Oregon
All of our adventures exploring the vast wonderland of Oregon can be found on this page. Go ahead and dive in!
Adventures in Oregon: Heceta Head
A few weekends back, we ventured over to the coast to check out Heceta Head, outside of Florence. We stopped first at a viewpoint slightly to the south so I could photograph the lighthouse from a distance. As I stepped out of the car, a cacophony of honking and barking filled the air and I realized with glee that sea lions were down below! To me, sea lions are the dogs of the marine world and I have this crazy idea that given their propensity for sunning themselves and being extremely vocal, they would most definitely be hounds. So, it’s no surprise that it thrilled me to see them swimming around in their natural environment. (I know they’re microscopic in the photos but look closely – there are quite a few!) After admiring the stunning Heceta Head Lighthouse, we continued up the road for a closer look at the Heceta Head Lighthouse State Scenic Viewpoint (say that 5 times fast!) We parked at the cove that lies just to the south of the lighthouse which is known as Devil’s Elbow. One day I’ll have to catalog just how many things in Oregon are named after the Devil – Devil’s Churn, Devil’s Punchbowl, Devil’s Lake, Devil’s Staircase … certainly adds a dramatic touch, don’t you think? We followed a short (~ 0.5 mile), easy trail up to the lighthouse, winding past what was once the assistant keeper’s house. It is now a functioning bed and breakfast – how cool is that?? Definitely added staying there to the old bucket list. Along the trail were so many incredible viewpoints and to see the transition from late afternoon to evening play out across the sky and water … it was perfection. The lighthouse was constructed in the late 1800s and has the strongest light on the Oregon coast – it reaches 21 miles out to sea! On this particular trip, we brought Wally and Sawyer along and they really seemed to enjoy themselves. From the myriad little tide pools to the gazillion birds hanging out on the giant offshore rocks to the colorful sunset, Heceta Head was simply beautiful. You can’t help but stand still in admiration at the sheer splendor of it all. I can only imagine the gratitude felt by the guests at the B & B to wake up and look out on such a view – doesn’t get much better than this. So pardon the photographic overload but I couldn’t help myself – so much beauty that I want to share with you! (pictured above: the meeting of freshwater and saltwater – always fascinating) Ahhh. Looking back over these photos has me itching to get back there as soon as we can! Hope you enjoyed this little virtual trip (and if you have the chance to see it in person – take it!!) Catch up on other posts in the Adventures in Oregon series: Willamette National Forest Newport Rooster Rock Trail Cape Perpetua Cape Kiwanda Cape Lookout Dimple...
read moreAdventures in Oregon: Dimple Hill
Gorgeous weather carried over from Saturday into Sunday, so after church we laced up our hiking shoes and hit the trail. We decided to explore Dimple Hill, which is known for offering up incredible panoramic views of Corvallis. We started at the trailhead at Chip Ross Park and navigated our way along a very muddy trail, passing loads of other people (and dogs) who had the same idea. Luckily, the crowds thinned out once we turned off the Chip Ross loop and connected up with Dan’s Trail. The hike itself was a very nice one, climbing gradually over three miles to Dimple Hill, gaining somewhere in the ballpark of 700-800 feet in elevation from the trailhead. Dan’s Trail was well-maintained and for the most part provided plenty of space to share the path with mountain bikes. We reached the summit and the view totally lived up to the hype! We could see the entire valley stretching out before us. With such a clear sky and little haze, we could see the snowy peaks of the Three Sisters off in the distance. Whenever I see these snow-capped giants along the horizon, I have to pinch myself – such an amazing site to see! I hope I never take it for granted. We walked a little ways down Dimple Hill and sat down to take it all in. Annie, Sasha and Ella joined us for the hike and they really did not understand the concept of resting. They were the very definition of restless! I guess they need to spend more time learning from Sawyer – he always gives the impression that he appreciates the view just as much as we do. (Don’t let Sasha fool you in these photos – she remained still for approximately 2 minutes before trying to army crawl her way up the hill). We could easily have lingered there until sunset, soaking in the view and trying to pinpoint which microscopic buildings we recognized. However, we still had three miles to hike back to the car. We made the return trip a bit more swiftly as it was mostly downhill. By the time we reached the car, however, darkness was close on our heels and the last light was fading from the sky. All in all, the hike is excellent (once you get past the mud in Chip Ross Park). It’s on the longer side (definitely plan on a couple of hours) but is a pleasant and peaceful meandering through the edge of McDonald Forest. And that view! Icing on the cake! We will definitely be revisiting it in the future! I can’t wait to see what spring brings as flowers start to blossom – I’m expecting it will be pretty spectacular! Next up on the blog, I’ll finally share our visit to Heceta Head – one of the most beautiful places we’ve visited! Other post in the Adventures in Oregon series: Willamette National Forest Newport Rooster Rock Trail Cape Perpetua Cape Kiwanda Cape Lookout...
read moreAdventures in Oregon: Cape Lookout
After we explored Cape Kiwanda, we continued up the coast to do some hiking at Cape Lookout State Park. Quite a few other folks seemed to have the same idea, as the parking lot was crowded when we pulled in. There are three main trails to choose from: Cape Trail, South Trail and North Trail. As far as we could tell, the majority of foot traffic seemed to be on the Cape Trail, so we headed down South Trail which zigzags down 1.8 miles to the beach. The descent is pretty sharp, dropping in elevation about 840 feet, so it made for a fairly easy hike down. I’m not sure if Sasha and Annie would agree with that assessment, however. We’ve been working on their leash manners, and that hike was all about the ‘Heel.’ To walk side by side with humans is just one step above taking a nap for Annie and Sasha – those two definitely have a need for speed. But they obeyed and we were very pleased with their walking. Walking down the trail, you spend the majority of the hike amidst tall trees and dense vegetation that keep you rather in the dark. Every now and then, you’d get the tiniest peak of the beach below but for the most part, you don’t really see it until the trail abruptly empties into the sand and into the light. When we walked out onto the beach, it seemed as though we walked into another world. Sunshine streamed down from above while a faint misty fog hovered around the cape, casting a dreamlike quality to the water and the land. The quiet and stillness and solitude of the beach all added to the effect. It truly felt like this was our own private little piece of the world. As the beach curves north into the cape, the sand gives way to smooth, dark rocks before narrowing into nothing. With the privacy and protection that the beach offered, we decided to let the dogs run free for a little bit. For Sawyer, this was no big deal and nothing new. But for Annie and Sasha – this was a life-changing moment. And I might as well add, it was for me, too. Having worked at an animal shelter, I’ve seen so many ‘lost’ dogs – dogs that either wandered away from home or got loose from their owners. Annie herself came to the shelter as a stray and who knows how she ended up there. As a result, I am fiercely over-protective of my dogs and very cautious about preventing any possibility of them being separated from us. Case in point: our entire yard (front and back) is fenced in and we have an additional tall metal ex-pen that encircles the gate so the dogs have zero access to a potential exit; chickenwire runs along the bottom of the fence to counter any digging. Add to my general worry the fact that time and time again, I’ve been told by well-meaning people that ‘you can never have a hound off-leash.’ As a result, I have been incredibly stubborn about giving Sasha and Annie a chance to be off-leash, a chance to put into practice all the things we have taught them. Andrew has brought up the question...
