Okay, Last week I said that would be the last post in the Winter Activity series I spontaneously started earlier this year. But this week brought some new experiences! Last Wednesday my husband and I got to try axe-throwing with some of my coworkers. It was fun! We went to Oregon Axe in Springfield, in the Booth Kelly Center. I had no idea what the Booth Kelly Center was. It’s an old mill site that’s been converted into a cool hipster artisan collective. Check it out here: https://www.boothkellymakers.org/

If you haven’t been axe-throwing yet, it’s kind of like darts but with real axes. Chris was definitely better than me at it. We’ll credit his pizza-dough rolling skills. But in my defense, I was paired up in competition with my awesome boss! Not intimidating at all! Just kidding. I’m sure I threw my best. I got in a few good throws that stuck, and my boss got in a good few more. But a couple of my colleagues were amazing at it. The staff there were trying to recruit them for leagues!

So that was Chris’ and my new activity for the week. On Saturday, our kids got one. We took our kids up to the mountains to play in the snow. Only our 10 year old had gone sledding before (while visiting my at my apartment right after a good snowstorm last year, and we walked to a nearby park with a great sledding hill). They loved it! And ate it! A lot! The younger kids were miserable at times with cold and bruises (the 6 year old went flying off a ramp that no one could see and bumped his knee). But they rallied and loved the experience overall. The older ones loved the ramps. And they all loved the speed. “Best roller coaster ever!”

We met up with my friends from Central Oregon there at the Santiam Sno-Park, which has great steep hills for fast sledding. Then all split up to eat and met back together at Belknap Hot Springs to soak in the hot pools. We knew that would make our kids happy, because they loved that place last summer. And it was a great way to get warmed up after the snow.

On the way home, we stopped for pizza at Takoda’s in Rainbow (yes, that’s a town foothills of the Cascades). I’d been in there but never actually eaten there. It was great! Fantastic friendly service, lots of fun souvenirs and things to buy or look at, and even pizza topped with the same pepperoni that Joey’s Pizza uses. Chris told the staff that he works at Joey’s and asked about it, and they not only confirmed which pepperoni it is, but said they call it “Joey’s Pepperoni”! They love Joey’s Pizza! I guess Joey’s has a sister restaurant up in the mountains! They also had great soup and a decent salad bar. They do not, to our 6 year old’s disappointment, have French Fries and hamburgers in their salad bar. But it was good.

We’ve just been relaxing at home for the rest of the holiday weekend. What have you all been doing with yours? Happy Presidents Day!

Okay, this post will be a bit all over the place. But I’ll try to tie it all together for you. Because I discovered some fun things to do around here, just in time for Oregon’s birthday/Valentine’s Day!

With the sunshine last weekend, I finally got to try out the new trails on the west end of the Thurston Hills Recreation Area. They kicked my butt! But were worth it. I’d been missing all the trails in the Ridgeline Trails system that I used to live close to in my little South Eugene apartment. So I was glad to discover awesome new trails here in Springfield! The trek I did is not for the faint of heart or feet, and I don’t recommend taking young kids on it. Chris and I have taken kids up the trails on the NE end of the park, reached from Main Street before, but we didn’t go far enough to reach any summits or views that time. So I was excited for the new trails with views.

This end of the Thurston trail system starts near Quartz Park off Bob Straub Parkway. For a while, the Lower Camas Crest Trail (or the “Cervus Road” path, which I took for the way up) winds up through wild fields that glowed golden in the winter sun. Then you have to walk on the Cervus Road through mossy deciduous trees staggered with sunshine for a while, which is very rocky and fairly steep. I highly recommend very comfortable thick-soled hiking boots. Eventually you reach the Basalt Rim Trail, which starts out near a huge outcrop of basalt columns and cliffs. Here you get into dense evergreens and have the option of taking a bonus loop, the Cascadian Thumb Trail. This offers great views between the trees, and leads to a great (but scary) viewpoint on top of a cliff. Continuing on the Basalt Rim Trail offers shade and views from the bottom of the cliffs. I completed the loop at the top by taking the Upper Camas Crest Trail, and then returned on the Cervus Road and Lower Camas Crest Trail. All in all, I think it was about 4 miles. A great workout on a sunny winter day!

For Valentine’s Day, Chris and I decided to eat out a day early on Monday, and try somewhere new. Old Nick’s is epic! It’s a fantasy-themed pub in the Whiteaker neighborhood. The decor is fantastic (chandeliers with owls hanging from them among other things), but the best part is the menu. With dishes inspired by and named after things from fantasy novels and great artwork to decorate it, it’s a feast for both the eyes and the mouth. I had the Tavern Stew, which was amazing. They were out of many items because of recent events held there, so I did not get to drink Butterbeer. But my tea came in a cauldron-shaped mug. So fun!

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, it snowed this morning! Our kids had fun playing outside during the 2-hour delay before school. For the upcoming holiday weekend, we plan to take the kids up to the mountains to play in the snow with friends. We feel so blessed to live in such a great state! What are your favorite places in Oregon, or places you’d like to see? If you don’t know, today (Valentine’s Day) is the anniversary of Oregon’s statehood. Not only is it beautiful, but also relatively safe. As I watch the news of devastating storms and cold, earthquakes, wars, and famines, I feel very privileged to live where I do. And as I write this, I’m reflecting on what I can do to help those in need. Valentine’s Day is a special day to show love to others. What ways do you do this? And speaking of showing love, I have to give a shout out to my little 6-year-old stepson. Last weekend at Dairy Queen, he sneaked up to the counter to turn in his kids meal’s free ice cream ticket to score me an ice cream. So sweet! I love my kind husband and his 5 adorable drama llamas.

