The 2015 NW National Park/Canada Roadtrip Recap

So this post is only 4 months overdue?! :) But since the roadtrip sticks out as my most favorite moment from 2015, I figured I should share a bit of it here finally. :)

Stop 1: Olympic National Park x 2 nights

Let me just preface by saying this was not my best planned trip, although that may be one of the reasons I enjoyed it the most. Oh sure I'd looked stuff up, but I still couldn't really formulate a plan and I was so stressed/tired from work that I just decided to roll with it....and I was absolutely incredibly fortunate that fortune smiled upon me so much during this trip.

Case-in-point number #1 was when I was low on gas and the National Park and State Park were both out of campsites....but the friendly ranger let me park in day-use "overflow" for the night. (Or how about the fact that I just happened upon the next to last campsite in two NPs and arrived in Jasper the week after the busiest week of their season? Fortune, so blessed!!)

Day 1 of the trip allowed for a great slow drive up north, a quick meander along some beautiful sunlit trails,

and getting situated at the camp site. Day 2 allowed me to snag a great new campsite actually in ONP and then I changed and nailed out an epic 24 mile day hike that was oh so beautiful and my body felt great!

I got back to the car as night was encroaching, changed clothes, made some food, crawled into my sleeping bag, and passed out. Day 3 I drove from that location up to Hurricane Ridge where I did a few super short excursions from the visitor's center,

grabbed coffee at a great little bistro on the way, took the ferry across to Whidbey Island, drove up the beautiful route to Bellingham where I stopped at a brewery for a burger & beer, and then I watched the most incredible sunset over rural Washington farmland right before I drove across the Canadian border. At the next large town, I grabbed an actual hotel to lounge in the tub (a full hot bath with a bucket full of ice chips to munch on is one of my favorite hotel guilty pleasures) & get a solid night's sleep.

Stop 2: Hotel just across the Canadian border

The next day I grabbed a coffee, extracted Canadian cash from an ATM (so pretty!),

and headed toward Kamloops. I had researched enough to want to make a few stops on the way so I did the quick jaunt at Bridal Veil Falls & the Othello Tunnels.

I grabbed a cheap, legit diner BLT on the way and then I made it to Kamloops. Driving through the passes was a lot of fun also. In Kamloops I snagged a beautiful spot on the tent side of the RV Campsite where I enjoyed the cows and hung out in my hammock until I met up with Amber (Girl with the Red Hair) for a great sunset hike! The views in Kamloops were incredible 

and it was so wonderful to meet Amber in person :) Post-hike I headed toward downtown where I grabbed an amazing meal of mac & cheese and a local beer and then I drove back to the campsite.

Stop 3: RV Campsite in Kamloops

The next morning I headed to an area that Amber had told me about to do some trail running, which really was getting my rear end handed to me :) Kamloops is a hiker/trail runners dream, but those trails are by no means easy!

Truthfully I feel like there are a lot of additional areas that I could have checked out there but I needed to hit the road, so I headed toward the lake region of BC/Alberta. I had wanted to stop at one of the lakes to kayak and possibly camp, but I had pushed on too far and hit the more crowded areas, so I only stopped for lunch and to chat with the visitor's center (which I stopped at the Visitor's Centers in many towns on this trip---great resource!). From there I headed toward a rural campsite, but a wrong turn on the road I was on had me flag down a super friendly industrial worker who advised me not to go to the campsite I was headed toward. He had hunted and camped in that area for 30 years and so he directed me to a different option...cheap, still remote, and beautiful. The campsite was toward the headwaters of the Columbia River, allowed for a few super short hikes, and made for a great place to wash off in the chilly river before crawling in for the night.

Stop 4: Campsite on the upper Columbia River

From here I headed toward Golden, which actually had the most unhelpful Visitor's Center of them all and changed my initial "plan." I instead stopped at the Parks Canada Visitor's Center which turned out to be perfect...and truthfully directed me to a great campsite and one of the best hikes of the trip. The walk-in Tent site was 1/4 to 1/2 mile walk-in, but I only needed to make two trips to get everything situated and my food secured (bears!). From there I still had several hours til sunset, so I hiked the four miles up to the glaciers (AMAZING!)

and then ran the six mile loop back down. There were several incredible waterfalls on this trail and seeing the glaciers was pretty amazing. The only drawback was the immense amount of smoke from the wildfires, but it still was so beautiful and an incredible experience. I was glad to crawl into my tent that night and sleep to the sound of the immense waterfall down river.