read moreAdventures in Oregon: Cape Kiwanda
Another recent adventure of ours at the coast included a visit to Cape Kiwanda in Pacific City. This area is full of sandstone that has been shaped by intense waves, exposing sedimentary layers that read like a geologic coloring book. The relentless pounding of waves against the sandstone creates some questionable areas where the edge could literally drop off should you be standing on it …. hmmmm… I’ll pass on the near-death experience, thanks! However, standing a safe distance away still affords a pretty spectacular show of the epic clash of land and sea. One area we climbed up led us through a teeny tiny little maritime forest- it was so small, I’m not even sure it counts as a forest. More like a sanctuary of vegetation, wind-blown but persistent. To be honest, apart from the few evergreens interspersed throughout, it felt a bit like we had walked through a portal to North Carolina, straight to Caswell Beach. On this particular hike, we brought the ‘big dogs’ – Sawyer, Sasha & Annie. This was our first attempt hiking with three dogs at one time and I have to say, they impressed me. I’m not sure why I always expect the worst from our dogs. On the whole, they are very good dogs that we’ve worked hard to teach. I can count on one hand the number of times that they have really and truly disappointed me. Nevertheless, I was surprised with how well-behaved they were. Just off of Cape Kiwanda sits Haystack Rock – well, actually this is one of two Haystack Rocks in Oregon (possibly three, according to several references I’ve read). The other (and more famous) Haystack Rock is in Cannon Beach, and a supposed third Haystack Rock sits somewhere in Curry County. I stumbled across something rather curious when I was researching Haystack Rock to find out about its origins. Apparently, the one in Cannon Beach (~235 feet tall) is frequently touted as being the third largest monolith in the world or the third largest intertidal monolith in the world. However, the one at Cape Kiwanda is taller, somewhere in the range of 340 feet. An article I came across dug into the history of that claim and essentially came up empty-handed; they could find no basis for why it was touted as being the third largest anything. And yet, if you search for Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach, you will see over and over again that it is described as the third largest monolith. Strange! But back to the Haystack Rock in Cape Kiwanda. It is considered a sea stack and is believed to have come from the same lava flow that carved out the Columbia Gorge. Owing to its sturdy basalt composition, it has acted almost like a guardian for the sandstone landscape of Cape Kiwanda, effectively taking the brunt of the forceful wave action pounding the coastline. However, waves of incredible might still roar up along the rocks and it was pretty mesmerizing to watch. Sawyer found it quite interesting, too. Looking toward the south, we had a great view of the coastline stretching away, and with such beautiful weather, the beach had quite a few visitors. The dogs were such good sports, waiting patiently while I took pictures and we oohed and...
read moreAdventures in Oregon: Cape Perpetua
Time to catch up on some of the amazing hikes we’ve taken in the past month! A few weekends ago, we headed over to the coast to check out Cape Perpetua, located a few miles south of Yachats, Oregon. source We parked just off Highway 101 at the small Devil’s Churn Day Use Parking Area. Our first stop along the trail was to check out Devil’s Churn. This inlet has been thousands of years in the making, starting as a fracture in volcanic bedrock and widening as violent waves chiseled out the basalt. Waves rush in to the inlet with such a tremendous force that they roll all the way in and back out again, meeting the next series of waves and resulting in violent, frothing clashes. It is truly quite a site to behold! While I was scrambling around the rocks, snapping photos, there was a little boy with his dad standing on the stairs overlooking the waves. Every time the waves clashed, he would yell ‘Whoa!!!’ with a mixture of awe and excitement. That’s exactly how I felt, kid. 🙂 Departing Devil’s Churn, we headed on down the Restless Waters Trail to Cape Cove, a lovely secluded beach. The dogs really loved checking this area out, sniffing at the driftwood and various shells and seaweeds that had washed up. This is where Cape Creek empties out to the sea, and Sawyer was more than happy to sample some cool freshwater! Andrew couldn’t resist either 🙂 We hopped on to Cape Cove Trail and walked through a tunnel under the 101 to join up with the Giant Spruce Trail. A nice, easy trail led us through an old growth forest along Cape Creek, ending at the Giant Spruce, a Sitka spruce that is almost 600 years old and over 185 feet high! Incredible! We headed a little ways back down the trail and jumped over to the Saint Perpetua Trail to climb up to the top of Cape Perpetua. Winding our way up through the forest, we emerged 800 feet above the Pacific Ocean. The view was utterly amazing as we gazed at the coast stretching to the south (that little bit of sandy beach you can see in the photo below is Cape Cove, where we had been just a short time earlier!) We trekked along the Whispering Spruce Trail to a historic stone structure that was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1934. And I have to say, that Corps really did phenomenal work. Not only is the structure well-built and the perfect complement to the landscape – those workers had to have been incredibly brave to essentially work on the edge of a cliff …. far braver than I could be, that’s for sure! One of the reasons that hiking resonates with me so much is that the path always beckons you along, inviting you to possibility – perhaps of an extraordinary view or a plant you’ve never seen or a tree older than your great-grandparents. Cape Perpetua definitely delivered in that respect. Even little Ella took time to enjoy the view! The hour was growing late so we hiked back down and detoured over to Captain Cook trail to walk along the beach, amidst countless tide pools. The sun began her descent and...
