Road Trip - Peter Iredale Shipwreck

Peter Iredale shipwreck

The shipwreck of the Peter Iredale has been on my bucket list for some time. I’d visited Fort Stevens State Park where the shipwreck is located but for some reason, didn’t see the shipwreck. It helps to know the history of the shipwreck to really appreciate it.

Peter Iredale shipwreck

According to Wikipedia, the Peter Iredale was a four-masted steel barque that ran ashore October 25, 1906, on the Oregon coast en route to the Columbia River. A heavy northwest squall grounded Peter Iredale and high seas and wind drove the ship ashore. Much of what's left of the hull is buried in sand so there's not a lot wreckage visible. However, sometimes after a storm, more of the buried hull becomes visible. Happily, no casualties occurred in the accident.

Peter Iredale shipwreck (360 degree photo)

Peter Iredale shipwreck (360 degree photo)

Hike - Rodney Falls & Pool of WInds

Hiked with friends to Rodney Falls and Pool of Winds on the Hamilton Mountain trail. According to the trailhead sign, the hike to Rodney Falls is a moderately difficult hike of only about 1.25 miles. The Pool of Winds lies at the foot of Rodney Falls where there's a small natural viewing area that makes it possible to look into the narrow opening where the pool is. 

The water falling into the pool pushes the air out of a narrow opening resulting in a rush of wind; hence the name, "Pool of Winds". The water then cascades down a long slope sounding similar to a jet airplane taking off. Both Rodney Falls and Pool of Winds are awesome and well worth the hike. Going on a weekday worked out

nice since the trail is quite popular and can get crowded. The trail was a bit muddy in places with a down tree in one spot. Otherwise, easy peasy. 

Hike - Warrior Rock Lighthouse

Warrior Rock Lighthouse

Took advantage of a short break in the rain & hiked with friends & my pooch, Buddy to the Warrior Rock Lighthouse on Sauvie Island, Oregon along the Columbia River. The lighthouse wasn’t real impressive but according to Wikipedia, it’s Oregon's smallest lighthouse & one of only two lighthouses still operating in Oregon which is not on the Pacific Ocean.

The lighthouse currently operates with an automated beacon and bell. Nice hike and the fall colors were super! We also lucked out & got to see the "Oceanus Leader" car carrier ship cruise by.

Hike - Angels Rest, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

Hiked with friends and Buddy Boy (the dog) to Angels Rest located in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area and Columbia River Gorge. The trailhead is located near Bridal Veil just off the Historic Columbia River Highway about 30 miles east of Vancouver, Washington (my home town). 

The first section of the 4.8 mile out-and-back trail was relatively easy and passed through beautiful Douglas-fir forest with an understory of vine maple, sword fern, Oregon grape, thimbleberry, etc. 

Upper Coopey Falls

Not far up the trail, we passed a couple waterfalls where there was a small fork in the trail leading to a somewhat precarious viewpoint of the 150-foot Coopey Falls. A little further, the trail crossed Coopey creek on a small footbridge. 

It then paralleled the creek for a little way and became steeper with a few switchbacks. At this point, the views became much better, partly because there were fewer trees due to the 1991 Multnomah Falls fire and the 2017 Eagle Creek fire. 

Looking north towards Columbia River Gorge

The trail eventually crossed over several talus slopes that required a little agility, especially when hiking with a young energetic dog.

Not knowing what to expect further up the trail, we found a somewhat level area where we had a little picnic before our final attempt to reach the summit of Angels Rest. Getting to the top required some rock scrambling and agility. However, the view from the summit was spectacular and well worth the effort.

Looking north from Angels Rest summit

Hike - Cape Horn, Columbia River Gorge, WA

Steve, Larry, Buddy, Carol & Petrina

Hiked the Cape Horn Trail in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area with friends and pooch, Buddy. This was my second time hiking this trail. The first time was ten years ago on October 15, 2013, not long after the trail was first opened. On that hike we did the full loop trail which is approximately 7.5 miles long. On todays hike however, we decided to take a shortcut that began from an unmarked pullout on Highway 14. From the pullout, it was an easy walk to the main trail and saved a few miles of switch backs and steep slopes. The trail has three main vista points with amazing views of the Columbia River Gorge. Without a doubt, this is a must-do hike for anyone looking for a memorable and moderately challenging hiking experience in the Pacific Northwest.

Looking east from Nancy Russell Overlook

Looking east from Oak VIew Overlook

Buddy Boy hiking Cape Horn Trail

Nancy Russell Overlook Cape Horn trail sign 

Closeup of Nancy Russell Overlook Cape Horn trail sign

Bike Ride - Frenchman's Bar

Today was one of the first sunny days this year so decided to take my first bike ride of 2023!

Columbia River at Frenchman's Bar Regional Park, WA

Columbia River at Frenchman's Bar Regional Park, WA

Mt. Hood from Frenchman's Bar Regional Park, WA

Hike - Beacon Rock, WA

Beacon Rock trail

Beacon Rock located in Beacon Rock State Park, WA is one of my all-time favorite hikes in the PNW region. I’ve hiked it many times and it’s an experience that leaves you breathless in more ways than one. A plaque at the base of Beacon Rock describes how the rock was first named by Captains Lewis and Clark on October 31,

 1805, on their journey to the Pacific Ocean.

Beacon Rock Plaque

It was later purchased in 1915 by Henry Biddle who built the trail to the top. A large portion of the trail consists of a metal framework with switch backs secured to the rock. The views along the trail are truly spectacular and the vista point at the top literally takes your breath away.