Stop 5: Walk-in Tent site in Yoho National Park

I woke up early the next morning (per the advice of many) to make it to the infamous Lake Louise before the biggest wave of tourists. Beautiful, absolutely beautiful.

I wished I could have ventured onto more trails this day (but you have to be in a group of four here due to grizzly habitat...and I didn't have as much time nor energy for lots of hiking this day). From the main lakes in Banff National Park, I drove the Icefield Parkway up into Jasper NP, stopping at several of the waterfalls and sights along the way and thoroughly enjoying the immense beauty that this area provides. Photos could never do it justice truthfully and it's an area where I'd love to return to eventually.

I did manage a sort of off-the-beaten-path hike this day that was pretty nice to do...and then after I got situated at my campsite on the north end of Jasper NP I ventured out for an evening hike. I wasn't sure I had enough time/daylight to do the one I really wanted to do, so I did a different one that I eventually realized I had gone farther than I was supposed to for the day hike and I got a little nervous about being alone in bear country... Post hike, I decided to try out the natural hot springs pools (I'd been hoping to do one of the natural springs rather than the pool type, but it just didn't work out for me to do that extra leg of the journey this trip). The pools were a nice change of pace but definitely not the most relaxing nor solitary. :)

Stop 6: Jasper National Park campsite

The next day I drove out of Jasper and headed toward Edmonton, which was my main destination so I could be there for my high school buddy's wedding. There wasn't much on the road to stop to see but I did finally stop to get some coffee & carbs from Tony Horton's, which is pretty Canadian iconic (think Starbucks mixed with McDonalds).

Once in Edmonton, I got situated in my AirBnb basement room, oriented myself via some maps and park trail guides, and headed out on a running tour of part of the city. Edmonton in the summer reminds me a lot of Portland: river bisecting town, lots of great parks, major quadrants of the city, etc. I probably covered between 7 and 10 miles this day cutting through 2 of the city parks, running through the UofAlberta neighborhood,

and eventually making my way back to the house. After a much needed shower, I headed out to a nearby pub for an organic burger & this delicious rose beer.

Stop 7: 2 nights in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

On day number 2 in Edmonton, I drove to the other side of the river to check out that side of the city on foot. I grabbed coffee at a hip lil place in one of the newer neighborhoods, checked out Canada's version of REI, and then literally walked between 20-30 blocks to check out a farmer's market, the business district, and the main center of the city.

 I'm not gonna lie, by the time I made it back to the car, my feet were not very happy to be in their sandals. After the morning excursion, I bee-lined it back to the house to shower, change, and head to the wedding....and eventually to the reception. It was so great to see this buddy get married, I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with his parents, and it was really nice to have almost a full day to catch up with another couple from high school who were the only other guests from our hometown who had been invited. We had a great time that evening!

The next morning I rolled out early (after realizing that I actually prefer sleeping in the back of my SUV snug as a bug in my sleeping bag & fuzzy blanket rather than staying in a house)....and truthfully as much as I enjoyed Canada, for some reason I was just ready to make it back into the US. Ironically as I eventually crossed the border (with some incredibly strong winds), I also arrived at the same time as a massive thunder storm that was blowing in from the west (which thankfully helped with some of the wildfire issues this summer....). I was able to snag the next to last campsite, I bundled up and hid out in the lodge for a bit eating a tasty burger and drinking some amazing huckleberry beer, and then I headed back for my snug dry SUV where I spent the rest of the pouring afternoon & evening finishing off the book I'd been reading. Truthfully at this point a forced day to relax and hibernate was actually pretty amazing.

Stop 8: Rainy campsite in Glacier National Park

The next day was chilly, overcast, wet, and with winds...and I hadn't packed much cold weather gear, so I knew I needed to scrap my initial plan of long day hikes. I did manage a 2-3 mile cold, windy hike up to a neat view point (42 degrees, 33 mph winds)

and then I drove the Going to the Sun Rd through the park. 

From there I headed over to White Fish where I stopped for lunch and to check out the lake, I did a brief stop to check out Flathead Lake, stopped for an incredible elk burger & huckleberry milkshake along a rural highway in Montana, contemplated stopping at one of the campsites along the rivers, 

but pushed on to arrive in the dark & way late at an (overpriced & noisy) RV Site along I-5 just outside Coeur D'Alene.

