Road Trip!

Day One: Cape Meares to Newport, Oregon

From the path to the Cape Meares Lighthouse.

With Patrick in California on business and us facing a super hot week at home, the kids and I decided to hit the road. We invited cousin Colin to join in our adventures, and after a pancake and bacon breakfast, we were on our way.

First stop, Tillamook, for an impromptu visit with Grandma Kitty and a visit to some of her favorite places.

Southwest of town, we found the Whiskey Creek Fish Hatchery. For $.25 you can fill up a tin with fish food. This place is off the tourist track and the fish are highly responsive to food thrown in. Just beyond the hatchery you can see the mud flats and there are often herons and egrets out fishing there.

Fish Food.

Feeding the Fish.

A Beautiful Place for a Picnic Lunch.

On a sunny day, the short hike down to the Cape Meares lighthouse is gorgeous, with panoramic ocean views of the coastline. To the north you may get to see one or more of the threatened birds who are protected at this National Wildlife Refuge: Marbled Murrets, Peregrine Falcons and Bald Eagles. We knew the Murrets were somewhere in the vicinity because of the loud noise they make and we finally spotted them out beyond the lighthouse floating in a large group in the water.

Cape Meares Lighthouse.

This lighthouse was built in 1889. The lens is a Fresnel (pronounced "Fraynel") lens and was made in Paris, France. Unfortunately, in 2010, a couple of people decided to shoot bullets through it, causing horribly expensive damage.

Looking up into the lens.

The lighthouse is open daily April through October from 11 am to 4 pm. You can go up into the lens with a guide during those hours.

We wanted ice cream, but decided to skip the Tillamook Cheese Factory, because we have seen it before and it's usually crowded on beautiful days like this. Another great place to get Tillamook ice cream south of town is the Bayside Market and Deli in Netarts, one of the little towns you drive through on the way to the lighthouse. Walk past the big tank of live crabs, past the register and the jewelry displays and you will find a small ice cream counter at the back front of the store. It has a smaller selection, but friendlier service, and is a great way to finish off a south Tillamook trip.

Shark Tunnel!!!

After saying goodbye to Grandma Kitty, we headed for a place the kids have been talking about for over a year: the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, specifically the shark tunnel at the aquarium.

Sofia watching a Sturgeon.

More Shark Fun.

A great tidepool tank, with anemones and abalone, starfish and sea cucumbers.

Up Close to a Green Moray Eel.

Colin exploring the shipwreck exhibit.

Pacific Sea Nettles, one of my favorite exhibits along with the huge jellyfish tank.

We enjoyed our visit immensely. Sofia loved seeing the Octopus, which was out and swimming around. Otis and Colin pick the sharks as their favorite, especially the big Sevengill Shark.

After dinner we checked into our hotel near Nye Beach, a big favorite of ours and an adventure in itself. We'll post more about that tomorrow. Here's one of the kids all time favorite parks, near the Newport Performing Arts Center and just a couple blocks from our hotel. Check out the slide coming out of the shipwreck:

Oh yes, the kids wore themselves out running back up that hill over and over.

Lots of fun spinny things.

More spinning fun.

And finally, back to our hotel to wind down with a friendly game of Mastermind.

Can you tell where we are?

Here's a hint:

Mother's Day Wineries Tour - Oregon Wine Tours

Dayton, OR:
Last weekend, for an early Mother's Day celebration, Patrick treated his mom, Ruth, and I to a wine tasting tour of four wineries. His dad Martin also joined in. This was a big gift from Patrick as he volunteered to be the designated driver. It was the perfect day for a drive through the country-side, warm and sunny. Little did we know what absolutely beautiful scenery we would see. A big huge thank you to Ron Burke at Oregon Wine Tours! He put this amazing itinerary together for us. We enjoyed every moment!

Starting the tour at Stoller Vineyards:

Pinot Noir Rose, just right for summer refreshment.

First of all, the property is wonderful. There is a large grassy area with tables and chairs for picnics and across a field, a beautiful oak tree with a tire swing. For about 10 seconds I wished we had brought the kids.

This swing was in constant use.

Cheese and crackers, a must for an extended wine tasting trip!

Secondly, the wine was fabulous. We took home several bottles from here, including their yummy 2014 Dundee Hills Chardonnay.

Finally, it's as environmentally friendly as wine making gets. In 2006, Stoller Vineyards became the first vineyard in the United States to receive LEEDS certification, achieving the rare gold level certification. A big CHEERS to the Stoller Family for their efforts in sustainability!

The next stop on our tour was Domain Drouhin, which starts impressing you the moment you drive onto the property.

On the drive into Domain Drouhin.

"French Soul. Oregon Soil."

