Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
Highlights from the Columbia Gorge
It was just last week that we were looking for a quick getaway and settled on one of our favorite places, the Columbia Gorge, three hours south. Three days, two nights, just enough time for the highlights.
We started at Crown Point for a look at the Gorge, facing east. Honestly, we didn’t mind the rain as we’d been suffering with high temperatures and no rain for weeks. Even so, slide over for a look at the sunny view from an earlier trip.
According to Wikipedia: “The 1918 Art Nouveau style Vista House is an observatory at Crown Point that also serves as a memorial to Oregon pioneers and as a comfort station for travelers on the Historic Columbia River Highway. The site, is on a rocky promontory, is 733 feet (223 m) above the Columbia River.”
The Historic Columbia River Highway was the first planned scenic highway in the country and was built between 1913 and 1922. More on that here.
To me, the jewels of the highway are the many waterfalls that line its west side, and we stopped by a couple of our favorites.
Latourell Falls
Yes, there were folks swimming in the pool at the base of the falls.
Horsetail Falls
No swimmers at Horsetail Falls, in fact, we had it to ourselves.
We didn’t stop at the most famous waterfall on the highway: Multnomah Falls now requires a reservation during the summer season; we didn’t bother as we’ve seen it many times before.
We spent the night at Hood River and the next day took a drive to Mt. Hood. It was beautiful and sunny and less than an hour to Timberline Lodge.
I was hoping to get good shots of the lodge against Mt Hood, but the mountain was socked in by clouds. Still, it’s worth showing you pictures of the rustic interior which is filled with original artwork. Built in the 1930’s as part of FDR’s plan to get Americans back to work, all manner of craftsman were employed to build and furnish it. More about the historic lodge can be found here.
The next day we found plenty of sunshine high above the Gorge at Rowena Crest, where the forest gives way to golden hills.
On the Washington side of the Gorge, headed for home, we got a great look at Mt. Adams, which though beautiful, is often overshadowed by Mt. Rainier to the north.
In fact, from this vantage point, four mountains can be seen; in addition to Mt Adams: Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens, and even the top of Mt. Rainier, in that order below.
But there is no doubt that Mt. Adams is the star of the show from here.
Now before I go, I have to show you one more highlight of our trip, an ice cream stop at the Eastwind Drive-In at Cascade Locks, for my favorite swirl cone. My sister who lives in the area recommended it to me, especially the large size, which is a foot tall. I was happy with a small, though next time, I may upgrade to a medium.
That’s all from the Columbia Gorge.
~ Susanne
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Clematis – Two Ways
I’ve shared many pictures of Clematis Montana, a faithful, pink, prolific climber, that lights up my garden every year in May.
But rising above the fray, here and there, is another clematis with large white blossoms few and far between. It stays put year after year and the blossoms face heavenward, too high for me to easily photograph so I rarely do. You’ll see it poking its head above its pink cousin below.
I don’t know why it doesn’t perform like Montana, but I do know I like it most when the blossoms are gone, and it goes to seed; then, its unique beauty shines.
So there you have it: clematis, two ways.
~ Susanne
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Two Oregon Beaches – A Wreck and a Rock – Which do you Prefer?
Perhaps you know the beaches of which I speak, perhaps not.
In my recent post on Long Beach (Washington, not California, here if you missed it) I mentioned that one should always cross the river into Oregon when visiting the Long Beach Peninsula. It’s a quick jaunt over the bridge to Astoria, where you can shop, eat, and visit the beaches nearby.
On our trip last month, we spent the day at two different Oregon beaches, the first at Fort Stevens State Park, for a look at the wreck of the Peter Iredale.
The beach itself is long, great for walking, flying a kite, bodysurfing, or playing beach volleyball.
But you’ll be drawn to the rusty remains of the Peter Iredale, a ship which ran aground in 1906, one of the most accessible wrecks in the Graveyard of the Pacific.
