Category: outdoors

Fly fishing from the kayak

On By stefrobrtsIn dave, fishing, kayak, Me, outdoors, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Ignore my blindingly white pacific-northwesterner legs, so you can see how much fun I am having casting with my fly rod in the kayak this weekend.

We took the kayak out and I prepared my fly rod with some sinking line and picked up a few streamers so we could try just trolling around the lake. I thought I got one nibble, but otherwise no fun. I did get to practice casting from the kayak, which went really well. I think the high seating position works pretty well. Im also getting the hang of my new PFD/tackle vest. Fly fishing feels kind of minimalist compared to spin fishing. I like the simplicity of it.

Dave paddled us around while I fished. This was the first time the water was low enough to get our big kayak under the bridge and into the neighboring lake! So we had fun trolling around there as well.

As always, catching fish would be nice, but just hanging out together on the water is a great way to spend part of the weekend.

First Flyfishing Outing

On By stefrobrtsIn fishing, outdoors, UncategorizedLeave a comment

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This weekend I went on my first outing with the Clark-Skamania Flyfishers group. I had a great time, learned a lot, and caught a couple fish, so overall it was a success, and I can’t wait to go again.

I only have one picture from the trip because my phone camera has been working intermittently since I dropped it in the lake getting out of the kayak a couple weeks ago. But that picture is of the Kalama River, and it was beautiful. It was basically exactly the kind of river you want to be flyfishing on. I joined a couple ladies from the group, and we went to Beginner’s Hole, while other folks drove farther up river, or went up to The Big Red Barn and put in there to float back down to the bridge. I would like to do that with my kayak someday.

I had bought waders, wading boots, a flyrod, flies, and a new PFD with pockets for fishing (that will be useful in the kayak too), so I was all decked out. But I missed a crucial piece –  a walking stick. So I Tried to use an old paint-pole, which was about the right height, and sturdy, but I failed to properly secure it to my person. We waded upriver a hundred feet to get above the riffles near the parking area, and after I was in it about knee deep and fishing, I turned around to grab my stick and saw it floating downriver! Which is when I realized the value of a good walking stick!

After losing my stick I located an actual stick I thought would do the trick, and more securely tied it to my person, but shortly after that it broke in half, leaving me with half a stick, which was working in a pinch. Until I learned about why we should also have cleats on our boots, and I slipped on a rock and went down hard. I continued fishing, cautiously, but I knew a real walking stick would be first thing on my list when I got home.

I learned to cast at the class/casting clinic with the fly club a couple months ago, and I practiced in the backyard, and then realized that doing it in a stream was a completely different deal. The stream drags your fly downstream, and the wind pushes your line around in the air. It took a lot of casts to get the hang of pulling the line off the water and sending it where I wanted it to go! At one point while standing there resting between casts two big trout appeared right in front of me, did a taunting little dance, and swam away. Smug bastards!

But eventually we moved down to the beach and I had had enough wobbly wading for the day, so I got out of the wading get-up and just enjoyed fishing from the shore. There were butterflies everywhere! I was casting out to a rock in the river when something grabbed my fly but let it go, so I kept casting above that rock so it could drift over it, and sure enough, I finally caught a little 6 inch rainbow. I let him go of course, and shortly after caught a slightly smaller brook trout, and sent him on his way. So I was very happy to have caught anything considering it was my first time out.

After I pooped out I went up to join the club at a member’s cabin to have some BBQ and review our take for the day. Only one guy had got a steelhead at the put-in, and everyone else got skunked except for those tiny trout, which were plentiful. I hadn’t been expecting to catch a steelhead, so I was happy with my little catch. I had a lot of fun, and I can’t wait to go back out. That was a great way to start on a new hobby!

 

 

 

Trout Lake 2018

On By stefrobrtsIn airstream, barclay, dave, navi, outdoors, pets, photography, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Over Memorial Weekend we took our annual trip with our Airstream friends to Trout Lake, to our usual campground snuggled under shade trees with a gorgeous view of Mt Adams. This year the weather was windy, but otherwise fine. I was a little worried about reports of ticks being bad this year, but we tried to stay out of the grass.

