The Light shines at Heceta and we give tours now!

June started off with a schedule goof that put us working 6 days out of 7.  We were so wiped out that we didn't even attend the Re-Lighting Ceremony on June 8.  I was sick for all of our 3 days off.  When we returned to work there was a general panic about getting everyone trained to start giving tours that began the day after the re-lighting.  It has been a true work week!  I've done about 5 tours now and my voice no longer trembles and I remember more and more of what I want to say.  I almost enjoyed giving my last tour!  Terry has found it easy and fun from his first tour on.  Here are some pics of the changes.

No luck loading rest of pics!

I've been having computer problems.  So I'll just do a catch-up.

We have only 3 work days left and will be very sad to leave this beautiful area and our new friends, but it is on to new horizons.  The good thing about our change in workdays for June is that we finish work on Weds. and will leave here Friday to travel up the coast of Oregon, across the Columbia River into Washington with a long awaited visit to Lewis and Clark NP.  Then on up to Olympic NP and then a ferry ride from Port Townsend to Whidbey Island and Rt.20 which will take us all the way to North Cascades NP.

This should be a bit of fun!  I'll post the new Lighthouse photos later.

Happy Summer--relax, read, and play!

Oregon Rain, Roves and Visitors

Our first 2 weeks of beautiful weather were a gift we can appreciate now.  The last 7 days have given us only one beautiful day and 2 days in my winter snow jacket to protect me from the biting wind and blowing rain.  On the cold wet days I hide in the Oil House and talk to visitors there with a few peeks from the door at the sea crashing on the rocks below and the waves rooster-tailing their way to shore.  The sea is absolutely beautiful in its strength and power on these days!  I feel so lucky to be washed in sea spray as we climb the trail up and down on the cliffs that follow the coastline.

On our days off we have traveled to tour Umpqua River Lighthouse about 40 miles south.  You can climb up into the lens there as it revolves around.  Very cool!  It is a dizzying experience!  We also went over to Eugene, about 70 miles east, for a little shopping and were surprised by all the lakes and rivers in the area.  We hope to go north to Newport one day soon.

We had a great visit with my sister, Jane, Kevin, Leland and Pat last weekend for the Rhododendron Festival in Florence. We had a lovely campfire evening on Friday.  On Saturday Jane and I got together at the flower show which included rhodie blooms from dime size to desert plate and every color, combo, blotch and freckle you could ever imagine.  It was truly awesome!   I had already spotted not one but two Quilt Shops in Florence and we shopped at both.  On Sunday Jane, Kevin and Leland visited with us as we worked at the Lighthouse.  It was great to share one of the most photographed lighthouses in the US with them.  Can you guess the other two?

Greg and Jennie, from our Great Basin family, spent Sat. evening and Sun. morn with us.  We enjoyed Oregon microbrews around the campfire with a light supper and lots of memories, laughs and adventures since we were last together at their lovely place in Corvalis.  Here are a few photos of their new home, an awesome woodland retreat!

It is great to be neighbors with Greg and Jennie here in Oregon and we look forward to seeing more of them before we head north next month!

We can't believe our first month here is nearly over!  We have already made great friends here and it will be hard to say goodbye to them and this incredible coastal beauty.

Our Work? day Duties

Our workday starts with a 2 mile drive to the beach below the lighthouse.  We park at the beach in the cove below and pick up trash in the parking lot and picnic area and then start the 1/2 mile walk up to the Lighthouse.

The climb is through a beautiful coastal forest.

The trail winds up to the front of the original Assistant Keepers' duplex.

The House was built in 1892 and is now a B&B managed by a Forest Service concession contract.  Isn't it a beaut?

The view from the Keeper's House shows the Lighthouse up a little higher.

