Happy Caturday!

Sorry folks the caturday post was a little late today but we were out enjoying the Oregon Coast and doing some research for an upcoming post...so stayed tuned for that!!

Happy Caturday!

Take a Hike!

No, not you. But that is exactly what we did a few weeks ago. We decided to start taking advantage of some of the free outdoor activities that are so abundant in and around the Portland area. For our first hike we decided to try the Tualatin Hills Nature Park for two reasons. 1) it was listed as a beginner hike in "100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon & Southwest Washington" and 2) the park is a short light rail ride from our home. There are several trails throughout the 219 acre nature park and in two hours we were able to walk quite a few of the trails. We walked among some extremely tall trees and ancient looking large ferns. There was a small creek or stream, and a pretty nice sized lily pond. The park was not without wildlife; we spotted a couple woodpeckers, half a dozen chipmunks, a couple of snakes, and a very cute little squirrel enjoying his (or her) lunch. For the most part I like nature but if the nature is comprised of a spider dangling over the pathway I discovered I'm not such a big fan. You will be happy to know that I conjured my courage and was able to continue along the path. We easily spent a couple of hours wondering around the park and taking in all the naturey nature. There were a few trails we didn't explore and we plan to head back again soon. Below you will find some more pictures of our nature outing including one of that cute little squirrel.

Mt. Hood, Portland's Mascot

Do you like volcanoes? I do! Believe it or not, Mt. Hood is a dormant volcano east of Portland. Based on the United States Geological Survey (USGS), Mt. Hood last erupted in 1865. Other interesting facts about Mt. Hood can be found here. Mt. Hood is the highest peak in Oregon, reaching an elevation over 11,000 feet. This fine mountain is also home to 12 glaciers.

I'm writing about Mt. Hood today because I had the chance to snap a few photos of it... from the air! We started our decent into PDX, and when we broke through the clouds, there it was. We don't get to see Mt. Hood every day because it can easily get obscured by clouds. But the days we can see it, the view does not disappoint.

The Shins

Sorry we haven't posted in a while, but we were busy writing a blog post for another blog. So if you want to read our blog post about The Shins, please visit Salad Days Music.