October 29 – November 1st, 2017 – Solo Winter Travels 2017/2018 ~ Part 5
I camped in the Hood River National Forest one night, and because I was up early the next morning, decided to see if I could catch a sunrise on Mount Hood. I kept driving and driving, but couldn’t get a view of the elusive mountain because of the tall trees and thick forest. When I lived in Oregon one year, I had a love-hate relationship with the trees. I love trees, but t was a rare thing to see a view because of them, except when there was clear cutting involved, and I hated the clear cutting, so I always struggled with this dilemma.
I drove all the way to the base of Mount Hood, but when I got there it was so windy I could barely stand upright, and dust and debris were being flung at my face in gusts reaching impressive speeds.
I retreated quickly but did succeed in getting one lovely shot on the way back to the Gorge because the lighting was perfect.
The height assigned to Mount Hood’s snow-covered peak has varied over its history. Modern sources point to three different heights: 11,249 feet (3,429 m), a 1991 adjustment of a 1986 measurement by the U.S. National Geodetic Survey, 11,240 feet (3,426 m) based on a 1993 scientific expedition, and 11,239 feet (3,426 m) of slightly older origin. It is the highest point in Oregon and the fourth highest in the Cascade Range. Mount Hood is considered the Oregon volcano most likely to erupt, though based on its history, an explosive eruption is unlikely. Still, the odds of an eruption in the next 30 years are estimated at between 3 and 7 %, so the U.S. Geological Survey characterizes it as “potentially active”, but the mountain is informally considered dormant.
I was told that I had to visit Bonneville Dam, and also pay a visit to Herman the sturgeon at the fish hatchery. I was truly impressed with this monster. He freaked me out when I first saw his face coming out of the murky depths of the pond he lives in.
Here is a YouTube Video of Herman the sturgeon. These pictures don’t do him justice. “Herman” is a 70-year-old, 10-foot long, 450 pound sturgeon that you can get eyeball-to-eyeball with, in a viewing room
It was time to say goodbye to the Gorge, and visit with some friends who live in Vancouver, Washington for a couple of nights. I met Nelda and Jerry at the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous in January 2017. Of course, I didn’t remember them, but they graciously accepted my excuses and allowed me to visit anyway. I have to warn all of you, unless I’ve met you a good number of times I won’t remember your name, and I may not remember your face either if I’ve only met you once or twice, so if you want to say hi, please save me the embarrassment of having to pretend I remember you, and just introduce yourself again would ya?
I’m not 100% sure why I’m so bad with names and faces, it’s possibly due to the amnesia and head trauma I suffered when I was an abused woman (no, not asking for sympathy), but then again it could just be that my head is full of so much other beauty there isn’t a lot of room left for more (or it could just be old age). LOL.
I had a lovely time visiting with my re-found friends, and eating pumpkin pie for supper two nights in a row, with ice cream no less. These are my kind of folks. I happened to be there for Halloween, but we turned all the lights off and pretended no-one was home. Sneaking around in the dark was fun (okay, exaggerating a bit). I did get to see some of the trick or treaters from my van when I retired for the evening because I was parked on the street. Fortunately, no-one knocked and said “Trick or Treat” or I would have been in trouble.
Roxy ~ A Nomad for Nature
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