Astoria

 Last week we went swimming at the bay with some friends in Astoria.  Even though the images didn't stitch together quite right for the panorama, you get the picture.

Snapped this lovely sunset walking back to Sarah and Gordon's place from town.

Book Reading

We’ve been spending time in Astoria and Portland the past week, helping Sarah and Gordon move into their new place, and we caught a really cool event in Astoria the other night.  Gordon called us from work to tell us that Ken Babbs was doing a reading at the coffee shop that shares the lobby of the hotel he works at.  Ken Babbs is one of the infamous Merry Pranksters; if you’re not familiar they were the group of revolving around Ken Kesey who are the subject of Tom Wolfe’s “Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test,” the movers and shakers of 60s subculture.  It was  really interesting and a little surreal to meet someone who was a character in a book I’ve read.  The readings that he did from his book were great: colorful and captivating.  It’s based on his experiences flying helicopters for the USMC in Vietnam, written in 1962 before his days of psychedelic bus trips (but just published recently).  It was great to hear something on that time period from a first person perspective, written with a sense of humor and lightness that makes a heavy subject a little more digestable.  Astoria seems to get some really cool things in the way of music, speakers, etc. for being a fairly small place.

Also, this came in the mail the other day, and I thought you all might like to see it.

XOXOXO

Tree Climbing

Today I was feeling a little less under the weather and I decided to go catch the second half of the tree climbing class that our/Sarah's friend Josh is teaching (the one that Seth went to yesterday).  It was at Shively Park, which is at the top of the hill in Astoria.  Tree climbing has a lot in common with rock climbing in the way of gear, knots, techniques, etc. so some of it was really easy to pick up.  Basically, you use something heavy to sling a rope over a sturdy branch (or, in our case, someone more experienced has already been up the tree and set an anchor way up there) and then you climb on a fixed single rope.  You have one line that connects your harness to the rope above you and one line that connects a foot loop to the rope, and you basically shimmy up it by moving one at a time: sitting in your harness while you slide up the foot loop and then standing up in it so that you can slide your harness line up.  Then repeat.  A lot.  Once you get up to the branches you can climb within them by a different method, where you have two slings attached to branches around you, moving them up to other branches one at a time with you as you climb (this way one is always connecting you to a sturdy branch).  It was tons of fun, and I'm really looking forward to getting to climb again with Josh.  He hasn't done much rock climbing but is interested so it should be a cool set of skills to swap.  No pictures, just having a great weekend and thought I would fill you all in!

Hood River and Mt. Hood

Last week, in between spending time in Portland, we followed the Columbia further east to Hood River, which is kind of the gateway to the Mt. Hood area. Along the way we stopped to check out the swaths of waterfalls that speckle the gorge east of Portland.  They were beautiful, but mostly too crowded to stay and enjoy for long.  Hood River is a cool little town, and we stopped in to visit one of their multiple micro-breweries before we headed up into the mountains to camp.  It feels like a little slice of Colorado dropped right in the middle of Oregon.  It's super sunny there and the town has that iconic Western look to it, with big blocky brick buildings lining the streets.  

We also stopped in at an outdoor store to chat up some locals and get some info one where the best camping is.  The guy we talked to gave pretty sparse detail on the place he sent us to, saying simply, "It's really pretty up there."  Heading up from Hood River, the hillsides are covered with orchards, and views of Mt. Hood reveal themselves as you turn around the hills.  My apologies for the rearview mirror cameo in this photo.  It can be hard to take pictures from a moving vehicle!

When we found the campsite that the guy at the kayak shop had recommended to us, it was indeed pretty, and free to boot.  This is our campsite there; it was mostly an equestrian site with trails for horses and mountain bikes, but I think we might have enjoyed it more on foot.  When we got out for a serious hike our second day there we discovered that "pretty" had been an immense understatement.  Coming up to a ridge, we found views of Mt. Hood towering above us, St. Helens, Rainier, even the Cascades, and some other snow capped peak (which I have yet to identify) laid out before us.  Unfortunately, the sun was in full force that day, making my camera totally inept at capturing the view (sun-baked ice comes out more than a little washed out without the time and a tripod to pick it up).  Other parts of trails there were lovely too.

There were all sorts of wildflowers along the trails (and along most of the roads we drove).

I now understand why Oregon is the "Pine State." I think I've seen more
pine trees this past week than the rest of my life combined.

I promise this raven was more impressive in real life (mostly bigger).
It was darn hard to take a photo of too!

