Heceta Headland Day Trip

So believe it or not, this was our family's first excursion out into the world since before Covid. James and I, together with our son Tayo and his girlfriend Ellie, took a whirlwind day trip to the Oregon Coast and it definitely revived our spirits and gave us hope for future travels.

The lighthouse at Heceta Headland is a well known sight to most Oregonians. It's a large part of the history of the area, having been built in 1894. It is situated 205 feet above the Pacific Ocean on a bluff carved out of the west side of the 1,000-foot-high headland.

Although we have visited the coast many times over the years, we have never taken the self guided tour of the lighthouse - until now. It's an easy half-mile hike on an uphill dirt trail and it was a perfectly beautiful and warm day. 'The kids' headed up on their own right away, while James and I took our time.

The 54-foot lighthouse tower contains a Fresnel lens that was built by the Chance Brothers of Birmingham, England and originally contained kerosene oil lamps which were maintained by a lightkeeper crew. These days the lamps are electric and automated. To this day it is still a working navigational light that is visible for 21 nautical miles.

After learning about and admiring the lighthouse, James and I then turned our attention to the stunning views. To the south is the sandbar at Cape Cove:

To the east you can see the sheltered Cape Cove Beach and the Cape Creek Bridge in the background:

As we descended back down the trail we stopped to view the Assistant Keeper's Duplex, one of the last remaining on the Pacific Coast. Originally there was also a Head Keeper's House, however it was demolished many years ago.

It was an enjoyable day of hiking, picnicking and sightseeing. At some point during the course of this day, however, it struck me how much we've missed over the last two and a half years. I've realized that I've allowed myself to get caught in the trap of thinking there's no use going anywhere anymore because everything has changed because of Covid.

And while certainly there have been changes in our perceptions and in how we navigate our day to day lives, it's also important to get out of our tightly held, cautious routines and enjoy nature and to see other families out there doing the same. And it also dawned on me how important it is to recommit to spending time with family seeing new things, exploring, and having that feeling of being free to wander and take things as they come, even if only for a day. It rejuvenates the spirit and helps us connect with each other in a wholly different way from our daily lives of work and worry.

For us, family trips have always been an important part of life and this day was an important reminder to continue that tradition, for ourselves and for the younger generation.

Have you taken any trips lately?

 

Sahalie and Koosah Falls

Hi friends! Three thousand years ago volcanic activity here in Oregon sent thick flows of basaltic andesite lava into the McKenzie River from nearby Mount Washington in what is now called the Willamette National Forest. That activity created two beautiful waterfalls - Sahalie and Koosah.

Sahalie Falls is a loud roaring cascade of water that plunges 100 feet straight down into the McKenzie River producing misty sprays of icy cold river water that float in the air. As James and I stood at the viewing area watching the falls and feeling droplets of cloudy water-mist on our skin, we breathed in the fresh mountain air and looked in wonder at all the green that surrounded us.

We then walked along the McKenzie River following the 2.6 mile foot trail from Sahlie Falls to Koosah Falls. The trail takes you through a conifer forest of mostly Douglas Fir, some old-growth Douglas Fir, and other species such as Hemlock and Cedar. There are a variety of mosses, ferns, wild flowers and fungi as well. Koosah Falls flows 70 feet down into a deep pool of cold water.

Of course I did some exploring with my camera as I do have a fascination with scouting out nature compositions. And because there was a slight tinge of autumn beginning to show itself I was interested in capturing the forest as it looked in that moment on that particular end-of-summer day.

In 1893 U.S. President Grover Cleveland designated the Willamette National Forest as part of the Cascade Range Forest Reserve. This official designation came about as a result of campaigns conducted by Oregonians concerned by wood choppers intent on exploiting the resources of the forest. It is said that the famous naturalist and explorer John Muir spent a considerable amount of time in Oregon exploring, lecturing and gathering information which aided his efforts in helping to establish the Cascade Range Forest Reserve. In his call for Oregonians to protect their forests, Muir is believed to have stated "The trees and their lovers will sing their praises, and generations yet unborn will rise up and call them blessed".

Blessed indeed!
  

Eugene Obon & Taiko Festival

Every July here in Eugene the Japanese American Association of Lane County, the City of Eugene, and the Asian American Foundation of Oregon sponsor the Obon & Taiko Festival. Each year the event is held in the early evening in Alton Baker Park, a 373 acre park that is located next to the Willamette River.

Obon, or Bon, is the Buddhist custom of honoring the spirits of one's ancestors. The Bon Odori, or dances, that are performed during Obon are a way of remembering and appreciating their sacrifices. Dances are performed by members of the Japanese American Association and the public is invited to join in the fun.