read moreAdventures in Oregon: Rooster Rock Trail
The Menagerie Wilderness in the Cascades has been high on the top of our list to check out. The wilderness area has numerous rock pinnacles that are popular with rock-climbers, with the most well-known one being Rooster Rock. While I’m not a rock-climber (I don’t have a death wish!), the trail promised to be a good one, so on Sydney’s final full day with us, we headed back into the Willamette National Forest to tackle Rooster Rock Trail. The trail climbs from a base elevation of 1300′ to a peak of 3567′ over 2.1 miles (check it out here if you want more details). This trail is not a simple little hike. It is a constant climb up, up, up, up. But the payoff is totally worth it. The higher we hiked, the more gorgeous the views. I mean, look at that! It’s like a freaking postcard, and that’s just an iphone doing its subpar job so you can imagine how much better it is in person. After what felt like a bit of an eternity, we reached Rooster Rock. Sadly there was no way to get a photo of the whole rock – what you see above is just a smaller rock jutting out of its back. Suffice it to say, Rooster Rock is massive and you just have to experience it in person. The trail continued along up past the rock to an overlook of the Cascades, and the view literally stopped me in my footsteps. It was utterly incredible to look out and see the dips and peaks of the Cascade Range with snow swirling around us off the branches of immense evergreens. The wind whipping around was quite a change from the relative peaceful silence of our hike up. I had to take a video just so I could capture how loud it was: http://www.thesimplelens.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/roosterrock1.m4v (I know that’s possibly the world’s worst video but I’ve never claimed to be a videographer, my friends.) A tiny half-trail continues on past the overlook, headed back into the wilderness, so we followed it for a little ways to get a glimpse of the other pinnacles. As we climbed over rocks and under branches, suddenly I saw them and again, I was stopped in my tracks by the amazing sight before me. I wish I had brought a zoom lens with me to get a shot of them through the trees but alas I did not. Maybe next time. Although, sometimes it’s nice to have some memories just to yourself… at least for a little while. We headed back down the trail, invigorated by what we had just seen and also motivated by the last of the pumpkin pie that was waiting for us in the car. Sydney was such a trooper – she felt like she had pulled something in her leg but flat-out refused to let us turn around when we were going up the trail. Luckily, it was nothing serious and the pain receded as we headed back down the trail. The hike itself took us several hours. Going up is no joke – the climb gets pretty steep at times and it took us a good hour and forty-five minutes going up, although that included a lot of stops to check out the...