It was beautiful weather while we were there, sunny the whole time.  Seth started to come down with a cold, so we retreated back to civilization.  We stopped in Portland for a few days, and helped our friend/Sarah's roommate Gordon move some things from his apartment there to he and Sarah's new place in Astoria.  Seth is recovering from the cold and is at a big tree climbing class today, and I'm taking it easy as I'm (of course) just getting the cold.  More soon! XOXO

Driving back through the Columbia River Gorge

Down the Coast (Part 2 of 2)

Bethany Beach

That night we split a campsite with Michael at Bethany Beach and walked a short trail out to the ocean before dinner.  The trees there seem to have all grown on the stumps of much older, bigger trees that have mostly rotten away, leaving impossible looking archways of branches in some places. 

We had a really great conversation with Michael around the campfire that night.  He also rock climbs, and we talked about places to climb in Oregon and Washington, and Seth and I heartily recommended that he visit Maine if he gets the chance.  The degree that he just finished is in Human Ecology, and we had some great discussions about consciously reexamining the way in which we as people interact with and exist in the world around us.  In general, I am noticing more people in this part of the country who are interested developing a more local, sustainable economy and in learning and sharing skills that facilitate the freedom and self-sufficiency of individuals and communities. 

Another point on which Michael and I connected was our desire to still share our lives with family members who sometimes struggle to wrap their heads around what in the heck we’re doing.  I realize that sometimes I’m not great about this: about expressing what I’m thinking and why.  I see a lot of things in the world that don’t make sense to me.  It doesn’t make sense to send our money to Hong Kong or New York instead of to our neighbors.  It doesn’t make sense to grow food that depends of the annual purchase of chemicals or genetically modified seeds.  It doesn’t make sense to have a population that, by and large, does not have the skills to shelter, clothe, and feed itself.

So, this is the type of stuff that I’m thinking about and trying to work on in my life.  I know that sometimes my approach must seem to you idealistic and unrealistic, or misguided, but mostly I am trying to live up to my own interpretation of those most important things that I got from you guys as a kid: that you should intelligently consider your actions and their full impact, that you should do unto others as you would have them do unto you, that you should use your power and intellect not only to benefit yourself, but to improve the world and the lives of others around you.  Ultimately, I don’t feel like what I’m doing is much different than what anyone else is doing:  I try to enjoy my life as much as possible while still feeling good about myself and my place in the world.  I know that my way of doing this sometimes runs counter to many of your own thoughts on the world, but you raised a confidant and headstrong individual who trusts her own intellect and instinct, and maybe our not always understanding one another is the downside of that.  But like I said, I’m thinking that I can at least keep the lines of communication a little more open, and that’s a start.

But back to the important stuff (the pretty pictures, that is).  

Newport

The next morning we took Michael a little further down the coast to Newport, which was our Southern terminus.  

We hung out in town a little before parting ways, checking out seagulls and some massive and intricate tree stump sculptures, and finally wishing Michael luck for his next ride.  

Hebo Lake

That night Seth and I departed from the coast and camped up at Hebo Lake campground, where yet another bald eagle swooped overhead as we pulled up to the little mountainside lake.  Almost everyone else there was there to fish, which was actually really nice.  We got this secluded little camp spot at the back of the loop and didn’t encounter another soul on the hiking trail there.  

The forest was heavy with moss; luckily we had absolutely beautiful weather the first full day that we were there and everywhere sunlight broke through the leaves.  As we climbed, the trees changed as we encountered the bizarre and beautiful regularity of an intentionally reforested landscape.  Eventually we came upon this lovely little meadow, where we had a rest and a snack and where a couple of hummingbirds whirred regularly past our heads, but eluded my camera.

When we woke up the next day it was rain and the promise of more rain…  We found ourselves back in Astoria that night, just in time to catch the tail end of a weekend long music festival that an acquaintance there had organized.  I had a really good chat just before we left with Iris, one of the technical co-owners of the Blue Scorcher, about some projects that she’s looking for some help with, for example making reusable bread bags for the bakery (a thought that I had, coincidentally, been tossing around since visiting another bakery in Manzanita earlier that week).  She also taught weaving for a number of years and sounded really interested in teaching me how to use her loom;  I’m really looking forward to getting together next time we are in Astoria.  Our stop in Astoria was brief this time; we left last week to give our friend (and Sarah’s soon to be roommate) Gordon a lift back to Portland, where we have been hanging out the past couple of days and also getting a chance to visit my friend Ashley from Temple who now lives here.  On Saturday, Seth and I went and explored Forest Park, on the edge of the city, which had legitimate (though busy) hiking trails and an enormous arboretum.

