Jim and Bonny

Monday, November 30, 2009

Thanksgiving in Minnesota November 2009

Bonny & Bruce

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Steve & Jean visit Snoqualmie - October 2009

We started our visit with a short hike in Olallie State Park near us.

It was cool and crisp and the leaves were turning color!

The river was running low and it was nice to be able to walk on the riverbottom next to the cold, clear water.

Jim is now off to Chicago for 3 days. What a nice way to treat company! ( :

So Steve & Jean and I headed off to Leavenworth, WA. A cute little Bavarian town.

The color was awesome!

We had a fun day strolling around and doing some shopping.
We drove back through Wenatchee where the mountains are brown, enjoying the fall colors, apple orchards, grapes etc. and then across the Columbia River and back into the green mountains.

The next day we took a hike to Twin Falls.

The yellow leaves behind the green moss were breathtaking. The pictures just don't do it justice. Most enjoyable!

Jean made it all the way to the falls! Good for her!!
( :

Awesome......we hated to leave!

This is my favorite picture of the day!

(click to enlarge these scenery pictures.........they are awesome!)

The Oregon Coast...the best kept secret in the Pacific Northwest!

We drove down to Portland, OR in the rain. As we arrived at the Shilo Inn in Newport (ocean-view accommmodations) the sun came out. What a spectacular sight!

We could see the lighthouse at Coquille River off in the distance.

We missed "storm watching" by one day but the waves were gorgeous. Storm watching is so intriguing that it is easy to get hooked on watching the breathtaking sights of the ocean surf dancing unpredictably in these storms. Especially during the fall months. We played Dominos in our room while watching the waves, the sunset, and went to bed with the windows open and the sound of the surf humming us to sleep!

The next day we drove north on 101. The entire coast has mile after mile of dazzling, empty beaches punctuated by stretches of rocky outcropping and spectacular headlands.
Awesome!
We saw many birds, pelicans....

and seals that make their home on the Bayfront in Newport. They can be heard from miles away. Noisy guys!

Rocky shore by the lighthouse!

The Lighthouse at Coquille River

Next stop was Depo Bay. This is the end of the unique sea wall the runs the length of the downtown area where we ate breakfast. Ever-changing oceanviews can be seen from the seawall. Whale watching is a favoite activity for visitors to Depoe Bay. The resident pod of grey whales that makes its home just offshore may be spotted here between March and December. But none showed up for us! ) :

The tidepools were awesome!

At Pacific City we took the Three Capes Scenic Loop to Tillamook.

Here we are on Cape Kiwanda in Oceanside, with the spectacular sight of towering 400-foot-high Three Arch Rocks, preserved as a seabird refuge shared by sea lions and seals. And I don't have a picture of the rock posted. ) : All along the sandy beaches people were clamming. This loop is definitely worth the trip!

We moved on and stopped at the Tillamook Cheese Visitor's Center where you can observe cheese production.

However it was Saturday so not in operation. There are so many things to do and see that one could spend a week on this drive. We will have to return in the summer!!

Cannon Beach is nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the Coast Range. We arrived just as it was starting to cloud over. Not bad since an all day rain was predicted.

There was time to walk on the beach and see the kites flying near the Haystack Rock.
Haystack Rock is one of the largest free-standing rocks in the world, towering 235 feet above its glistening tidal pools and vast shoreline. It is home to a diverse community of birds and aquatic wildlife. The waves smashing against the rock are so picturesque!

It wasn't long before the sun disappeared and the fog moved in.

As the tide moved out there was still time for Jim to get his exercise running on the beach before dark. ( :

One more picture before going to "The Lumberyard" for dinner!

The Columbia River Gorge

A picture of Jim at his best!!

We took the Infinity Loop that shows the splendor of Mt. Hood (if it isn't cloudy), the rugged history of the Oregon trail and the rushing white waters of wild and scenic rivers. The Infinity Loop winds through some of Oregon's most beautiful and diversified landscapes. Any way you look at it, the Historic Columbia River Highway Scenic Byway is a marvel....for its visionary engineering, incredible scenery, and rich history. Internationally lauded for spectacular waterfalls, architectural gems and magnificent overlooks of the Columbia River Gorge, it's no wonder this Byway has been called "King of Roads."

Latourell Falls was a short walk from the Byway.

As were all of the falls.......Shepperds Dell

Douglas Fir

Bridal Veil Falls

Base of Bridal Veil Falls

Multnomah Falls

Awesome with the colored leaves!

We had a big rain storm so headed out to see the raging Snoqualmie Falls.

This was the view of the trestle looking toward our subdivision at the top of the mountain.

The falls were rushing and there was a log trapped at the top!

We saw another big log push it off!
Of course, we were drenched.

Then we drove along the Middle Fork of othe Snoqualmie River. The day before this rain you could see the river rock in the bottom of this river and it was only a stream.

We went to the Fish Hatchery in Issaquah to see the Coho salmon spawing. The creek was loaded with salmon as you can see.

The Coho is red in color. They die after they spawn. They harvest the eggs and milt and put millions of fish back into the rivers each year. The dead salmon are used for the the Food Bank, made into fertilizer and fish food, according to their quality.

Very interesting process!

We drove to the Fremont Bridge in Seattle to see the artistic Troll carved in the rock.
It is smashing a VW Beetle!

Then the sun came out!! So we got our customary picture of our guests at the golf course in front of Mt. Si! There was snow on the mountain top that fell the night before.