Green Line First Ride

June 30th was a proud day for my colleagues at TriMet. The newest MAX light rail line, the Green Line, gave its first ride for dignitaries and those of us that had worked on the project. We boarded a set of brand new train cars at PSU bound for our destination - Clackamas Town Center!

The train rounds a corner, heading for the Glisan ramp of the Steel Bridge. The passengers cheered as we cleared the switch onto the bridge.



Upon our arrival at the Clackamas Town Center Station, I posed for a photo with the new type 4 MAX light rail train. I give these trains, and the Green Line, a big "thumbs-up!"

View of the Clackamas Town Center platform from the top story of the new parking garage.

A crowd gathers to celebrate the completion of a great transit project. There were speeches from politicians, and lots of smiles. It was a proud moment for all of us who had worked on this project.

Detroit Lake Camping Trip

During the second week of June, Roger had an unpaid furlough at work. We decided to make the best of it, so I took a couple of days of vacation from my job, and we went camping during the week. We chose to spend our time at Detroit Lake, near Salem. Usually on weekends, this lake is a zoo, but during the week we found it to be fairly calm. Don't get me wrong, there were still people around, but it wasn't total chaos! We got lucky and nabbed a nice lakeside campsite.

It's nice when the most noise you get is from the wildlife. In this case, we were awakened each morning by the loud quacking of ducks. There are tons of ducks at Detroit Lake, and they are not shy about scavenging for food around the campground! Roger said it was the first time he's ever been woke up by a duck.

Roger relaxes after dinner at our campsite.

In addition to the ducks, there were also lots of geese hanging out on the lake. We saw lots of goslings. The goslings were really cute. I got lucky when a flock of geese came searching for food right next to our campsite. I was ready with my camera and captured this photo of a goose family.




Roger fired up the boat, and we motored around the lake the next morning. Roger got out the fishing pole and tried his luck. I kept my eye on the fish finder, both for water depth and fish. But there were not many fish to be found in Detroit Lake that day. It was disappointing in a lake of this size that there were not more fish.

We did get in good hike that day. We hiked up to Pamelia Lake. It was an easy 2 miles to the lake. We were going to hike further, but found the trail under water from snowmelt! Oh well, we headed back to our camp for dinner.




It had been kind of cloudy all day. We knew there was a great view of Mt. Jefferson at the east end of Detroit Lake. The mountain had been teasing us all day, giving up occasional glimpses of its base. Then, right before sunset, the mountain started to come out from behind the clouds. The alpenglow was timed perfectly with the retreat of the clouds, and we got a nice show. All within view of our campsite!

The following day, Roger dropped me at the Tumble Ridge trailhead, which was a short distance from the lake. While Roger tried to fish and pack up camp, I hiked up a really, really steep trail. After three miles of climbing I was beginning to wonder it it was really worth all this work. Then I came to a clearing, and before my eyes was a drop-dead view of Mt. Jefferson. After many clicks of the camera, I hiked up even farther, past a huge field of trilliums, to a birds-eye view of Detroit Lake and a view of Mt. Washington and the Three Sisters. I was happy that all of my efforts had been rewarded.

Roger said he'd pick me up a the trailhead at 1:00. So I had to hustle to get down the trail in time. But - talk about perfect timing - just as I was approaching the trailhead, Roger was pulling into the parking lot. I jumped into the suburban, took off my hat, and a big tick fell off onto my lap! I quickly threw the little bugger out the window, and Roger and I spent the rest of the two-hour drive home anxiously checking out every little itch and tickle on our bodies! Luckily, that was the only tick to be found that day.

It was nice to get away for a couple of days. Hopefully we can do another camping trip again soon before summer passes us by!

The Kids Are Home!

The kids both came home from college last week. Denise finished her first year of college and moved back home for the summer. We now have her stuff spread out all over the house! Roger and I wondered - how could all of this stuff have come out of one small dorm room?

Cody got a summer job in Ashland, so he temporarily moved from Missoula, and stopped by last weekend. It was good to see him, and we're glad he has a job in his field.

Bear was very happy to see his best buddy, Denise.

Cody and Denise missed teasing each other the most!

It was great for Roger, because he had both kids home for Father's day. What more could a dad want? Well, maybe to go fishing and catch a big fish.....

Happy Father's Day to Roger, my Dad, and all the dads out there!