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We set up the X pens in front of the trailer door to make a little yard for the dogs, and the door was pretty much open all weekend, so they could hang out inside or out, and watch all the goings-on around the site. Of course there were also lots of walks, including walking into town to get lunch at the hamburger/milkshake/gas station/coffeeshop (it’s a small town!)

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Sunday morning I woke up at 5am and realized the trailer was lit up pink, so I pulled on clothes and grabbed my camera and went out to see what was going on.

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Just a beautiful mountain sunrise. I was enjoying photographing it when I thought, what this picture needs is an elk.

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Why, thank you very much! I was so excited to see the elk, I was almost shaking! How cool is that?!

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The river behind our campsite was high, and I would have loved to fish it, but it was not open until a week later.

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Everyday there was gorgeous. I just can’t believe we get to hang out someplace with this amazing mountain right there on the horizon, it is in the background of everything we do.

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We had a tinfoil hat contest (Dave and I just watched):

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Everyone was so creative!

And every night it was music and sing-along beside the fire.

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Full-moon night-shot.

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I brought a book to read on my kindle. Dave played a game of cornhole and got into a card game. Navi snapped at our friend Gary when he wouldn’t quit petting her. Barclay was chill as usual.

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The trailer functioned perfectly – not bad for a 50 year old trailer. Basically a good time was had by all. In no time another fun long weekend was over, and we all went our separate ways, until next year.

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Airstream Rally in Maryhill, WA

On By stefrobrtsIn airstream, outdoors, scenic, travel, vacationLeave a comment

Last weekend we got our trailer out for the first trip of the year, and joined the Oregon Airstream Club at a rally in Maryhill, WA. This was the first time we had been out with the club since rejoining last year and going to the Eclipse Rally. We had been in the club when we first bought the trailer, which was 15 years ago, but they had been a bit stodgy for our tastes back then, and we only stayed in it a few years.

So we were not sure what this rally was going to be like. We showed up on Friday evening, since I couldn’t leave until after work on Friday. I suppose I could have taken the day off, but I had already scheduled the following Friday off for Memorial weekend, and I didn’t want to lose too many PTO days. So we rolled in just as it was getting dark, and were greeted by friendly folks who immediately invited us down to dinner, and we got to meet a bunch of other campers as they all fussed over getting us some food (they were just about all ready to turn in for the night!).

We are on the left end. Our trailer was the smallest and oldest by far 🙂

So, there were about 15 trailers, and we did not know any of the people there for a change! We have been camping with our regular group for so long, that was really different, but everyone was really friendly and welcoming. We got a few tours the next day, and gave everyone who was interested a peek in our wee little trailer.

One fun thing we do on AirForums sometime is post ‘the view from my front door’. Not so spectacular this weekend!

The view out the other side was much nicer.

It got pretty hot on Saturday, so I’m glad we didn’t have the dogs with us. After breakfast with our new friends, everyone headed off in various directions. We went to the Maryhill Museum. Along the way I stopped to snap a few photos of the windmills.

I know they aren’t natural, but I think they are pretty cool.

The scenery here is so different from home, just two hours away. Not everyone knows that WA and OR are split in two by the cascade mountain range. The West side is damp and green and treed, the East side is dry and brown and full of spectacular plateaus. Out here it feel like the sky goes on forever!

After the museum we came back and relaxed, read a book, took a nap, and just really enjoyed having no chores or errands or responsibilities. I finally finished reading Travels With Charlie, which Michelle gave me for my birthday a couple years ago! We need to camp more! Dave just rested because he had pulled his back moving the kayak last week.

For the Saturday evening potluck I made a cheesy cauliflower dish, since our low carb diet isn’t approving or the old Potato Dish we always made for potlucks. The cauliflower dish actually turned out really nice. The hosts made tri-tips and there was plenty of food! We had a great time visiting with more folks we hadn’t had a chance to chat with yet.