After a short climb we arrive to open up the oil houses next to the Lighthouse.  One is a work room for us and the other a small museum with a video of the restoration that is still in progress.  Our jobs have included helping with the landscaping.  Terry spent a day hauling topsoil and gravel to fill spots on the road and around the Light.  We now help each day watering the grass seeds that have been planted.  I love chatting with folks in the Oil House about the historical photos and items that fill the museum.  We have had delightful fellow hosts who have worked there 4 years and share all their knowledge with us.

This week we had 2 additional hosts from National Fish and Wildlife who set up spotting scopes for the breeding Comorants and Murres on the rocks below.  We also have spotted whales several days.  On one day we saw 9 whales as they headed north around the rocks below.  The weather has been sunny and bright all but one day of the 8 we have worked.  We have enjoyed many pleasant chats with visitors and look forward to our workdays each week.

Wildflowers and Whales for my Birthday

I started year number 66 with a dream come true!  We watched whales from Cape Perpetua Visitor Center and the summit of the Cape (734 ft.) for almost 2 hours.  I watched one whale blow 7 times in a row.

We went to the Visitor Center to copy the names and uses of about 20 blooming native plant samples on display.  I had questions about plants I had seen there earlier from visitors at the lighthouse.  Just as I finished the Ranger shouted, "Look at the whales out there!"  We rushed to the wall of floor to ceiling windows and in minutes the whales blew again.

The Visitor Center is the roof seen to the far left of the photo. After an hour at the Center Terry wanted to try some radioing from the summit about a mile away, (mostly straight up).
 While Terry was connecting with his Noon Net on the radio, I found the sunny overlook was a fantastic spot to see that the whale blows we had seen below were from not 1 but 2 whales.  I  had another wonderful hour to look down and watch them both.  Here's my viewpoint.

Look closely and you'll see 2 little ripples on this enhanced photo.  The whales are just breaking the surface.  My little camera did it's best.  As you can see above I am far away!

After this awesome experience we went to a lovely oceanfront restaurant that had been recommended for my birthday lunch.  As we waited for our order and gazed at the pounding waves below, another whale just swam right by only about 30 feet from the shore.  After lunch we walked the beach path among bright sea pink blooms that I saw last in North Ireland with Gwen and Darrell.

It was one sweet day!

Our New Place

We got to Carl G. Washburne State Park on Sunday and had our pick of sites for our new home.  The campground is a quarter mile from the beach and in a dense, moss draped forest crammed with shrubs including rhododendron that is just opening up.  A creek gurgles just behind us and birds squawk through the forest.  Here's our spot.

The beach is just across the highway by car or under the creek bridge on a 1/2 mile trail to the beach.  It is a beautiful sand beach.  On our first visit the sea mist was just rolling in as I walked toward the lapping waves.  Hello Pacific!!

Tomorrow we start work with an orientation here at 10am.  Our work days will be Thursday to Sunday and we have 3 days off  (Mon.- Weds).    How nice is that!  Yesterday we had a delicious seafood lunch in Florence, 12 miles south and today we are enjoying the little town of Yachats ("Yah-hots") 11 miles north and it's fantastic library (200 yds from the beach), and next door to the Presbyterian Church!  Since we work on Sunday mornings I won't get to services there as I had hoped.  Here's a view of our new workplace.

The lighthouse is still closed for repairs so we won't be giving tours except for the oil house.  There's  a video there and we will answer questions too.  More later about our other duties.  It will be fun to finally start our volunteer work!

Salmon Creek Meanders

Our time here in Vancouver on Salmon Creek Avenue has knit together many memories from Terry's life.  In fact,  little Salmon Creek at the edge of the property where Terry's mother lives now has meandered through Terry's life.  He was born here.  His parents returned to live in the area 10 years ago.  His Aunt Betty, who was a nurse in the hospital where he was born, has always lived here.  She has generously shared her home; good eats (Cassoulet and homemade Almond Roca),  garden (for the horseradish harvest) and neighborhood with us on every visit.   Our Vancouver memories include many good times with her.

