The Grotto’s Christmas Festival of Lights in Portland, OR

December 20, 2017

If you are looking for a spectacular display of Christmas Lights this holiday, then you and your family need to check out the Christmas Festival of Lights at The Grotto in Portland, OR. The Grotto is a Catholic shrine dedicated to Mary, mother of Jesus.  The story behind The Grotto is that at the end […]

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The Wondrous Waterfalls of West Linn, Or

April 13, 2017

Posting photos now, explaining later  

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Trip Report: Oregon’s Lower Salmonberry River

March 9, 2017

Coming Soon: A couple summers ago, my family and I toured the lower Salmonberry River. Our story will be posted soon.  

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Mystery Solved: Wild Clematis around Portland

March 9, 2017

I’ve been a beekeeper for about a decade, with experience raising and caring for honeybees both here in Oregon, and previously in California. Each January, my father and I carefully watch the shrubbery and vegetation for the first signs of spring. After doing this for a number of years, we know exactly what flowers bloom […]

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The Magic of Medicine Lake in Northern California

January 28, 2017

Medicine Lake  is located about  30 miles Northeast of Mt. Shasta ( 90 minutes by car) and offers spectacular opportunities for recreation and sightseeing. The lake sits in the caldera of an ancient volcano called Medicine Lake Volcano.  The most recent eruptions took place about 1,000 years ago on the east side of the rim […]

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Cedar Mill Falls in Beaverton, Oregon

January 3, 2017

On January 2, 2014, we were looking for things to do, and decided to visit Cedar Mill Falls in Beaverton, Oregon.  The falls is located close to the junction of Hwy 217 and Hwy 26, in a residential area. A few years ago, a developer of a neighboring apartment complex built a wooden walkway and […]

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A Beautiful Visit to Castle Crags State Park in Northern California

January 3, 2017

(Dunsmuir, CA) During the 2013 Labor Day weekend, my family and I visited the Mt. Shasta area and camped at Castle Crags State Park, located just south of Dunsmuir, CA. and about two hours south of the Oregon border. We had been aware of the park for many years, but since it was only 30 […]

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The Rugged Beauty of Yaquina Head on the Oregon Coast

January 2, 2017

Yaquina Head is like a spanish masterpiece of nature, located on the central Oregon coast, located just north of the city of Newport.  In January, 2014, we really wanted to get out of the Portland area to avoid Superbowl madness.  We decided to head to the coast.  Due to a temperature inversion, temperatures in the Willamette […]

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Trip Report: Mount St. Helens Driving Tour

December 18, 2016

During the Labor Day Weekend of 2012, my family & I decided to visit Mount St. Helens.  My wife and I grew up in Portland and both remember the May 18,1980 eruption (as well as the thousand other small eruptions that occurred during that time). My daughter had been studying volcanoes in school, and was […]

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The Natural Beauty of the Lava Beds National Monument

November 29, 2016

Located about 30 miles south of the Oregon border near Tulelake, CA, the Lava Beds National Monument is an incredible display of hardened lava from ancient volcanic eruptions. The Monument is also a site of historical significance: it was the site of one of the last Indian wars in the west: the Modoc Indians held […]

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A Sunny Winter Visit to Astoria, Oregon

October 3, 2016

It was the middle of January in 2014, and cloudy and bitterly cold where we live near Portland, Oregon.   For weeks, the Portland area had been under a temperature inversion, with near-freezing temperatures in the Willamette Valley, and warmer temperatures along the coast and mountains. We were dying to get out of the house. […]

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Lincoln City to Newport Driving Tour

July 15, 2016

During the weekend of June 23-24, my family drove Highway 101 from Lincoln City to Newport, OR.  Here are the photo highlights from our trip!  

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Salt Creek Falls near Oakridge, Oregon

June 18, 2016

Salt Creek Falls is the second highest waterfall in Oregon, with a drop of nearly 286 feet.    Not many people have seen this spectacular waterfall because it is located an hour east of Eugene, far from the Portland metro area. Luckily, the waterfall is located only a few minutes off Highway 58 away from […]

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2014 Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival

May 3, 2014

A few years ago, I was looking at the Facebook feed of a family member, and I saw their pictures of a visit to a local tulip farm. The pictures were simply amazing: it seemed like there were millions of flowering tulips in varying shades of red, yellow, and pink. Just for background, The Wooden Shoe […]

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Some McCloud Residents Facing Drastic Flood Insurance Rate Increases

April 1, 2014

Some residents of McCloud, CA are reacting with disbelief as they open their floor insurance bills and find that rates have gone up from $400 per year to $2,000 per year, or more.   The homes we know are affected so far on are Quincy Street by the old mill. My wife and I own […]

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