After dinner everyone pulled up a chair around the big firepit and we had a nice campfire, and someone got an ice breaker going by asking folks to tell something interesting about themselves, and folks had a lot of really good stories. Of course Dave could say he had been an extra on TV shows. I passed, I couldn’t think of anything too interesting to say.

The next morning we all had a relaxed breakfast and packed up to head back home. We had one more stop on our way out of town.

Stonehenge! This is a WWI memorial built by the same guy who built the Maryhill Museum.

A beautiful view from between the stones. Mt Hood in the distance, hidden in the clouds.

So that was our little adventure. Good to get the trailer out for a little test run. Last year we missed Trout Lake because of a broken water main, but everything is running fine again now. And it’s our 15 year anniversary with the trailer, so I hope this is a good year with lots of camping coming up this summer. Sometimes it seems like the trailer is more trouble than it is worth, but times like this are just so much more relaxing than a hotel trip has ever been, it feels very worth while.

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First kayak outing of the year

On By stefrobrtsIn boat, fishing, kayak, outdoorsLeave a comment

Yesterday we got the kayak out for the first trip of the year.

It was a little windy, and so we paddled over to one of the little islands and parked in the reeds on the sheltered side and I played with my new sliding bobber rig and a jig, casting it out and watching the wind slowly drift it back towards us. It was very peaceful and relaxing. Dave was fine until his phone ran out of charge!

We headed back but stopped to fish a couple logs along the way, and I cast out between the logs, but I forgot I had put lighter line on the rod (first trip out since I did that), and I WAY overcast, and sent it flying into the bushes! So we paddled over there and with much wiggling got lucky and recovered the entire rig intact!

This was also the first time having the kayak on top of the new Flex. The rack easily transferred onto the new Flex, and the only problem we had was putting the kayak up on top, and it wouldn’t go for some reason. We puzzled over why the hullivators refused to fold then realized we were too far forward and the ‘yak was hitting the roof of the house! So we backed up a couple feet and everything went back to normal. Oops!

Lacamas Lake is so pretty. I don’t know if there’s many fish to catch in it, but it’s fun to go out there and hang out either way.

The Big Blue ‘Yak

On By stefrobrtsIn boat, dave, fishing, kayak, outdoors1 Comment

I have been wanting to get out on the water for years.

For a brief time I had a boat I was trying to restore:

That’s a half-truth – I had two of them!

And honestly, if I had room at our new downsized house, I would have brought another one home by now. But they got swept away in the great depression, and that is how life goes sometimes.

Meanwhile, we’ve had a rubber raft for years which we have taken out to paddle around many times. It’s fun, but it’s not comfortable to use. It paddles hard and slow, but it has been fine. Still, I’ve had my eye on getting a nice kayak for a long time. Particularly a [particular brand that will remain unnamed] fishing kayak. They are supposed to be wide and stable, and really well designed. I’ve been keeping my eye on them for many years. So I was excited to actually find out the local kayak shop was having their free paddle weekend at the lake (I usually find out about it after it’s over!) On that Saturday morning I headed on down to Vancouver Lake bright and early to check it out.

Dave was at rehearsal, so I was on my own. Since I’m kind of shy, I just sort of walked up and down the beach, peeking at this and that and listening in on other people’s convos. I found a guy at the end talking a lot about fishing, he was the Jackson Kayak rep. I’d never heard of Jackson. He went through his whole schpeal and was moving on to another couple who had question when I thought I’d pipe up and ask some questions about their big tandem fishing kayak. He happily set me up, handed me a paddle and launched me off on my own to try it out.

I was immediately amazed at how confident I felt in it. My last kayak experience, when we’d rented kayaks on Lake River a couple years ago, had been scary, the kayak felt wobbly, and the current was working against us, and I had a miserable time. But this kayak was stable, and smooth, and I was jammin along in no time, paddling around the lake all by myself. I was in love!

