june 2022
moments of the divine
God sneaks into our daily lives in the briefest of moments, interactions, conversations, or encounters. Our mission is to notice, to stop and recognize, where and how God is at work in our lives. I try to reflect each day on those beautiful times when I perhaps saw God at work, God's abundant blessings bestowed, or simply the beauty of God's incredible Creation.
BIRTHDAY BEACH BASH 2022
Tillamook County!
Tuesday, June 21
Baker City to Salem
445 miles
We are off High Country Lane right on our planned time of 7:15, with a stop in town for gas and coffee before heading south on Hwy 7 toward John Day and the route across the middle of the state. It is a BEAUTIFUL sunny day and should be a glorious drive! The hills are awash in green grass below the pines – a blessing from all the recent rains. You can actually SEE water in Phillips Lake again – it is up to 25% full! Quick stop in Prairie City to switch drivers and get more coffee! I drive us over the Occhocos to the Bandit rest stop, and Rick takes us into Prineville and our planned rendezvous for lunch with Tom Hinkle.
Tom meets us at the Sandwich Factory – a busy place at 11:45 as it is right across from the Courthouse off Main Street. But we then enjoy nearly two hours of conversation catching up! We will see Tom again in September up in Kalispell.
Shortly before 2 we are headed west again, reveling in the mountain glory of the Cascade peaks as we pass through Redmond and Sisters. The mountains are still well cloaked in white! I mention I haven’t been back in to Big Lake (just across the highway from where many trips to Santiam Lodge took place) in 40 years, so we turn off the highway and wind three miles back to the lake (further than I remembered!) Wonderful spot to take picture of Mt. Washington!
We reminisce about times spent at the Lodge over the years, bemoaning that when the church lease ran out the buildings were removed (or so we thought!) But as we passed the spot where you used to enter the lodge parking, we saw the top of a roofline….”the lodge is still there!” Into the parking area and a walk up to take a look. MAJOR restoration work is taking place on the 1940 CCC-built structure. The lodge was damaged by heavy snowfall in 2000, the recent fires came way too close, and inactivity has led to tremendous rodent infestation over the 25 years of abandonment. The church cabins and Ed/Alice’s housing WAS removed, but not the lodge! We found someone working (who I later discovered was one of the major movers and shakers in the restoration) and he spent 45 minutes walking us around and explaining the work being done. We have a website to visit to learn about volunteer days! It was a highlight for us to discover this.
From the lodge we head to Hwy 22 toward Salem. Once our usual route to the lodge from Portland, we haven’t traveled it for years, especially not since the 2020 fires that ravaged the canyon. We found most of the burned trees along the highway cut down for safety purposes. Some had been hauled away, but many others just stacked up in piles. The grass growth of rejuvenation was everywhere. A few houses in the process of construction.
We arrive at Julee and Jerry Rodgers place south of Salem around 6:30, fortunately just as they were finishing dinner (we stopped to grab a snack along the way). We had told them we would have eaten as we still weren’t sure we wouldn’t make connections with Clint and Kathy Norrel first. The surprise was to find Anna also home, so we got to see her as well! Their place is tucked in tall trees and rhodedendron bushes – a dogwood tree in FULL bloom right under the upper deck is beautiful.
We spend the next 3 hours drinking wine, enjoying strawberry-rhubarb crisp and ice cream, and catching up. I had been to their place 7 years ago on a trip to Bandon, but Rick had not been here before. A fun evening.
However…..not so restful a night…..
 |
| View north to Mt. Jefferson |
 |
| Three Sisters as we enter Sisters |
 |
| The forests were beautifully green! |
 |
| Mt Washington from Big Lake |
 |
| Three Fingered Jack |
 |
| Lodge restoration |
 |
| Santiam Lodge is under restoration! |
 |
| Gorgeous dogwood treees under the Rodgers back deck. |
WEDNESDAY, June 22
Salem to Bay City
88 miles
A relaxing morning as we wait to head into town until after 9 so Jed can join us for breakfast. (He taught last night up in Portland, so gets home late on Tuesday nights.) In the meantime Anna and I played a round of Love Letters (she crushed me) and were mid-point in a cribbage game before we left.