The view from the deck behind Domain Drouhin is breathtaking. You can see mountains in the distance over rolling hills filled with vineyards and wildflowers. Also breathtaking, the 2013 Dundee Hills red blend alone is worth the trip.

If you visit, make sure to take a trip to the restroom, which leads right through wine barrels and processing room.

Martin, Ruth and Liz on the deck at Domain Drouhin.

Next up on our tour was Winters Hill Estate Winery. At Winters Hill we had the opportunity to talk to Russel Gladhart (winemaker) and Emily Gladhart, who founded the winery along with Peter Gladhart in 1990. She planted the first fields of vines. It was such a treat to get to talk to these knowledgeable people. The wine was some of our groups favorite of the trip.

A little help from Olympic Provisions (salami) and New Seasons (seasoned hazelnuts and almonds) to make it a truly Oregon experience.

Designated driver, getting a kick out of the conversation.

Durant Vineyards made up our last wine tasting of the day and included an olive oil tasting as well at the neighboring Red Ridge Farms. We were lucky to find some chairs open in the shade of a grand old tree.

Durant Vineyards.

A beautiful seating area on the property. Just down these stairs are rows of lavender, not flowering yet, but definitely worth a drive to see later in the year.

We topped off the afternoon with dinner at Subterra in Newberg.

Unfortunately we didn't put their wine cellar to the test because we were quite sated at that point, but the food was delectable. I'm still thinking about the pork and leeks meal I had.

Oh My.

A couple more pictures from the day:

Martin and Patrick in the Stoller Vineyards tasting room.

Patrick, Martin and Ruth at Durant Vineyards, with Red Ridge Farms in the background.

Jackson Bottom Wetlands

Hillsboro, OR:

It's been a while since we visited the wetlands and we were pleasantly surprised by how much work has been done on it. The grounds near the educational center are gorgeous, overflowing with native flowers and trees. The air is filled with birds and we saw many interesting critters on our walk through part of the property.

One of my favorites, a Great Blue Heron, hunting in the pond.

California Poppies

Along the Kingfisher Marsh loop we saw numerous white silken tents, home of the Western Tent Caterpillar larvae. (Thank you Mona Rentz for your help identifying these!) As you can see, many of the caterpillars have grown big enough to leave the tent and forage on their own.

Western Tent Caterpillar Tent

We weren't able to hike all the way around the pond because there is an Osprey nest on the south shore. You can see it from the far shore and it has several Osprey eggs. Osprey sometimes abandon their nest if disturbed so the trail is closed about half-way around the pond.

Pintail Pond Hike

Flowers near Education Center

Just behind the Center there are several birdhouses, a small pond, a seating area surrounded by wildflowers and behives for native bees.

Small pond

Seating area behind Education Center

Wild Roses along Pintail Pond

There is a small room full of educational wildlife exhibits that is open from 10 - 4pm, as well as a small gift shop. The star of the show is a huge eagle nest that was transported in from the wild. The kids enjoyed the exhibits, although it only took about 15-20 minutes to give it a good look.

An animal tracks exhibit unlike any other we've seen.

Osprey Nest

Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens

Woodland, WA - Hulda Klager was a remarkable woman who had an eye for plants and flowers. She had a vision for what could be, and, inspired by the work of Luther Burbank and others, she began hybridizing the flowers in her yard, including lilacs and even a bigger, tastier, easier to peel apple. She created many new varieties of lilacs and became known in her community as the "Lilac Lady".

Hulda overcame a number of obstacles throughout her career, including the death of her husband Frank, and a flood which wiped out all of her plants and shrubs when she was 83. Fortunately, a lifetime of generosity in sharing her plantings was rewarded when members of the community were able to help her recover and rebuild her beautiful garden.

Moskvy (Krasavistsa)

After Hulda's death in 1960, the people who owned the 4.5 acre property weren't able to maintain it. It was sold and marked to be bulldozed to make room for an industrial site. The Woodland Federated Garden Club sprang into action, forming the Hulda Klager Lilac Society, a non-profit organization, and obtaining the deed to the property and raising money to purchase the house. The gardens and home are now a national landmark.*

Nadezhda

Water Tower Under Repair

We had a wonderful visit to the gardens. They are maintained by volunteers and charge a small fee for admission. They also sell lilac plants. Sofia is interested in hybridizing and she would like to create her own variety of fruit, so I was not surprised to find her walking through the gardens with one of the gardeners, learning about how lilacs are grown.

Beauty around every corner!

There are trees, bushes and plants of many different kinds around the property. Many of the flower beds just look like a fairy could be found nearby.

Photo by Joanna Fenner.

*I found the information for this post in Where Lilas Still Bloom by Jane Kirkpatrick and on the Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens website: www.lilacgardens.com