I got back to shore and asked him how much they were, and he said $1800, and I immediately gave up any hope of having one. Why do they have to be so expensive?! My last car cost that much!

I wandered on down the beach and watched some water rescue demonstrations and took a short ‘How to paddle’ class, and eventually wandered back to the beach and found they had brought out a couple [unnamed brand I’d been pining for for years]! After all this time I finally had a chance to try one out!!

I waited in line for my turn to try on the [unnamed brand] pedal kayak (you sit up high and sit back and pedal like a bike), and I wobbled out to the lake, steering by way of a rudder, and…I HATED it! All this time I’d been waiting to try an [unnamed brand], and it was just not my thing. I pedaled it back to shore quickly and was relieved to get off it without dumping myself in the water!

I meandered around a bit more, and found another brand of fishing kayak that looked interesting – Eddyline. The sit-on-tops looked sleek and stable, and had all the goodies, including what looked like comfortable seats (one of my biggest complaints about the raft was that discomfort always forced us to call it a day quicker than I wanted to). So I took one of those for a spin.

It was ok, I liked it fine, but I didn’t feel super stable,. The guy manning the Eddyline booth was really helpful and directed me to another Eddyline sit-on-top to try out and I took it for a spin. It was better. I paddled it around a bit and considered if we were to get a kayak, would it be better to get a tandem (big and heavy), or two singles (lighter, but more expensive overall). Was it better to get a sit-on-top, or a sit-inside?

I brought it back in and went down to Jackson again. That Jackson Kilroy DT sure had paddled nice, and comfortable, and was adjustable to be tandem or single. It had a flat deck so you could even stand up in it. It was basically the Cadillac of fishing kayaks, and if you can only have one…

So I told Dave the bad news, and he said ‘you know, if you really want one, you can afford it, just make sure we’ll use it’! I did some research (I’d never heard of Jackson, and now that [unnamed brand] was off my list, I had some catching up to do). By mid-week I was down at Alder Creek Canoe and Kayak on my lunch break asking what they had in stock, how much was it, if I wanted one how long would it take to get it, and the end result was that by that weekend:

 

We were the proud owners of a beautiful Jackson Kilroy DT in the only color they had available – but it is actually the color I liked best anyway – black and blue! Since that bad boy weighs almost 100 lbs, I bit the bullet and went with the Thule Hullivator for the Flex. The Hullivator tips down along the side of the truck to load the kayak on, and then lifts back up into place with gas struts to help you lift it (though it is still VERY heavy), which makes loading the beast easier. What a pair, don’t you think?

We took it to Horseshoe Lake in Woodland for our initial paddle.

 

Paddlin’ and Fishin’! It’s so comfortable!


 

And back at home, it sits neatly on top of the Mustang. It’s 14ft long, which means it is as long as the Mustang!

 

We’ve taken it out three more times, each time to Lacamas Lake, which is much closer to home than Woodland (though I really like Horseshoe Lake, so I’m sure we’ll be back there again). The first time there was a church group of paddlers there, and we paddled quite a ways down the lake with them, then stopped to fish for a while.

 

Another day we took it out and hung out on the end of the lake near the bridge to Round Lake, and watched other paddlers sneaking under the bridge. We’ll wait for the water to go down a bit more before we try it!

Today we hung out on that end fishing for a bit, and then paddled over to the first pond full of water lillies, which had yellow blooms all over them. I fished there for a while, casting between the lilly pads and retrieving my lures, then my Rapala fish lure got stuck on a lilly pad and the line snapped! I told Dave ‘paddle over there so I can get it back, do you know how much those things cost?!’ so he paddled over there the whole time chiding me that all these lilly pads looked alike and there was no way I would find it. He paddled me over to where I said and there it was laying right on top of the leaf it had caught on 😀 Dave was amazed!

So that’s my new toy – I finally got my boat! It’s fun and comfortable and easy to paddle, and relaxing, and yet still good exercise. I’m really glad we finally took the plunge and got it. I think this is something we will be enjoying for a long time, taking on trips with our Airstream to try out new lakes farther from home, and generally exploring and fishing.

 

 

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Cruising around the Hood

On By stefrobrtsIn dave, Me, outdoors, photographyLeave a comment
Dave and I headed out to wander around Mt Hood. He had recently been on a drive for work that took him around the East side of the mountain, and I wanted to see it from that side too. We headed out to Hood River, but stopped first at Elowah Falls, since I saw it without him last time, and wanted to show off the crazy natural amphitheater it sits in. He was suitably impressed.

Then we headed on to Hood River, and up to Panorama Point, which has a beautiful view out over the Hood River valley (famous for it’s fruit farms), and the mountain.

After That we continued up Hiway 35 to Parkdale to see the Parkdale Lava Flow. Unfortunately it’s entirely on private land as far as we could tell. We could drive up close enough to see it, but not to actually get out and walk on it.

Eventually the highway wraps around the mountain, and we stopped to stretch our legs at this sno-park – now devoid of snow.

Continuing on around the mountain, we followed signs up to Timberline Lodge. We hadn’t been up here in ages, so figured we should swing by.

It was such a nice day we took a stroll around the lodge. The mountian looks so small from up there, like you could just hike up to the top, no trouble at all.

Actually, maybe it’s bigger than it looks…

From up there you can see way out into Eastern Oregon, where the green turns to brown desert.

And to the South you can see Mt Jefferson and Three Sisters.

After that we headed back down, with a stop in Gresham at Abby’s Pizza before heading home. Made a full day of it, and got to know our local mountain a little bit better.

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Multnomah Falls/Wahkeena Falls Loop

On By stefrobrtsIn hiking, Me, outdoorsLeave a comment
Back to my weekly hiking trip, I decided to do the Multnomah Falls – Wahkeena Falls Loop.  That is 5 miles and 1600ft elevation gain, so not as bad as Tom, Dick, and Harry a couple weeks ago. Oh wait, it’s a mile shorter, and only 100ft less elevation – that probably means it’s about the same or worse. Well, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right?
Last time I hiked to the top of Multnomah, when I came home all my friends said I should have kept going! Well, I wasn’t quite up to it that time, but this time I am a bit lighter and a lot stronger, so I was up for it. First I had to sit in traffic on the old highway for half an hour just to get to the parking lot, then weave my way through approximately one billion tourists speaking every language you could imagine, I love to see all these people coming to see what we can drive out here and enjoy anytime. 
Luckily the farther you go, the fewer people there are. Some people never go past the lower viewing platform. Many more stop at Benson Bridge. A few more head on up the switchbacks, but it definitely thins out at that point. I was stopping to rest halfway up and chatted with a nice Pakistani couple where were also catching their breath. They were discussing if they could make it up all 11 switchbacks, and I told them the last few switchbacks go downhill – and he translated that for his wife and she seemed relieved 🙂 Indeed, 9 is the last uphill switchback, then you go over the top and back downhill the next couple to the river at the top of the waterfall. 
This time I didn’t even go check out the top-of-the-falls viewing platform, instead I headed upriver. I chatted with some folks coming from that direction to confirm I was going the right way. In this picture, the trail hugs the rock wall to the right.
Then you come to Dutchman Falls, which was a nice little waterfall, with water roaring past on this day, making a cool spot to sit for a few minutes and relax after the long hike up. 
Pretty view back down Multnomah Creek in the direction I came. The trail hugs the rock wall to the left in this shot.
The trail goes under this cool basalt overhang called Dutchman’s Tunnel. Oregon Hiker’s site says this trail was built in 1915!
My favorite shot of the trip. Heck, my favorite shot of the summer so far! Weisendanger Falls. I had to wait a few minutes for the small crowd to clear, but that was the end of crowds on this journey. After this it was just passing by single hikers here and there along the way.
The trail passed right by the top of Ecola Falls, but I only got this peek-a-boo look at it, since I didn’t want to go sliding down the muddy bank to get a better view. 
This whole walk is just ridiculously pretty. It’s like something out of a fairy tale.
Things were a little confusing here. I KNOW I don’t want to go to Larch Mountain, and I am already on #441, but what I’m looking for at the junction is #420. Luckily someone added the note on the bottom to help me out – Wahkeena Falls -> Thataway. That was my guess, but I’ve heard of people getting lost up here, and since I was alone I really wanted to be sure!
Pretty, peaceful walk.
Why can’t someone pay me to do this?
The camera is level in this next shot, to show how steep the hill behind the sign is – VERY steep!
This is what I’m looking for. Definitely on the right trail, and finally heading back downhill. That was a long climb up. 
I saw these cool Indian Pipe plants. I only saw this one little patch of them on the whole walk. They survive on fungus that survive on trees. What a cool adaptation!
Now I guess I’m following Wahkeena Creek back down.
This beauty is Fairy Falls. It is a lovely cascade of water. 
There was a Japanese family I kept passing and then they would pass me, so I asked them to take my picture. I wasn’t sure if they spoke English because I heard them talking to each other in Japanese, but they spoke perfect English, of course! So here I am in front of Fairy Falls (it’s only 20ft high).
And..my last shot of Wahkeena Creek before my camera battery died! 
After this I came to Lemmon’s Viewpoint, named after a firefighter who died fighting fires in the area. Beautiful little overlook of the Gorge, and a nice place to rest up a little. 
I guess I should have shot a pic of Wahkeena Falls with my phone, but I didn’t think of it. I sat on a bench and loosened up my boots for a few minutes (my toes were complaining from the long downhill), then crossed the little bridge that goes right in front of Wahkeena and the water makes a delightful spray on a hot day. Then at the bottom I just had to follow a half mile trail that followed the Old Highway back to Multnomah Falls, and my waiting car. It was a great hike, and the most waterfalls I’d ever seen on one hike! I’m glad my friends told me to go back and do it!
I’ll have to go back and get pics of Wahkeena Falls sometime.
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Tom, Dick, and Harry Mountain

