New Year's Eve Day - December 31, 2015 - Niagara Falls and Pheasant Falls

I had read about a hike that sounded just perfect for our extended families - not too far away from Portland, scenic, short hike of just a mile (one way) to two beautiful waterfalls, and...the bonus... the route included travel along the beach and a trip for ice cream at - yes - Tillamook Chese Factory.

A map study showed that there are two ways to get to the area.  One is "overland" in that you access the road up into the mountains from the area where Grandpa Lund lived, by Cove Orchard.  The other access was one that required actually driving to the beach to a little town called Beaver.  There were also written directions saying turn left and turn right.  We decided to try the second route - seemed safer.

The initial difficulty was negotiating the traffic in and around Tualatin and environs.  The major second difficulty was needing a rest stop and choosing, unwisely, a small mini mart with one unisex bathroom with rows and rows of candy and chips and cookies and pop tempting all the small children and quite a few older children too.

On our way again.  Dad and I enjoyed the drive, mainly because it was the way we used to go to the beach when we lived in Newberg.  We were constantly saying, "Oh, look at that!"  When nearly to the beach we turned north on Hwy 101 and had gone quite a ways when it became apparent that we were not at the beach..not even near the beach..no waves in sight at all.  Now, the description I had given to the mothers in the group was that the hike was at the beach..not exactly correct, and I soon discovered that the "beach" was what attracted them to the event.  I guess I was thinking of the hike.

We got to Hebo where the USFS Ranger Station is located.  I wanted to stop and get a map....and our first foreboding of the rest of the day became clear.  The parking lot, situated on a sloping hill, was covered with packed snow.  All of our vehicles did just fine - except one Honda Odessey, but with the help of confident brothers, we were on our way again.

Perfect driving directions took us into the back country up picturesque logging roads that were......read this in hushed tones..covered with packed snow in many places.  We passed tree limbs which had fallen onto the road - thank you again confident brothers for removing the limbs.  There were a few other minor obstacles, but never mind.

Finally we got to the trail head and the pictures can begin.

Parking lot preparations - dressing children, throwing snow stuff, running and sliding

Either Eric didn't like the baby back pack or the pink snow hat.

And now the trail

Niagara Falls in the distance

Pheasant Falls

Great hike.  Back to the cars.  Just a few tiny issues with packed snow on road but, once again,  confident brothers solved the problem.

Back to the beach - not exactly...back to Hwy 101 - and on to ice cream heaven.

And then home to a frolicking New Year's celebration at Jessica's.

Journeying to the Holy Land .......at Donaldson Park -

Christmas Eve, 2015, we traveled to the Holy Land at Donaldson Park to witness a live nativity scene and experience vicariously the biblical story recounting the birth of Christ

Here is Mary arriving in Jerusalem riding on the back of a Ryonkey

Mary and Joseph gazing lovingly at baby Jesus

Mary contemplating her future with a newborn baby and the challenges she will face

Two shepards have come to pay homage to the Savior

A very serious Shepard tending to his camel, making sure the camel doesn't stampede

The smallest Shepard seems to be beguiled by the ways of a modern world

Three Wise Men arrived at the stable bearing gifts for the baby Jesus - a small golden container in their up turned palm contains, perhaps exotic spices from Penze, and in their other hand a coveted iPhone

to give to the baby.

A final photograph of the sacred location.  You can see that Angels had come too.

Next year we will relive the occasion.

Journey to the Polar Regions - December 19, 2015

On December 19, 2015 the Grays, and Scotts, and Louthans, and the T&A Grays headed north to explore the polar region and seek out Santa Claus in the North Pole.  Traveling by train, which we fondly called the Polar Express (I think that officially it was called the Holiday Express), we departed from the train station at Oaks Park and headed north.  

The following photographs document the train travel (similar to that on the Siberian Express) and the initial meeting with Santa and his associates.

Eric checking for travel documents

Yes, documents in order.  Passengers allowed to proceed.

Yes - Santa does indeed reside at the North Pole

After the journey most of us walked to the engine to examine it's reliability and personally experience the intensity of the train's whistle ....and the billowing steam emitted during that whistle.

The train was appropriately decorated for the season.  Next year we might try the Siberian Express seeking Father Christmas.

Trip to The Dalles and Beacon Rock - November11-12, 2015

Dad and I decided to take Camille, Tyler, and Shelby on a camper trip.  The plan was to go to the Discovery Museum in The Dalles, spend the night somewhere, and then hike Beacon Rock the next day.

Yep - here are the three adventurers in the back seat.  I think I see a slight smile on Shelby's face so they might not really be sleeping..

Here we are at the museum.  Ate lunch in the camper and the kids acted goofy.

The museum is a really good one - everything you ever wanted to know about dinosaurs, the ice age, volcanoes.....blah blah.  Great displays showing the construction of the Columbia River Scenic Highway - I think I saw some pictures of my parents in an old car parked by a big tree.  And, don't forget the history of Wasco County - bet you don't even know where Wasco county is.  In its heyday, Wasco County was the sheep capitol of the west.  Oh - there are great displays of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

The best part was the fact that the museum catered to children - noisy children.  Each child was given a sheaf of papers with photographs of displays in the museum.  Their goal was to find each display, check it off, return to the front desk, and claim their reward (which turned out to be little glass blown animal figures).

There was a place where the kids could load a boat with a pioneer family's possessions in such a manner that it wouldn't capsize in the Columbia.

You can see Tylers's masterful plan to keep the boat upright - a small block under the boat.

Well groomed pioneer children

... And modern Oregon children posing for their families

Dad and I wanted to go the the Columbia Hills State Park which is on the Washington side of the river and east of The Dalles.  On the internet it seems like an interesting place.  There are Indian pictographs that you can walk to - only if you have previously made an appointment for a ranger guided tour.

What we apparently failed to discover, on the Internet, is that the park is closed in the winter.  We still tried to find the entrance, but the signs must have been removed because we found ourselves on the high hills that you can see from the interstate highway - the ones you always look at and wonder, "what is up there?" Well - it is hills and more hills. 

We gave up trying to find the park - especially since we were pretty sure it is on the shores of the Columbia River.  So we turned around - with difficulty - and headed out to find Koberg State Park where we were going to park for the night.  I had a nice dinner planned that was mostly cooked and that I could just heat up on the stove.  But I calculated the time to get to Koberg Park and added the cooking time - and Dad and I chose the easier path

Got to Koberg Park, (didn't have to eat dinner), baked cookies, played Rummicube and Memory, tucked kids in and lights out.

Koberg Park is on the banks of the Columbia.  It is also an Indian tribal access area. The area used to be a fancy recreation site for the people of  Hood River and The Dalles.  There was a swimming beach, a dance hall, and other stuff that people in the early 1900's would have liked to do.

Now there is a quiet beach

Time to head for Beacon Rock

When we got to Beacon Rock, the kids asked, "how do we get to the top" - because you can't see the trail from the parking area.  I told them we had to climb hand over hand to get to the top.  There were a few worried eyes and trembling lips until we got to the trail

Up the trail they ran leaving Dad and me in the dust (ummm mist)

Great views on the way up.  The kids got there first.  I told them that when I was little I went to the top of Beacon R twice with my family.  The first time my brother and I hid a dime under a rick.  Couldn't find the dime when we went back at a later time - we hid a button then.  We couldn't find the button either.

Great views going up and coming down.

Everyone down safely.  Time to go home.  What is the best way to end a day up the Gorge?