Cape Perpetua Photographs

Misty morning hike on Gwynn Creek Trail

Dewy Foxglove on Gwynn Creek Trail

Pacific Coast Trail to Gwynn Creek Trail

Banana Slug on fungi, Cape Perpetua Discovery Loop Trail

Cape Perpetua Scenic Area

One of the discoveries we made near Florence was the Cape Perpetua Scenic Area.  Cape Perpetua towers more than 800 feet over the protected Marine Garden Shoreline and is the highest viewpoint accessible by car on the Oregon Coast.  The views are fantastic (providing it isn’t overcast). We did have a couple of clear afternoons with great views up and down the coast. One afternoon we enjoyed observing several gray whales lingering just off shore. 

View from top of St. Perpetua Trail

Early explorer Captain Cook observed this headland in 1778 and named it after Saint Perpetua.  The Civilian Conservation Corps had a base camp here in 1933 and many of the trails, campgrounds and plantings are the work of the young men of the CCC.

We spent four days hiking trails in the area and visiting the beaches, tide pools and Native American shell middens.  The Visitor Center at Cape Perpetua had many ranger-led programs and hikes.  It was great to see so many young, beginning ‘Forest Rangers’ interacting with the visitors.  I was also impressed with the number of volunteers. Like the Tillamook Forest Visitor Center, the Cape Perpetua Visitor Center is well worth a few visits.

David and Maya on fern lined Cook's Ridge Trail

Florence, Oregon

After our one day stay at Nehalem Bay State Park, we travelled south along US Highway 101 to Florence, Oregon to meet our friends from Utah.  We stayed about 14 miles north of Florence near Heceta Head Lighthouse in Carl Washburne State Park.  Heceta Head Light House is one of the best known and most photographed light houses in Oregon.  But this year it is being restored and is under 'wraps' right now, so not very photogenic at the moment.



Cool, gray day at the beach in Florence, OR

Washburne State Park was a gem with a trail to the lighthouse and several other trails to the beach.  But the weather turned cold.  It only got up to 60 most days and if the sun came out, so did the wind and that made it feel even colder.  My beach attire was jeans and a fleece jacket – forget the string bikini. (Ok, so I don’t really own one of those…)  Lots of fine Clam Chowder warmed us up and we enjoyed sight seeing with our friends, Carla and Jerry.

View of 'Keepers' house for Heceta Head Lighthouse

Maya Visits the Pacific Ocean...

We left Tillamook and the cheese factory and headed up the coast for Nehalem Bay State Park and the Pacific Ocean.  It had been a cool and misty day but not long after we arrived at our campsite, the sun came out.  So out came the shorts & sandals and we all headed for the beach to get warm.  The beach at Nehalem Bay is just gorgeous with white sands, great waves and large beautiful driftwood.

Pacific Ocean at Nehalem Bay State Park, Oregon

Maya got so excited as we neared the ocean. She was energized by the waves. We adopted Maya, so as far as we know, she has never been to the Pacific Ocean.  She romped and barked – totally loved it!  We may have trouble keeping her out of the ocean in the future…

Just Say Cheese

Of course after all that fun and hiking, what do you really want to do?  Eat cheese!  Just down the road from the Tillamook State Forest is the town of Tillamook, well known for it’s cheese.  The factory has been making cheese since the late 1800’s.  It is a cooperative with local member dairy producers to ensure great quality.  They even owned a ship, The Morning Star, that took the cheese up the Pacific to cities along the coast and eventually to Portland.  (I never knew why there was a sailing ship on the Tillamook cheese packages.)

But with roads and improved transportation there is no need for the Morning Star now.  She sits in front of the factory posing for photos.  There are self-guided tours of the factory to view the cheese-making process with cheese samples served at the end. A gift shop and restaurant (famous for the grilled cheese sandwiches) and ice cream in waffle cones ensures that all leave well contented and with sacks of cheese for the road.  Maya very happily ate her samples that we had saved for her.

More Photos from the Tillamook

University Falls in the Tillamook State Forest

Indian Pipe, a semi-parasitic plant containing no chlorophyll

Tiger Lilies on the Story Burn Trail

Maiden Hair and Sword Ferns

Camping and Hiking in the Tillamook State Forest

During our 5 day stay in the Tillamook State Forest we camped in Gales Creek Campground and hiked many area trails – Story Burn Trail, Wilson River Trail, Gales Creek Trail, Nels Rogers Trail  & University Falls Trail.  All were beautiful, fern lined trails following creeks and rivers and often with hidden waterfalls just around the next bend. 