When Terry was preschool age his grandparents bought a 60 acre farm along Salmon Creek in a little community a few miles northeast.  They grew blueberries and harvested the creekside blackberries for sale.  Terry has often shared his memories of tractor rides and roving the blueberry patches on the farm.

We knew the farm was located in the town of Brush Prairie, but we didn't know where until yesterday. Terry's, Aunt Jean, lived on the farm through her junior high and high school years and gave us a tour with stories about growing up there.  The farmhouse was torn down to make way for a 5 acre mini-farm neighborhood, but at least we had easy access to the property.

This is the old driveway looking back from near the house site.  Jean remembers helping to plant the tallest trees on the right near Ward Rd.  Amazing!

The old farmhouse sat at the top of this incline going down toward the creek where Terry remembers riding on the tractor behind his grandpa.  The saucer magnolia to the left was in the backyard.

Jean mowed this steep hillside braking the tractor carefully as it moved down the hill!  Not a favorite memory she said, for such a pretty spot.

The old fence is still visible in the south field beyond the drained farm pond.  The parcel that includes this view is for sale.  So when we win the lottery..............!



The last 3 and 1/2 weeks here in the Salmon Creek neighborhood  have helped us learn that the cloudy, misty days have the gift of a thousand shades of green and pink for this spot in Vancouver.   Here's a neighborhood photo of the amazing rhododendrons up the street.  Look at those bloom stalks and count the colors of green!!!

Vancouver----Washington that is!

We have enjoyed 3 weeks already in Vancouver visiting Terry's mother.  She is recovering quickly from foot surgery on April 11 and is already getting out and about.  Terry's Aunt Jean is here visiting from near Mt. Ranier where it snowed the last few days before she left.  The blooming redbuds, azaleas and rhododendrons here are a welcome sight to her.

We had a week of bright sunny weather soon after we arrived and the Cascade Mountains were more visible than we had ever seen them from all over the city.  Most days you can't see them at all and then with the sun comes views of Mt. Hood to the south, Mt. St. Helens to the north and Mt. Adams to the east.  It's enough to make us repeat the question we find ourselves asking each other all the time,
"Where are we now?"

This is Mt. Hood, so often photographed with a view of Portland, OR and about 50 miles southeast of Vancouver, WA.

This is what's left of Mt. St. Helens' after it blew it's top in 1980.  The city of Vancouver was the first to be notified as the eruption was happening.  Sadly, the reporter did not survive the blast.  If you ever get a chance to visit the National Monument, the observation area nearest the volcano is named for the reporter who gave his life there.


We will be here until April 23 when we go to our 4 day training for Oregon State Parks in Salem, OR.  On April 27 we are looking forward to an overnight visit with Greg and Jennie in Corvalis.  It will be great to see them again and see their new place.  We will include pictures in our next blog.  On April 28 we will get set up at Washburn Campground next to the Lighthouse where we will stay for 2 months.

I love this picture Terry took of Kate and I at Scotty's Castle before her tour.  So here it is.

The Gorge-ous Gorge

It is hard to remember how much fun the Columbia River Gorge can be.  The waterfalls cascading down the steep gorge walls,  the dense fir forest, the huge ferns lining the trails and roadsides, the barges chugging up and down the river, the Historic River Highway.  So much to see and do!

And such a lovely camp ground at Memaloose State Park.

Here's sunrise down the Columbia River Gorge (taken from our campsite)!  Just too pretty!

We took a little hike on a closed section of the Historic Columbia River Highway (like the Blue Ridge Parkway) looking down at the River.  Lots of bicycles and dogs walking people.  We found the Trailhead in the town of Hood River where Terry celebrated his birthday at the Full Sail Brewery.  Great eats and drink!

We passed the famous Multnomah Falls on the way to Portland and had to stop by for a photo.  It is such an awesome place!  Don't miss the Champagne Brunch on Sunday at the Lodge!

