Redwood National Park, CA

Welcome to the Redwood National Park, California!

These redwoods stand 250-300 feet tall.

Here I am at the base of one of these giants.
Perhaps this will bring into perspective
just how tall they are.

A beautiful grove of redwoods.

Almost like a vanishing point in a photo.
It is nearly impossible to show you the
height of any of these trees.

The sequoia trees we saw last year were the oldest
trees. The redwoods are the tallest.

Bill with one of his friends.
I did shoot several short videos,
but I can't figure out how to post them
on the blog. Maybe my daughter will teach me?

Being among these trees is like being
in a green cathedral.

I was able to get one with some sun on it.

Redwood trees grow in the northwest section of
California due to the amount of rain and the
cloudy and misty conditions. This is called
temperate rain forest, thus moss will grow as well.

Ferns also grow abundantly and are large.
The bottom right is a good example of
shelf fungi.
Tomorrow we head off to Crater Lake, Oregon
for two days. Chances are we will not have
internet service, so please check back in a
few days. Thanks for coming along with us!

Pacific Coast Highway, Oregon

We don't see this sign on the east coast!

Looking south along the Pacific Coast, Oregon.

Bill is returning from checking out the beach.

A northern look at the Pacific Ocean.
Due to constant northern winds, the
trees and shrubs are forced to
grow with the prevailing wind.

Waves crashng on old lava rock.

About halfway down the Oregon coast, we
encountered real sand. Notice the grass
covered dunes to the left.

The dunes of the central Oregon coast are the
largest in North America.

Interesting rock formations jutting out of the water.

Beautiful scenery. It was 58 degrees with the
wind constantly blowing at 35 miles per hour.
Brrrr!

High tides and storms lifted the driftwood
debris to the tops of the beach.

The fog rolling onto the beach.

Because of the wet temperate climate,
Spanish moss can grow on the trees.

I finally got my California sign!

I just had to snap this picture here at the Lighthouse Inn
In Crescent City, California. The decor is beautiful.
The view overlooks the harbor where the tsunami
caused by the Japanese earthquake washed ashore.

Lincoln City, OR

I asked Bill to pull over so I could watch this logging machine in action.

The crane unloaded logs from the trucks and...

...stacked them in preparation for sorting.

Formations along the Oregon coastline.
I was not ready for the cold temperatures and wind!

Oregon coastal scenes.
If you love rocky beaches and cold water, this is
the place for you.

Lava rock being pounded by the waves.

Mt. Hood, OR

High voltage long transmission lines are used to

carry electricity from the hydroelectric dams on

the Columbia River. It is almost impossible to take

a photograph without having wires in your picture.

The majestic Columbia River Gorge taken from Rt. 14
on the Washington state side.

The John Day Dam is one of 14 dams on the river
that provides electricity, improves navigation and
supplies irrigation water for the many orchards and vineyards.

The walls of the Columbia Gorge have been eroded
by the river and swept by wind and rain.

Our first view of Mt. Hood, Oregon at least 50 miles away.

Volcanic outcropping as revealed along the Columbia River.

City of The Dalles, Oregon.

We are now in Oregon watching a barge carrying wheat.

I had never seen lavender grown as a crop before.

Up close and personal with Mt. Hood.

I finally got to use my walking stick I got in Gardiner, MT!

Here is the summit of Mt. Hood.
It has seven permanent glaciers.

Bill was thinking about climbing Mt. Hood,
but he forgot his climbing gear. Only joking!
Mt Hood is the second most climbed mountain
in the world, second only to Mt. Fuji.

From high on Mt. Hood we could see Mt. St. Helens in
Washington, more than 70 miles away.

A mountain stream is supplied with water
from the melting snow and glaciers.

Kennewick, WA

Waterfall mural in hotel lobby.

The Best Western in Orofino was the most outstanding
hotel we have ever been in. Here are some shots of...

...detailed appointments

The outside patio looks over Clearwater River.

Bill is at home at the 717 foot Dworshak Dam and Reservoir.

Welcome to Washington state. I could not get a picture
of the welcome sign. Here you see logs being loaded onto
a barge on the Snake River.

I was surprised to see farming in eastern WA.
A closeup view of wheat.
I stopped and helped myself to a stalk.

We discovered the quaint little town of Waitsburg.

Little pink pig.

A miniature John Deere tractor.

Main Street, Waitsburg.

The ultimate in contour farming.
Contour farming is plowing around a hill and not
up and down like water would flow.
This stops erosion of farm land.

Notice the gentle curves of the contour farming.

The farmer is unloading the wheat in the harvester's
into a waiting truck. It's not a John Deere, but
I could not resist. Even got a wave from the farmer!

Besides discovering wheat, we found vineyards that
covered probably more than 10,000 acres.

I caught this high speed racing boat in our hotel
parking lot in Kinnewick. It is a recruiting tool used
by the Air National Guard.