On By stefrobrtsIn hiking, Me, outdoorsLeave a comment

I screwed up my courage and headed off on another solo adventure – to Tom, Dick, and Harry Mountain. This is my first hike outside of the Gorge. It is a 6 mile hike, with 1700ft elevation gain, so the most strenuous hike I’ve done so far. It is up by Mt Hood, with spectacular views, and along the way you pass by Mirror Lake, with a beautiful reflection of Mt Hood. On a clear day, anyway.

The trailhead is right on Highway 26, so I found a spot and started walking. Among other firsts, I got to cross a scree slope, which I’ve always thought would be pretty scary, but the well-used trail was actually quite stable on the slope. I crossed several of these by the time I was done.

The trail continued on through lovely forests. Everything was a little muddy, because it had been raining, and was actually raining off and on during my hike. Enough that everytime I thought it was over and tried to take off my rain jacket, it would start sprinkling again. So I had my jacket and hat on the whole hike.

Notice the rhododendrons blooming along the trail – neat!

Finally I came to Mirror Lake, which is only a mile and a half in. This was a nice place to stop and rest a little, have a snack, and enjoy the view. That lump on top of the ridge straight ahead is where I’m going. At this point I was looking at it and thinking, no, there’s really no way I’m going all the way up there! It looked pretty high from the lake.

I started to walk around the lake to see the view of Mt Hood, but I could tell it was clouded over. I got to the trail to Tom Dick and Harry and thought about it. No way, I’ll never make it, I told myself. There was a family at the trail junction with three little kids, and they said ‘you go ahead, we don’t want to slow you down!’ I thought, NO ONE has ever slowed ME down, I’m the slowest hiker out there! But seeing them was the push I needed, and I thought, I’ll just go up the trail a ways and see what it looks like – I can always turn around when  I’m halfway tired.

Another first for me – hiking in a Wilderness area!

Bear Grass

A pretty view of the valley, but no mountain.

Pretty, whatever it is! I think it’s Indian Paintbrush.

