A visit to Smith Rock with Alex

I got a reasonably early start along with tapir friend Alex, who was visiting Oregon and came to Bend with us over the Labor Day holiday. I'd been to Smith Rock before and wanted to get there ahead of the crowds and the heat. We didn't completely outmaneuver either one, but it was pleasant and beautiful as always. It was a bit hot going up and down the steep hill, but there was a fresh breeze if you were in the right location. The photo above is taken from just below the parking area.

Here we are just starting up the steep part of the trail. That's Alex in the orange shirt. We went up and down this "Misery Trail," or whatever they call it, and did not hike down the back and all the way around along the river. I've done that before. It was gorgeous, but my plan was to hike this spectacular shorter route up and back.

Here's the view from the top. It was too hazy to have a good look at the Cascades, so that was disappointing, but Smith Rock is always breathtaking, no matter what. I had the weirdest reaction when we got to the top. I haven't hiked like this on a new medication I was taking for a vascular problem that, as it turns out, was misdiagnosed (yeah, no illness!!!), but bad, I was on this funky medication for a couple of years. Anyway, I got white spots in front of my eyes so badly that I virtually couldn't see. While I was hiking up and down the mountain, they disappeared, but appeared only when I stopped to rest at the top and at the bottom of the mountain. I guess it could have been worse if it had been reversed. I didn't feel faint or dizzy, but it was disconcerting. When we got to the bottom of the mountain I asked Alex to drive us back to Bend because I could barely see. After about 15 minutes, it cleared up. Fortunately, as I write this in January 2009, I'm no longer taking the stuff.

Labor Day Forest Fire, Cascade Mountains, Oregon

It was sad to see the devastation as we drove over the Cascades on the McKenzie Highway from the I-5 Corridor to Bend. The photos were taken southwest of the town of Sisters, Oregon.

Sunset from The Ship Inn, Astoria, Oregon

The food was predictably lousy, but the sunset was gorgeous to watch as Lee and I ate dinner. I'm not sure why we chose the Ship Inn except maybe because we couldn't believe the food was as bad as we remembered it. A lot of people seem to like the place and it's a local landmark, in the guidebooks, etc. We'd each been there separately, but not together, so we gave it a go. Today is my mother's birthday. She would have enjoyed the setting, but she was south in California. So, Mom, this picture is for you. A have three more photos of the sunset in my Picasa Web Album, "Astoria 2007."

Green and blue with seagulls

How amazing it is to go out the front door, walk about half a block, if that, and come upon such a scene as this. The algae, moss, and other river plants grow thick in summer and turn bright green in the sun.

Sunset on the Columbia

Some days are just better for taking photos. This was one of them. It's a thrill to look up from my work and get a sense that the sky is doing something incredible. I grab my camera and get out there as quickly as possible. It's amazing how fast the changes take place. The sun's glow on the corrugated building is really something in this light, and the tower's pattern against the building is always a serendipitous touch.

If you click on this photo to enlarge it, you can see the silhouette of the bridge at the base of the hills.

I may not have money at this time in my life, but I've managed to make my home in the most beautiful places in the past fifteen years. I feel lucky, and I consider it a more-than-fair trade. Both would be nice, and I'm working on that. Meanwhile, I'll enjoy the ambiance and the view.