Nels Rogers Trail

Sword Fern

The weather was a mix of some sun and some cloudy days and light rain, but it didn’t stop us.  We carried rain gear in our packs and made hot soups to eat at night to take the chill off a damp hike. 

Foxglove and Thimbleberry

We discovered at great little restaurant in tiny Glenwood Oregon, just a few miles from our campground.  It was aptly named “Out AZA Blue” and it was. The chef, Aza, waited on us, cooked for us and made us feel like family.  I had a bubbling hot vegetable Parmesan that was pure heaven.  David’s Fettuccine ‘AZAfredo’ was pretty amazing.  It was so good that we went back for breakfast a few days later and Aza made us an omelette and a breakfast burrito from freshly picked ingredients that we chose.  Great coffee and fresh squeezed orange juice made it perfect. 

Tillamook State Forest

A last minute change in plans – our solar panels couldn’t be installed until July 30 and some good friends wanted to meet us on the Oregon Coast – so we headed west to spend a little time in the Tillamook State Forest before travelling on to Florence, Oregon to meet our friends.

The Tillamook State Forest is quite a wonder.  It was a very dense old-growth forest until 1933, when one of the worst forest fires in US history burned 374 square miles in a scorching, uncontrollable crown fire.  Then 6 years later (1939) another fire burned 296 square miles and then in another 6 years (1945) yet another fire burned 281 square miles.  The six year jinx was not yet over, in 1951 another 51 square miles burned bringing the total to over 355,000 acres of old-growth forest burned to the ground.  Literally.  All those fires had ‘sterilized’ the soil and all that was left was a ghost forest of burnt trees.  They called it the silver forest – a dead and silent forest of silver tree trunks.

But there was a dream to bring the forest back and for 25 years starting in the 1950’s, over 750 thousand seedlings were planted by forest service workers, surrounding communities, school children, prison crews - anyone who would volunteer to help.  Also millions of seeds were dropped from planes.  No one really knew if this plan would work, but the dream to bring back the forest was strong. Many of the new trees were eaten by elk and deer almost immediately after planting.  But then slowly the trees took root and the forest came back. 

Although it will still be a long time before there is a true old-growth forest, today the Tillamook State Forest is a multi-use forest accommodating camping, hiking, horseback riding and some off-road vehicle use. Timber is also sustainably harvested.  There is a beautiful interpretive visitor center (one of the best I have seen). Thousands of school children and families visit yearly. It is so touching to read the letters left by adult visitors who remembered planting the trees when they were school children and are so happy to have seen the forest return in their lifetimes.

Tillamook State Forest Interpretive Visitor Center

Inside the Fire Tower at the Visitor Center

This Coastal Range area of Oregon gets over 100 inches of rainfall annually and that is a big reason the forest came back so quickly.  I can’t help but wonder how long it will take forests burned in this summer’s fires in New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Montana and other western states to return.  Those areas are experiencing such drought and heat, I expect it will be much, much longer before those forests heal.

The Columbia River Gorge

 We left the Mt. Hood National Forest and drove back to I – 84 to Hood River and then through the Columbia River Gorge.  We couldn't linger long as we needed to get to Springfield in the Willamette Valley of central Oregon to get solar panels installed on the RV. But since the Gorge was so close, we didn’t want to miss seeing it.

The Columbia River and the volcanic activity in this area have made a beautiful river canyon filled with waterfalls. We traveled along Historic Hwy 30, a gorgeous scenic highway and stopped at numerous views and waterfalls along the way. We have to travel back later in the summer to spend more time in this area and in Portland!

Columbia River Gorge off Hwy 30

Views of Latourell Falls

Hiking in the Hood Mountain National Forest

We took several hikes in the area starting with the Still Creek Trail that began in our own campground to the climb above the timberline near Mt. Hood.  The Still Creek Trail offered us moss covered solitude as we saw no other hikers.  We were among many hikers on the Mirror Lake Trail but it rewarded us with fantastic views and fellow ‘pilgrims’ to share traveling tales and hear about other great trails to hike in the area. 

We hiked to a waterfall, climbed trails in two wilderness areas - the Salmon-Huckleberry and the Mt. Hood Wilderness Areas and hiked several miles on the Pacific Coast National Recreation Trail.  Almost every trail has a view of Mt. Hood somewhere along it's way.

