Silver Falls, A State Park Jewel - Mon., June 15, 2015

Early morning wake up call today to get ready for a 13k (8 mile) hike in Silver Falls State Park. This is the first official walk of the American Volkssport Association Convention being held in Salem, Oregon this week.

My driving start time from Mom's house was 6:30 a.m. to make it to the park by 8:00 a.m. The morning was sunny and clear with light traffic on I-5. Once off the interstate and state highway 22, the landscape changed. I traded Texas palm trees, live oak, cactus and mesquite trees for Christmas tree farms, grass-seed farms, foothills, Douglas fir trees, and a state park with 11 waterfalls.

Darren and Susan, Mike and Cathy (also from Texas) met me at Silver Falls State Park. We joined the line waiting to sign in at 8:00 a.m.

Volksmarch start point for the Silver Falls walk/hike

Because I had pre-registered and paid a couple of months ago, I had a walk start card already prepared with all my walks for the week listed on it. Each time I go to a walk this week, I'm already signed up so my number just gets checked off the list at the beginning of the walk. Susan and Darren did not sign up early, so they had to wait in line and pay.

Mike, Cathy, Darren, Susan and I started the walk together. After the first waterfall, Mike and Cathy told us we didn't need to wait for them, so the three of us took off at our medium-to-fast pace.

South Falls 177'

Darren had never been to Silver Falls State Park before. (Susan and I hiked it in 2014.) The three of us loved the coolness of the morning, the beauty of the forest, the sound of the water as we followed the Canyon Trail, and the bird sounds all around us. I didn't stop to take too many photos today because we were moving right along.

Our next waterfall was down 185 stairs, but still on the main path, so we didn't have to go back up them. We'd be climbing out of the canyon farther down the trail. Lower South Falls did not have near the volume of water going over it as it did last year.

Lower South Falls 93' in 2015

We also hiked past Lower North Falls (30'), took a short side trip up to Double Falls (178'), Drake Falls (27'), Middle North Falls (106'), Twin Falls (31'), North Falls (136'), and Upper North Falls (65').

North Falls

The Trail of Ten Falls goes behind North Falls

After North Falls is the climb out of the Canyon Trail. At the top, we would have the checkpoint for our walk.

Stairs out of the canyon

At the checkpoint, volunteers manned a booth and checked us in. The local club volunteers were the Albany Fitness Walkers. Boy did they have a spread for us: brownies, chocolate chip cookies, grapes, watermelon, hard candy, and another type of cookie. Very good checkpoint. There was also a restroom at the North Falls parking lot, so we made use of that as well.

From the checkpoint, we had the option to add 1k to our 12k walk by hiking the easy, flat trail to Upper North Falls. We did it and had a very easy stroll out and back to Upper North Falls.

Upper North Falls

We conned someone into taking our photo -
me, Susan M. and Darren M.

From Upper North Falls we took the Rim Trail back along the top of the canyon. We didn't see Winter Falls because we were at the top of it and you couldn't see it unless you hiked down a steep trail. We didn't want to add any more up and down hills at that point. Soon we were back at the start point where we had our Volksmarch books stamped. It was a little after 11 a.m. We had hiked 8 miles in three hours, 15 minutes!!

There was a hot dog lunch for $5 at the finish. We opted to eat there and had a hot dog, chips, Famous Amos Cookies, grapes and lemonade. That tastes so good when you're really hungry!

Susan and Darren waited for Mike and Cathy to return from the hike (as they were riding with them back to Salem). I went to Salem to pick up my convention packet, then to Lake Oswego to pick up a copy of my car insurance card. (I left mine in my car in Texas.)

I returned to Mom's house about 3 p.m. That night for dinner she made turkey meatballs with gravy, mashed yams, and asparagus. I am not going hungry on this vacation. Good thing I'll be walking so much.

Tomorrow will be a Volksmarch in Vancouver, Washington. We will be meeting there at 9 a.m. Looking forward to it. The weather will be cooler tomorrow.

Travel Bug out.

2S2G* - Trail of Ten Waterfalls - Day 6, Wed., June 18

*2S2G = Two Susans to Go

Early to rise this morning. For breakfast I had some of Mom's homemade cinnamon bread (toasted) and a chocolate banana protein smoothie. So scrumptious.

