Cannon Beach

We drove out to Cannon Beach this morning for a wonderful day of playing on the beach -- running down the dunes, digging sand tunnels, jumping in the waves, beach baseball, throwing the frisbee, playing run the bases -- and eating at our usual favorites -- Tom's Fish and Chips, Bruce's Candy kitchen, the chocolate cafe. The weather was perfect, mid-60s and partly cloudy, with no wind.

 

The kids dug two huge holes and then connected them via a tunnel, all for the fun of throwing Jasper's ball in there and watching him dig like crazy to get it out.

 

Seb showing the ball to Jasper (Liesl holding him back from immediately jumping into the hole) before throwing it into the tunne.

 

 

 

Post-lunch food coma.

We did not build these sand castles (obviously). But they were a lot of fun to look and marvel at as we strolled along the beach.

We ended our day with some beach baseball. Our faithful fielder (Jasper) got a little slow by the end.

We watched The Goonies this weekend and so Steve and Liesl were very excited to see a pirate flag flying near Haystack Rock. :)  We drove home at 3:30, tired and sandy, but so happy with our day.

Wahkeena Falls

We drove out to the Columbia River Gorge today and did a sweet little hike from Wahkeena Falls up to Fairy Falls, and then looping back down. It was about 3.5 miles, with a good bit of elevation. We've done this hike a number of times before, but not recently, and it was very nostalgic for Steve and me to return. The 2017 Eagle Creek fire burned through this area and damaged the trails, so it's been closed for a few years (other trails, more badly destroyed, are still closed).

These switchbacks are one of the most memorable and fun parts of the hike. We did this a day or two before our wedding -- I think there are pictures of Carl and Kim running up these switchbacks with us.

 

We reached the first viewpoint and could see the river stretching out below us, and then we kept climbing as the trail followed the stream upwards between two enormous basalt walls.

After Fairy Falls, we entered the area that had most noticeably burned. Many of the tall coniferous trees were blackened at the base, so it was much sunnier on the trail than is usual in the Gorge.

There were wildflowers everywhere along the ridge -- one happy side-effect of the burning of the tree cover that historically has shaded this whole area. In the absence of the conifer canopy, ferns and shrubs and flowers have bloomed in abundance. We saw monkshood, various kinds of lilies, irises, bleeding hearts, columbine, fireweed, paintbrush, and Pacific dogwood.

Caught in the act of photographing yet more purple flowers! 

There were once again good views out over the river, and then we returned to the original trail just above Fairy Falls, and from there down to the bottom.

 

The kids have lost a little of their hiking stamina and were tired and hungry by the end. It seemed that the elevation was more than they preferred, or maybe the distance, or maybe it was just the act of walking was insufficiently exciting. Oh well. We had thought about heading to Hood River for lunch but decided to head back to Portland instead. We got some Indian food and some pizzas, and picnicked together at Wallace Park. It was a good adventure.