Please leave a comment below if you’re willing, with your favorite places in Oregon or things you’re doing to show love to people around you (or far away). Or your favorite winter activity, since this will probably be my last post in this spontaneous series. Happy Valentine’s Day, and Happy Birthday Oregon!

It’s been a pretty cold, wet winter lately. For the holiday weekend recently we hoped to go play in the snow, but the weather looked a little much for us to traverse up there. So we relaxed around the house, swam at the wave pool (okay, the kids did, they couldn’t find all their swimsuits so the 12-year-old borrowed mine), and our 6-year-old hiked Mt. Pisgah with me during a misty break in the rain.

This current weekend is a little less rainy but still pretty cold, so we’ve mostly bummed around the house again, daydreaming of what we could do in the summer. The 6yo was watching YouTube videos about video games on his Switch, when I noticed the next video come on. Mario Kart at Enchanted Forest!

We all watched the video on the TV together. It was great! A cute story of some teens racing go-carts, in character from the game (and complete with silly jokes based on it), with owning the Enchanted Forest as the prize. This theme park was unanimously the kids’ favorite place we went to last summer. If you haven’t been there, it’s basically Oregon’s own adorably podunk version of Disneyland. They’ve worked on it a lot in recent years to make it even nicer. Our kids had a blast. And if you’ve read my posts from last summer, you’ll remember that Chris proposed to me there! We love it. The kids frequently ask if we can go to it again (like that day). Sorry kids, it’s only open in the warmer months. But this video helped us look forward to summer.

The kids that made the video went all out on props and costumes and go-carts to race around the park. We found out later that this family of teens is from Oregon but moved to L.A., and they’ve been in TV shows and movies. But we just liked watching one of our favorite games played out in live action at our favorite place! Now we just need to convince Nintendo to make an Enchanted Forest track for Mario Kart. I love the tracks they have for famous cities like Berlin and London. When you’re stuck at home staying warm in the winter, Mario Kart is a fun way to deal with the cabin fever.

Here’s the link to the video. Enjoy the story and daydreaming about summer fun!

It’s time for a quick post about one of my favorite activities: eating!

It’s a new year, and I’m determined to post more often about great places to go, near and far, now that I’m not teaching anymore and busy season at my new job is over. I’m very late on my annual Christmas hike. But I have gotten to try some good local food places lately. People in the area or traveling through may want to check them out!

But first, a link to someone else’s travel blog regarding food. That Oregon Life just wrote about the restaurant my husband helps his uncle run! Yay for Joey’s Pizza! Not all the details are completely correct, according to hubs. But the author gets the spirit of Joey’s right. And I agree regarding which pizza is the best there. There’s a great picture of the Simpson’s mural on it. Springfield, Oregon is full of Simpson’s murals, and Joey’s is not left out! You’ll have to go inside in order to see the big mural my husband painted, though. (Spoiler alert, it’s supposed to be the Three Sisters mountains, but due to his google search at the time, it ended up being Canada’s Three Sisters mountains! Don’t worry, I’ve taken him to see Oregon’s Three Sisters several times now so he knows what they look like. And he promises to paint a tiny mountie on it someday.)

Here’s the link: https://thatoregonlife.com/2023/01/joeys-pizza-springfield/

Now for food we’ve tried recently. On Friday night, Chris had his parents pick up the kids so we could have a date. We went to Pig & Turnip, a German food restaurant in Eugene that previously had a counter at Springfield’s Public House eateries. (Side note: the Public House is one of my favorite places to visit in Springfield, even without Pig & Turnip.) It was delicious! And reasonably priced, which is a miracle these days. Chris ate the Schnitzel and Spaetzle, and I had the grilled cheese sandwich (rye bread stuffed with cheese fondue and caramelized onions) and the hot German potatoes. So. Dang. Good!

Tonight we tried the food of a couple Mexican cuisine restaurants. I finally remembered to turn in the catering trays to Qdoba from my job (sometimes we get their food catered to us at lunch for different events). And evidently you get a free meal when you do that. Sweet! Qdoba is in the University area of town. Parking was a bit hairy, but the burrito they made for me was huge! They do it kind of like Chipotle Grill where you get to choose your toppings at the counter. I took that home for Chris. But I also stopped on the way home at Los Faroles Taqueria in Springfield. I drive by it on my way home from work and always look at it longingly. It did not disappoint! I got food for the kids and me, so we had Mexican food in abundance for all of us. (A little too much abundance, but that’s another story.) The shredded beef on the nachos was moist and rich. My ceviche tostada and fish taco were delicious. Chris said his chicken burrito was great, and it actually filled him up, which is quite a feat these days food being more expensive and restaurants understandably cutting costs.

