Anniversary Trip

7-21-2004: Corrections made, and Tuskegee Airmen added (see second P-51, below), and a URL for Sisters (thanks to Hank Greeb).

Having lived in Oregon for more than three years, we feel there is a lot we have not yet seen. So, for our anniversary this year we decided to take a little trip around part of Oregon. Of course, we have already been to (most of) the Oregon coast, but it always warrants another trip. So, on July 5 we set out for Yachats, taking the scenic route via HW 227 from Trail to Canyonville. At Canyonville we put in at our favorite stopping point along I-5, the Seven Feathers Casino, where we had lunch and whiled away a little time and a few dollars (well, actually, Amelia won a little). But, on to the Overleaf Lodge in Yachats. We had a room right on the oceanfront (indeed, all rooms are right on the oceanfront). Just outside our door, we had a view of a channel into which the ocean rolled, giving us repeated views of spray.

The next morning we took a drive inland on Yachats River Road. There were lots of interesting sights. We saw this unusual color of foxglove, and well as this more common color of foxglove. We came across this columbine growing alongside the road. A few miles up the road is a covered bridge, after which the road becomes privately owned (now, how'd they manage to get a public covered bridge crossing to a private road?). Amelia found some birds to watch. Going back out to the bridge over the Yachats River, we saw this vine with a prickly gourd of some kind (anyone know what it is?). We also saw salmonberries and thimbleberries. We have elderberries at home, but none of ours are this red elderberry. We took the long way back to HW101, being stopped for some minutes near this logging site (sight?). We then drove on down to Florence to lunch at Mo's (good clam chowder!) on seafood (what else?). Back in Yachats we took a hike from the Overleaf along the ocean.

The next day we were off for Astoria, but first a stop at Tillamook, where I visited the Tillamook Air Museum and Amelia went to a quilt show. They have a nice collection of mostly WWII airplanes, but some older, and at least a couple newer. I note a few of them. Always interesting is this B-25 Mitchell of the sort flown by Doolittle in his strike on Japan in 1942. This P-38 Lightning was the "fork tail devil" flown in both fronts in WWII and that was responsible for shooting down Adm. Yamamoto's aircraft in the Pacific in 1943. More famous, perhaps, and at least as formidable an opponent in the air was the P-51 Mustang. A second P-51 Mustang is this one that was flown by the Tuskegee Airmen (the red tail has significance). These were African-American pilots that escorted bombers, and in 1500 missions, did not lose a single bomber to enemy aircraft, an outstanding achievement. Another potent warbird was this (generally) carrier based aircraft, very fast (it did have a 2000 hp engine - be careful about hitting the throttle too quickly), was this F-4U Corsair. While a bit older than WWII, Stearman PT-17 was still used as a trainer then. The P-47 Thunderbolt had an even more powerful engine (2235 hp) than the Corsair. Note the mirror above the left wing showing the belts of machine gun bullets in a compartment in the wing. One of the airplanes flown against in WWII was this Messerschmidt Bf-109. It was as powerful as the Mustang, but much lighter. This somewhat unusual looking helicopter is a Kaman HTK-1. It is interesting to me for a couple of reasons. The first is that I once worked for Kaman Nuclear, a division of the company that made the helicopter. The second is that after close scrutiny it will be apparent that the machine has no tail rotor! Instead, it manages to control direction and all that st stuff using intermeshing contra-rotating rotors. As the information plaque says, it was considered as a trainer for the US Navy, but was rejected because it was too easy to fly! This F-14 Tomcat is probably the youngest airplane in the fleet. Next would be this MIG-17. Last airplane, here is a DC-3 dressed up as a Tillamook Air commercial transport. It's always nice to learn something, and while I may have known it at some time in the past, I discovered that the Packard Merlin (Rolls-Royce Merlin, too, of course) used 4 valves per cylinder (just like the most modern car engines!), as can be seen in this cutaway engine. Finally, two pictures that show the size of the former blimp hanger that houses the collection. It is the biggest wooden structure in the world, they say. In an airshow at the former Naval Air Station in 1950, stunt pilot Swede Ralston flew an AT-6 Texan through the hanger.

