I left South Carolina after my sophomore year of college and since then, our lives have gone down very different roads. We have kept up with each other all these years, but the only spent time together is when I’ve been back south to visit family.

This week Kitty came out to Portland for work and stayed an extra three days so we could hang out. It’s been just great. There is so much warmth and history between us and we’ve just picked up right where we left off.

When I asked Kitty what she wanted to do while she was in Portland, her response was “Eat and Hike” Request granted! Yesterday we went to Pok Pok for lunch. If you live here and haven’t been there, it’s a must. Pok Pok serves Thai food and was voted Portland’s restaurant of the year in 2007.

Delicious coconut cocktails! I mean, it’s vacation, right?!

Full and happy after a great lunch.

Today we headed out to the gorge to satisfy the hiking request. I decided on Eagle Creek because it’s the quintessential gorge hike. We got there early and had a perfect day.

After our hike, we headed back to Portland and stopped at Fleur De Lis for a sandwich. It’s one of the best bakeries in the city and it didn’t disappoint today. And tonight for dinner, the whole family was here and Ricked cooked a great dinner: green beans with heirloom tomatoes, fennel and apricot salad, roasted potatoes and grilled pork loin chops. Everything was locally sourced and delicious. We all sat around the table until well after dark chatting and laughing. Perfect ending to a great day.

Along the way, we were treated to the sight of gorgeous wildflowers. These tiger lilies were my favorite. I also loved the Indian paintbrush.

There was one area where the trail was in the open along a ridge. You can see it here.

And here’s the top with Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainier in the distance.

There was also great views of Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams. It was truly an amazing vista and you felt like you were on the top of the world. I loved it. Definitely worth the climb.

It was an eight mile hike through forest with lots of beautiful scenery along the way. And always the sound of the river.

When you drive out that way along I-84, first you pass through the Columbia Gorge with all it’s waterfalls and woods and then you hit a more open, drier landscape.

We got off the freeway and read about the Blue Mountain Scenic Byway which we’re going to have to do one day. And then it was on to Pendleton where we spent the night at the Pendleton House Bed and Breakfast.

It is a lovely old home with lots of local history and Mary Jo, the owner, is a sweetheart. She fixed us a delicious breakfast in the morning. I accidentally left our fleece jackets at the B & B so we had to stop and pick them up on the way home and we had lunch at a great little cafe called the Cookie Tree Bakery and Cafe. All of there breads and sweets are homemade on the premises and they were great.

We arrived in Joseph with plenty of time to explore and went out to the Zumwalt Prairie.  The land is now owned by the Nature Conservancy and is a real gem. The landscape there is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Very vast and open, and for me somewhat intimidating. I felt so exposed,  unlike the comforting feeling I get when I’m in the forest. But very beautiful in it’s own way.

After our walk on the prairie, we headed to the Wallowa Lake State Park to settle into our yurt. If you’ve never stayed in a yurt before, I would highly recommend it. The campground is nestled at the north end of Wallowa Lake, right up against these mountains.

I’m still sorting through pictures and will post more from the rest of the trip in a day or two.

Here is Mt. Adams

This is one of the meadows we passed through

Here is a view of Clear Lake. I love the reflections of the clouds in the water.

These last two pictures are just textures. Great lichen on an old stump and then one of those dead, creepy trees that make me think of Halloween.

This is looking west down the Columbia River.

Here is that handsome man of mine.

There were lots of bicyclists riding up the mountain as we drove up. There was a race going on and  I was amazed. 15 miles of relentless up hill. I mean, I love a tough hike but that sounds like torture to me.  Going down is probably fun, maybe that’s why they do it. There were some serious looking bikes and some amazing looking legs. 

We don’t have a pink dogwood tree in our yard but they are my favorite spring flowering tree. And our neighborhood is littered with them. 

This is my favorite time of year to walk the area. There are amazing plants everywhere you look. 

On Saturday I went hiking with a friend in Forest Park and on some parts of the trail, the hillsides would be covered in Trilliums. They were spectacular. We kept oohing and aahing. I tried to get a shot of a whole hillside, but the photos just didn’t do it justice. 

Here is one shot of the main gallery. I pulled it off the Coos Bay Art Museum website. 

Coos Bay is kind of a sad town so we headed north up the coast to Florence to stay at the Edwin K. Bed & Breakfast. We’ve stayed there once before and it’s really great. The house was originally built in 1914 and has been lovingly restored. We stayed upstairs in the Fall room. 

The owners are Marv and Laurie and they are wonderful. Marv used to be in the restaurant business and cooks an amazing breakfast. We didn’t have to eat again until 5 o’clock. This is the breakfast table. The other guests were fun, lots of great conversation. 

After leaving the B & B, we headed up to Cape Perpetua. The Oregon coast is so beautiful and Cape Perpetua offered some amazing views. We hiked up to the West Shelter which was built in 1933 by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Rick took a bunch of pictures and when he processes them, I’ll post some. He is a much better photographer than me, especially since I’m using a point and shoot. I really like to walk in the woods. It always makes me feel so peaceful. And it’s nearly impossible to capture that on film. But that doesn’t stop me from trying. 

This is on the way from the Devil’s Churn to the Spouting Horn. 

Here’s the hubby doing what he loves.

Here he is with all his gear. I miss him already.

Today I went hiking in the Gorge with my friend Viv. We did an old favorite and hiked up to Angel’s Rest. It was so windy in the Gorge that we couldn’t even walk out onto the bluff. I’m so puny, I probably would have blown away. You can see all the white caps on the river in this picture.

That’s the bluff up there. We hiked right to the back of it but didn’t go out to the edge like we usually would.

Finally, here is today’s bounty from the garden. We have tomatoes running out of our ears. The first picture is the heirlooms and the romas. The basket in the back has all the goodies from the farmers market. The second picture is all the grape tomatoes, beans, and tomatillas.

The Loot

My fellow bag ladies: Vivienne, Sue and Jennifer

And from Friday’s hike, this is North Matthieu Lake

Heading back from the Lake on the Pacific Crest Trail with Mt. Washington in the background.