If you’re like me and don’t have much time for travel right now, take a trip to some delicious restaurants in the area. Or travel here to experience them! Why not? My friend Andrea got to visit Oregon from Colorado this fall, and we took her to Roaring Rapids Pizza (so the kids could play), Joey’s Pizza, the Public House, and Sweet Life Patisserie. No hikes or sightseeing, aside from mural tours by car and driving up the buttes. That’s what you get for visiting Oregon in the rainy autumn. Lots of food! Good food! And video games with our kids.

Happy eating, and other winter sports!

Merry Christmas! You’re probably all with me in feeling like I can’t believe Christmas is already here. I’m excited! But exhausted!

My last post covered some major events and adventures of the first half of the year and part of summer. The biggest one being getting engaged. Since then, we’ve had a few more adventures, and don’t worry, we got married! We’re all adjusting to the new normal of being a family (even Arwen the Adorable cat), but more on that later. First an update of our adventures. With photos at the bottom. Feel free to skim to them if you don’t have time to read.

The biggest trip of the summer after my last post was to Oregon’s other “crater lakes”: Newberry Crater / Paulina Mountains, part of Newberry National Volcanic Monument. The national monument it sits in was our kids’ first park in the national park system. They loved it! After driving southeast to Salt Creek Falls and the other side of the Cascade mountains, we got our travel journals stamped at the park’s visitor’s center and hiked to Paulina Falls. Then we drove to the top of Paulina Peak to see the two lakes separated by a cinder cone and the swirly patterns of the Big Obsidian Flow. Next we hiked over the Big Obsidian Flow, marveling at the shiny glass rocks. Our last adventure in that area was descending into a lava tube cave, the kids’ first cave ever and Chris’ first lava tube cave. They all loved it! Except our youngest got some “lava kisses” from going too fast, and he decided to head back to the entrance. Dinner was comfort food at Cracker Barrell in Bend. We capped off the night by stargazing at the Dee Wright Observatory on the old McKenzie Pass.

My next adventure was with just our oldest girl. She and I met up with my adopted goddaughter and her husband on the southeast side of Mt. Hood for a hike to Elk Meadow. It was spectacular! Wildflowers galore with Mt. Hood looking down on them. It was a bit hairy to get there, though. We had to cross a raging creek on a log and thought we’d gotten lost after hiking longer than we thought it would take. But we got there, and were so glad. After hiking, I took my now stepdaughter to explore historic Timberline Lodge, and we got dinner at a rustic restaurant in the Welches area on the way back.

The rest of the summer was busy with wedding preparations and other summer fun. Chris and I took the kids to the Scandinavian Festival for their first time, my mom and brother and I took the kids to putt-putt and pizza, my new coworkers all headed to my old work site at the military school to volunteer for a day to get school ready for the kids, and friends and relatives held bridal showers and bachelorette parties and helped me make wedding decorations.

The wedding was great fun! We’re so grateful to everyone who helped, and especially to our friend who hosted the entire wedding at his property. He’s hosted a few weddings there for friends, but says we’re the first ones to use his treehouse as the backdrop. But it’s just so epic! My bridesmaids and flower girl and I hid in the treehouse before the wedding, and instead of marching through a gap in the audience, our processional took us across a swinging bridge. Because… why not? All my husband’s kids were in it as either junior bridesmaids, flower girl, or ringbearer. Close friends and family members were part of the wedding, too (I think my brother loved his “perch” in the treehouse to run the sound from, and he did great at deejaying the reception). Instead of a unity candle or sand, we had a Lego castle, and during the ceremony we all put mini-figs we’d made of ourselves on it. Most of our church and many relatives and friends helped with the wedding in one way or another. And we were so blessed by everyone who came. Even the Burger King Gang made it! All in all it was a fantastic day, with our only regret that we didn’t get to spend time with everyone who came.

Our honeymoon was a blast. We had booked a cabin in the Wallowa Mountains, but there was a lot of wildfire smoke there, so we canceled. We spent a couple days with friends in Madras as a base, exploring four state parks with epic views: Smith Rock (no we did not hike Misery Ridge but walked along the Crooked River), Peter Skene Ogden Wayside (where we watched people bungee jump), Cove Palisades (we watched the sunset on the rock formations), and White River Falls (Chris’ favorite of them because of the ruins of an old hydroelectric plant). Then we drove up to the Gorge where we enjoyed exploring the waterfalls and the beautiful grounds at the Columbia Gorge Hotel. The sternwheeler ride started in Cascade Locks and reminded us of the Jungle Cruise at Disneyland with its funny commentary from the captain, but with better scenery. Chris really enjoys old dams and hydroelectric plants, so we checked out the Bonneville Dam and museum. We also enjoyed visiting a beautiful Italian-style vineyard/winery in the area. On our last day, we headed home by going around Mt. Hood. From Hood River, we stopped at the Draper Girls Farm, which had a rope swing with beautiful views of Mt. Hood, delicious cider, and lots of treats for sale. Then we hiked to Oregon’s other Sahalie Falls (we in Lane County are used to visiting Sahalie Falls in the McKenzie River area). We had to climb down tree roots to the grotto with the falls, but we had the place to ourselves. Very romantic! Lastly we ate dinner at Timberline Lodge and watched the clouds roll in, signaling the end of our very summery late September honeymoon.