For the rock, you’ll head south to Cannon Beach, arguably the most famous beach town and landscape on the Oregon Coast, for a look at 236 ft. Haystack Rock.
Cannon Beach is also great for walking, flying a kite, and playing beach volleyball, though you’ll have more crowds and a harder time finding parking.
But mostly you’ll be drawn to the ancient rock, with its birds and tidepools.
Which do you prefer?
You’ll want to see the wreck, of course, but you don’t want to miss that rock and its tidepools, either.
So on your next trip to Oregon, why not visit both?
~ Susanne
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Busy as a Bee in Summer
Six Bees for #SixWordSaturday.
~ Susanne
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Benji and the Vole
I’ve never been happier to see a vole disposed of. Especially when my newly tri-pawed cat did the job.
If you are sensitive to this sort of thing, read no further, I understand.
Benji has healed up nicely from his surgery and we are allowing him outside more often during the day, without monitoring his every movement; that was never going to work in the long run. For as long as we’ve had him (8 years next month) he has loved the outdoors, resting in the garden beds, lying in the grass, watching the birds go by, and pouncing on small critters that sometimes make their way into our yard.
Today I was in the kitchen looking out the window and there he was, as fast and agile as ever, making short work of a vole. In the past I might have intervened and try to save the little varmint, but not this time; Benji was in his glory!
The next two photos are blurry as I tried to catch him in action, and didn’t have time to adjust the settings.
When Benji and the vole were through, he brought his trophy to the back door, laying it at my feet, through the window. (I got a picture of it toes-up but decided to spare you.)
Now just so you know, voles are considered pests in the garden, digging holes and tunneling underground in the yard.
Even so, I like (most) all creatures and root for their survival. But today I was happy to see that Benji was back, happy to be a cat, minus a leg or not.
~ Susanne
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Long Beach Peninsula and Long Beach, the Town
Long Beach is perhaps my favorite place on the Washington Coast and good for a visit any time of year.
The beach proclaims itself to be the longest in the world.
Perhaps it is if you count the entire peninsula which is 28 miles in length; or maybe it’s only the longest drivable beach, who knows for sure?
Either way, I prefer walking, and these sandcastles greeted me one morning.
I also found birds in abundance, of all sizes and persuasions, including the usual gulls and shorebirds,
and the not so usual and unexpected vulture!
The boardwalk is nice for keeping sand off your feet and the paved path below great for riding your bike. We took the boardwalk one night to watch the sunset,
and the moonrise!
One block over from the ocean is Main Street where we shopped, enjoyed the murals, sculptures and quirky Marsh’s Museum, and especially the bakery!
We also visited the two lighthouses nearby,
Cape Disappointment Lighthouse from Waikiki Beach (left), and North Head Lighthouse (right) with views of the ocean below. Both lighthouses are still operational.
And no trip to Long Beach is complete without crossing into Oregon via the 4.1-mile-long Astoria-Megler Bridge, over the mouth of the Columbia River, so we did.
Views from the bridge are great, these are looking from Astoria towards Washington.
I’ll save the highlights from Oregon for later, including the wreck of the Peter Iredale (I never get tired of seeing it) and Cannon Beach, arguably the most famous of Oregon’s beach towns.
~ Susanne
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American Goldfinch
I rarely see a Goldfinch in my yard; I guess the accommodations and food supply are not to their liking. So, I was happy to see our state bird recently in Westport on our way to Long Beach. Happier still that this handsome male posed for me.
~ Susanne
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A Conversation with Tiger – concerning Benji
“Thanks, Tiger.”
“Sure, Sue. For what?”
“For being so accommodating these past few months. I’ve had to spend so much time with Benji (understandably so) I feel like I’ve neglected you.”
“No problem, Sue. He always was high maintenance. Even before his mishap.”
“I suppose. But I appreciate you giving him the space he needs while he’s healing. And not taking advantage of his disability.”
“Disability? He’s still faster than me!”
