Early Second Spring

Yesterday we went for a dream date hike to Triple Falls in the Columbia Gorge.  It's a favorite of mine.  It's been a while since I made it to Triple Falls.  Last winter a slide destroyed a section of the trail.  That happens to gorge trails fairly often in the winter, especially in places where people cut through rather than following the trail.  They re-routed the trail and the new part is very steep and more like hiking on scree.  I don't like it one bit.  I sure hope they fix it better than this.  Down is always much worse than up and I worried about the way down.  I made it, but I didn't like it.  Other than that, it was a lovely day and my body did well with the hike.  I am very happy about that.

When the rains start in the fall, we have what I call second spring.  This summer was exceptionally hot and dry.  Many things went dormant for a long time.  We had some rain last week and the ferns are coming back to life in the gorge.  They looked so fresh and green.  This is a very early second spring.

Ponytail falls

 That's John walking behind the falls.  He told me to be quick about the photo.  He doesn't like being under all that overhanging rock.

Middle Oneonta Falls

Garden mid September

Our very hot summer came to an abrupt end.... one day it was 95 and a few days later the high was 61 with rain for a few day and then it went to September weather.  I love Portland September weather.  The light is so beautiful and soft.  The temperature is great all the time.    Life is good in Portland.

the dry side

Kissing Frogs

I've been struggling with pain in my thighs and butt for months now, long enough to call it chronic pain.  In March I posted about it but it had been going on for a while by then.  And by May it was so bad I couldn't sit down.... I felt like Goldilocks trying to find a chair to sit in.

I did a lot of research and tried a lot of self help.  I've been trying various kinds of body work (kissing frogs) and I finally found something that is erasing my pain so quickly it seems like a miracle.   I am so impressed with how much it is helping and how fast!  I've only had three treatments.  She is working on my connective tissue (fascia, etc.)

  http://www.agilebodyportland.com/

Garden early September

Izaak Walton Inn

Several years ago we did a cross country ski trip in Glacier Park with Portland Parks.  We got on the train in Portland in the evening and traveled all night to Glacier Park.  At around seven in the morning, the train dropped us in Essex at the Izaak Walton Inn, which is an old railroad dormitory turned into an inn.  The train stops right at the Inn, which was cool.

The town of Essex including the inn is under threat from the Glacier Park wildfire.  This blog has great photos and the story and history of the inn.  The blog is pretty interesting because it covers a lot of small Montana towns and their history.

Summer records

I have not enjoyed this summer.  We've had far too many days when the only decent time to be outside is between dawn and noon.  The evening weather has just been too hot to be out and about.  I've felt trapped by the heat and I don't like it.

We follow this local weather guy, who does an interesting job of covering our weather.