Then busy season at my new job went into full swing. All summer our youngest would ask “What’s on your fun list next, Jessie?” But as autumn went by, he asked it less and less as the weekends filled up with me working. It was a bit sad. I wondered if the kids felt like they’d been given a bait-and-switch busy stressed stepmom for the fun one. But we managed to find some time for fun family adventures here and there. We got a sunny day for a fall farm visit to the Northern Lights farm, where we ran around the corn maze, sipped hot cider, and ate freshly made doughnuts and elote. And then got hailed on during the hay ride to the pumpkin patch. It was marble-sized hail! But we were okay, and our oldest thought it was awesome. We made it to hike Spencer’s Butte one night after work, and reached the summit right at sunset. Right after Halloween we went to a Ducks v. Beavers women’s soccer game with our pastor and his family. Best of all: my old roommate Andrea came to visit on her road trip. She and I lived together for a year in Central Asia, and now she teaches in Turkey. The kids loved entertaining her while I worked in the evenings, and I got to show her a bit of Eugene and Springfield, including the Public House eateries and Sweet Life Patisserie. (Hey, when it’s raining here in the Willamette Valley, all there is to do for fun is eat delicious stuff!)

The holiday season has been a nice time of doing fun things around town and visiting with family. A few weeks ago we took the kids bouldering at Elevation Bouldering Gym, which they loved. Future rock climbers! We watched the military school march by in the Springfield Christmas Parade that weekend, too. Chris and I each took a vacation day last week and drove the kids north to explore the German/Swiss-themed town of Mt. Angel with my stepsister and her son, and held baby goats and painted sweatshirts at her house in Hubbard. We got to see all of our parents and siblings for Christmas in the last couple days. We’re grateful for the weather being decent for that, and are praying for the people across the continent that are facing severe winter weather conditions and lack of electricity. We are also praying for people around the world that are facing war, oppression, famine, and other traumatic conditions. Reading the news breaks my heart, but I do it so I don’t grow calloused. This time of year we hear the phrase “Peace on Earth” but so easily get distracted by our own lives that we can forget that others have difficulties far beyond ours. Please join us in praying and reflecting on what we can do to help others around the world.

Now to get a bit more personal, something I don’t do very often on here. But I started this blog when I was working in schools, and I now have a very different life. So this is a bit about the journey that my new family and I have been experiencing during this time of transition.

I’ll be honest: it’s been hard sometimes. My teacher training and experience has been invaluable. But stepping in to mother five children ages 6-14 has been tough. I make mistakes all the time. And most parents get to know their kids slowly, starting with one, while I’ve been learning the needs and personalities of all of them all at once. Fortunately I’d already bonded with them all before the wedding. But it’s still hard, now that I’m in their lives daily. And finding time to spend with their dad on top of that is difficult. They’re almost all night owls like their dad and grandparents, so by the time they’re all in bed, I’m ready to sleep, too. I feel like I’ve traded the constant nagging feeling that I have papers to grade for the constant nagging feeling that I need to do somebody’s laundry. And an interesting thing we all miss in this transition: my apartment in South Eugene. I knew that my cat Arwen and I would miss it, but didn’t realize the kids would miss visiting it. Our youngest wishes I could have kept it. For a vacation home, I guess! I miss being so close to hills and hiking trails, but there are some perks to where I now live in Springfield.

But we’re getting by. Chris is supportive and helpful (and is a great cook). Arwen has actually been very helpful for the kids in this transition. When they get stressed by each other or by me holding them accountable, it calms them to pet her. (And they use her as an excuse for everything, to hilarious results; I wish I had a nickel for every time they say “But she’s just so pretty!”). As for Arwen, she’s always been a skittish, shy cat, but she’s getting used to having 5 human siblings that fuss over her. She especially loves getting brushed a lot more often than I ever did. Busy season is almost over, so my evenings and weekends have been reclaimed. And I’m happy to have only one busy season a year in my new career instead of three of them in my teaching career. I may go back to teaching someday when the kids are older, but for now, I’m grateful for my nice quiet office job in the insurance brokerage industry. We’ve already been planning our new “Fun List” for Oregon and beyond. Our youngest has been drinking warm milk every night out of a tiny mug I got as a kid in Seattle, with a picture of a teddy bear holding the Space Needle, so he’s determined that we need to go there in this new year coming up. Washington road trip here we come! Along with Crater Lake NP, the Wallowas (Chris and I decided that the kids would have been very jealous if we’d gone up the tramway without them, so we don’t feel we missed out by not going there on our honeymoon), Oregon Caves NM, and heck, while we’re that direction, we may as well keep going into California to see the Redwoods. And of course we try to enjoy the little things in life, like playing at the neighborhood parks and watching funny cat videos together.

I’m hoping that in 2023, I’ll have more time to write in more detail about our adventures, and more time to work on my other writing projects. Best of all, more time to spend with my new family. I’m a lucky gal! I get hugs and cuddles from five precious kids, one sweet husband, and one fluffy cat, and I live in a relatively safe place. Here’s to hoping for Peace on Earth to come to places that need it. May the Prince of Peace dwell in our hearts. Merry Christmas (a day late now as I finish this, unless you’re Eastern Orthodox or celebrate all 12 Days of Christmas), and have a great new year!