I read a comment about the Gorge that said, "Always stay at least one day longer than you planned, since there will always be more you want to do!"  We agree!

From 103 to 23 and Snow

  Our journey from Death Valley to Eastern Oregon (near Burns), wasn't from the frying pan to the fire, but from the frying pan to  the freezer.  As we shivered in the cold of Oregon the heat we left behind in Death Valley didn't seem so bad to me.

On our way to Oregon we spent a night in northern NV, our first Rest Area overnight, in a beautiful spot in the Quinn Valley.  We had stopped here before for lunch and the view and decided to just stay the night this time.  No one bothered us and the noise of trucks did not wake us.

When we got to Chickahominy Reservoir, Oregon,  about 40 miles from Burns, we were so surprised that the lake was partially covered in ice.  We were the only campers there and it was very cloudy.  Snow was predicted for the next day.  We hoped it would miss us, but by morning the ground was covered and the wind began to roar and whipped snow around all day.  Terry had managed to get his antennae up and had good radio contact in spite of the wind roar.  I made my first radio contact (other than Terry) with the net manager for his California noon net.  I was so nervous I had to write down my call sign.  But I was excited!

We really enjoyed the sunrises and sunsets at Chickahominy.  They were extra special with the storm clouds aglow.

Canyon Colors and Castles

Death Valley seems to be another place that holds on to it's secrets and requires some exploring to find the diversity and beauty.
When we arrived the sun was painfully bright, the campground was a hot, gravel parking lot and everything looked too bold to approach.  In just 2 days we began to see that it would take weeks to even see a little in all the interesting areas of the park.

We got just a taste of the beauty of the canyons on our hike.  The rock colors that stripe the cliffs and mountains in bold contrast with one another were beautiful.  A road winds through one area that is called the Artist's Palette.  We'll see that next time.

Terry and I don't usually take 'house tours' on our travels, but Ranger Kate's offer to be our guide at Scotty's Castle in the north part of the park (about 50 miles away) changed all that!  What a treat to see her in action, fully costumed and coiffured as a news reporter of the early 1930's.  The story of the multi-millionaire who fell under the spell of Scotty, a 'Buffalo Bill Wild West Show' con artist is fascinating and Kate's tour wove you in the intrigue.  As you will see the Chicago couple who built the 'castle' that bears Scotty's name spared no expense on their desert get away.   Nice place to spend a little time!!

If you ever get a chance to visit Death Valley in the winter, don't miss it!  There is a lovely Furnace Creek Ranch Resort with swimming pool, restaurant and gift shop.  There are hookups in the Furnace Creek Campground if you have reservations.  Plan to stay a few days to glimpse the history and beauty that is so much more than you will first find.

Weather Permitting---3

From 2 snow delays to an onward rush from near heat exhaustion, the weather has sure called the shots on this journey.

It was 103 degrees on Friday (March 15) at Death Valley NP.  So the 5 days we planned to be there was shortened to 2.  We packed a lot in, but saw very little of the park and hope to return some winter.

 
We went on a great hike through the Golden Canyon on a water course that came down from the Red Cathedral at the end of the trail.  More pictures later of the amazing rock colors and shapes.

Most special of all and our main reason for coming to Death Valley was a tour of Scotty's Castle by our dear friend, Ranger Kate.  She arranged the schedule to lead a tour for us and then played  a special song from her programs at Great Basin, "Don't Fence Me In" on the Welte-Mignon Organ just for us as the tour ended.  We were honored and thrilled by her kindness and our 'custom' designed tour.  Here she is in period costume as the tour began.  I'm sorry you can't see the seams in her stockings that  'finish' off her costume.

This is a short update and I hope to share more later about Death Valley NP, an amazing place!  We are on our way to Oregon now from Winnemucca, NV and are spending the night in a rest area with a fantastic view.  Stay tuned!

Too Much "Dam" Fun!