Stop 9: RV Campsite outside Coeur D'Alene, ID

The next morning I decided to drive around the lake and I stopped for coffee and a bit of exploring at Harrison, ID. I chatted with the nicest locals and had some incredible bites & coffee brew for breakfast. This would be a great place to come in the off season for kayaking, hiking, & running.

From here I had decided to drive over to check out Mount Rainer National Park. It made for a couple of hours of extra car time, but it was fun to fit in an extra National Park before I made it back home. The two short hikes I did were both foggy & misty, as the rain was still falling from the western storms. From here I was glad to head back home...

Altogether an incredible outing! 2800 miles driven, 4 states & 2 provinces, 6 National Parks, several new towns explored, lots of great people met, countless trails/roads covered, and oh so many incredible memories. I was so grateful for safety & no major issues along the way. The break from work and not being accessible via phone/email to many was a nice change of pace. I seriously enjoyed just camping in the back of my SUV and the simple freedoms that the days presented. Oh and I purchased a National Parks pass too.....and have already made my money back between the US parks I visited and the hiking on federal lands I've already done since then. Altogether just an incredible journey that happened with just the perfect timing!

Solo Backpacking Trip

Since I'm currently off backpacking, I figured I'd finally post about the solo backpacking trip I did earlier this month. I have to say that after finally conquering this item off the "bucket list," it's really pretty freeing in a lot of ways. To feel like you can just take off for a few days into the woods and be okay is a pretty amazing feeling, although I can't exactly say that I could totally live off the land for a few days just yet :)

This 28 mile Lucky Lake Loop was one I had discovered after I ran a search from returning from the Lucky Lake trip I did before. While the trail log and maps provided at Cascade Hiking Adventures definitely was a good reference, I did feel like the trail log could have used more detail at times. There were a couple of spots where I started to lose elevation gain or the trail split where I didn't expect it, as the changes weren't recorded on the website. Overall though their review definitely helped and I was able to screen shot the maps to pull them up on my phone en route. (I also had purchased an actual map from REI in Bend.) When I had hit the trail in April, there was minimal snow on the trail and the campsite that I had stayed at while car camping was completely empty. This time I planned to car camp at the same spot the first night and then spend two days completing the 28 mile trek. The original campsite I tried was packed with fisherman however so then I researched and drove over to another nearby camp area where I was able to find some open spots.

These are pictures from the camp location:

 Roxi taking over my spot in the car:

The next morning we were up and on trail by 8:30am. I'd had a solid breakfast with oatmeal and surprisingly both dogs actually ate. It's just over a mile up trail from the Senoj Trailhead to Lucky Lake. The total trail goes by MANY MANY lakes so I'm not including pictures of all of them :)

I would not be exaggerating if I stated that we climbed over, around or under over 100 downed logs on this trail. Apparently a pretty decent wind storm had come through the weekend before. 

There was one section near Corral Swamp where there were so many downed trees that I completely lost the trail. I wandered around for a bit exploring the area and was also able to get a slight cell signal to pull up GPS and be able to see what general direction to head in. A bit of additional gut instinct and I refound the trail...after crossing through the swamp :)

After turning onto the next trail, we hit an area of pure sunshine. There was a side jaunt to an additional lake that we could have taken but I decided we'd just keep on going as we were already going to see so many bodies of water along the way.

About mile 9 or 10 we came across Boyd with his pack llamas. He asked if we would sit for a spell and chat and I always love meeting new people on trail. He has been traveling this trail for over thirty years and had some great stories. The original trail log mentioned camping at around mile 13, but I was able to ask Boyd about other options and he encouraged us to go on. Although he did share his secret camping spot and gave permission to use some of his stowed away goods at his lake about 11 miles in :) 

He also told us about Muskrat Lodge. Years ago this was a great spot with mouse proof cabinets, an incredibly warming stove, and a sleeping loft. He talked about spending time in there warming and sleeping by the fire on snow shoe trips. It was sort of sad to see it in such disrepair now.

After his one pack llama started backing toward as as if he wanted to kick, Roxi almost got into it with his dog, AND Roxi almost sat on a snake, I decided it was time for us to move on. About two miles later, the dogs and I passed the lake where Boyd frequents and we took the side trail toward Snowshoe Lake.

