The magical MISTery tour

 Ash and I had a rare day off together last week and made the most of it by going to Crown Point and Vista House, doing a 2 mile hike to Wachlella Falls, and doing some quick stops at four other falls along the road.
The theme for this day was MIST! Everywhere we went it covered us in a moist blanket. It figures that the day before and the day after were sunny, but no such luck for us this day. Not deterred though, we still enjoyed the beauty and power of the falls as well as the spectacular views from Crown point:

Above- semi panorama from crown point across the gorge.

You may be wondering what the Crown Point is.. from Wikipedia- "A promontory on the columbia river gorge and an associated state park in Oregon. Crown Point is one of the scenic lookouts along the Historic Columbia River Scenic Highway providing a panoramic view of part of the Columbia River. It stands 733 feet above the river and is remains of a lava flow that filled the Columbia River channel 14 million years ago."

The Vista House- "Built in 1916 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. With its marble interior and brass fixtures, some Oregonians at the time derided it as "The $100,000 Outhouse".
 Today is is the home of a small museum and gallery of the columbia gorge, coffee shop, and gift store. It still fulfills is duty as a fancy marble covered restroom location and has an observatory deck that was not open when we went.The building appears quite small from the outside due to most of it being underground.


There are plenty of pictures of our waterfall adventures that day: CLICK HERE FOR PICS!

Spring has sprung!

Several things of worthy note lately:



 Buds and blooms are joining the birds as visitors in the yard. Unidentified plants all around the house have been overwintering in hibernation, but are now beginning to show us what they are with colorful flowers and leaves popping in everywhere. One of the most dramatic is the pink flowering on the shrub outside the living room window, I believe it to be a type of Camellia:

It's going to be pretty outrageous looking when all those buds go into full bloom.

I'd mentioned our wild feathered friends in previous posts.. I've been making a healthy vegetable based suet for them to enjoy. I make it into large squares that I cut to size for the feeder. I think they are liking it better than the yucky beef fat kind, since more birds than ever are chillin' in the yard every day. It has the black oil sunflower seeds on the outside and a mixture of other seeds on the inside, so as they pick at it different birds will get their favourite meals:

The garden is coming along, we have almost the whole bed planted with various veg. The only visible activity is from the onions that were started indoors. I think it's still too cool for the direct planted seeds to germinate. The salad box seedlings are doing great, as well as the potted broccoli sprouts. Both were started indoors but are being put outside during the day for extra sun now. I'm pretty sure they will do fine once planted in the garden bed. Also, the other day the lavender sprouted up after a concernedly long germination. We can't wait till it gets big and smelling good. Also found a ladybug in the yard the other day, a good sign, as they will help keep the bad pests at bay.

The weather has been warming up to beautiful temperatures in the 50's during the day. Still in the 40's at night though. We have been in awe watching the seasons progressing. You sincerely feel a connection to the environment when you get to witness fall leaves make way to bare hibernating trees, then see snow recession giving way to plants blooming. Seeing more sunny days and feeling the strength of the sun changing, getting stronger with every passing spring day. In FL everything looked the same year round for the most part, and in the middle of winter we may have had a few chilly weeks but they slipped quickly through our fingers before we'd even gotten a chance to break in our new winter coats. We realize now how much we'd been missing out on!

 With the warmer days we've not been using the heat as much. Actually,  the "sun room" which we use for our office and for the rabbit cage has been getting a little too warm when the sun is shining directly through the windows. Great for the seedlings, but it left us concerned that "Albert" the Angora rabbit was getting overheated with his long thick coat. We researched Angoras and according to the info we found, they are supposed to be shedding out by themselves on a regular basis. He has not really been shedding at all. We read that most people shear their Angoras seasonally like sheep and decided that while seeing his beautiful coat gone would be sad for us, it would probably make him more comfortable since rabbits are unable to cool themselves by sweating. We pulled out the electric clippers and now he is looks like a freshly shorn lamb! We were left with a bag full of snow white Angora fiber that has a current market value of about $20. In essence he will be covering the cost of his food for quite some time! When the summer is over we will let his coat grow back to keep him warm again next winter.

 The community of Stevenson threw its annual garage/rummage sale at the fairgrounds this weekend. Anyone could rent a booth/table for $10 and bring whatever they wanted to sell. They had "early bird" day on friday and charged $2 admission to come get the first pick of all the goods. We went and had ourselves a great time. We got a heater for the spare bedroom (it gets a little chilly in there at night), some craft supplies, a pair of snow pants, a DVD,  and a basket for easter. We only spent $20 and believe me, that was a steal for everything we got!

