there was often a layer of wispy fog.

There were lots of pretty flowers on the course.

There are many bridges along the coast crossing over bays. Most of them were designed by Conde B. McCullough in the 1930s. Prior to building the bridges, it was not possible to travel the Oregon coast without being ferried across the bays. He designed the bridges in the art deco style with pillars which were to represent the Empire State Building.

More beautiful flowers at the Waldport Visitor Center. There are gorgeous flowers everywhere along the coast. They have the right climate to grow so many different varieties.

This seal statue in front of the center was so cute.

After four days in Waldport, we headed 16 miles north to Newport to meet up with friends from Yuma, Brad and Martha. We stayed at the Newport Marina and RV Park. Our sites were in the annex area behind a Super 8 Motel. This was a first for us being parked under the balconies of a motel. 

It was a great location, though within walking distance to the Newport Fishing Pier where you can do some crabbing. That was the plan. Unfortunately, two weeks before we arrived; there was a major sewage spill into the bay and this was the warning sign we encountered at the entrance.

There were some people still crabbing off the pier, but we decided not to risk it as we will be spending a month in Garibaldi after this where the crabbing is supposed to be even better.

These seagulls were lined up on the pier waiting for a treat.

Lots of birds were on top of these pylons under the bridge, and a fishing boat was making its way back to the marina.

Since crabbing was off the table, we found plenty to occupy our time in Newport. We wandered around the old area along the bay. Pacific Seafood is a large fish processing company in Newport. Here are the tiny salad shrimp being processed to sell. They are yummy!!

This mural was on one of their buildings. 

A gorgeous hydrangea bush along the sidewalk.

Some other activities we did included golf, a little shopping, farmer's market, and an art, oysters and brews festival. I didn't take pictures at any of them. Having too much fun, I guess. The highlight for me of our stay in Newport was going to the tide pools at the Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area. This is a federal land area with beautiful coastline, a lighthouse, visitor center and trails. I had read that the best tide pools along the central coast were to be found here. We checked the tide tables and headed over in time to try and view lots of sea life in the pools. It was amazing!!

Here's the view from the viewpoint outside of the visitor center.

Here's the view of the tide pools from above and some of what we saw in the them. 

Purple Urchin

Orange Sea Star

Purple and Orange Sea Star

Purple Sea Star

Giant Green Anemones 

California Mussels - the rocks were covered with these!

There were also Harbor Seals, Sea Lions, Pelicans and lots of other birds on the rocks.

Brad and Martha among the rocks. There were all kinds of barnacles and other shelled creatures attached to the rocks. 

Views of the tide pools, lighthouse and ocean from below.

We trekked back up the stairs you can see in the picture above to take a look at the lighthouse. It was closed for refurbishing, so we couldn't go inside.

Beautiful view of the coast from up there.

These rocks are called the dinosaur. I can see it.

Across the street from the RV park is the huge Rogue Brewing facility. I thought this entrance to the restaurant and bar was unique. Notice the huge geraniums in the barrels. We did some tasting, and Kevin enjoyed a few of their brews. 

Loads of seagulls were seen sitting on the metal roof of their buildings every day. It must be warm up there. The roof was gray, but in the heavy seagull areas, it was white. Ha!

So, that wraps us this leg of the trip. We had a great time in Waldport and Newport, and are now headed to Garibaldi for a month. I'm sure many more adventures await.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!