Thursday, November 11, 2010

Deschutes State Park River Trail.





Here's a not-so-secret: I have a love affair with Oregon rivers. I met my #1 love, the Rogue, this summer in Southern Oregon, but after that, my #2 so far is the Deschutes. (This may or may not be influenced by the fact that I am also really in love with Deschutes beer.)

Kathy and I headed out to Deschutes State Park yesterday, on the Columbia River Gorge way out past The Dalles, to celebrate a few things: 1) our six year anniversary this week, and 2) the miracle of both having all day on Veteran's Day off in the midst of our crazy schedules. I truly am grateful and in awe of veterans, and thank them even more for allowing us one of the most perfect days ever. While the Deschutes is best known for traveling through the heart of Bend, a magical city in Central Oregon (where that wonderful beer also originates!), this state park is located much farther north, where the Deschutes empties into the mighty Columbia.

I love the Columbia River Gorge for so many reasons, and for the first year or two that I lived here jaw-dropping waterfalls occupied most of those reasons, but after exploring it more I'm in even more awe of its diversity. The hour-long drive from Portland to Hood River is one I could never tire of, even if it is on a big highway like I-84. Yeah, it's a highway, but it's one that's deliciously sandwiched between wide expanses of the Columbia on one side and towering green cliffs and hills on the other. On this Portland to Hood River expanse it is all about luscious green-ness, waterfalls and slabs of rock covered in moss and towering fir trees every which way you look, with hills constantly receding into varying shades of blues in the distance, dream-like.This section is home to the famous Multnomah Falls, among many, many others; a wonderfully twisty-turvy section of the historic Columbia River Highway, Route 30; and the stunning overlook spot, the Vista House at Crown Point.

And then you pass Hood River. And almost as soon as you drive out of city limits, it's like you're in a completely different landscape altogether.

The river is still there, wide and steady to your left, but there are less trees and less moss, less green altogether, more brown rolling hills. It's an arid, desert-y kind of feel, but not quite the desert, just...different. You've left the hippie-loving western side of the state, and are suddenly closer to the Wild Wild West. It's a difference you not just see, but you feel. As majestic as all the stuff before Hood River was, this landscape actually seems bigger, in a way, and you accordingly feel smaller. It's totally different but still totally the Gorge, and still totally amazingly beautiful. And yes, that was a lot of totally's. This is the way the crazy Oregon landscape makes me feel! You can practically see the dreamy stars in my eyes! Snap out of it, Jill!

The trail we embarked on (from the furthest parking lot of the park) is a narrow single track which hugs the river, which is wide and pretty peaceful at this conclusive juncture of its life. The trail is pretty flat and on-level with the river at first, with a spattering of sparse, spindly trees surrounding the river, the trail and you, and then slowly, increasingly makes its way to slightly higher ground, with the river slightly further below you and the trees--or any real vegetation at all--becoming even sparser. And everywhere, it is quiet, quiet. Every now and then you look back where you came from, and all you see in every direction are big, dusty, quiet hills.

Peaceful quiet is definitely the thing I remember most from this hike--we didn't see another soul the whole time we were out. Even though I-84 isn't too far from the start of the trail, even whirring traffic noises from that fade out pretty quickly, and it's just you, the birds, and the river. We eventually turned around to head back a little earlier than I anticipated (the trail keeps going for quite a ways along the river), because it was starting to get dark and also starting to rain a little, and unlike other well forested hikes I'm used to, there wasn't any real cover from the wetness out here. But it still felt good to stretch our legs a little, and to breathe some drier Central Oregon air. Central/Eastern Oregon, I want so much more of you! Oregon Rivers, you and I are not over yet!

Lesson learned: If I want to actually complete these hikes, we really have to start out earlier. And also come more prepared with snacks. Also, the farther out from Portland/cities you go, the less populated the trails will be. While this is nice in a way, it's also a reaffirmation for me that I shouldn't do these trails alone.

Highlight: The random, bright sprinklings of fall color (red bushes! yellow leaved trees! purple flowers!) mixed in with all the shades of brown.

Info: Heading east on I-84, Deschutes River State Park is located off of Exit 97, on Rt. 206. There are a few different trails in the park, including a wider one for bikers, but to get to the River Trail we took, you have to first walk through a small field at the end of the last parking area. Horses (yeah, horses!) allowed with reservation. Restrooms and picnic tables available near parking lot.

