I've decided that the "Waterfalls Loop Trail" around Sahalie and Koosah Falls (on the McKenzie River) is my favorite hike. I think I could do it regularly and not tire of it. It's about the right length of hike for me to handle (approximately 3 miles); the scenery is beautiful; not too much uphill climbing; and the path is pretty good, although a little too rocky in places. There's a lot of shade, so it stays pretty cool, and there are many places you can feel the cool mist rising from the river and waterfalls. Very pleasant!
We parked by Koosah Falls and started the "loop" from that point. There was plenty of water this time of year to make these waterfalls really impressive. This was about 10:30 in the morning, taken from the east bank of the river.
This is Koosah Falls from the west bank of the river, a couple hours later.
The beautiful McKenzie River -- lots of whitewater rapids, but where the water was more still, you could see how beautifully crystal clear it was.
I loved the icy blue color of it in many spots.
Doesn't it make you shiver just looking at it?
We saw some of the local wildlife....
...some a little wilder than others (I've never seen a bike helmet with a mohawk).
We ventured off-trail to some fairly precarious spots in search of the best places to view and photograph the waterfalls. In this photo, Clay is trying to get back up to safe ground, or maybe he's just becoming a "tree-hugger."
This is the beautiful Sahalie Falls.
When we got around to the other side of Sahalie Falls, I could look back and see the tree roots going down the cliff to the side of it. I just think it looks interesting, and maybe kinda spooky (it reminds me of something out of a Harry Potter movie, I think).
I found this amusing -- a huge fallen tree is blocking the path, and instead of removing a small portion of it, they build a staircase over it! Of course, why not?
I loved the rainbows created in the mists from the waterfalls!
I want to do it again. Soon!
It's hard to believe that Mira is a year old already. The time has gone by so fast. Here are some pictures that Melissa took (she said I could blog them because she didn't know when she'd get around to doing it). Mira did not cooperate -- she refused to look at Melissa for most of the pictures.
She's getting to be so much fun now. She chatters constantly, but I don't understand a word she's saying.
She always seems to have quite a mischievous look going on, like she's plotting her next adventure.
She was interested in her gifts at her birthday party, but seemed to enjoy playing with the wrapping paper more than the gifts, which is always what happens with little kids.
Grandma Julie made Mira her very own little cake, in addition to the normal-sized one she made for both Mira and Neil (it was a combined birthday party, although Neil says he's not having any more birthdays).
Mira took one swipe at the frosting with her hand and tried a little taste of it, but she wasn't interested in having any more -- she's not accustomed to such sweetness because Melissa is a fanatic about teeth and Mira's not used to "junk food."
It was Danica's last week in kindergarten. This is her picture on her last day. I think she had a really good year, and hope that she enjoys 1st grade just as much.
We went to Newport for the weekend, to celebrate our 32nd wedding anniversary, which happened to fall on Memorial Day this year. We had a great time. Did a lot of walking/hiking, toured three lighthouses, took lots of pictures, ate a bunch of junk food!
This is the Yaquina Bay Bridge in Newport. We stayed at the LaQuinta Hotel just south of the bridge.
Here's another picture of the bridge because I couldn't decide which one I liked the most.
Yaquina Head Lighthouse, just north of Newport.
The tide pools below Yaquina Head Lighthouse. We arrived about half-way between low tide and high tide, and really enjoyed exploring.
Besides the sealife you can see in these photos, there were also other things in the tide pools such as small fish, hermit crabs, small purple crabs, chitons, and lots of seaweed, kelp, etc.
We saw these purple sea urchins and greenish sea anemones, and quite a few starfish, among other things.
A couple hours later, the tide pools are all covered up by the rising tide.
I tried to take photos of birds in flight, but gave up and took this one as it was resting.
Near Yaquina Head Lighthouse.
Yaquina Bay Lighthouse. Only in operation three years before they built the Yaquina Head Lighthouse. Look how short it is -- it just sits on top of the lighthouse keeper's house. They have volunteers giving tours of the lighthouses, telling how they were built, what life was like for the lighthouse keeper and his family, how the lens worked, etc. It was really interesting. There was also an interpretive center at the Yaquina Head Lighthouse, with an interesting film about Oregon lighthouses.
I don't think I would have liked living in a lighthouse. The bed looks really uncomfortable -- see how it slopes into the middle. And notice the chamberpot underneath the bed. Yucky!
It could be quite a lonely life to be in the lighthouse keeper's family. They had to entertain themselves with music, books and games. In the early years, before Highway 101 was built and towns started springing up along the coast, they rarely had visitors (although the inspector could show up at any time, day or night, and things had to be totally in order in the lighthouse and the family's living quarters, or the keeper could get fired).
This is Haceta Head Lighthouse, which is further down the coast. We took a tour of this lighthouse, but they didn't allow visitors to go up on the very top where there's a walkway around the outside. We were at the next level down, where we could look up into the lens. The tour guide explained a little about the "first-order Fresnel lens" and how the prisms work to re-direct and magnify the light. It was actually very interesting.
Looking up at the lamp/lens inside the Haceta Head Lighthouse. (The kerosene lights have been replaced by electric ones).
We went hiking at Drift Creek Falls near Lincoln City, recommended by one of the hotel staff. It was very enjoyable, about 3 miles round trip. The path was very muddy in spots, but we could usually work our way around the sides, and didn't get too muddy (just a bit!).
Drift Creek Falls. If you look closely, you can see the suspension bridge above it.
The suspension bridge above Drift Creek Falls is 240 feet long, and 100 feet above the creek.
I liked the bridge, but it was kind of narrow--almost "single lane traffic." And it bounced when anybody was walking on it, so you had to wait until it stopped moving before you could take a picture of the falls.
I managed to get a semi-natural smile from Clay.
On Monday we went to the Oregon Coast Aquarium. A new exhibit, Swampland, had just opened up. There was a display there of alligators, lots of different kinds of snakes, and birds like parrots, etc. I think at least part of what we saw was a special display for the opening weekend of the new exhibit, and it won't always be there.
The seals were fun to watch in the aquarium. They were gliding so smoothly through the water, almost without effort, and often upside down.
Sea anemones in the Oregon Coast Aquarium.
The sea stars have always been a favorite of mine.
Very interesting jellyfish.
I asked Clay to pretend he was being eaten by this replica of a prehistoric shark-like creature.
We got to pet an alligator. And several snakes.
There are three tunnels ("Passages of the Deep") to walk through at the aquarium, representing different habitats in the ocean. This one was in the section representing the reef.
I especially liked the tunnel with the sharks (but they moved too fast to get a good photo).
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