Mom, Susan M. and I headed out at 8:45 a.m. to do a 6K (3.7 mi.) Volksmarch in Sherwood, Oregon. Susan M. calls it "the Sherwood forest" walk. The paved trail meanders through the woods along a wetland between housing developments, but you feel like you're out in the forest.

Mom (with bakery box in hand) and me in Sherwood

Two Susans on the trail in Sherwood.

At the halfway point of the walk, we stopped at Sweet Story Bakery in Sherwood to buy some delectable bars. Mom and I chose raspberry-peach and Susan opted for plain raspberry. We had a couple of bites, but Susan and I saved ours for our 12K (7.3 mi) hike at Silver Falls State Park.

We then took Mom grocery shopping at her favorite grocery store where she can buy organic produce and grass-fed or free range meats. She also wanted to try oat milk. Did you know you can buy cashew milk, hemp milk, and a whole variety of other milks? We found out you can.

Mom and Susan M. checking out the produce

After we dropped mom off at her house with the bounty of groceries, we unloaded all of our travel belongings in her house and hit the highway on our way to Silverton, Oregon where we signed in for the Silver Falls Trail of Ten Falls Volksmarch. (NOTE: We didn't want to leave everything in the car while we hiked for hours.)

Mom's gorgeous lilies.

At Silver Falls State Park, we hopped out of the car, geared up with our hiking poles, hats, hiking boots, sunglasses, sunscreen, and bakery goods then headed out on the trail. What a gorgeous day! Sunshine with a slight breeze filled the canyon at the park. Even though we hiked 7.4 miles with ups and downs, we were in the shade a majority of the time so we didn't get too hot. At the end of the day, we saw the temperature was 83 degrees.

Here are our photos of this lovely park and the Trail of Ten Falls.

Susan behind South Falls (177')

Click to enlarge the following photo to see people walking behind the falls. That will give you some idea how large Lower South Falls is!

Lower South Falls (93') with trail behind it.

Lower North Falls (30')

Double Falls (178')

Drake Falls (27')

Middle North Falls (106')

Susan on the sun-dappled trail.

Huge, moss-covered trees by the trail.

Yellow monkey flower, cousin to the snapdragon

Wild blackberries encroaching on the trail!

North Falls (136')

The natural grotto behind North Falls

Susan savoring her raspberry bar while looking out at
North Falls.

North Falls from the grotto.

Underside of maidenhair ferns.

Rocky stairs to go up from North Falls.

Upper North Falls.

Susan happy because our 12K is almost finished.

What a wonderful hike. I highly recommend this Trail of Ten Falls to anyone who loves walking or hiking. There are stairs, and ups and downs on the trail, but with time and rest, you will be richly rewarded for the effort. Best time of year to go: May or early June when the falls are at their peak.

We visited Mom briefly to re-load all our gear and eat some left-overs from the day before. Believe me when I say, we do not pack light! I think we thought of just about everything!

Our drive to the motel for our next five nights took 45 minutes. Rush hour was over in downtown Portland! Woo hoo.

When we arrived at the motel, we used two of the wheeled carts to haul all our stuff up to the room. I think we each made two trips! That's a lot of stuff.

Then we turned in for the night to be ready for the Columbia Gorge Biennial Classic Volksmarching weekend which starts tomorrow.

Travel Bug out.

The Oregon Garden - Fri., Sept. 27

Major rainstorms with wind are predicted for Oregon. It was supposed to start tonight. Guess what? The rain and wind kicked up on our way south to The Oregon Garden in Silverton. As we drove south from Tigard, the rain decreased. By the time we got to the garden, we had wind and a few sprinkles. That was about to change.

We used my Groupon for half-price admission for four people ($22) which was pretty good. As soon as our hands were stamped to prove we paid, the docent in the visitor center said, "A tram should be arriving right about now." The 25-minute tram tour is included in the admission.

Sure enough, as soon as we walked out to the tram stop, a tram arrived. The tram is open air, but has plastic "windows" that can be rolled down to provide protection from wind and rain. Mom and Jan rolled their windows down, but I wanted to take photos and so did the lady next to me. We left our window up. There wasn't any rain, but the wind was chilly. 

Mom and Jan before they rolled their "window" down.

The tram.