Taiko, or Japanese drumming, is performed by Eugene Taiko. The ensemble plays modern interpretations of traditional pieces as well as their own compositions. Taiko drumming is thunderous, dynamic and energetic. It is rooted in warfare but in the present-day it is enjoyed at festivals and cultural events.

The formal dances proceed either clockwise or counter-clockwise around a yagura, or high wooden platform, and are performed in unison to recorded traditional Japanese folksongs that are played through a PA system.

For over twenty years now, attending Obon has been our family tradition, with each year being a variation of family members and friends coming along for the fun. This year our daughter Audrey accompanied James and I.

On this carefree summer evening we enjoyed catching up on family news while watching the dancing and drumming and ate delicious Japanese cuisine from local food vendor Masa's Yatai.

As the festival wound down and darkness began to descend, we packed up our things and felt grateful for good times and happy family memories of another year spent at Obon.

Thanks for looking!

Portland Japanese Garden

As the days here in the Willamette Valley of Oregon passed from late summer into early autumn, the leaves on the trees in our yard and in our town began to turn from bright green to tinges of yellow. Then, mid autumn came, with its brightly colored orange, gold and red tones, and the change in season brought with it an enthusiastic desire for adventure.

The Portland Japanese Garden, with its spectacular display of autumnal colors, quiet inviting mood and powerful meditative symbolism, was the destination of choice for James and I on a recent Saturday. The Flat Garden, or hira niwa, shown above, is one of five garden areas in the 5.5 acre park, located within Washington Park.

The Flat Garden is a dry landscape style garden, where the design is a purposeful balance between the ground plane and the volume of stones and clipped shrubbery, creating a sense of depth of space. This living sculpture features a sea of raked sand which suggests water, while mountains and hills are depicted in the shapes of azalea shrubs.

Through a series of extended pathways, one can meander throughout the entire park, viewing the various stone, water and plant elements in all their glorious landscape-style interpretations.

So join us for a moment and catch a glimpse into this magnificent garden, proclaimed by His Excellency Nobuo Matsunaga, former Ambassador of Japan to the United States, "the most beautiful and authentic Japanese garden in the world outside of Japan."

One of the first sights to behold when entering the park is an antique 5-tiered stone pagoda lantern that was given to the city of Portland by its sister city Sapporo, Japan.

And in the Lower Pond area of the Strolling Pond Garden, or chisen kaiya shiki niwa, are a pair of stone cranes, symbols of longevity.

  
A ceremonial Tea House, called Kashin-Tei, or Flower Heart House, is located in the Tea Garden and was created in Japan by master craftsmen using wooden pegs in the traditional Japanese style, and reassembled at the Portland Japanese Garden.

There are at least two machiai style meditation shelters - this one was near Kashin-Tei.

And of course a blazing Japanese Maple tree just beginning to lose its autumnal leaves.

Another stone lantern. This one was next to another machiai shelter.

It was a surprise to see this beautiful 'living topography' sculpture by Anne Crumpacker.

Ponds, streams, and waterfalls all play a significant role in the Japanese garden. Another type of water feature is the water filled basin. The first one shown below is mechanical in that when a section of the lower bamboo piece on the right gets filled with water from the higher bamboo stalk on the left, the weight of the water pulls it down and it then releases the collected water, after which it quickly springs back up into its original position.

Zoki no niwa, or the Natural Garden, is an informal garden with streams that meander under small bridges. James is standing on one of them while he concentrates on his photography, in this case taking a picture as I walked over a stone path bridge.

A leaf composition taken in the Natural Garden.

And one more stone lantern.

Karesansui, or Sand and Stone Garden is another example of the dry landscape garden style, expressing the beauty of blank space, or yohaku no bi. Weathered stones rise up from a bed of sand raked to suggest the sea.

Also featured along one wall of the Sand and Stone garden is a lovely stand of bamboo.

From this vantage point, as James and I stood under a Japanese Maple at the Pavilion Gallery, we could see Mt Hood, which in this setting is very reminiscent of Mt Fuji, in the distance.

As we walked back to see the antique 5-tiered pagoda one more time before leaving, this striking scene caught my eye.

Our last stop was the gift shop, where I was taken with how the colors of this koi banner hanging just outside of the shop were delightfully similar to the colors in the leaves of the trees behind it.

  
Thank you for strolling along these beautiful and intriguing garden paths in the Portland Japanese Garden with me. To see even more beautiful images of our day in this wonderful setting, you may like to go to James' blog, Origami Night Lamp.

Oh, and one last thing! One of the highlights of the Lower Pond is to stand on the Zig Zag Bridge and watch as graceful koi swim to and fro - a beautiful and mesmerizing sight to behold!