Nick Eaton Ridge Hike

Last Sunday I took a hike up to Nick Eaton Ridge, which is located near the town of Cascade Locks, in the Columbia River Gorge. My good friends Debbie and Barry accompanied me on the hike, as well as my dog Bear.



The first flowers we saw on the trail were these beautiful tiger lillies. I could not resist taking out my camera to capture their vivid orange colors.




Bear and I take a quick rest break from the endless climbing. This trail gains almost 1900' of elevation in two miles. A good cardio workout, especially if you're carrying a heavy backpack! Of course Bear scampered up the trail like it was nothing - having four legs helps, I think. I need to get Bear one of those doggy backpacks, so he can carry his own food and water (and poop bags!)




Debbie and Barry humor me and pose for a photo while taking a water and snack break.

This is the view we had from near the top of the ridge. We could see the Columbia River, the Bonneville Dam, and the Bridge of the Gods. And this is on a cloudy day. I'm sure the view is even better with clear skies and sunshine.

This is Bear, my super-cute doggy, striking a pose amidst the wildflowers. Bear loves to hike just as much as I do. He's a great trail companion.

The funny story from this hike - Debbie, Barry and I were at a trail junction, ready to head back down. Debbie had to answer the call of nature. She said "I'll go over down this trail, there's nobody around here, no one will see me." She walked away, and a minute later, Barry and I heard her talking to someone! After a couple of minutes of hearing a conversation, down the trail walks Cloudy - someone we know and have hiked with. After hardly seeing a soul all day, we run into someone we know! Cloudy joined us for the hike back down and then we all headed to McMenamin's Edgefield for some burgers and beer.

All in all, a great hike. Total elevation gain - about 3000 feet. Total mileage - about 10 miles. I was tired that evening, but it was a good kind of tired!

Wind Farm Tour

I have always loved windmills. Growing up in South Dakota, there were many old farms that had windmills as part of their operation. Driving across the state, I spotted lots of them - a very scenic part of the landscape. Whenever I could convince whoever was driving to pull over, I'd photograph the old windmills.

When I had an opportunity to tour a modern wind farm, I jumped on the chance. Our local APWA chapter (American Public Works Association) sponsored a trip to a large wind farm in the eastern end of the Columbia River Gorge. The tour even fell on my flex Friday off - so I knew it was meant to be!

The wind farm is managed by Portland General Electric (PGE), our local electric utility company. PGE has been building windmills in the eastern end of the Gorge for several years. On my frequent trips to Missoula, Montana over the last four years, I've noticed more and more windmills popping up in north-central Oregon. Just this spring when my family was driving east on I-84, we discovered there were lots more windmills dotting the hillsides than we'd ever seen before.




It is truly amazing how many windmills there are south of Biggs, Oregon. The farmer's fields are dotted with windmills as far as the eye can see! There were hundreds, no, probably thousands, of these elegant turbines spinning in the wind.

So last Friday morning, I found myself on a bus with about 20 other APWA members on our way to Bigelow Canyon Wind Farm. After winding our way on the local roads east of Biggs and Wasco, Oregon we arrived at our destination. Steve Higgins, PGE's project Manager for the wind farm was our host. Steve patiently answered our group's many questions, toured us around the site, and showed us the maintenance facilities. But the highlight of the tour came when we actually got to walk underneath a live operating windmill!

Here's my attempt at a photograph of the windmill, looking up from near the base. It's very hard to fit it all in a camera lens. Made me wish I'd brought my wider-angle lens! It was funny to watch the other folks in our group try and photograph the windmill from this angle. I must admit, I tipped my head back so far trying to capture the windmill, that my hard hat fell off my head!

This photo shows several windmills under construction. You can see the crane used to lift the parts of the windmill into place. There were dozens of windmills under various stages of construction at this location. The interesting thing about this photo is that you can almost make out Mt. Hood through the clouds. This would be a great photo op on a clear day.

While we were hanging out at the maintenance facility, eating our lunch, a large truck arrived delivering a part of a windmill tower. The sheer size of these windmill components is much more apparent when you are standing right next to them.

At the maintenance facility PGE had erected an old windmill. It was a beauty! I think this photo is great, because it shows both old and new windmill technology.

Here's our whole group gathered under one of the windmill towers. It gives you a good perspective of the size of these wind turbines. We were told the tower itself is 80 meters tall. The blade at its lowest point is about 45 meters off of the ground.