The garden is 120 acres, 80 acres are developed. Water for the garden is provided by twice-filtered water reclaimed from the sewage treatment plant. In order to meet water-quality standards, the water has to be cooled as it is too warm as it comes from the treatment plant. The first area the tram took us through was the wetlands. A number of ponds were created so the water could flow from pond to pond, thus cooling it.

Here is a photo log of our tram tour:

Conifer garden

White oak savannah

The large tree on the left in the photo below is a protected signature oak, one of the oldest on earth.

400-year-old Signature Oak, an Oregon Heritage Tree.

I call these "wizard" trees.

Still lots of color in the garden!

Beautiful plant - don't know what it is.

Willamette Valley Ponderosa Pine.

The trees in the following photo are poplars. These are planted as a crop and can grow eight feet in one year. Their bark is ground up, mixed with water and used to create pressboard, cardboard and high-quality paper. This is a great renewable resource.

Poplars

Ooh...weird plant.

The "living" sea serpent made with succulents/sedums.

Jan, Mom, Mike in the Conifer Garden.

I love all the different greens in these conifers.

A few weeks ago, the tree below was hit by lightning. The garden is leaving it as it is to show the power and destructive force of Mother Nature.

Tree struck by lightning.

One of the reflecting pools. I'm reflecting on autumn.

Our tram driver spent quite a bit of time talking about the Oregon Garden Resort next to The Oregon Garden. All stays include free admission to The Oregon Garden and you can walk from the resort, through a gate, and be at a tram stop or on a trail to take you into the garden.

We finished our tram tour, then walked through part of the garden. As we were walking up to the reflecting pools, I started to have a vertigo attack and became very dizzy. My sister had me sit down on the rock wall that goes around the reflecting pool. I closed my eyes and stayed very still for a couple of minutes. Luckily the episode passed and we continued on.

It was lunch time, so we walked up the path to The Oregon Garden Resort to have lunch in their dining room. (Most lunches are under $10.) What a lovely place to have lunch. The view overlooks the gardens and the Willamette Valley. Today was not the best day to enjoy the view because the rains came while we were eating. The clouds lowered giving limited views.

We walked through here to The Oregon Garden Resort for lunch.

Front door of the Oregon Garden Resort.

In October, The Oregon Garden is having an event called "Scarecrows in the Garden." The resort is getting in on the fun and created these two lovely scarecrows.

Scarecrows at the Resort.

After our healthy lunch, we headed out to wait for the tram to take us back to the visitor center. Picture if you will, strong, gusty winds and driving rain. We have ten minutes to wait for the tram in the gazebo. The gazebo has no walls. Mom and Jan went up to the covered patio to wait. Mike and I kept an eye out for the tram from the gazebo. Brr. Four chilled people boarded the tram. Thankfully, all the "windows" were rolled down and zipped up. So ended our day at The Oregon Garden.

Back at Mom's by early afternoon, we decided to watch a DVD called "Evening" that we had checked out from the library. The cover description sounded pretty good with an all-star cast: Meryl Streep, Vanessa Redgrave, Toni Collette, Claire Danes, Hugh Dancy, and Glenn Close. It's supposed to be about the power of the past and the unbreakable bonds between mothers and daughters, family, and the loves of their lives. Our recommendation: don't bother. We didn't finish watching it. About half-way through Mom and Jan stopped watching to finish dinner preparations. It was a weird, boring movie.

For dinner we had dark turkey meat that had been in the slow cooker all day, broccoli, mashed yams, and cranberry sauce. Such a good meal for a cold, wet day. For dessert, Mom made peach crisp from peaches we bought in the orchard yesterday.

Jan took off after dinner to go to a singles social at church. Mike, Mom and I played Rummikub. Mike headed home about 8 p.m. At 9 p.m., Mom and I watched Shark Tank, which we absolutely love.

In all the driving we've been doing the past couple of days, we have seen many RVs out and about...many heading south, but some probably heading out for the start of hunting season. I'm thinking they've been hearing the weather forecast and decided to skedaddle out of here. 

Plans for us to go to the coast tomorrow are off. Weather maps are showing red, there are weather alerts on TV about heavy rain, with wind gusts up to 60 mph, and possible flooding. No way do I want to drive two hours out and two hours back in that kind of weather.

Instead, Mike and I are going to see "The Grandmaster" in downtown Portland. Enjoy your weekend.

Travel Bug out.