Beacon Rock trail

View from Beacon Rock

Hiking Beacon Rock with friends

3D Parallel and Cross View from Beacon Rock

Road Trip - Columbia River

Got adventurous on a road trip to the coast, and took the Westport Ferry over the Columbia River to Washington. The Westport to Puget Island Ferry is the last existing ferry on the lower Columbia River.

The ferry started in 1925 and has gone through many changes. The current ferry, Oscar B runs 18 times per day, 365 days a year, and takes about 15 minutes to cross the Columbia River.

Bike Ride - Frenchman's Bar

Frenchman's Bar Bike Ride - Sept 23, 2021

Video of one of my favorite local bike rides to Frenchman’s Bar Regional Park taken on September 23, 2021. The ride usually takes about 60 minutes round trip but the video has been sped up 5X and lasts about 12 minutes. The first half of the ride follows local roads which eventually connect to a paved trail that ends at Frenchman's Bar Regional Park. The park is located about 5 miles down river from Fort Vancouver on the Washington side of the Columbia River and was named after Frenchman Paul Hauray who, in 1915 purchased the land in hopes of making money in the salmon fishing industry.Video was shot using an iPhone mounted on the bike handlebars and edited with the Videoshop iPhone app.

Frenchman's Bar - Bicycle Ride

Frenchman's Bar Regional Park

One of my favorite bike rides is a 14 mile round trip ride to Frenchman’s Bar Regional Park.The Park is a 120 acre Regional Park located on the Columbia River about 8 miles west of downtown Vancouver, WA. The park was established in 1997 and is a great place for picnicking, swimming, volleyball and bird watching. Large ships are commonly visible right off shore headed for ports in Portland or Vancouver. Today’s ride was rewarded with several flocks of sandhill cranes, large cargo ship and beautiful sunset.

Hike - Catherine Creek, Columbia River Gorge, Washington

Looking south towards Columbia River Gorge and Mt Hood

It’s springtime and Carol and I decided we needed to find someplace where we could see wildflowers. So, after a little searching, we discovered the Catherine Creek Arch loop trail in the Columbia River Gorge. According to sources, Catherine Creek Recreation Area is one of the best places to see spring wildflowers in the Columbia River Gorge. On top of wildflowers, Catherine Creek is also known for its spectacular views of the Columbia River Gorge. The trailhead is about 90 minutes east of Vancouver, WA between Bingen and Lyle on old Highway 8. According to our guidebook, there is a paved trail below the road that is accessible to wheelchairs. There’s also a longer unpaved trail above the road. 

Abandoned cattle corrals 

We opted for the unpaved trail which paralleled Catherine Creek and passed the Catherine Creek Arch and some abandoned cattle corrals. The trail continued north and crossed Catherine Creek on a makeshift wooden plank. It then looped towards the east and up onto a lava plateau.

Columbia River Gorge & Mt Hood

The view of the gorge from the plateau was spectacular with Mt. Hood in the distance. The wildflowers were also spectacular and included bitterroot, balsamroot, large flowered triteleia, Nuttall’s larkspur, lupine, lomatium, chocolate lily and others. 

Catherine Creek Arch

On the negative side, there were a few ticks and poison oak but all-in-all, Catherine Creek is likely destined to be one of my favorite springtime wildflower hikes.

Chocolate lily (Fritillaria affinis)

Delphinium (Delphinium nuttallii)

Lomatium (Lomatium sp)

Large flowered triteleia (Triteleia grandiflora)

Hike - Beacon Rock, WA

Beacon Rock should be a bucket list hike for anyone who lives near SW Washington or is visiting the area and wants to see some amazing scenery. The rock is an 848 foot (258 m) basalt volcanic plug located in the Columbia River Gorge on the north shore of the Columbia River 32 miles (51 km) east of Vancouver, WA. It's about a 30 minute drive from Vancouver, WA but feels like you're miles and miles away from civilization.

The hike to the top is rated as moderate and takes about 60 minutes depending on your condition and need for speed.

The view from the top is amazing and well worth the hike. According to Wikipedia, Beacon Rock was purchased by Henry J. Biddle in 1915 for $1. During the next three years, Henry constructed a trail to the top of the rock with 51 switchbacks, handrails and bridges. The three-quarter mile trail to the top was completed in April 1918.

Later, the United States Army Corps of Engineers planned to destroy the rock to supply material for the jetty at the mouth of the Columbia River Bar, and dug three caves on the rock's south side. During this time, Biddle's family tried to make it a state park. At first Washington refused the gift, but changed its position when Oregon offered to accept. Beacon Rock State Park was established in 1935 as a geologic preserve and public recreation area. The park is located on Washington State Route 14 in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. On October 31, 1805, the Lewis and Clark Expedition arrived here and first measured tides on the river, indicating that they were nearing the ocean.

Beacon Rock has been variously claimed to be the second largest free standing monolith in the northern hemisphere, or in the world, just behind the Rock of Gibraltar, Stone Mountain, or Mount Augustus, the latter two being very much larger than either of the first two.

The assertion depends on how one defines the term "monolith." For example, Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming is larger than Beacon Rock, but is considered an igneous intrusion rather than a "single rock." 

The sign at the top of Beacon Rock gives the following description >> "If you were standing here during the largest of the Ice Age floods, you would see icebergs floating in a churning mass of muddy water a mere 150 feet below you. During the floods, water shot through the Columbia River Gorge with incredible force again and again. Their great erosive power scoured the sheer cliffs of the gorge. After exiting this narrow passageway, the floodwaters spread out and slowed, dumping huge amounts of sand and silt. Parts of Portland and Vancouver sit on a series of floodbars deposited by Ice Age floods."