I did get a disappointing email this morning from my sister Liz. We were going to visit enroute home on Saturday, but she was conveying she has Covid and not to come!! Still running a fever and wouldn’t be out of quarantine. Argh!
Into downtown Salem to meet up at Busick’s – a cafe set in an old brick building right off Court Street. Good breakfast and visit. Then back up to Jed’s place in West Salem for him to clean a few things up and get Mittens set up for a few days alone. Rick rested in the big bucket chair while I helped out with 5 trips to the recycling bin on site!
It is nearly 2pm before we take off for the coast, stopping at Spirit Winds Casino to get some reasonably priced gas (by today’s standards anyway). Then on up the windiest section of Hwy 22 possible – only about 30 miles to hit Hwy 101, but not fast! Some corners slowed to 25 mph, others you could take at 50 mph. But beautiful forested hills and canyons. Lots of blackberries and foxglove.
We stop in Tillamook at the Chamber of Commerce to pick up some tourist materials, and then again at Fred Meyer for dinner groceries. End up with corn on the cob and a rotisserie chicken and Rick’s favorite potato salad. Will save the corn to have with our fish!
And then on to the Sheltered Nook! We found the place and got checked in to House #5 The Cyclist! A nice little set up! Cozy, but very functional. And as Jed said, the kitchen is bigger and more usable than the one in his apartment! (But no dishwasher!)
More relaxing this evening – we are somewhat tired! But Jed and I do manage to play a couple games (I won Love Letters this time!) including Ticket to Ride – a train game I hadn’t played before (he won that one easily!) Rick and I have the bedroom in back, while Jed is upstairs in the loft.
Almost forgot – I needed to explore, so Jed went with me and we wandered down the side roads toward the bay. Finally found a way to reach the rocky shoreline and water – about mid tide I think.
 |
| Our explorations began with what we think is an area to host weddings, etc. |
 |
| Jed ponders the shoreline |
 |
| Sun getting low over the bay waters |
 |
| Down on the bay beach |
THURSDAY June 23
Cape Lookout Loop south
55 miles
Around 10:30 we are off and headed south, through Tillamook to the roads heading over to Cape Lookout, state park, boy scout camp, and Salt Lake area. We find the trailhead to the end of the cape busy! Cars from multiple states (Oh yeah...it is summer on the Oregon coast!) The trail has warnings….”VERY muddy from the halfway point on” Which….we discover to be very true!
But...a beautiful hike through thick spruce and fir forest, lined with wildflowers, salal, thimbleberry, and salmonberry. We even got a few bites of big salmonberries along the way. Buttercups, wild iris, paintbrush, yellow monkeyflowers, wild roses, plus plenty of ferns, all provided color along the trail.
The 2.5 mile long trail to the point winds back and forth from one side of the ridge to the other and slightly downhill. Views to the north were more limited, mostly to the halfway point where we could see into Netarts Bay and the long strip of sand that separates it from the ocean. The end was slightly disappointing in that views to the north were totally blocked off by a wall of vegetation. We did enjoy lively conversation with a group of 4 ‘retirees’ which began when I noticed the Lewis and Clark tshirt! We exchanged group photos for each other.
The mud part? Glad we wore boots! There were multiple areas where you had to work over root masses and rocks – all mud covered – to avoid the deep sections of muck. Slow going and not the most fun. I admired the determination, altho questioned the sanity, of the young ladies persevering on the trail with flip flops and crocs!
A quick peek northward from trail 
View from the Cape to the south
 |
| Jed down at the end |
 |
| Folks at the cape tip exchanged picture taking with us! |
 |
| Rick makes his way through the mud |
 |
| They weren't kidding it was muddy!! |
 |
We got back to the car around 2:45 (everyone removed their boots and all were placed on a towel in the back of the car!) and headed on up the shore road through Netarts and Oceanside to Cape Meares, the lighthouse, and the Octopus Tree! A very short lighthouse and a HUGE spruce tree with a trunk mass that had to be 40’ across!