This is a short pano of Snowshoe Lake, which is where the guide suggestions camping: 

I kept checking mileage on the maps and seeing how the dogs and I were doing. Since we were in pretty decent shape (and I didn't see the point in stopping hiking til evening), we continued on til we made the Pacific Crest Trail shelter off of Cliff Lake. 

This made a great little spot to set up camp: 

Both dogs were pretty beat after 18 miles and scarfed down all their food. I had plenty of daylight to change into fresh clothes, set up the tent and sleeping gear, prepare hot cider to keep my body temp up, make some dinner, and then soak my blistered feet in the icy lake. I spent a few moments in my camp hammock and then crawled into bed to read for a bit. Roxi got to spend a few hours sleeping inside the tent for the first time ever, but she decided she likes it outside much better. :)

On Day 2 we headed out back on the PCT:

We passed several more lakes before starting to run into snow, even as we were dropping elevation. Interestingly we came across the worst of the snow banks about 4700-5200ft and once the final trail split off, it was a struggle to find the trail. This is the start of where the trail split and headed into even more snow: 

There were a couple miles in here where I could hardly determine where the trail was and seriously had to start contemplating turning around in order to backtrack all 22 miles. (We only had six more to go.... but the trees on this trail aren't stamped nor marked like many other winter trails...) Eventually I was able to pick up a pair of slight footprints that you can see two pictures down. Someone had come through on this trail probably a couple days prior and knew where they were going. Thank the Lord....because backtracking 22 miles would have been horrible! This was also the moment when I realized that Reg D truly needs to teach me map & compass navigation. 

Senoj Lake was beautiful!

The footprints! Woohoo!

Besides the initial mountain behind Lucky Lake, this is the only other decent viewpoint from the trail. This is at the highest point of the hike which is about 6000 ft. 

From the viewpoint is a few more miles back to Lucky Lake. On the route from Lucky Lake back to the car we met another older gentleman who we chatted with for ten minutes. He advised that I just get a GPS rather than use the old map and compass system :) 

The dogs ran straight to the car and jumped inside. They were happy to have more food and some additional water. I changed clothes, used the actual bathroom at the trail head, shoved an apple in my mouth, and then headed back to our favorite camp site to check my work email, soak my angry feet, and take in some great views. I contemplated spending another night here as most the fishermen had headed out....but decided to head back to the valley and work instead.

Altogether I learned a few lessons but was also really glad at how well the trip went overall. General rule of thumb is start with highest elevation first. I also figured out that drinking a hot beverage right after stopping mileage granted me additional moments of finger usage. I have Raynauds so once I stop moving and my core body temp starts to drop, I tend to lose sensation in my fingers for quite a while. I've learned to work around this by doing everything that I need to do with my fingers (changing, setting up the tent, getting dinner ready, getting fresh water, etc) within 10 minutes of stopping. The hot beverage trick granted me more time and I also noticed that I didn't lose sensation in all of the fingers this time. It was great! Besides compass skills, I also probably need to be in the market for new hiking shoes.

But altogether a pretty successful first solo excursion! And I didn't even have that on my goal list for this year :) Glad to be on trail with Reg D this weekend however!

Things I'm Loving

1) Two new housemates arrived and are settled in. So far I really enjoy both of them and honestly each of us will only live with the other for a max of two months, so I'm hoping this really works out well.

2) It's a high of 80 today and a high of 85 tomorrow! One of my clients told me about local crawfishing. I bought a trap & some beer, found my old lawn chairs, and plan to head to the river later today after some grading to try to catch some dinner :) We'll also see if we can get a few hiking miles in! Oh and my Friday meetings were cancelled for both today and next Friday.

3) Yesterday was my last day at the massage job. I really enjoyed the diversity of clients that I was able to work with and it's incredible to spend an hour with someone and watch their tension, headache, ailments slowly disappear....but there were also things that I definitely learned from that job that I won't be looking for should I look for massage work in a clinic again. Everything is a learning experience. :)

4) The dogs and I went back to Central Oregon this last weekend and had a fun time soaking in the views at our favorite camp ground before heading out to complete our first solo backpacking trip! I plan to write about the trip on it's own later but it was a pretty awesome trip, and ironically I didn't even originally intend to check that bucket list item off the list this year. It's really sort of freeing though in a sense--to know that you can go into the woods and be comfortable overnight and alone.

