Tues 7/3/12 - A Week in Portland

I have been in Portland for about a week.  Brad and Janie have been great to stay with.  We have eaten some really great meals in and out, play some interesting music with some interesting people, and had the opportunity to see some beautiful nature.  That's pretty neat.

Last week, Brad, Janie and I took a trip out to Silver Falls.  I have a couple pictures here, but there are lots more on the slideshow.  It is been rainy here, so the flora and fauna was incredibly bright and vibrant.  The greens were were especially beautiful when contrasted with the clear blue water and moderately cloudy sky.

The falls you see to the right are the tallest of the series.  There are ten waterfalls in all.  To put this picture in perspective, the dark shadow in the center of the picture running right to left, is the hiking traile.  People look like ants from here.  The path ran under the waterfalls.  There were caverns and voids that ran all along the walls.  Some of them
we could climb in.

This photo to the left was taken just to the left of the falls, revealing the winding path and voids found on the rock walls.  We there was a mist that filled the air.  It was a nice cool off from the exercise and the mild weather of the day.

Because of the constantly moist biosphere during the rainy time here in Oregon, the conditions are perfect for moss and lichen to grow.  Their symbiotic relations can be witnest easily through most of the forest.  Entire trees would be green from their bases to most of their branches.  Hanging from their branches would be the lichen.  It was pretty neat.



Salmon berries grow abundantly along Silver Creek.  The are cousins to raspberries, but they are much more tart.
They are not quite as tart as rhubarb, but they are sour.  I loved them.  As we walked down the trail, I pretty much was eating them the entire time.  I wish we would have remembered to bring a bag, but what can you do?

Silver Falls was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to.  Not only were the falls wonderful to look at, but the sound of running water gave me a relaxed peace of mind.  There wasn't too many people out, which was nice.

I would highly recommend this area to anyone who enjoys nature and the out doors.  The trails are kept in nice shape too, so people with bad ankles could handle it!









The following day, Brad and I went up to Mt. Hood.  Mount Hood's peak is just over 11,000 feet.  The summit didn't really look that high and dangerous, but apparently it is quite treacherous.  It is one of the most popular mountains to climb in the world.  There are many ways to reach the summit, difficulty ranging from medium to high.  The newer, less experienced climbers account for most of the deaths. Click to read about deaths on Mt. Hood

The summit photo shown above was taken from behind this building, the Timberline Lodge.  This lodge has great history.  It was dedicated by FDR as a place where people can enjoy skiing through all four seasons.  The Timberline Lodge was also shown in Stanley Kubrick's, The Shining.  It is used in the opening scene, and is the building the film is supposed to be set it.   They didn't, however use it for any of the indoor scenes.  During the winter months, the lodge is completely engulfed with snow.  To prevent too much weight from building on the roof, it is extremely long and slanted, so the lodge is literally engulfed. 




During the trip, I read a book on Billie Holiday.  I am writing a song about her life. I will share it when I am done.  Should be sometime this week.

Hope all is well,
Joe