Lovely Oregon

Spring was in full swing in Oregon. I was so excited to see the tulips, daffodils and trees all in full bloom. When we left Chicago, we were still below freezing and spring felt so far away... 

In Oregon, I saw daffodils everywhere and loved the roadside self-serve daffodil stands. Since I was driving and we were under a tight schedule, I was unable to stop for photos, but I can still see it clearly in my mind's eye.

The purpose of our trip was to visit Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon.

We spent a lot of time meeting with folks and touring the campus. I was quite impressed (and I think that my son was too). At the end of the day, we were lucky enough to get a tour of a tree farm about an hour away.

 The views of the coastal range were lovely.

The timber operations were amazing.

I loved the smell of the fresh sawn wood.

Notice the tower in the upper right corner? It didn't look too far up...

Until we got up there and looked back down to where we had been.

Do you see the baby trees? 

This parcel was cut two years ago and the seedlings are happy and growing.

Our guide, a colleague of mine, was so kind and stopped frequently so that we could take in the lovely scenery.

We didn't want to leave, but it was time to head to Colorado.

"All the lands are at rest and at peace;

they break into singing."

~Isaiah 14:7

Blessings, Patti

A whirlwind tour...

My oldest son and I are back from our quick trip to Oregon and Colorado.

We had a bit of free time on our first day and had to choose between sightseeing in Portland or the Oregon Coast. The coast won, although we wish that we had enough time to visit both.

The Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area in Newport, Oregon was gorgeous.

The lighthouse was first lit in 1873 and still maintains its stately presence.

The cobble beach is so unique. I loved the sound of people walking on it and the waves clinking the rocks together ~ grey stones worn smooth by so many years. They were quite difficult to walk on, but definitely worth the effort to get to the incredible tidal pools.

It was late in the day, so our time was limited as the tide came in, but still we were able to see many sea anemones and star fish in a variety of colors.

The coast reminded us of our trip to northern California two years ago.

 

We were so fortunate to have such a beautiful day to enjoy the coast. 

Two days later they received 8 inches of snow in the coastal range that we drove through to get to the coast.

I had to share this beautiful view of Mount Hood from the plane as we flew into Portland, Oregon. 

My son had the window seat and saw it first. I was going on and on about the lovely scenery and he just kept smiling and saying "wait for it..." 

Wow! As a midwestern flatlander I was quite amazed at the majesty. 

I'm used to very tall buildings, but very tall landforms are amazing! 

"Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;

let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.

Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes,

he comes to judge the earth."

~Psalm 96:12-13

We had a few more spectacular stops along the way, so I will be back soon to share more.

Blessings, Patti