Mt. Hood reflected in Mirror Lake

Columbines and Mt. Hood

A little rest after a long climb

The weather was just beautiful – sunny days, cool nights and just a little rain one night and into the next morning.  Rhododendron bushes were blooming along almost every trail and wildflowers bloomed in the high alpine meadows.  It was also the height of berry season.  My fingers may have permanent stains from all the raspberries, blackberries and cherries I have consumed over the past week.  Another place that makes you want to stay forever…

Bear Grass on the Pacific Coast Trail

Mount Hood National Forest

We craved cool days again so we headed to the Mt. Hood National Forest in Oregon.  The drive followed the Snake River and then the Columbia River.  Rolling ‘palouse’ hills gradually got a little higher and more pines started appearing.  By the time we reached the town of Hood River we were in the foothills of the Cascades. Orchards of apples and pears plus berry farms and vineyards were planted on the rolling hills with pines and mountains as the back drop. As we turned south off I - 84, a magnificent view of Mt. Hood appeared.

Traveling Oregon 35 to US 26, we found a lovely campground in the Mount Hood National Forest about 8 miles from the Mt. Hood Snowpark Area.  Camp Creek was to be our home for the next 5 days and nights.  It was a small campground not far off the highway but the sounds of the creek drowned out most traffic noise.

This area of the Mt. Hood National Forest offers so many outdoor activities – year round skiing and snowboarding on Mt. Hood, hiking trails, mountain biking trails and camping. Being less than 50 miles from Portland, it is very accessible to  the city so there were more people.  But even at the height of summer, it wasn’t nearly as crowded as it could have been.

The forests here receive more rainfall than the forests we have visited so far.  The trees are taller, filled with lichen and most rocks are covered in moss. Lush fern carpets the forest floor and waterfalls are abundant.

Trail to Ramona Falls

Down to the Snake River

After four fantastic days exploring in the Bitterroot and Clearwater National Forests, we continued our journey on down from the Lolo Trail to the conjunction of the Clearwater and Snake Rivers at the twin cities of Lewiston, Idaho and Clarkston, Washington (around 700 feet above sea level).   

We found a campground right on the Snake River in Clarkston. The Snake River has been dammed and is wide and slow at this point. It was very beautiful overlooking the river, but also very hot.  The night breezes off the river helped, but the 98 degree days were not much fun. So we explored Lewiston and Clarkston and took driving tours in the area to stay out of the heat.  We made a day trip to Moscow, ID and Pullman, WA to explore these cities and their respective universities (University of Idaho and Washington State University).

All 4 cities are small with well preserved downtown areas and many red and brown brick buildings. The whole area is very agricultural, with fertile rolling hills broken up by little valleys of trees.  Wheat, barley, chickpeas and lentils are major crops here. This region is called the ‘Palouse’ after a tribe of Nez Perce Indians that inhabited the area.  The name of the famous Nez Perce horses, the Appalousa is a derivative of the term Palouse.  Moscow is the home of the Appalousa Horse Museum, an interesting little museum with a “hall of fame” of famous Appalousa horses.

View of Clarkston & Snake River with 'Palouse' in foreground

The Lewis and Clark Trail

After all of our recent ‘studying’ of this part of Lewis and Clark’s journey we decided to hike a trail that followed part of the expedition’s original route.  The expedition was camped high in the mountains on the Lolo Trail but their food was scarce so they came down to the Lochsa River to try to get fish for the hungry group.  After getting fish they completed the difficult climb up Wendover Ridge to Snowbank Camp.  So David and I followed the Wendover Ridge Trail from the Lochsa River up into the rugged mountains.

The trail was spectacular, very steep and gorgeous views once we climbed several hundred feet.  We hiked through Western Red Cedar, Grand Fir, Douglas Fir and even huge Ponderosa Pines on the dry southern slopes. The trail was honest – it started off very steep and stayed that way.  We knew what to expect.  Although our map did not have topography lines on it, we climbed at least 1,500 feet or more in about an hour.  After that we continued to climb but our pace was slower.

Dogwood blooming along Lewis and Clark Trail

We passed a trail crew of four young men working on trail maintenance.  They confirmed that the higher Lolo Motorway was still impassible with snow as they had to take a lower road and hike up the trail rather than work from the upper end.  It was fun to talk to the trail crew about their work and how the Lewis & Clark Trail is managed.

The trail is kept rustic, leaving logs across it unless the path is blocked too much.  The trail crew used chain saws to clear logs and then they came back with an axe to make the cuts look more ‘authentic’ – like maybe the Lewis & Clark Expedition themselves had cleared the trail.  We did enjoy that the trail was rustic and not overly well marked.  Even though we did not climb all the way to Snowbank Camp, we had a grand time on the trail and ate our lunch with one heck of a view…

David near the top of the trail - we started  in the valley over 2,000 feet below

We could have easily stayed a month in the Bitterroot Range – the beauty, ruggedness and history were captivating.  In the fall we are planning to come back this way. 

Camping and Hiking near the Lochsa River

Exhausted after driving only 60 miles (but it took us 4 hours with all the sightseeing) we decided to camp at Whitehouse Campground just 15 miles west of Lolo Pass.

It was a little jewel of a campground.  We were nestled in a cedar and fir forest and our campsite was only yards from the Lochsa River.  Our most beautiful campsite to date!  It was very rustic, only 12 campsites and just a handful were occupied. Drinking water was available but no other amenities – except the wild and scenic river which whispered us to sleep for four wonderful nights.



Our campsite at Whitehouse Campground on the Lochsa River

View out our camper window - not bad!

We hiked several trails in the area and that is really the best way to understand the hardships the Lewis and Clark Expedition endured.  Although stunningly beautiful, these mountains and rivers are deceptively more rugged than they appear from the road. The forests are so dense, almost impenetrable in places. Heavy underbrush, downed trees, bogs and constant creek crossing are the norm.

I slipped on the logs making one river crossing and went for a very cold swim in Cooperation Creek (not very coopertive with me…). Maya swam in after me but changed her mind about mid-stream as she was swept against the logs. She swam safely back to David.  The water was not that deep, just very swift and except for being cold and having my pride hurt a little, all was well. (David can go first next time.)

Good thing it was warm that day as we had a 2 mile hike back down to dry clothes.  The other good thing is that we had just passed hot springs near the trail, so I was able to warm up quickly with a good soak (although putting on my wet, squishy boots and walking another 1.5 miles back to the trailhead was not that much fun).

Sorry, picture of Cindy & David in Hot Springs is not available...

David made it all better by grilling chicken and vegetables for us on our campsite grill.  Nothing like hot, grilled food after a hard hike and unexpected swim. We slept that night to the soft sound of rain falling while we were warm inside our RV under down blankets. Modern advantages make our adventures fairly safe.  I am in awe of the hardships the Lewis and Clark Expedition endured during their passage of the Bitterroot Range.  It wasn’t just hardy men that made the that passage – Sacagawea and her infant were with the expedition during much of their trek through the Bitterroot.

Lolo Pass -- The Lolo Trail (Lewis & Clark Trail and Nez Perce Trail)

We left Missoula on Sunday, July 1 heading back down Hwy 93 to the city of Lolo.  From Lolo we turned west on Hwy 12 which parallels the Lewis and Clark Trail and part of the Nez Perce Trail as well.  This was the passageway that Lewis and Clark took through the Bitterroot Mountain Range on their epic journey to find the ‘fabled’ Northwest Passage.

It was by far the most difficult part of their entire journey. Horses fell on the steep trail, often there was no game to be found, sometimes there was no water and nothing to eat at all. Very weakened the expedition finally made it through the Bitterroot Mountains to the Nez Perce Indian Village. The Nez Perce shared food with the expedition and helped them on their journey through Oregon to the Pacific Ocean.

The Lolo Trail was also the route the Nez Perce Indians followed each year from Oregon into Montana to hunt buffalo and trade with the plains Indians. It was the route they took when they were trying to elude the US Army and repelled the attack on their sleeping village at the Big Hole River.

Highway 12 winds through the high point at Lolo Pass (5, 525 feet) and is just one curve after another seemingly endless set of curves.  The road is lower down the mountains than the original Lolo Trail and it follows the Lochsa River much more closely. It was much too densely wooded, rocky and boggy down near the Lochsa River and its many contributing creeks for travel until Hwy 12 was completed in the 1960’s.

Devoto Cedar Grove Nature Trail

It is possible to drive the higher portions of the original Lolo Trail (it was turned into a road, the Lolo Motorway in 1925) but it is a rough, primitive dirt road that often is impassible with snow until mid July.  It still had too much snow on it for safe travel, so we did not take the road. There are many interpretive signs and trails along the highway and we had a grand time hiking the nature trails and remembering our history

Missoula

We loved Missoula.  It is located in a large valley with 5 different mountain ranges surrounding the city.  The Clark Fork River runs right through town. Missoula is a very historic city, well preserved with a beautiful park and hike and bike trails running along both sides of the river for several miles.  It was so fun to take Maya and explore downtown using these hiking paths.