5) The visit with my old friend last Saturday went really well, although I got a bit delayed starting on my trip out of town. I also stopped at my sister's to see her family and her (& my great niece who was visiting) and then swung by my parent's place to chat with Dad & Granny and drop my massage table off. Granny was in great form that day and it was great to spend a few moments with her. I also stopped by my parents place on my way home from the trip and had a great visit with all of them. It was really nice to see them so much in the last week. They'll be up here at my aunt's for mother's day on Sunday.

6) By the time I leave for the Tanzania trip, I think my credit card will already be at the 75% goal mark that I'd set at the beginning of the year (well minus, the extra from the plane ticket that will be reimbursed). I have the tendency of always striving for more...so there's the chance that the credit card will be paid in full by the end of the year. Since I'm planning on taking that road trip the end of this summer and probably only renting out just one room in the fall, repayment will definitely slow down but still exciting to be so close to the original goal for the year :)

7) Two more outdoor trips are in the plans. Reg D and I are planning a 5-6 day trip with the dogs to tire them out before they go to my parents in June and then we'll also do a shorter trip over part of Memorial Day weekend. If I can square all my grading away, I could also go somewhere next weekend but I haven't decided if we should head out or just hang out closer to home for a bit.

But lots of great things in the works. There's the occasional speed bump but I'm pretty stoked with where life is and where it seems to be heading....just trying to enjoy, live a life I love, and trust the process....

Tilly Jane Snowshoe Weekend

What do you say when one of your best buddies asks if you want to do a snowshoe weekend on the mountain with him and his girlfriend....and he offers to haul most the gear, cook all the meals, and supply the extras? You say yes in a very big way. Especially when one of the main reasons he's doing it is because you weren't able to join the original mid-December snowshoe week to a cabin in southern Oregon due to scheduling conflicts and other individuals on that particular trip.

Needless to say Regular D scored major major brownie points on the last weekend of the year and arranged a fun trip that was something I'd been wanting to do for a long time. The only drawback to this trip was that the dogs weren't allowed to come along due to cabin regulations.

Reg D hauling a pulk at the start of the 2.5 mile journey of a 2000ft elevation gain up to the cabin. His feat was epic since there were several downed trees on the trail that he had to navigate over/around & night fell upon our final bits of trekking.

A and I at sunset--it was so incredibly beautiful on the way up.

A continuing to head up, up, up trail with Mt Hood looming in the background.

A and I made it to the Tilly Jane cabin about 530 pm and Reg D arrived just under an hour after us. The fun thing about Tilly Jane is that it's sort of like an outdoor hostel meaning that it holds mixed reservations for up to 20 people. Our first night in the cabin was spent with a couple about our age who had recently moved to Portland and two fun guys about our ages also. We all navigated well together restocking wood, boiling water, cooking various meals (Reg D made us hot sandwiches this night), and hanging out close to the fire (which was the only real spot with any warmth...the rest of the cabin stayed about 35 degrees or under... :)). We had a great time that first night sitting around the fire together, telling stories, talking about a variety of things, and sharing drinks.

On Day 2, we all crawled out of our various sleeping areas (the cabin has an open loft up top for sleeping) and Reg D cooked us an awesome egg/sausage/veggie scramble. Amanda and I heard a dog outside and when we went to investigate we met an older guy who was staying at a private cabin a bit farther up the mountain. Since they had a smaller group staying with him, he invited all of us to come up for a beer in the afternoon. About noon or 1pm-ish, my buddy J arrived for the afternoon and joined us on a bit of a day hike adventure and to visit the cabin up the way. It had started snowing the night before and the wind was also howling. Visibility to get up to the desired Cooper Spur Hut on the mountain was nil, but once we found our alternate route, we really enjoyed spending an hour or two chatting with the people in the Snowshoe Cabin (plus it was toasty and gorgeous in there). The gentleman we'd met in the morning knew the history of the area so it was great learning about the development and the cabins on that side of the mountain.

J with Reg D in the background

Reg D, A, & J heading to check out the historic Cloud Cap Inn

Late afternoon brought Reg D, A, a young guy we'd met at the other cabin, and I back to Tilly Jane, where we spent time just chatting and hanging out around the fire. In the evening we had fajitas (my fav!!) and I brought out Yahtzee cards so that our group could play together. (The young guys had left but a new couple had arrived during the day!)

A bit more sitting around the fire & chatting as the evening progressed...and then eventually we all wandered to bed.

