Diana & Eileen

Sunday, July 6, 2014

Let's Go Fly A Kite

After Saddle Mountain we went clamming at Seaside since it's pretty close by but unfortunately we found no clams at all!! Even though we didn't find any clams we still had an amazing time and luckily John had brought along a kite which was super exciting since Eileen and I had never flown one before. We felt like kids and I couldn't help but hum the song "Let's Go Fly a Kite" from Mary Poppins.

Now for some pics:

Oregon, you're our favorite.

Oh, oh, oh!

Let's go fly a kite

Up to the highest height!

Let's go fly a kite and send it soaring

Up through the atmosphere

Up where the air is clear

Oh, let's go fly a kite!

After an afternoon at the beach we headed into town and had some delicious Tillmook ice cream, only $1 for two scoops.

The following day were dead tired but it was a pretty epic way to celebrate the longest day of the year.

-Diana

Saddle Mountain

About two weekends ago Eileen came up to visit and we decided to celebrate the summer solstice by hiking Saddle Mountain and clamming at Seaside. Saddle Mountain is a very popular hike in Oregon, it's about a 5.2 mile hike (elevation: 1600 ft) but it is quite strenuous. There are quite a bit of steep areas that you must travel on and the path can be rocky and slick in spots. The view at the top is totally worth it though! On a clear day you can see where the Columbia river flows into the ocean and you can catch a glimpse of Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Hood and Mt. Jefferson. Below are some pics of Saddle Mountain all the Seaside pics will be on the next post!

Right at the very beginning of the trail you are greeted by beautiful and lush clover fields. We tried to find a 4 leaf clover but were unsuccessful :(

Spider, oh my!

On the climb down a girl was perched on top of that tiny rock, pretty bold of her!

Columbia river meeting the ocean.

Lushes.

The very top, all the hikers stop and have a snack here while they take in the gorgeous views and the expanse of it all.

If you are ever in Northwest Oregon, I would definitely recommend this hike, it's pretty rigorous but the view at the top is breathtaking.

-Diana

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

We Were Liars

I love actual books and the gorgeous covers and the feel of the pages but I hate clutter so I read 95% of books on my ipad or kindle. Just a preference, I guess, what about you? How do you like to read your books?

Sunday in between errands I read the book We Were Liars by E. Lockhart and oh my goodness I could not put it down. The car ride with my husband to and from places was dead silent because I was so into this book. It's a super quick read, it's only about 200 pages, so depending on how fast you read it may take you 2-4 hrs.

I decided to read this book because it was recommended by booksandquills on Youtube, she is fabulous and seriously makes any book sound so interesting and cool.

Check out her review of the book below:

So if you ask me what this book is about, I'll tell you it's about a girl who turns into a sea monster. That is all, now go read it!

-Diana

Monday, June 16, 2014

Rooster Rock

The Rooster Rock trail is on Highway 20 going into Santiam Pass. A long time ago, there used to be a fire lookout atop Rooster Rock, the tallest crag in the area. The lookout is gone now, but you can still find some of the torn-apart ruins scattered around the base of the rock. I also did my very first climb ever at Rooster Rock!

Hiking the trail itself is quite a workout (I think so at least!) but I like to do it every year. My favorite thing about this forest is how un-busy it is - you can usually feel pretty alone in the woods there. I was also hoping to see the rhodies in bloom, since I missed it last time!

Unfortunately today, although the weather forecast said 20% chance rain - which almost always ends up meaning sunny and gorgeous - it ended up pouring rain once I reached the top, so there wasn't too much to do except come right back down! On the plus side, that ensured it wasn't terribly hot. So it was still a good hike!