Gorge II: Eagle Creek

We spent our last full day with Cheryl hiking up the amazing Eagle Creek trail. I think this is one of my favorite hikes.The weather was great; the sun even came out.

 

 

 

The trail had lots of pretty things to look at, like mossy trees and colorful pools.

Magnus got to ride on Daddy’s shoulders most of the time.

It is an interesting trail that often cuts into the cliff side and you get some nice views of canyon.

Metlako Falls, the first waterfall.

We hiked down to Punchbowl Falls. It sits in a very nice natural amphitheater with a nice rocky shore. We ate lunch here. Magnus liked sitting on the big rocks.

The creek was so full that to see the falls you had to walk out into the very cold water, but it was worth it.

Punchbowl Falls:

Having fun by the creek:

Lower Punchbowls falls is in the same area.

We hiked a little further to see Punchbowl from above:

An often over-looked thing on the side of the trail is this petrified tree stump.

 

Eagle Creek is also the site of the first Forest Service campground. Built in 1915, it is no longer in use, but most of the old structures are there and you can picnic there. We also found this old picnic table amongst the trees. It is a very mossy, forgotten table.

On the way back home we stopped for ice cream in Cascade Locks, and looped back around on the Washington side of the Gorge. We made a quick stop at Cape Horn. It was a good day.

Cheryl flew out the next evening. We had a lot of fun while she was here, and we are glad she got home safely. Thanks for visiting us Cheryl!

Gorge I: Waterfall Alley

We took Cheryl to see one of our favorite drives, the Historic Columbia River Gorge Highway down waterfall alley. Elina came with us as well. We started with a stop at Crown Point to see the wonderful view. Then did the short walk to Latourell Falls.

Next we hiked down to see Bridal Veil Falls. We all had fun climbing around on the rocks. Magnus had fun throwing the rocks in the water

Our last stop was at Multnomah Falls. All the waterfalls were pretty full, so there was a lot of water spraying around. We walked up to the bridge and Magnus walked all the way up by himself. Good job Magnus.

We always like looking at waterfalls and we like sharing them with others. We hope you had fun, Cheryl.

Portland Temple

While Cheryl was visiting we took a little trip to the Portland LDS Temple. It was a bit cloudy, but it was still very pleasant to walk around outside. And many of the flowers were blooming, so it looked and smelled very nice. We had a nice time and got some good pictures.

Magnus liked putting his finger in the reflecting pool:

There was one quick sun burst that lit up the temple.

Canon Beach: Cheryl meets the Pacific

After a nice time in Seattle, we woke up and headed out to the Oregon Coast. This was Cheryl’s first time seeing the Pacific Ocean.

First we explored Indian Head Beach:

The tide was just coming in, but we were still able to scramble around on the rocks and find some fun little creatures. Magnus liked the starfish and kept pointing at its “eye.” We also found a shrimp that seems a lot bigger when you notice there is a tiny little fly just above it on my fingers. There were also lots of hermit crabs.

At the beach and great weather; that’s a good combo.

Having a stroll:

Next, we stopped at Ecola Point to see the nice view.

We had to stop at Bruce’s Candy in Canon Beach for the delicious taffy.

The day ended with a walk to Haystack Rock on Canon Beach. Magnus fell asleep on Ruth’s shoulders.