Hello, friends! It’s time for an update. And when you read through this post, you’ll understand why.

First, I need to let you know that I’ve been trying to fix the categories on my blog this month, and for some reason, most of them disappeared. I can still see them in my account, but not on my actual webpage that you see. So bear with me while I figure that out. Currently, all you can see from the tabs at the top are the “Journeys of Women” posts and the “Uncategorized” posts. I think you can see the rest of them (like the teaching overseas ones) if you scroll through all the posts. Also, I’d like to write more travel-article-type posts of short trips, so keep an eye out for those. I’m summarizing our recent ones in this post.

This summer has been so great in so many ways. If you don’t follow me on Facebook, you may be surprised to learn that I left teaching for now and am working in an insurance brokerage office. I miss having students, but am enjoying the change of pace. However, since I’m working all year now and not getting even the three week break between summer school and the new school year that I had at my last school, I’ve been making the most of my weekends this summer. Namely by doing road trips with my fiancé and his five kids.

What fiancé you say? Okay, so I’m pretty private concerning my romantic life on both my blog and on Facebook. Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up.

Three years ago I met a really nice, nerdy guy named Chris. We became fast friends, and the following year we started dating. It wasn’t the right timing for us to date yet, so we parted ways but stayed friends. The next year we tried dating again, because we realized how much we enjoyed spending time together. But we had some major differences that kept things from working out between us at the time. We stayed friends again, because we just couldn’t not (despite our best efforts to give each other space). This year, we decided that we needed to find a way to be together. We talked and talked, and found common ground to build from and found ways that worked for us both without compromising who we are. I’m so grateful to find a man who loves me fully, and is willing to work on things to make things work! He is sweet, generous, and strong but gentle. A true gentleman. He even wears a top hat (keep reading).

So here we are! Engaged. (More on how that happened later)

But wait, you say. You said something about five kids? Yup, he comes with five adorable sweet goofy kids ages 5-13. Just call me Maria von Trapp (actually, I’d be honored if you called me that; I’ve read her memoirs and the real person was amazing!). They are all so adorable in different ways, from the oldest to the youngest. And great artists like their dad. I’m so excited to have a great husband and kids! I feel so blessed at this second chance in life to have a family.

Speaking of second chances, I got to have a real-time live conversation with my ex-husband last week. It’s been so great to have his friendship again, especially before I remarry. Talk about closure. I’m glad he’s happy in life, too. It’s been 11 years since our divorce, and I’d have liked to be remarried by now, but I’m grateful for the way it worked out.

You’re not getting off that fast by distracting us with your ex, you say. Who is this guy you’re engaged to? Well, his pen name is Professor Popinjay, and his first name is Chris. You can find his humor column in old copies of the recently defunct local newspaper, the Springfield-based Free For All, or join his group page on Facebook if you want some good laughs and deep thoughts.

So how did this “professor of comedy” propose? All right, I’ll tell you. And now I’ll get to those weekend trips this summer that I mentioned earlier. I could write a separate blog about each of them, and maybe I will sometime, but for now I’ll just summarize and show a few fun pictures.

The first big trip we took in July was to the Enchanted Forest. If you haven’t been to Western Oregon, the Enchanted Forest is Oregon’s own adorably podunk version of Disneyland. I grew up going to it with my family and my cousins every summer, and my fiancé went there once as a kid. We were so excited to take his kids there for the first time! And they loved it. Ice Mountain was their favorite ride, and I think the maze-like caves and the Crooked House were their other favorite things to do there. And they were fascinated by the Fantasy Fountains display. But the big finale happened right as the park was closing. Chris pulled me aside in the picturesque European Village (right below the animatronic gossiping English ladies in the 2nd story windows) and asked me to marry him. I was a little distracted because the young kids didn’t know what was happening and were asking to play in Pinocchio’s Playhouse, but I said yes and figured well, that’s probably how our romance will continue to be for the next 10 years or so. Fun and frequently distracted by adorable kids. We left the theme park and ate dinner at my old favorite Méxican restaurant in Salem, La Hacienda Real, and then played for a while at the Riverfront Park. I miss Salem sometimes!

The following Monday was Independence Day, which saw a great time at a church barbeque out in the country at the home of one of our pastors. My mom and stepdad came, too. We’ll be having the wedding there, so Mom was excited to see the epic treehouse we’ll get married in front of! Later we watched fireworks at the driveway of my future in-laws.

The next weekend we took a break from day trips so I could spend time with my cousins. One of the twins was hosting a birthday party for his twin 4-year-olds on Saturday, and on Sunday I went wine tasting at Walnut Ridge vineyard with his twin. I don’t spend nearly enough time with either of them considering how close we live. I’m hoping the change of pace with me working more normal hours now will help that.

