Oregon week of Awesome - July 2014

[Skatchkins]

Noel likes Oregon as much as I like Colorado so we went with her plan this year and she made arrangements for a week trip. She bought the Allegiant plane tickets almost 6mo ago so they were really cheap and so we wouldn't worry as much about money when the time came around. She also found us some great places to stay on airbnb.com which I would recommend. I got us a priceline car for $23/day. It turned out to be a 4dr Nissan Versa- nothing special.

We got to Eugene Wednesday evening and drove to our first place to spend the night. It was a branch off another house and had it's own kitchen, living room, bed and bath. It was large but full of crystals and a smattering of other odd religiosities like budahs and candles.
The lady that owned us met us and we asked of she could recommend a good place to eat. She asked, "What does your energy tell you?"
So we figured out something on our own and we went to Mcmenamins in the repurposed old historic Kennedy school. It was really cool inside with all the old pipework and radiator ends made into balcony railings.

The next day we cut out for Silver Falls State Park. There are 10 waterfalls on it. The hike is longish if you do the whole loop but easy. It's made for tourists and keeps you away from the creek and falls so we off trailed it to the base of the falls. We made it to 8 of them and swam in 2 of them. The other people thought we were odd folk, but would recognize my hat if they saw me later and ask if I "got the best shot?"



106 feet

Middle North Falls by No Stone Unturned Photography, on Flickr

30 feet


27 feet

Drake Falls by No Stone Unturned Photography, on Flickr

65 feet

Upper North Falls by No Stone Unturned Photography, on Flickr

106 feet

Middle North Falls by No Stone Unturned Photography, on Flickr



136 feet

North Falls by No Stone Unturned Photography, on Flickr


IMG_9901 by No Stone Unturned Photography, on Flickr

We also stopped in a field and at a couple abandoned houses on the way in between.




Poppies by No Stone Unturned Photography, on Flickr


Protected by Oregon Farmer by No Stone Unturned Photography, on Flickr


Untitled by No Stone Unturned Photography, on Flickr

We then drove to Portland to stay at our next reservation. The place was really nice. One humongous room with a kitchenette and the top floor bathroom was shared with a lady renting out a small room up there.
That next day was Portland day for walking around, Voodoo donuts and all the other places you have to stop at. We found a great book in the full block sized bookstore. It had waterfalls listed for our next hiking location and rated them by many thing including popularity/obscurness. I recommend it greatly (Curious Gorge).


Bridge by No Stone Unturned Photography, on Flickr

[Skatchkins]

That evening we met up with Noel's friend and her family and ate in town and stopped at the ice cream place you have to go to there also. We stayed at their house the next two nights.
For the sandwiched in between day we drove the hr out to Cannon Beach and I swam out and collected a couple sand dollars for the kids. We drove separate so that when they left, we could head towards Tillamook. We never made it because Noel refound the costal hike that she had by chance found by herself on another trip. It takes you out to view Treasure Cove and then we hiked the rest of it all the way down to the beach where all the surfers had come in the other way on. Tillamook was closed but we stopped at a few other picturesque places along the way.

8sec with the 10-stop filter

Cannon Beach by No Stone Unturned Photography, on Flickr

Always keep the flag with me


20sec with the 10-stop

Pacific point 2 by No Stone Unturned Photography, on Flickr

21 photo panorama

Treasure Cove Panorama by No Stone Unturned Photography, on Flickr

22 seconds with the 10-stop

Pacific point 1 by No Stone Unturned Photography, on Flickr



Tillamook Bay. 90sec with the 10-stop
Crab Rock by No Stone Unturned Photography, on Flickr

210 seconds with the 10-stop at sundown
Cut off by No Stone Unturned Photography, on Flickr

The next morning we departed her friend's house and headed for Part 2 of our trip in the Columbian River Gorge.

[Avis]

So cool. I love all the green and water.. need some more of that in my life someday.

[fatbob309]

Looks like a killer trip! Love that you have the flag with you.

[Cecil]

Very cool. My old stomping grounds around the Silver Creek area and the coast. A blast from the past. A little known fact about the Silver Creek area is that shrooms grow naturally and abundantly. Well ....they did back in the late '80s.....

[Skatchkins]

Thanks. I always have the flag zip tied to the big backpack (or stuffed in my pants) I just sometimes forget to photo it



Cecil we saw some of those!

[Skatchkins]

Part 2 of my trip photos begin at the Columbia River Gorge. I could stay here.

We bought an awesome book "Curious Gorge" that listed tons of hikes and offtrail areas and included an obscure-to-popular meter. Needless to say we stayed on the O end of the spectrum.

Day 1
Upper McCord's Twin Falls
Twin Falls by No Stone Unturned Photography, on Flickr

Looking down to the lower part of the trail


Upper trail


Elowah Falls


Dry Creek Falls


Waterfall Jesus


Noel would draw at the falls while I did photo stuff


Day 2 (Washington)
Huge secluded offtrail waterfall area. Spirit Falls
Spirit Falls by No Stone Unturned Photography, on Flickr

Dog Creek Falls (multiple falls if you worked for them). No one past the 1st falls and only one family near parking lot.

Lower falls


The climb straight up to access upper falls


2nd falls


View across to Oregon


3rd falls


4th falls

[Skatchkins]

Back in Oregon (still 2nd day)
Starvation Falls 190ft
We hiked the loop


Much uphill


But the plants don't try to hurt you


21 photo pano from the topmost point


Hiking down on the loop


West end - Lancaster Falls


Wait, wonder if I can get to those top falls

Yes but it wasn't easy. Mostly an upward root grabbing belly crawl

Bottom of the loop - Tunnel Falls


A 4 landscape pano of Tunnel


End of Day 2 on the Gorge

Mt Hood Sunset by No Stone Unturned Photography, on Flickr

I'd like to tell you I sat out in this field and waited for just the perfect moment but that's far from the truth. Ultimately this moment was out of my control and consisted of a hiked-out, uber-tired couple trying for a second time to make it up Mt Hood before they ran out of daylight on their last evening at the Columbia River Gorge, then getting caught in a storm, wandering about not finding the trail they were looking for, eating burritos in the rain, not finding any wildflowers, trying to salvage the drive by taking a remote mountain dirt road in their rental car to see where it went, wondering why we forced the elevated trip, then deciding to just head back down while they could still see.

It ended with my wife pointing out the window, me pulling over on the side of the road and running out across it barefoot to set up the tripod as fast as possible to shoot the mountain foregrounded by vineyards and grain as the last sunset light cast upon it.

TLDR: Not my timing or plan

[Skatchkins]

Gorge Day 3

Oneonta Gorge water hike
After you get over this log jam


Me!




A cold swim


Packed the dry sack just for this shot
Oneonta Gorge Falls by No Stone Unturned Photography, on Flickr





Oneonta loop now
Horsetail Falls


Upper Horsetail (Ponytail Falls)


A high point


Thanks to our book and the .25mi offtrail slippery scramble, we found this hidden 60' fall. This area sees close to no one.



Hidden Oneonta Falls by No Stone Unturned Photography, on Flickr

Last stop on the loop top, Triple Falls
Took this in the rain with Noel holding the umbrella for the camera




Of course we stopped at some abandoned farmhouses along the road back on the last day

[Skatchkins]

Your bonus photo: