Portland, Oregon

In the summer of 2020 we found ourselves returning to our favorite vacation spot, Portland, Oregon. Sadly, this return visit was for that dreaded four letter word - work!  
First work....if that's what you call it!  We are actually wedding photographers and don't really consider what we do work, especially when we are photographing a beautiful wedding at the lush Bridal Veil Lakes Event Venue located along the Old Columbia River Gorge Highway.


With "work" out of the way, and we met up with our life long friends, Bill and Jill.  This was their first time visiting Oregon and we had many beautiful spots to show them! 
Meeting Jill and Bill at Council Crest Park in Portland to start our journey

We drove through the old Columbia River Gorge Highway to the small town of Cascade Locks, Oregon.  Cascade Locks is situated at the very heart of the Columbia River Gorge, where the mountains tower up to 4,000-feet above the river, and waterfalls tumble from the heights to reach the river near sea level below. Surrounded by stunning natural beauty, you can relax, slow down a bit, and take in the grandeur.  That's exactly what we did! We slowed down and enjoyed a delicious lunch and an adult beverage at Thunder Island Brewing by the Columbia River and then toured the old locks (hence the name).  After one last stop at the Eastwind Drive-In for ice cream we moved on to the next site on our itinerary, Mount Hood.




Mount Hood, Oregon, offers scenic recreation ranging from camping, hiking and fishing to nearly year-round skiing. Being from Texas, we are always amazed that people are still skiing on Mount Hood in the middle of July.  We roamed Timberline Lodge with Jill and Bill and threw a couple of snowballs at each other!

We left the snow covered mountain and headed west to the Oregon Coastline stopping at Cannon Beach, Oregon.  Cannon Beach is a charming village by the sea where you can savor the culinary bounty of the Pacific Northwest, stay in luxurious accommodations that are right on the beach and explore the many art galleries and quaint shops making their home in town.  Again, we stayed at the Schooner Cove Inn and from our hotel lawn we could view the magnificent Oregon icon, Haystack Rock.  








A short drive north of Cannon Beach is the town of Astoria, Oregon.  With Victorian-era homes etched into hills overlooking the Columbia River, this picturesque settlement (the oldest west of the Rockies) is a port city with Scandinavian flavor. Astoria is surrounded by forests, three rivers and great local brews. We showed Jill and Bill the Gooney House and the Astoria Column before making our way to the pier for lunch at one of Astoria's breweries, The Astoria Brewing Company.


It was a sad day when we had to leave our beloved Oregon and head back to reality.  Stay tuned for our 2022 vacation when we travel with Jill and Bill, again, to Scotland!

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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,