Today we are headed further east yet, out to the Mt. Hood area, where I hope to spend a good chunk of time and to hide out somewhere fairly unpopular for the upcoming holiday weekend.  I’ll let you know (and see) how it is!

All of my love to all of you!

Alyssa

Home Sweet Home (on wheels) and Our First Trip Down the Coast (part 1 of 2)

Fort Stevens

The first place that we camped along the coast is just barely outside of Astoria. Unfortunately, it was raining when we started our walk down to the beach and I left the camera behind in the car. As we walked down the nearly empty shore past an old shipwreck that looms, rusting and half buried in the sand, we saw two large birds perched in some driftwood. As we approached we confirmed what both of us thought but were a little surprised by: they were bald eagles. They allowed us to walk quite close before they took off in turn and glided over our heads and out to sea. This sad little photo of Seth checking out the map in our dinky camp spot is all I have from this stop, but like I said, it's just outside of Astoria... I'm sure we'll return.

As we headed down the coast along 101, stunning spruce covered cliffs and beaches popped through the mist. There are viewpoints on the side of the road constantly, and it was hard not to stop at every one.

Nehalem Bay

In Nehalem Bay we camped below low bushy trees separated from the beach by grassy dunes.

These yellow flowers line most of highway 101 in Northern Oregon like a wedding chapel. In one direction is a long jetty that we walked out to past piles of driftwood, spotting two more bald eagles along the way. The next day we discovered that we could walk up the beach in the other direction to Manzanita, the little town that we had passed on the way in, where we then discovered that almost everything there is closed on Tuesday. But no matter, the pub was open, where we were able to grab a couple of veggie burgers and pitcher for Seth’s birthday, and outside without getting rained on to boot.

While we were having our lunch, a college-aged kid that I had seen out on 101 wandered in with his “Going South!” sign still in hand. We chatted with him for a few about the beer selection and food, and then about our respective trips south, and by the time we left we had picked up our first hitchhiker. “We’re not going far or fast,” we told him, “but you’re welcome to ride along with us as long as you like when we head out tomorrow morning.” The next morning Michael met us at our campsite bright and early, tossed his pack in the back, and we were all on our way.

Pacific City

That day we came upon this looming rock formation out in the water and pulled off into the public beach parking where several groups of surfers were hauling their boards out to the sand to catch the modest waves that were rolling in. As we ambled out onto the beach and took in the scene, Seth and I realized that we had inadvertently stumbled upon a recommended destination. Before we left, Sarah's friend Lenny had told us, "When you get to Pacific City, there's a beach, and to the right is a huge dune." "You have to climb that dune," he said with a look of loaded mischief.

We did climb that dune, and the photos from the top pretty much speak for themselves...

A little further down the road we were compelled to stop again. To the right in the first photo you can see Michael, our hitchhiker, hanging out by the fence.

The colorful coves along the coast here reminded me of watching The Little Mermaid as a kid and wishing that I could visit the mermaid's lagoon.

That night we stopped at Bethany Beach and shared a campfire and some great conversation with Michael. He's a college student from Seattle heading down to San Francisco to visit his brother (I hope he's made it or is very close by now!). But, I think I'll save the second half of our trip for another post, which I'll try to put together for tomorrow. Hope you all enjoy the photos and the stories; there will be many many more to come!

We have (sort of) arrived...

Well, here we are, in Astoria. Our move went well: our friends in Seattle, Caz and Kendall, took a little road trip to drive Seth and I and all of our stuff down here. After Tetrising everything into Kendall’s Civic, Seth and I smooshed ourselves into the back seat with everything for the 4 hour drive down, which luckily went off without a hitch. It was a fun little trip, and I feel really relieved to be here and to be on the way to figuring out what our lives will hold for the near future.

On that note, I’m really excited about our prospects here. The most likely option is Sarah’s friend Cecily, who lives on 14 acres with her family. She’s working to farm more and more of it, and to put together housing so that she can host volunteers (like the farms that Sarah stayed on while travelling). It sounds like we have a lot of the same interests, and like helping Cecily with some of her projects might be a great opportunity for Seth and I to explore food cultivation and progressive/sustainable building techniques before we commit to doing anything permanent for ourselves, while helping someone else out at the same time. So it looks like tomorrow or Tuesday we’ll go out and check it out for ourselves, talk to Cecily about the particulars of our living there, and decide whether it sounds like a good arrangement for everybody. It certainly sounds promising…

That’s about it at the moment; we’re mostly hanging out, meeting all of Sarah’s 8 million friends, and trying to steady our reeling minds and get used to what’s going on. More on where we’ll be living as soon as I figure it out!