The next weekend was back to big day trips. Chris and I took the kids hiking to Iron Mountain at Tombstone Pass, making a clockwise loop by heading up Marcola Road to Sweet Home and then east on Hwy 20 (stopping at the Shortbridge Ghost Town along the way, of course). The Iron Mountain/Cone Peak trails are the best kept secret from Oregonians. Everyone else knows about the area because it was on the cover of an Oregon tour guide book. Two summers ago, my friend Natasha and I did the whole loop hike. It was spectacular, with full meadows of every color of wildflowers all mixed together. This summer with the kids, we just did the Iron Mountain section. We hit the beginning of the wildflower season (all the plants in Western Oregon are two weeks late this summer because of the cold rains late this spring), so the trails had some wildflowers along them but not as many as when I went before. Still beautiful, though. At the top the old fire lookout has been converted to an observation deck, where you can see almost all the big volcanoes of Oregon and even one in Washington. My fiancé’s little boy struggled a bit to make it to the top, saying “This mountain is too big for me.” But he made it, and we ate a picnic lunch. Heading back on our loop road trip, we stopped for ice cream at Clear Lake and ended up renting a rowboat. That was a hard lesson in teamwork, but everyone loved looking down through the crystal clear water. We stopped at Sahalie and Koosah Falls, ate supper at the outdoor Obsidian Grill in McKenzie Bridge with live music (at which the youngest daughter wanted me to dance with her), and got an impromptu free private tour of River Run Gallery in Leaburg. What a magical day! The sad part is the next day I found out my best friend’s mom was dying of cancer. The last time I went to Iron Mountain, I found out my friend Meranda died of cancer. I’m a bit nervous to go again, but I don’t believe in superstition, and it is a beautiful place. Next time I go, I will honor both of their memories.

The next weekend, we did more than a day trip. We went camping! With friends I used to work with at the military school. And their friends. And all 5 of our kids plus their kids. We had campsites on the other side of the river at Belknap Springs, so we lugged our gear out there in wheelbarrows and set up camp. The kids loved swimming in the hot pools and running around the Secret Garden (Little Man did laps around it to burn off excess 5-year-old boy energy), and I loved eating s’mores by the campfire. My friends took Chris and his oldest daughter whitewater rafting on the McKenzie River while I took the rest of the kids hiking to Proxy Falls. We all met up at… guess where… the Obsidian Grill with outdoor live music again! This time the youngest girl danced with her daddy and her little brother and their new little friend that we camped with. I love the McKenzie area. And I’m happy to report that wildflowers and underbrush are popping up below the burnt trees from the wildfires there two years ago, and homes are being rebuilt.

Not to be outdone, the last weekend of July had a beach trip. We drove out to where Chris’ parents were camping, and then headed to North Jetty for some sand and waves. It was nearly 100 degrees in the Valley, but only in the 60s at the coast. The kids had a blast running up dunes and rolling down them, drawing in the wet sand, letting the cold Pacific waves tickle their feet, and playing in a driftwood fort someone had built. Then we ate supper and s’mores at his parents’ campsite with them and his brother.

But with all this summer fun (I haven’t even mentioned weeknight activities like my company party for my office at a baseball game this week) and planning a very quick-turnaround wedding (it’s in September because we’re too old for long engagements), we’re exhausted. So I canceled our plans to go to a family reunion in Washington this weekend so we can stay home to work on things. And clean house. And relax.

What fun, adventurous, or relaxing things are you doing this summer to beat the heat (or embrace it)? Or for my Southern Hemisphere friends, how is winter going? I’d love to hear you all! Please comment below if you are willing. Happy August!

Today is World Refugee Day! And it’s also the observed day for Juneteenth, USA’s newest national holiday (officially yesterday but not observed then since it was Sunday). I didn’t know much about either of these days until recent years, which is surprising given my education and career. But I’m glad to honor them now.

I’m sure you’ve heard about Juneteenth by now, and the event that it commemorates. What I didn’t know was that it started out as church-based celebrations in Texas only a year after freedom for enslaved black people there was proclaimed, and has been going in some form ever since. It spread to other parts of the country thanks to the Great Migration, and Texas officially started recognizing it in 1938. And now it is officially celebrated throughout the country.

Today is also World Refugee Day. I was hoping to go up to Salem tonight for an event hosted by Salem For Refugees at the Riverfront Park, but I got sick. So I’m just writing about it. Obviously we don’t celebrate the fact that there are refugees. This is tragic. But we take the time to honor the experience of refugees and reflect on how we can help them. You can read about the official holiday here: https://www.un.org/en/observances/refugee-day

In the news today is an amazing example of how someone reflected on what he could do for displaced people. Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov is auctioning off his Nobel Peace Prize and donating the money to Unicef to help Ukrainian children displaced by the war. I love hearing stories of Russians doing what they can! You can read more about it here: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-dmitry-muratov-journalists-9a6bb6e61350e1bb8221924c1bfe30a3

Giving money isn’t of course the only thing we can do to help refugees and other displaced peoples, but it is one of the easiest ways to help. Here are some links to places you can donate to:

Based in Oregon: https://www.salemforrefugees.org/ and https://www.mercycorps.org/

United Nations High Commission on Refugees: https://www.unhcr.org/

UNICEF (focuses on children): https://www.unicefusa.org/

And there are many more great organizations out there! Feel free to comment with ones you know about, or with ideas of ways to raise awareness or help in practical ways. Thank you for reading!

And welcome to the 100th post of the Compass Rose Queen!