read moreAdventures in Oregon: Newport
This past weekend, we set off to show Sydney the magic that is the Oregon coast. We headed to Newport since it is a straight 1-hour shot from our house, and by straight I mean incredibly winding and curvy. We pulled into town and savored a late lunch of clam chowder at The Chowder Bowl. A heads up to fellow pescatarians: this is the only clam chowder I’ve been able to find in Newport that does not have bacon in it. The ambiance is a bit lacking but it’s cheap and tasty with friendly service, making it great for a quick bite and respite from the chilly air outside. You also have the option of having your clam chowder served in a sourdough bowl but a word to the wise – it is bigger than your face and if you eat it all, you will probably feel like John Candy finishing that ginormous steak in The Great Outdoors. After lunch, we ventured over to the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse. About a million other people had the same idea so, after a brief tour, we navigated our way back outside and down to the beach. Leisurely walking along a beach without any hurry to be anywhere is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world, even when the chill in the air makes you pull your coat just a bit tighter. The light was, in a word, breathtaking – everything was coated in the most beautiful combination of lilac and amber as the sun made its gradual descent toward the horizon. Witnessing beautiful natural light is like opening a giant Christmas present for me, so I was excitedly running around, framing shots, while Andrew lectured casually pointed out points of geologic interest. And yes, every bit of the above photo was totally natural – not staged at all. wink wink. We hung around to watch the sunset and the Hunt siblings patiently let me taken a million and one photos, which I again politely narrowed down to a somewhat more reasonable amount. You’re welcome. While hanging out at the beach, we noticed a small parade of fishing boats heading out of the bay into the ocean just as the light faded. As we watched them bob along the rolling sea, I thought about what a tough mindset you must have to head out into the cold and darkness, vulnerable to an unforgiving ocean. I’m 100% sure I would be way too much of a wimp to ever do that – I know without a doubt that I would be that person who immediately falls off the boat at the first big wave and is promptly eaten by a shark. Andrew on the other hand would love it – not me falling off and being eaten (at least he better not) but just being out on the water, amidst all its dynamic power. Sorry Andrew, you didn’t marry a sea-faring lass; instead you got a land-lubber with an extra healthy respect for the ocean that keeps her firmly on shore. Being that Rogue Brewery was just a stone’s throw away, we stopped in to sample some brews and warm back up. We were too late for a tour but had fun creating our own tasting flights. I enjoyed small pours of...
read moreAdventures in Oregon: Willamette National Forest
When Andrew and I found out we were moving to Oregon, we avidly pored over the Oregon tourism website (check it out here but be forewarned: you will totally want to pack your bags and catch the next flight here). The abundance of natural beauty excited us and we vowed to explore as much of the great outdoors in Oregon as we could. I thought you might be interested in tagging along so I’m starting a new series called ‘Adventures in Oregon’ and I’ll periodically update you on new places we’ve checked out. Hope you enjoy it! During Sydney’s visit last week, we decided to spend our Black Friday amongst the evergreens in Willamette National Forest. You can actually purchase a permit from the National Forest Service for $5 to cut down your own Christmas tree. We thought this sounded like a fabulous idea and a great alternative to waking up at dawn to do battle with the shopping hordes. The weather was wet and chilly but not totally miserable so we loaded up in the car with Thanksgiving leftovers, numerous layers of clothes and a saw for the perfect utterly natural Christmas tree that I envisioned. It would be just like the Griswolds in Christmas Vacation, going out into the woods to find the perfect tree, except we wouldn’t have road rage against a couple of rednecks and run off the road. We set off on the road, stopping to purchase our permit and collect a map noting where we could cut. As we drove into the forest, the rain picked up its pace. Supposedly, the type of tree we would want would be at higher elevations so we wound our way up, up, up into the mountains. We stopped to eat our lunch at the Hackleman Old Growth Grove and hiked a short little loop trail while we were there. Some of the trees in this grove are over 500 years old – just incredible to see! The trail itself was a lovely little walk. The primary loop is a nice wide path that is wheelchair accessible, with another small foot path looping out deeper into the woods. The rain continued to pour on us as we hiked but I was so in awe of the massive sentinels lining the trail, that I didn’t really notice. This wasn’t an area for cutting Christmas trees but I did notice that the firs there had very sparse needles and looked, well, rather homely. No offense to the trees – they looked perfect in their natural setting but they would have looked rather sad in my living room. I realized that we might have to go to higher elevations and probably hike for quite awhile to find something decent. After we ate our lunch, we headed over to an area labeled ‘Tombstone’ on the map – inviting name, right? We had all gotten pretty darn wet at the grove and as we drove, the rain intensified, coming down in sheets. We parked the car and debated the merits of venturing into the woods in search of a tree that might not be there – as if in answer, the sky opened up and the rain came down even harder. We took that as a sign to try for the tree...
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