“Well yes, he’s still Benji, isn’t he? And that’s a good thing. Anyway, I want to make it up to you. What’ll it be, extra snacks? More time on the bed?”
“Both would be great, Sue. But honestly, I’m easy to please. I’m just happy to live here with you.”
“Aw, thanks, Tiger. You’re the best. By the way, would you keep an eye on the boy when you’re outside? He still has the inclination to escape.”
“Will do. He won’t get away while I’m around. I’ve still got all four, if you know what I mean.”
“Thanks, Tiger. I appreciate it.”
~ Susanne & Tiger
P.S. In case you missed it: Here’s the story of Benji from earlier this year, when he became a tri-pawed. https://catsandtrailsandgardentales.com/2024/06/07/time-to-tell-you-about-benji/
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On the Wing at Willapa Bay
Last week I spent a few days in Long Beach, perhaps my favorite place on the Washington Coast (you’ve already seen sunset.) I’ll have more to say about our trip in the coming days, including our excursions into Oregon. But for now, I’ll focus on the birds at Willapa Bay for this week’s #Sunday Stills Challenge.
According to Wikipedia, “Willapa Bay is a bay located on the southwest Pacific Coast of Washington state in the United States. The Long Beach Peninsula separates Willapa Bay from the greater expanse of the Pacific Ocean. With over 120 square miles (310 km2) of surface area Willapa Bay is the second-largest riverine estuary on the Pacific coast of the continental United States.”
“Willapa Bay is known for its biodiversity and much of it, including the entirety of Long Island, has been set aside as part of the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge. The oyster beds help the ecosystem by providing habitats and filtering water, improving the quality of the water. The refuge is home to several endangered and threatened species including the snowy plover, marbled murrelets and brown pelican. Other birds that are commonly spotted throughout the refuge include bald eagles, great blue herons, peregrine falcons, red-tailed hawks, marsh wrens and golden-crowned kinglets.”
Leadbetter Point State Park is adjacent to the wildlife refuge with easy access to the mudflats, so that’s where we went to see the birds.
Honestly, I don’t think I can tell one shorebird from another, but I love watching them just the same: eating on the mudflats, flying to and fro in unison at some mysterious command.
I can identify an eagle and managed to capture this one soaring high overhead, always welcome.
Not bad for July. I’ll have to visit again in the spring or fall when thousands of shorebirds stop by on their way to and from the Arctic.
~ Susanne
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Blog Testing and Sunset and Moonrise in Color
I noticed recently that one of my posts did not show up in the Reader, which resulted in fewer views. I logged a case with WordPress and after a few denials (I was assured it was there, though I knew it was not) it was fixed, without explanation.
It happened again with my last post, which I created on my phone, using the Jetpack application. Some of you saw it anyway, as apparently you receive notifications by email, others may not have, if I believe the stats. Might Jetpack be the reason it failed to appear in the Reader?
So bear with me while I do some three-fold testing and also share with you the post in question.
#1 – To see whether today’s post, shows up in the Reader. I can check this easily and suspect it will if my suspicions are correct; I’m not using Jetpack; I’m creating it on my desktop.
#2 – To test a feature I’ve never used before, PressThis to share with you that post.
#3 Comparing PressThis above, to inserting a direct link to Sunset and Moonrise in Color
By the way, I’m ‘testing in production,’ which in the real world is an absolute no-no. When I worked in software testing and quality assurance, software code was developed, migrated to a test environment for thorough testing, then migrated to production when users were out of the system, before it went live.
Unfortunately, I don’t have a choice; there’s no good test environment for my blog, at least on my plan, other than preview. And it’s only after posting that you can really see it as it is. But the risks are low and only impact me so who cares; and I can update a post (yes, in production) if I really want to. Quite unlike the catastrophic failure earlier this week where better testing might have prevented a global outage when a patch was rolled out by cloudstrike. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)
Anyway, I’m curious. Do you use the WordPress Reader for blogs you follow? Have your posts ever failed to appear in the Reader? Do you use PressThis?
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 