Whether you’re fairly new to this blog or have been one of my faithful readers for many years (I think there are two of you, and bless you both!), I want to start this post by thanking you for taking the time to read it any time that you have done so. This project started many years ago when the conventional wisdom for aspiring authors was to host a blog so they could have a “platform.” I settled on a theme of writing about the journeys of women. At first, I focused on women (both historical and fictional) who went on some sort of journey. Sometimes I commandeered it to write about my own journeys and sojourns, such as trips I took or living abroad as an international teacher. Other times I’ve used it as a space to write about the female protagonists of my writer friends’ novels. And occasionally I’ve strayed altogether from the theme of the journeys of women. But thank you for travelling this journey with me over the years.

But back to the 2-part series I’m on. (Quick! If you haven’t read yesterday’s post, find it now so you know what I’m talking about). I tried to line up my 100th post with this weekend’s centennial celebration of Oregon State Parks, celebrated yesterday at Sarah Helmick State Recreation Site. Every state park offers the opportunity for a mini-journey to somewhere beautiful or historical, whether you stop to stretch your legs at a state scenic viewpoint or camp at a full state park for a weekend. Some parks are a simple green space, while others offer beautiful beach views, wonderful waterfalls, or other spectacular scenery.

So now I will pay my homage to my favorite state parks in Oregon. I found a list of them, and discovered that I’ve been to at least 34 of them. I’ll just list my top 5 and why I like them, as well as best parks for camping and honorable mentions for waterfalls. Please, in the comments below, tell me about your favorite state parks! Or provincial parks, or county parks, or whatever you have where you live (besides national parks).

Type of park key: SP= State Park, SSV = State Scenic Viewpoint, SRS= State Recreation Site, SRA= State Recreation Area, SNA= State Natural Area, MSP= Memorial State Park, SSC= State Scenic Corridor, SHA= State Heritage Area, SHS= State Heritage Site

Jessie’s Top 10 Favorite State Parks

1. Silver Falls SP: It’s the crown jewel of Oregon State Parks for a reason. With miles of hiking through lush forest in the foothills of the Cascade range, more than 10 substantially-sized waterfalls, including three very tall ones (and some that you can walk behind), it is fantastic. When I lived in Salem, I hiked there at least a few times a year. Also nearby is the Shellburg Falls area, with three beautiful waterfalls to hike to. Other great places to visit nearby are the Oregon Gardens and the German-style village of Mt. Angel.
2. Smith Rock SP and Peter Skene Ogden SSV: Spectacular rock formations in the high desert of Central Oregon rising into the sky above the steep canyon of the Crooked River make Smith Rock my second favorite SP. It has world-class rock climbing routes and both easy and hard hiking trails. Misery Ridge is painfully steep but rewards those at the top with views of nearly every snow-capped volcano in the state. Hike down the other side a little to watch climbers tackle Monkey Face rock. Last time I went there (2021), the nearby Juniper Junction store was closed. It used to have climbing gear and delicious huckleberry ice cream. Fortunately, some neighbor kids down the street sold lemonade in their front yard. And hopefully that was only a temporary closure. Mostly I go hiking there, but once right after college I went rock climbing there with the youth group I volunteered for. The nearby Peter Skene Odgen SSV, accessible from right off the highway, also has great views of the Crooked River Gorge.
3. Heceta Head Lighthouse SSV and Carl G Washburne MSP: These two parks are connected by hiking trails, and make up my favorite stretch of the Oregon Coast. In between them is Hobbit Beach, which I believe is actually on the property of Washburne park, but you get to it from an unmarked pulloff on Hwy 101. In the old days, there were two trails leading down from the parking area, and you could choose between the one that had hobbit-like tunnels made by vegetation or the easier but longer path. Officials have blocked the more adventurous one to reduce the risk of erosion, but the beach is fantastic no matter how you get there. Tidepools, sandstone cliffs to carve your name into, and beach that no one can drive up to are a view of its draws. A newer trail from the same trailhead takes you up onto a cliff and over into the Heceta Head Lighthouse area. You can also get there from the main parking lot (it used to be called Devil’s Elbow State Park. It has a great mini-beach protected by cliffs as well as tours of the lighthouse and the lighthouse-keeper’s house (which is supposedly haunted).
4. Crown Point Vista House SSC and Guy V Talbot SP/Latourell Falls Trailhead: Heading up to the Columbia Gorge, these two parks are close enough to each other to make another double-header. Together, they demonstrate what the Gorge has to offer: breathtaking views of the gorge itself from up high and crazy-tall waterfalls. But they both have more, too. The Vista House is an architectural wonder, a castle-like structure perched on a cliff. Inside offers an espresso stand and gift shop, as well as historical artifacts about the Gorge. Latourell Falls has two waterfalls if you’re willing to hike, but the big one that you can see from the parking lot is surrounded by geometric basalt columns.
5. Fort Rock SNA: This one is newer to me, having only gone there a few years ago. But it quickly became one of my favorites. Every view of it is different and awesome, depending on where you’re standing. From farther back, you can see how it’s a ring left by an ancient volcano. It has more than geologic history, though. The oldest sandals in the world were found near here at Fort Rock Cave. I went with old college roommate and her kids, and we had a blast climbing all over it. It’s in Oregon’s “Outback” area, and has many other epic things to see nearby. I especially loved hiking through Crack-in-the-Ground, a slot canyon formed by volcanic fissure. Seeing the petroglyphs on the rock at Picture Rock Pass was also amazing!

