Oregon Revisited

For our 2019 vacation we returned to the beautiful state of Oregon!

 We were scheduled to fly out of DFW International Airport at 7:00 p.m. Central Time and arrive at 9:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, however, Mother Nature had a different plan.  Because of a storm in Austin, Texas, our aircraft and flight crew couldn't fly out of the Austin Airport and into DFW.  We ended up with a delay of three hours and didn't arrive in Portland until 1:30 a.m. Pacific Standard Time. So much for taking in a little Portland nightlife - it was straight to bed for us.

Since this was our third time to visit Oregon and to stay in Portland, we decided to spend just one night at The Embassy Suites in Hillsboro, Oregon, which not only has clean comfortable rooms but a delicious breakfast consisting of made to order omelets, crispy smoked bacon, roasted potatoes, and all the works!

Before leaving the Portland/Hillsboro area, and heading to the Pacific Coast, we made a stop at Bald Peak State Scenic Viewpoint!  Bald Peak (1,629' elev.) is located where the worlds of high-tech and rural Oregon meet. 
View from the top of Bald Peak State Scenic Viewpoint

View of Chehalem Hills from Bald Peak Scenic Viewpoint

Another view from Bald Peak Scenic Viewpoint

Yet, another view from Bald Peak Scenic Viewpoint

At Bald Peak Scenic Viewpoint there's a nice grassy hillside perfect for a picnic (there's no drinking water at the park, though). Afterward, you could go for a short stroll through a Douglas fir woodland.  We didn't take the time to hike through the woods but we did climb to the top of the ridge (easy climb)to get a broad view of the hillside and snapped a few photos, as you can see.

 After leaving Bald Peak we took a relaxing morning drive through the Chehalem Hills where we passed farms, wineries, and fruit stands.

Old farm located in valley of Chehalem Hills

Beautiful farms and country side in Chehalem Hills

Everything is so colorful in Oregon, including this old barn within the Chehalem Hills

 Our next stop.....Tillamook State Forest!

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Ballard, Washington

Leaving Pike Place Market we headed to the neighborhood of Ballard . Ballard is located in the northwestern part of Seattle. To the north it is bounded by Crown Hill, (N.W. 85th Street); to the east by Greenwood, Phinney Ridge and Fremont (along 8th Avenue N.W.); to the south by the Lake Washington Ship Canal; and to the west by Puget Sound’s Shilshole Bay. The neighborhood’s landmarks include the  Hiram M. Chittenden Locks  (known locally as the "Ballard Locks"), the Nordic Heritage Museum, the Shilshole Bay Marina, and Golden Gardens Park. Entrance to Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Gardens and Hiram M. Chittenden Locks The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, or Ballard Locks, is a complex of locks at the west end of Salmon Bay, in Seattle, Washington's Lake Washington Ship Canal, between the neighborhoods of Ballard to the north and Magnolia to the south. We wanted to know and followed the fish but didn't realize it was across the locks until we were on our way
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Caddo Lake State Park, Texas

While visiting the historic town of Jefferson we could not pass up the opportunity to make a short visit to Caddo Lake State Park .  The park sits near the small town of Karnack, in east Texas.  The name of this park is a bit deceiving as the park doesn't sit on the shores of Caddo Lake (the only natural, fresh water lake in Texas) but on Big Cypress Bayou. Entrance sign Entrance signs to Caddo Lake State Park Big Cypress Bayou from boat ramp (west) Big Cypress Bayou looking east.  Follow the bayou east to reach Caddo Lake. Like most Texas state parks the structures within Caddo Lake SP were built by the  Civilian Conservation Corps . Company 889 began the work, in June to November of 1933. Company 857 continued construction from October 1934 to March 1937. One of the cabins that can be rented at the park CCC workers converted 15 U.S. Army barracks and an Army mess hall into the nine log cabins and group recreation hall that can be used today.  
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Twilight Eagle Santuary, Oregon

Sadly, we left Astoria and traveled east on the East Columbia Highway (Highway 30) back to Portland to catch the red eye back home.  When we passed the sign, we knew we had found what our trip had been missing so we turned the Blue Devil around and headed to the Twilight Eagle Sanctuary. The Twilight Eagle Sanctuary is located within Cathlamet Bay , 2.5 miles east of Astoria, Oregon , and just downstream from Settler Point.  This wetland Sanctuary was established in 1992, and along with Columbia Land Trust acquisitions in 2009, now totals over 100 acres of old growth forest, tidal wetlands, and shoreline, and stretches nearly a mile along the Columbia River. The Sanctuary is just off of U.S. Highway 30. A viewing platform overlooks acres of mudflats, tidal marshes, open water, and islands. It is an excellent location to observe birds and other wildlife living on the lower Columbia River estuary. The viewing area has several interpretive panels about the wetlands, bald eagles,