Eagle Creek to Punchbowl Falls Hike.. and Alia

Sorry these photos took a while to get posted, I've had one of my oldest friends visit me for a week. I've known her since middle school. She escaped the east coast to California years ago and when we decided to follow suit we made a pact to visit with each other since we wouldn't be that far away. She hopped a train, stayed for about a week then flew home. It was a really awesome time, even though the weather didn't cooperate. She helped me get our sugar ant problem under control using natural substances, gave us a ton more veggie and flower seeds for the garden, and indulged my desire to do crafts with others. We had great conversation as we typically do, she enlightened me of situations going on around the globe and gave me some unique ideas on ways to help out. She showed me some local edible and medicinal plants that I had previously passed over as weeds leaving me marveling at her extensive knowledge of the botanical world. Can't wait till she can come back for a visit, hopefully next time will be during the dry season.

Back to the subject of this post, the Punchbowl falls hike. What an amazingly beautiful four mile hike this was, I'd even wager it's the most spectacular hike we've been on so far. The unfortunate thing about it is that the photos do the least justice of it than any I've ever taken. The sheer scale of this area is beyond belief. The hike starts roughly at sea level and steadily climbs passing over and under half a dozen small waterfalls and streams till you reach  punchbowl falls, an elevation gain of over 400 feet. The kicker is that the trail was blasted out of the side of a sheer cliff and there are no railings. At some points the trail was only 2 feet wide so the only thing keeping you from tumbling down hundreds of feet of rock is common sense and a sure foot. Every time you looked up from concentrating on the path, you would see something new and breathtaking. The view was different but equally beautiful looking forward as it was looking back from where you just came. The light streaming in from some of the tree canopies above made the lichen moss that covers most of the trees glow like a lime green halo. The whole hike followed Eagle creek and the sound of rushing waters below was ever present. The mountain on who's side we were treading continued on up over our heads so far it made our heads spin when we tried to look up at it. We passed all sorts of huge trees and vibrant green ferns and mosses, as well as bare rocky areas with water trickling down the sides. It reminded me of something like nature's version of Tampa's Adventure Island water park... lots of places to get wet. There were some parts of the trail where not getting wet wasn't an option at all, like having to walk through a small waterfall, and through a stream. Good thing we wore (mostly) waterproof shoes. It was incredibly fun though and the water tasted great so at least we didn't mind it getting on our faces. The day was cool and wonderfully sunny, when hiking in the shady parts we kept our jackets bundled tight, but then we would reach these clearings where the sun was shining strong and bright and we outstretched our arms like cormorants do their wings to dry off and warm up. When the trail reached Punchbowl, the view was somewhat obstructed by vegetation, but we could see a place where other hikers had obviously climbed down to a little ledge only the size to be seated on, that overlooked the falls nicely. Getting down there was a bit precarious, and I almost lost our backpack over the edge, but the risk was well worth the reward as we had the best picnic spot anywhere around. At one point when we were done eating we could hear some other hikers hovering above us at the entrance to the climb down point debating whether or not to actually try to go down there. We laughed to ourselves as they watched us climb back up. Only one from the group was brave enough to make the journey over the edge. We left them with the parting words "be careful down there". 

On our hike back to the van, we passed a whitewater kayaker carying his boat up over his shoulder.

 We asked where he was headed and he told us he was gonna kayak over Metlako falls. That waterfall is an even further hike than Punchbowl, and much much higher... a 90 ft.drop in contrast to Punchbowl's 30 ft. Here's some stock images of what he was in for.. see that small red thing?.. that was gonna be him....

 

 

 All we could do was shake our heads and be glad it wasn't us. I'm sure it was going to be a rush unlike any other, but for now, we just like to get our kicks with our feet on the ground.


Here's the link to all the photos from the hike : CLICK HERE FOR PICS

And here's a short video: CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO
remember to make the quality setting at its highest and let load before viewing.

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Kit Kat Time

Our cats have been particularly cute lately. Here's some recent kitty lovin' action:

Remus doing his impression of the monorail kitty.

 Blythe got ready for her closeup:

 

Struck a pose for the camera:

  

 Then promptly went back to sleep.

Rabbit Cage Remix

So I decided that our massive bunnies needed a more substantial home. So after 3 days of construction, I unveil to thee:

The Super Bun Bun Happy Home! It has four platforms for maximum exercise, two hay lofts for tons of fresh hay, lots of toys and litter pans, and screen that goes almost all the way around to keep litter in. So far, the bunnies seem to like it.. the only thing that I'll be changing is the shelf covering. I will be using carpet remnants to ad traction to the platforms. For scale- each grid is 14"x14" 5 grids wide, 3 grids tall, and 2 grids deep.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