Honorable Mentions:

Wonderful Waterfalls: White River Falls SP in Central Oregon looks like something straight out of a travel magazine. You have to hike a steep and treacherous trail to get the best view, but you can see the gushing semi-circle top tier right from the parking lot. Munson Creek Falls SNS at the coast is tall but difficult to photograph. Bridal Veil Falls SSV in the Columbia Gorge area is beautiful and an easy hike, and the same goes for nearby Shepperd’s Dell SNA.

Beautiful Beaches: Face Rock SSV in Bandon has giant rocks jutting out of the ocean. D River SRS in Lincoln City has endless beach going out from either side of the world’s shortest river. Fort Stevens SP near Astoria has history galore. Seal Rock SRS has fantastic rock formations on the beach that you can climb on. Agate Beach SRS has… you guessed it, agates to collect. Devil’s Punchbowl SP has a giant rock bowl that fills up with ocean water depending on the tide.

State History: State Capitol SP of course has our state capitol building, which is neat to tour or just walk around inside or the grounds. Wolf Creek Inn SHS is an old historic inn which has had guests including Clark Gable (while filming nearby) and Jack London (while writing a book). They preserved Jack London’s little room for people to see. The writer in me was big time nerding out when I saw that! Willamette Mission SP has filbert/hazelnut orchards, the nation’s largest black cottonwood tree, and the site of the 1834 Willamette Mission. Champoeg SHA is where Oregon’s first provisional government was formed in 1843, and is probably the most recent state park that I visited for the first time, when visiting my stepsister who lives nearby.

Great Campsites: Cascadia State Park has small campsites for RVs and tents as well as two group sites with a big field to play in. Families and youth groups also love playing in the river, hiking to Soda Creek Falls, and walking around the historic site of an old resort based on the healing powers of the spring. Cove Palisades SP has epic cliffs all through the reservoir. You can drive to the top of one of them from the city of Madras, and a park host there told me you can rent the clifftop meadow overlooking the dam for weddings for $50! Jessie M. Honeyman MSP, aka Honeyman SP, is also great for families with a pond to paddleboat in, sand dunes to explore and surf, and nearby dunebuggying. LaPine SP has small wood cabins and the nearby Deschutes River for rafting.

I didn’t realize until making the lists above just how many great state parks I’ve experienced here in Oregon. I’ve also enjoyed some in other states. Kudos to Nevada for putting together a Nevada State Parks passport, complete with color photos, that you can fill up with stamps to get a free annual parks pass. What are your favorite state parks?

Hello readers! I hope you had as fun of a day as I did. This post will need to be split in two for a couple reasons.

Today I was hoping to publish my 100th blog post, but was not able to write last night, so tonight’s is only #99. Which means I need to write about Oregon State Parks again tomorrow to line up my 100th post with their 100 year anniversary celebration that was today. Plus, it works out well to split up this theme to two parts. Today I’ll talk about the party we attended, and tomorrow I’ll talk about some of my favorite state parks.

I may be a big national park nerd, but state parks are also near and dear to my heart. The biggest and most impressive of them are like miniature national parks that are often easier and cheaper to get to.

Today Oregon State Parks held a big “birthday” party at Sarah Helmick State Park near Monmouth. 100 years ago, a real pioneer woman named Sarah Helmick donated land to the state, which became our very first state park. She had come to Oregon in the late 1840s, and evidently loved it enough to donate her land to it. (Hey, I managed to tie this to my blog’s theme of the journeys of women! But I couldn’t find much online about her actual journey.)

It’s not a big park. A small forest and grassy meadow is about it. But it’s nice, and I have old memories of it. I attended Western Oregon University in Monmouth in the late ’90s. My field geography class went there once to practice using handheld GPSs (long before we had them installed in our phones) to navigate by foot.

I had a couple young kids with me, and despite the rain, they had a blast. The event, titled “2022 Centennial Birthday Event” had activity stations including a classic car expo, “recreational sports through time” such as croquet and disc golf, ODOT history, volunteers, natural resources, and others. The kids loaded up on freebies like stickers, mini-frisbees, activity books, and more. I was given a cool blanket for outdoor use (like picnics, sitting in sports bleachers, etc.). And we got free lunch and cupcakes. It was great! Many thanks to the people who volunteered for this event, and did it cheerfully in the rain. The state parks mascot beaver (maybe the cousin of OSU’s beaver?) also made an appearance giving hugs and high-fives to kids. We did not stay for the presentations and dedications because my nephew’s high school baseball state championship game was at the same time at the Keizer Volcanoes stadium. We made it there late in the game but in time to watch my nephew hit and pitch awesomely, and his team won!

To reward the kids for being great sports going to both of these events in the rain (we loaded up on coats, rain ponchos, rainboots, and umbrellas, but still…), I took them to the Gilbert House children’s museum in Salem so they could play indoors and a little outdoors on the giant vertical Erector Set. They loved it. We also walked through nearby Riverfront Park to see the giant Eco-Earth and the riverboat, the Willamette Queen. A great end to a day of celebrating our great state.

Stay tuned tomorrow for my top favorite Oregon State Parks, and be ready to share yours with me! (And if you’re outside of Oregon, feel free to share your state or province’s best parks!)