The Ocean!!!!!

She is standing 1,700 ft above that body of water there (Pacific Ocean)

We made it to the coast!  5 weeks after being in Portland, we finally made it to go see the ocean.  It took us an hour and a half to make it to the area we were looking for (but we drove around for about 20 min before we settled in).  We started in Manzanita, stopping at a beach and checking out the sights.

It was a little cloudy when we arrived...something we kind of knew as we left that morning, but we were ready to see ocean so we didn't really care.  The beach was still great to be at...very soft sand.

We walked down one way out towads the point.  Threw a frisbee around a little bit.  Watched doggies run and have a great time.  Stopped at a log to eat some lunch that we packed for ourselves (PB&J, mmmmm).


After lunch we set out on the Oregon Coast Trail, ready to conquer Neahkahnie Mountain.  We made our way out on a trail head that started just off of highway 101, and began our trek winding back and forth over the Pacific before we disappeared into the woods, rapidly ascending  as we went.  It was 2 1/2 miles to the top, and peaked at 1,700 feet.  It was the hikiest type of hike I've ever done.  Tight trails, some steep inclines, fallen trees we had to climb over...it was fun.  In the time it took us to hike, the sky started to clear up and all the low clouds had lifted

Proud Megan

Tired Kyle

And the view from the top was great!









Back down the mountain we went, and onwards towards the beach.  Our destination was downhill from where we were parked, and the hike took us past a large sized cove.  We decided to take a slight detour and go explore the points of the cove we passed by.  There was a lightly treaded path that we followed, which got a little rough at points, but we emerged for a great view over the Pacific!

Cool rock sticking out of the water

Oceans are cool!

We found our way back to the trail and followed it back down to the beach.  We pulled out the frisbee again and started playing more catch while watching the surfers decked out in full wet suit play on the wake.  A couple dogs were chasing each other throughout the beach, and we walked along the shore.  We turned around to find a great view of Neahkahnie!

The feeling at the top was great, but really wasn't complete until after getting this perspective of what we just finished.

Neahkahnie Mountain from the beach

Washington Park - Hoyt Arboretum

Trees!!!!  Big Trees!!!!!  And LOT'S of them!!!!!!!

Washington Park is a 400 acre park located just outside downtown Portland.  The transition from downtown buildings and living to the green filled hills is abrupt (and awesome).  The arboretum (tree place) is buried deep within the park.  It sprawls over 147 acres, has 21 trails stretching over 12 miles, and features more than 8,000 individual trees.  Plants from every continent are represented in Portland!

We visited the Arboretum and set out on the 4 mile trail that loops around the collection.  The arboretum is arranged by family, and the hike winds us through the entire collection.  Conifers, Redwoods, Oaks lead off our hike, and we plan on following our way to the Maples and the Bamboo.  We continue along on the trail we started out on, the Wildwood trail, and wind up and down hills, past the Pittock Mansion, descending down to a road and a 3 1/2 mile marker and a trail map.  We stop to gaze at the map, just to check our bearings, and come to find ourselves now in Forest Park.  Instead of walking 3 1/2 miles in a loop, we traveled 3 1/2 miles straight north, and Megan had to be back for work in a couple hours...oops.  We double back, and manage to make it back to the car in time for Megan to get ready, but we missed out on the second half of park.

We had thought Wildwood was the 4 mile loop around the arboretum.  Turns out Wildwood is a 40 mile loop  that goes around all of Portland!  It just happens to run through the arboretum for a short time...oh well.  We didn't get to see the whole arboretum, but the hike was great anyway.  It just gives us an excuse to return to the arboretum, plus it keeps up with Megan and I's tradition of getting lost on hikes!