Then it was on to Astoria. There we stayed in the Rose River Inn, a B&B with a nice view (at least from our window). It was nice, with an excellent breakfast, and interesting people staying there. However, the real order of business was to visit Fort Clatsop, where Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery spent the winter of 1805-1806. Well, not exactly. It's the right place, but the present facility is a replica built about fifty years ago. The orginal fell to ruin within a few years. It is now a National Park Service National Memorial. Here's a shot of the inside "courtyard", and another with a re-enactor talking to a visitor. The storeroom is supplied with goodies. The enlisted quarters were probably not that different than they are for today's enlisted folks. Another re-enactor was busy making candles, although he was using beef tallow instead of the Elk fat used back then. Charbonneau, Sacagawea, and Jean Baptiste had these quarters where a dress and papoose carrier such as Sacagawea might have used were displayed. The total cast of characters was on a list made by Lewis. The entire company was 35 persons: 25 Privates, three Sergeants, the two Captains Lewis and Clark (well, Clark wasn't really a Captain, but that's a story in itself - he was treated as one, and the men thought he was), two interpreters, Drouillard and Charbonneau along with his wife Sacagawea and their infant son, Jean Baptiste, and Clark's slave, York. A renactment was put on with help from some young friends of the endeavor. Finally, as with the Corps of Discovery, it was time for us to proceed on. No pictures, but noteworthy that we met our old (not them, not us - the friendship) friends, Ann and Duane Stevenson for dinner and conversation that evening in Astoria.

On Friday, we proceeded on again, this time to Portland on Hw30. No trip to Portland is complete without a visit to Powell's Books, followed by a visit to. Murder by the Book mystery bookstore. Saturday we went to the Portland Art Museum, primarily to see the Rau exhibit, but a few other things, too. In the afternoon we went to see "Aunt Bertha". She is really a first cousin, once removed, as well as a second cousin, once removed. Here we are both looking pretty darn chipper, even though together we are over 155 years.

Sunday morning we headed up the Columbia River. We mosied along on "scenic roads" and old HW30, where possible (now, that would be a trip - HW30 coast to coast!). We took the 14 mile side trip to Larch Mountain. Then, after a little hike I saw this chipmunk. After quite a few stairs, one comes to the top where there is a panoramic view (except back to Portland - more later). From this viewpoint there are five mountains visible. The grand-daddy of them all Mt. Ranier could be seen in the distance. Mt. Adams was easily visible. Mt. Hood, being closer, was spectacular. Mt. Jefferson was nearly obscured, but it can be made out. The dissapointing one was Mt. St. Helens, since it was pretty much obscured, not possible to see it's rather dramatic sliced off top. Well, on a clear day. On the way back, it was possible to get a shot back toward Portland. Returning to Crown Point Highway, we stopped at Crown Point (the building is closed, being repaired), but there were great views, like this one looking upstream and this one looking downstream. Then on to Memaloose State Park with a view of Memaloose Island. The native Americans used to lay their dead on pyres on the island, but with the Bonneville Dam raising the water level, all such traces were removed to another location. Looking downriver, the volcanic rocks are prominent along the river. A few miles up the river I took this shot from Rowena Crest, where ice ago floods of rock, ice, and water were up to 600 feet deep.

We had lunch in The Dalles, then took HW97 south to Madras, then back northwest to the Kah Nee Tah Resort and Casino on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation. The lodge has nice views across the Warm Springs River valley. They have hot springs and baths, spas, and that sort of thing. Unfortunately, those facilities are a mile or more away, not convenient for us old folks who want to get in, get out and walk back to our room. Further, the resort caters to the younger set (as in kids), not the sort of place we want to go (in most cases) for a little vacation. I played a long time at the video poker machines for three dollars. At one point, after being down nearly three dollars, I came back to about 55 cents down, but kept at it until I had lost it all.

Next morning we were on our way home. We stopped by Peter Skene Ogden State Scenic Viewpoint. Peter Skene Ogden was an important in the early history of the West. The viewpoint is interesting because of the 300 foot deep gorge that runs by it. Also noteworthy is the Oregon Trunk Railroad Bridge constructed in 1911. The old motorway bridge was replaced about 10 years ago with this modern bridge that takes styling cues from the old railway bridge (as did the bridge it replaced, the Crooked River High Bridge). The yucca were in bloom at the wayside, which also provided our first decent view of the Three Sisters. As we drove to Sisters (an interesting little town, it turns out), we got a better view of the Three Sisters with horses (they are cutouts - the horses, not the mountains). Also visible was Mt. Washington and Broken Hand with South Sister on the right. And then, to home.