There was a big farmer’s market downtown where I picked up some wonderful vegetables very reasonably priced. There was an antique car show that weekend also and many people were wandering the downtown area.  Although it was very busy, the city did not feel overly crowded. 

The University of Montana is just a little south and east of downtown adding to the vitality and diversity of the city.  The campus is small, but very well laid out and the neighborhoods around it are full of cute little victorian houses.  David was impressed with the university’s forestry school and the Aldo Leopold Forestry Center located on campus.

Welcome to Jellystone...

We arrived in Missoula, Montana on a Friday afternoon with no campground reservations.  So far we hadn’t had any problems but with the 4^th of July approaching and summer vacation season upon us, we knew someday our luck would run out.  The campground we wanted to stay in was full so after a little searching we stayed in a very commercial campground – the kind of place I swore I’d never stay...

Yes, we stayed 2 nights in Yogi Bear’s Jellystone RV Park.  It was very much geared to little kids with Yogi Bear signs and statues and a Yogi ‘playground.’  But it was clean with very nice facilities and since we were going to be spending most of our time sight seeing in Missoula, we decided to deal with it and in the future start making some reservations near holidays.

Big Hole National Battlefield

We spent two lovely days in the valley of the Wise River and then we headed out for Missoula, Montana via Highway 43.  On the way we stopped at the Big Hole National Battlefield. 

The Valley of the Big Hole River is the sight where the Nez Perce Indians made one of their last stands against American soldiers and the place where both sides sustained their highest numbers of causualties.  The Battle of the Big Hole was a tragic turning point of what came to be called the Nez Perce War of 1877. 

Chief Joseph, one of the Nez Perce leaders, made his famous quote "I will fight no more forever" not long after this battle.  The battlefield scene was very moving and the beauty of the valley quite stirring.  I can certainly see why both the American settlers and the Nez Perce Indians layed claim to this hallowed place.

Pioneer Loop Trail, Beaverhead - Deerlodge N. F.

We didn’t make a plan to hike National Recreation Trails, but we seemed to be finding them along our way.  Just a few miles from our campsite was the 30 mile long Pioneer Loop Trail, another designated National Recreation Trail. This trail followed the remains of an old mining road and it climbed up several thousand feet to two lakes.  It started in a dry lodgepole pine forest and gently climbed into a more boggy lodgepole and douglas fir forest.  Then the trail opened up into gentling rolling meadows before beginning a steeper climb to the lakes.  The meadows were really beautiful, but the trail was very, very rocky.  We made it about 4.5 miles and took a long lunch break by beautiful Lacy Creek before we hiked back down.

Maya on the very rocky trail Pioneer Loop Trail

Gorgeous Lacy Creek Valley

Logan, UT to Beaverhead - Deerlodge National Forest

Logan is located in a valley and is the home of Utah State University (Aggies). The university has a good forestry school.  The campus is impressive, big and quite beautiful.  Logan is a nice, clean college town with lots of summer activities going on – concerts, opera and theater.   We enjoyed our time but after 2 days we were ready for the mountains and cooler days again so we headed to Montana.

We left Logan on Wednesday, June 27 and travelled north on I – 15 to Divide, Montana (just south of Butte).  Turning west on Hwy 43, we went south at the town of Wise River on the Pioneer Mountain National Scenic Byway in the Beaverhead - Deerlodge National Forest. 

The Scenic Byway was a gorgeous drive following the Wise River through a lush valley surrounded by the Pioneer Mountains on both the east and west. Granite peaks topping 10,000 feet rose to the east of the valley and to the west the mountains stretched out into a gentler, heavily forested terrain.

Wise River Valley, East Pioneer Mountains, Beaverhead - Deerlodge N. F.

We camped at a National Forest Campground called Lodgepole located on the Wise River.  It was a small campground with 10 sites, no services and practically desserted except for a few fishermen.  But there was potable water via a hand pump where David and I worked on our upper body strength (good for us as we’ve mostly been working our legs with all the hiking).

Our showers were quite brisk to put it mildly. We cooked with gas and went to bed when it got dark.  It was like backpacking only we still had a great bed – no rocks in the middle of our backs.  And the nights were in the 30's!  Sleeping under a down blanket with sounds of the river in our ears and fresh smells of the water and the forest – it couldn’t get much better.

Our campsite in the Lodgepole Pines

The Wise River just 20 feet behind our campsite