Still plugging along, another beautiful viewpoint, but no mountain.

Pretty little flowers,

Getting closer to the top. Still no mountain.

Funky moss on a rock.

I was stopped for a rest from the relentless uphill climb, and saw a couple coming downhill, so I chatted them up about the hike. They said it was worth it, and they got a view of the mountain at the top! But they warned me, I was about ten minutes from the rockpile, and after that it got ‘climby’. Ok, not sure what that means…

Rockpile!

Oh, THAT’S what ‘climby’ means…

So, it looked like that off and on for the last 20 minutes, and then finally, I climbed up a rocky bit, and tah dah! On top of the world! Looking down on Mirror Lake – and no mountain.

Tom Dick and Harry is cool, look at all those rocks pushed together! I read it was formed through glacial action, as opposed to all the basalt/lava I’ve been seeing in the gorge.

There was another family at the top and I chatted with them. They were visiting from North Carolina, and they were eating lunch and hoping it would clear up and give them a view before they had to head back down.

Nope.

So I sat down against a boulder to eat my lunch..and it started SNOWING on me!!

The snow cleared up and I walked around and took some pictures. I think this is Columbine.

TD&H also has a beautiful view of Mt Jefferson to the south. On a clear day…

So my new friends and I took pictures for each other, and they reluctantly headed on down. Here I am with Mt Cloudy in the background.

Now I had the top of the world to myself, so I settled down on top of a boulder and decided to soak up the sun and rest a bit.

I closed my eyes and opened them when a raven flew by so close I could hear his feathers rustling! Cool. I closed my eyes again. So quiet. Just the wind…and some rocks clinking together. I heard it again. I was not alone up here!

Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels! There were two of them, running around. One even came up and sat right next to me on the boulder, and then took off before I could catch a selfie with him!

After about an hour of resting on the top, I decided to head back down. It was beautiful, and I can’t wait to go back. On a clear day, next time!

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Bridal Veil Falls, Horsetail Falls

On By stefrobrtsIn hiking, outdoors, travelLeave a comment

Back to the Gorge for some more waterfall hiking. Stopped at the Portland Women’s Forum Overlook again. That’s a nice place to get out and stretch after getting on the old Highway.

This sign had a nice history of the building of the highway. I particularly liked this part:

“Standing here I realized the magnitude of my task and the splendid opportunity presented. Instinctively there came a prayer for strong men, and that we might have sense enough to do the thing in the right way…so as not to mar what God had put there… Samuel C Lancaster, Engineer, 1915”

I think that’s an attitude that is sadly lacking in so many endeavors today. Many thanks to those who created the access for us to enjoy this natural playground.

I headed on down the highway to Bridal Veil Falls. It is one of the first falls you come to, and it is just an easy walk to the falls, not even a half mile, on a very civilized gravel path, so of course it was quite popular, and I was lucky to get a spot in the trailhead lot.

Pretty little flowers along the path.

Finally the path goes up some stairs, over a couple little bridges, and takes you to the waterfall, which is kind of around a corner. There is a small viewing platform for admiring it.

The water flows into the pool, and then continues downhill, but walking down to the stream, you can barely see the waterfall.

Very pretty, still. I was happy with this shot.

And a little farther downstream, past one of the bridges. I love the way the water turned out on this one.

Afterwards I took a stroll around the path that goes around the parking lot, and out to the edge of the cliffs. I stopped to read this sign about Native American traders, and was a bit taken aback by how they slipped ‘Slaves’ in there with basketry!

More flowers on the path.

The path goes out to the cliffs with a nice view across the river to Cape Horn. Phoca Rock is visible out in the river. You can click on this pic to get a bigger version.

I was certainly not worn out yet, so I headed on down the old highway, looking for something else to do. After driving past some of the bigger attractions, I came to Horsetail Falls, and was surprised to see it was right there by the highway!

About then the rains came back and I decided to head home. Nice easy day of visiting waterfalls though. I really enjoy my weekly ramblings.

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