Post-hike chow-down: If you're heading back Portland-way after the hike, you should probably stop in Hood River for a meal at Full Sail Brewery, because their beer and food are delicious, and their brewpub is small and fun and, during the day, you can watch windsurfers on the Columbia while you eat. On this trip we were going to try and branch out and eat at the smaller Double Mountain Brewery, which is actually right around the corner, but it was crowded and no one helped us after we stood around confusedly for ten minutes, so we walked out. Which ended up being okay, because we remembered how much we completely love Full Sail, so it's never a bad option. But, still, Double Mountain also came recommended. Both are located on Columbia Street, Hood River (Double Mountain technically on the corner of Fourth); open daily for lunch and dinner. Full Sail also offers free brewery tours daily.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Minto-Brown Island Park.




Life has been hectic the last month or so: Kathy and I are both pretty insanely busy with school; I am constantly stressed about money; and we've traveled hundreds of miles to attend two different weddings over two different weekends. Said weddings and weekends full of travel were awesome, but still, the prospect of a weekend just spent in good ol' Oregon, with pretty much Saturday and Sunday open free to do with as I pleased, had me silly-giddy-excited Friday night. We went to the movies! I avoided homework and tried not to stress too much about money! Tomorrow we're going pumpkin-patch-ing! We watched some TV! And for the first time in quite awhile, I went on a hike!

Okay, considering I chose Minto-Brown Island Park in Salem, which is 835 acres of pretty flat ground in the floodplain of the Willamette River, and almost every path I walked on was paved, it probably counts more as a casual stroll than a hike, per se. But considering I strolled five miles, it was still a pretty lengthy stroll, and I was still pretty darned tired after about an hour. Okay, secret time: even though I profess to love hiking, I still don't know if I'm actually a good hiker. I know I'm pretty out of shape, both in general and in terms of hiking, but what happened today is kind of what happens every time I venture out into the wilderness:

For the first twenty minutes or so, I am in a state of euphoria. Here I am, out of the house, away from the worries of the world! Breathe that fresh air! Look at that sky, look at these trees, listen to those birds chirping and those squirrels and insects bustling through the bushes! The world is quiet, and still, yet full of life. I love nature, and I'm so happy to be out exploring it!

And then, usually after about an hour or so:

Hm. I am getting kind of tired. My feet hurt a little. Everything is still so beautiful, I still love all these trees, but the capacity of my mind to actually process and appreciate it all seems to be waning a little bit. And you know what, I really have a lot of homework to do back home. And, hm, there are a lot of dirty dishes still hanging out in the sink, and a bunch of laundry, and a bunch of emails I should've sent a week ago. And I still have to finish that book, and that stack of newspapers! And you know I really don't spend enough time with the animals. I wish I was with them now, cuddled up in bed. I mean I really like it here, really, but it'd also be really awesome to be back there. I wonder what Kathy's doing? I miss her.

There are two possible reasons behind this: 1) I am still not a very good hiker, or, 2) Even though I love alone time and always have, in the end, nothing is really as much fun anymore without Kathy there.

Regardless--Minto-Brown Island Park was lovely. I don't usually have much reason to visit Salem, but it felt fun to go on a mini-road-trip by myself, to feel away from it all for just a couple of hours. It was also nice to have a slightly different pace than previous hikes I've been on, the majority of which have been concentrated in the Gorge. And really, I will never get sick of the Gorge. But at the same time, it's nice to take a step back from the drama of the waterfalls, cliffs, lush greenery moss-fest that occupies every hike there, and visit a wildlife refuge such as Minto-Brown, full of fields, chirping birds, marshes, and quiet paths through cottonwoods.

In fact, there is something about walking through flat, open fields that is incredibly and deeply calming at the same time that it is beautiful. Also, truth: I am in love with the types of trees that were all around this park, trees with pale, peely bark, although I couldn't tell you the exact kinds that were there (other than cottonwoods, because my guide book told me that): birches, ashes, cottonwoods, trees that grow in clumps with one sprawling root system and that grow well in the aftermath of fire. I grew up in, and know, dense woods of oak and pine, but there is something different, and very lovely, about these kinds of trees: an airiness, a lightness. It was especially lovely to be here in fall, and I alternated between delightedly shuffling through the crisp crinkly leaves on all the paths like a happy kid and feeling guilty at my really-not-stealthy walking through the wilderness.

Lesson learned: Although it was a nice walk, being that almost all of the paths were wide, well paved, and multi-use, this probably really would be best enjoyed as a bike ride.

Highlight: Seeing a majestic, still blue heron ten feet away from me. So close and still that I actually thought it wasn't real at first, until it flew away from me when I went to reach for my camera.

Info: Located in South Salem on the Willamette River, off of River Road. Park website can be found here; no fees. Restrooms (portapotties) & picnic areas available; dogs and bikes welcomed.