We have enjoyed 7 days of pure delight with our Great Basin friends!  The day we arrived at Lake Mead on our circle of the campground we spotted our hosts, Jerry and Deb Otto also hosts at Great Basin our first year there.  Nate, Anna, Evan, Anna's mother and 9 day old, Grace greeted us at their home with an invite for supper.  Anthony came down from Las Vegas on his day off on Tues. and again for supper on Sat. at the Boulder City Brew Pub with Nate and family.  Then yesterday Kate came from Death Valley NP and we all got together at Nate and Anna's for a dinner party and game night with a short visit from Charles who was on duty.  Our lives have been so wonderfully touched by such fine friendships!

In between all this excitement Jerry and Deb helped us find a nice little campsite with a good view of the mountains.

  We toured Hoover Dam, an amazing engineering marvel!  Standing above it and looking down makes one have the greatest respect for those who built it and the 96 men who gave their lives in the process.  Such incredibly dangerous work!!  The canyon it fills is so deep!!


We've had some lovely, sunny and warm days for great walks and time to sit outside just reading and relaxing!  We took these pictures of the lake on a cloudy day without the sun glare of the desert!

 We really like the town of Boulder City.  I especially love that they have a Line Dance Class I can attend tonight at 7 pm.  I can't wait!  At 8:30 in the morning Anthony will meet us for a hike on the Old Railroad Trail (with 7 tunnels) that carried supplies for the building of the dam.  If we make it to Hoover Dam there is an ice cream shop there at the end!  How sweet is that?

Pretzels, Pinyons and Bluebirds

Leaving the 'cabin' and family in Sparta is never easy for me.  My sister, Ann, sent us off this time with about 10 bags of snack goodies for travel;  everything from corn blueberry muffins to big chunky pretzel sticks.  We didn't even have to think about purchasing and packing up snacks for a week.  Neither of us had munched on pretzels for years and now we are hooked on their crunchy snap for a quick perk up when the miles for the day are seeming just too long.  We found replacement pretzels at the grocery in Roswell, NM and will keep some with us.  Thanks, Ann!

Roswell, NM is a lot more than alien, UFO yard art and toy shops.  There are 2 really nice art and history museums we would return to visit,  an interesting blend of warehouses and older western style buildings and all the shopping we needed right at hand.  The birding seemed good too- roadrunners on Main St. and Eurasian Collarded Doves at Bottomless Lakes.

Our travel yesterday was lots of slow climbing from 3,400 some feet in Roswell to 7,474 feet here at Bluewater Lake State Park just west of Grants, NM.  With head winds during much of the time we were gas guzzling too!  We had a nice lunch break at Camping World above the Rio Grande west of Al-B-Q (Albuquerque) with a view back to the city and the Sangre de Cristo Mtns.  We love brewing a pot of tea with lunch in our 'little house'.  It just seems so civilized!!!

 

Arriving at Bluewater Lake State Park with only 14 electric hookup sites and a prediction of a 16 degree night, we were thrilled to find a hookup site.  In fact, no one else was in the hookup area at all.  The sites are on a hilltop with a view of Mt. Taylor in the distance.  It was windy in the view spots so we found the protection of some trees.  I opened my door to get out and looked down to find a beautiful pinyon pine cone.  We were back at near the same elevation as Lower Lehman at Great Basin and among the pinyon pines again!  There is a comfort in familiar terrain!  So we will stay a few days.  There is an amateur radio contest for Terry today.   He is enjoying it as I write.

The sunrise this morning was beautiful even at 21 degrees.  On a later walk Western Bluebirds flitted through the pinyons. We are looking forward to a walk to the creek canyon and along the lake shore.  It's only 48 now, but should get to 63 this afternoon.

We plan to stay here until Monday and leave for Kingman, AZ.  (Where are you Anthony?)  Then on to Lake Mead on Tuesday, March 5.  Can't wait to see "our buddies" there and Grace too!