View from Cape Meares lighthouse area 
Cape Meares lighthouse from above - it's not tall! 
Cape Meares lighthouse 
The Octopus tree
Back through Tillamook and a Safeway grocery stop to pick up some steelhead for dinner (plus the salad dressing I forgot to get yesterday!)
Rick puts the fish on the grill out front (you are requested to NOT cook seafood inside the tiny house!) and we sit down to a feast of fish, bread, and corn! Later s’mores around the communal campfire, and an evening of cribbage and Fox in the Forest. (Plus some well earned showers!)
 |
| Good looking fish dinner! |
 |
| And happy fish eaters! |
 |
| Haven't given a tour of the tiny house yet! This is up in the loft where Jed is sleeping. |
 |
| Looking down on 'living area' from the loft |
 |
| Stairway up to the loft |
 |
| Our bedroom |
 |
| Central firepit for all the houses |
FRIDAY, June 24
Exploring north
Off around 10:30 again heading south to the Latimer Quilt museum. I mostly wanted to see what was there – it is the headquarters for the Quilt Trail – 100 barn quilts posted throughout Tillamook County on buildings. I picked up some great bargain books and a couple fat quarters. The displays were fascinating. Got back in the car and both Rick and Jed said, “Did you want to buy that puzzle?” So I go back in and purchase a stain glass lion jigsaw puzzle!!
Didn't have a good telephoto lens to capture the heron out sunning its wings! 
Will have to remember this idea if Eggers have little boys! 
Thinking this quilt idea would look great over tie dye! 
Beautiful wild roses outside the quilt shop
North to Girabaldi – the fishing village located right at the entrance to Tillamook Bay. Clamming and crabbing mecca. We explore around the port, visit the old Coast Guard emergency boat launch in the middle of the bay, watch a bald eagle and pelican, and then end up at the Maritime Museum for nearly two hours! Great history of the town, plus sea ‘stuff’!
Heron on one post, gull on the other! 
The historic coast guard boat house out in the middle of the bay!
We stop in Bay City at the Fish Peddler enroute back to the Nook and pick up two quarts of Clam Chowder. It ALL disappears into hungry bellies!
Then it is time to walk off our chowder consumption with a stroll through the Kilchis Reserve, a short distance down the road from the Nook. A beautifully restored trail network through the trees with interpretive signs on local Native presence, flora and fauna, and Bay City history. Kilchis was one of the first areas settled on the bay in the mid 1800’s. More flowers, ferns, and tall trees! A brick path at first, then boardwalks over the multiple boggy areas and creeks flowing down to the bay. A bench to sit on every 200 feet it seemed – most of them in memory of someone. A nice evening walk!
The Kilchis preserve is a lush oasis of coastal green! 
Green ferns line the path
 |
| Eventually it opens up to the bay |
 |
| We found some thimbleberries |
 |
| ...and a barn quilt! |
No campfire tonight – but Jed and I play Quiddler and King Dominoes plus another round of cribbage. Since it so rarely happens, I want to note that I won the two former games barely, but I SKUNKED Jed in cribbage!! An opening hand of 28 points!! (Including my crib!)
SATURDAY, June 25
Bay City to Baker City
383 miles
But Mt. Hood is showing its white glory and the gorge is still green and water logged. A good East wind blowing….so, typical gorge weather!
We switch drivers at Memaloose rest area just past Hood River and I drive the dry barren section of the freeway to Stanfield. I had checked Gas Buddy and we knew we could gas up for nearly 50 cents cheaper at the Stanfield Pilot! Good thing as we were getting quite low!!
Rick drives the rest of the way home over the Blues and down to Baker Valley. Home at 4:15 or so.
A quick trip, but we caught up with some friends and had quality time with our son! Worth every penny!
(No pictures from the trip home...the one I took of Mt. Hood wasn't worth keeping!)