The pics that Kris posted below don't make the true visual impact that was present. On one side of the gorge it was hazy and grey and on the other side complete sunshine. In the middle of the 2 climates was this beautiful rainbow. It started above the clouds and stretched all the way down to the Columbia River with it's defined color strands like fingers caressing the water. It was was bright and bold. Unfortunately I wasn't able to stop and take pictures when the angle and light were best, but I did what I could. This was a rare occasion. Kris had forgotten to take the camera out of the car. I drove into Rooster State Park to get those pictures and I was surprised that I was not the only one. There were several other people there, most professional photographers, trying to capture this beautiful, fleeting image in permanent ink. It was a good omen. The official start of spring is March 20th. For a week before that rainbow it had been rainy and cold. Out of nowhere, we were given one glorious day that was as close to perfection as you could ask and the pièces de résistance was the rainbow on the river. I wish you all could have been there to see it. I know we will see more rainbows, but this one was the most important for me. Of all the rainbows I have seen before, all the ones I past on the freeway with a slight glance and a small smile this one left me speechless. This one was irresistible. So irresistible in fact that to get these pictures I stopped twice.

Ash has some photography chops too

I know I (Kris) am normally the historian of the blog and take most of the photos and videos, but after seeing some shots that Ash brought home with her the other day, I'm considering putting more of the duties on her.. these are really nice:

Little things that go Tweet!

Lately there have been some feathered critters in our lives. We've started feeding our wild bird population and they finally found our yard and told all their friends, so now every day we have a wide assortment of flying chirping creatures to look at through the window.

Here's an incomplete list of some we've seen so far: Stellar's jay, Western Scrub jay, Bushtit, Nuthatch, Kinglet, Blue Gray Gnatcatcher, Western bluebird, American Robin, Varied Thrush, European Starling, Yellow Breasted Chat, Ravens, Spotted Towhee, Woodpecker, Black Headed Grosbeak, Redwing Blackbird, Brewer's Blackbird..

Here's some stock photos of those birds.. my camera doesn't do them any justice:

Definitely more colorful than most of the small birds we'd seen back in FL. As we attract more and more birds we are going to start putting out houses for them to nest in. Check back for photos of them.

Another feathered guest appearance in our life was from a little Varied Thrush with a broken wing. We were called by the Rowena wildlife to go pick him up in Carson. He was found by a resident there after one of of their dogs had stepped on him. The vet at the clinic said she would try to pin his wing but it was broken in 5 places and he will likely never fly again. They are going to keep him as a permanent resident.


The drive to the clinic in The Dalles is a beautiful one and I couldn't resist snapping some more photos:


CLICK HERE FOR PICS


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It's like paddling through a giant Slurpee

Yesterday, our friend Angus invited us to go kayaking with him. Unfortunately Ash had to work but took up the invitation with no delay. It's been quite a while since I've gone paddling and I've missed it terribly. As you recall from the last post things have been all white and fluffy around here lately and yesterday was no exception. This was to be no ordinary kayaking trip. When I arrived I was greeted by Tom, another friend of ours, who decided to come along as well. The amount of gear and clothing needed for cold weather paddling was a little daunting. I suited up in 2 long sleeve undershirts, a fluffy snow jacket with hood, long johns, jeans, gators, boots, spray skirt, life jacket, and neoprene gloves. I felt like I was suited up in armor and ready for battle. When we were preparing to sit in the kayaks I ended up abandoning my gators and boots on shore to walk out to the boat using a borrowed pair of waders. I stayed quite warm even without the extra kit though because of this nifty "body sock" that sits down in the cockpit that your lower body is cocooned in. That and the spray skirt that seals off any moisture from entering the boat. I could have avoided all the layers if I'd have gotten a dry suit. Angus had a very nice top of the line one that I was envying. It basically seals up around your neck, wrists and ankles in one layer keeping any water out. I'll definitely be owning one of those before next time. We all managed to get off and paddling with little fuss. Even though everything was white with snow I was very warm, in fact, If I'd been able to, I would have shed a layer or two. Alas, I was strapped into the boat and we were falling into a good rhythm so I didn't bother. Despite the heavy cloud cover and a misty mixture of rain and snow for the first part of the journey, paddling in the winter was sheer delight. The landscape was indescribably beautiful. Snow has this special way of making mountains look hyper 3D, defining every nook, crevasse and tree. And like I'd mentioned in the previous post, there was a prevailing sense that you were traveling through a black and white movie. We paddled around for 3 hours checking out different coves and parts of the river. At one point we paddled through this cove that had an inch or two of slushy ice completely covering the surface of the water. As we progressed we left a visible trail in the ice. It was really cool and I was imagining dropping a giant straw down in it and drinking it like a Slurpee. I've posted a video down below to show the consistency. It was the most unique kayaking experience I've ever had, and certainly one I would jump at the chance to experience again.


Slurpee Kayaking video here!

Click Here for the pics!