What a great way to spend a day! I learned a lot about windmills, saw a different part of Oregon that I didn't know existed and took lots of photos. It was exciting to experience something that not everyone gets to see. Thanks to Steve from PGE and Nanci from APWA for making this tour possible.

Dog Mountain Hike

Last Sunday I did my yearly hike up Dog Mountain. Dog Mountain is located on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge, and it is known for its beautiful wildflower meadows. The flowers are usually at their peak by the end of May. I try to make it up to the top of Dog Mountain every year to see the flowers.

The weather forecast was for a hot day, so I got up early and arrived at the trailhead by 7 am. It was great! Only 5 other cars in the parking lot. I was mostly by myself as I climbed up the steep, steep trail. (Two of the trails that will lead you to the top are signed "difficult" and "more difficult.")


I stopped for a photo break at "puppy point" which is about half way up to the summit. Above is my view from this vantage. You can see the yellow-tinged hills above - that yellow is all flowers.

After huffing and puffing my way up the trail (it gets murderously steep in parts!) I arrived at the wildflower meadows of the Dog Mtn. summit. I pulled out my camera, and went to work!

The photo to the right is Wind Mtn. and the Columbia River as viewed from near Dog Mtn. summit.

The most common flower up here is the balsamroot. This flower looks a lot like a sunflower, but smaller. They grow like crazy in the gorge, and especially on Dog Mtn. Dog Mountain's upper slopes are mostly treeless, which provides lots of sun - perfect for the flowers! The meadows look like someone took a yellow paintbrush to them, but it all balsamroot flowers.

Here's a couple of flower pals that caught my eye (and my camera lens!)

Balsamroot are not the only flowers that bloom in Dog Mtn's meadows. There is also Indian Paintbrush, Lupine, Phlox, and many other flowers that I don't know the name of. It's times like these that I wish I had Cody with me - he could name them all! This variety of flowers makes for a beautiful riot of color.

I discovered the largest Indian Paintbrush bloom that I have ever seen (see orange flower in the above photo). It must have been as big as a golf ball.

After taking lots of photos and enjoying the views and great weather, it was time to head back down. I encountered lots of people heading up the trail on my way down, and was glad I started my hike as early as I did. When I arrived back at the parking lot, it was overflowing with cars! There were parked cars lining the road in both directions. A warm, sunny day in early June brings the crowds to Dog Mountain. But with such natural beauty, who can blame them?

Memorial Day Camping Trip

Over Memorial Day weekend, Roger, Bear and I met my brother Dale and his family at the Cove Palisades State Park in Central Oregon for a long weekend of camping. This is turning into an annual event - this was our third year in row that we've camped at this state park during Memorial Day weekend. We've been lucky and have been able to reserve the same camping spot all three times.

Dale's boys, Max and JJ, love camping and had great fun toasting marshmallows for s'mores every night. They also had fun climbing on the rocks around our campsite, and doing a little fishing.






Dale's dog Domino licks JJ's face to clean up the s'more leftovers!





Roger the Lumberjack!

Roger shows off his catch of the day.

We played lots of bocci games - this is also a Memorial Day weekend tradition!








Cap'n Roger at the helm of his boat!





Roger and I went for a long boat ride on Lake Billy Chinook. This lake is set in deep, scenic canyons. Springtime is especially beautiful because everything is green and the flowers are blooming.

We couldn't have asked for better weather. It was clear, sunny and warm all weekend. That doesn't happen often on Memorial Day weekend in Oregon!

Lake Billy Chinook view from the top of the Tam-a-Lau hiking trail.

Nancy and the boys joined me for a hike to the top of the mesa on the Tam-a-Lau trail. From the top of the mesa, you see a panorama of Cascade mountain peaks. It is a wonderful sight.

Nancy, Max, JJ, and T-Bone with Mt. Jefferson in the background.

Hiking back down the trail with two of the Three Sisters mountains in view.







Beautiful Balsamroot flower found blooming on the side of the trail.

We had a great time. It was good to spend time with Dale and his family. Roger caught lots of fish (but no photographic evidence!) I got to take a couple of hikes up the mesa, and took tons of photos. The boys fished and rock climbed. We all brushed up on our bocci skills. The dogs got lots of play time, and Bear slept all the way back home.

We're already planning for the fourth annual Memorial Day campout next year!