In the morning, we woke up to more inches of snow and it was continuing to come down, so we decided to head out about noon after restocking the wood and boiling more water for the others at the cabin. 

The inside of the cabin.

Final photo op in front of the Tilly Jane Cabin.

We decided to take the 9 mile road back down to the parking area as it has a more gradual decline, but with the constant snowfall we also had the fun of breaking trail (sometimes in snow that went up to just below my knee). Nine miles later, we definitely were stoked to finally arrive at the car! :) (My phone stopped working due to the cold in the section which was too bad as there was some really beautiful scenery.)

Altogether it was such a great fun, relaxing weekend however...and in a lot of ways a perfect wrap up to the fun that the year had presented. We met some incredible individuals, ate some great food, enjoyed lots of conversation, and just had time to be....it was pretty wonderful. :)

I was also pretty glad that my Sorento was able to navigate so well on the snow and we didn't need chains to get out of the parking lot (which J had loaned me a set and gave me a lesson late the night before-ha!). We stopped in Hood River for a pizza dinner and beers, and then navigated back to Portland and to all of our individual homes. It felt pretty amazing to come in the door to happy dog kisses...and then to finally get in the shower after three days of sweat, cold, and body odor :)

Seriously though.... what a great weekend...and an amazing Christmas gift from my dear buddy!

Wallowa Mtns Backpacking Trip

This was a 3 day trip in the middle of September that I've been hemming & hawing about including on the blog. Tall D and I had planned two backpacking trips for September, but since the boys thru-hiked the JMT mid August & Reg D had a 10 day bike trip for the coast scheduled, Tall D and I just did a long day trip around Olympic National Park and then pulled-off a 3 day backpacking trip in the Wallowa Mtns. The Wallowas trip itself was absolutely beautiful, the hiking went really well (about 10-12 miles per day), the camp sites were perfect, the lake views were stunning, and the handful of people we met on trail were super friendly. Hands down both of the backpacking trips from this last summer restored my faith in the backpacking experience and made me excited for the trips to come in future outings with various people.

The Wallowa Mtns are an area in Eastern Oregon that are absolutely stunning and I'm really glad the trip was able to go ahead as planned this summer/fall. The changing of the seasons was a great time to go also as the leaves were vivid and the temperature was neither too hot in the day nor too cold at night. And also I have to give it up to the guys for their homemade dehydrated camp food--it was some of the best dehydrated food I've had yet.

Anna & I starting up the trail on Day 1. We got started about noon due to a variety of funny events that unfolded in the morning and after getting breakfast at a cute lil place in the town of Joseph. We'd "camped" at the actual campground outside of Joseph the night before (meaning we put the seats in my SUV down and slept in the back of my rig...until the dogs noticed the squirrels taunting them from the trees above... :) I slept great....Tall D not so much)

Six Mile Meadow

The trail was a mix of meadows, trees, lake views, & rocky climbs

Tall D & the dogs checking the map during break time

The view pre and during sunset from Night 1 Campsite at Horseshoe Lake. I was able to bath down trail in the lake, the stars were out for full gazing, & we spent a lot of time sitting next to a blazing fire and drinking hot chocolate.

One of the most beautiful reflections from Day 2: 

There were lots of great lakes to explore on Day 2, so we did a side trip up to another lake where we ate lunch and chilled out for a little bit. Post lunch we went up Glacier Pass...

From the top of Glacier Pass...so glad to have made it :)

Looking down on Glacier Lake from the top of the pass.

Look at that water!! We hung out here at Glacier Lake for a bit and debating camping here or carrying on to Frazier Lake. The beautiful water was freezing however so we decided to head down to lower elevation again (plus we had two potential return options for Day 3 to decide on so we wanted to get further down trail).

Tall D leading the way.

Campsite Night 2. We made it to camp and had just enough time to make food (spinach pasta w home dehydrated sauce--amazing!), filter more water, get the tent ready, etc before night fell. It took me a while to fall asleep this night and Tall D read some of his sci-fi book aloud while I watched the stars over ahead. It was a pretty amazing night....and the day had been pretty incredible too.

Day 3 included more rocky paths and winding along gorgeous river views before looping back to Six Mile Meadow.

Some of the gorgeous fall views : 

When we made it back to the car early to mid afternoon, we both felt in pretty good shape. There was a bathroom next to the trailhead, so I grabbed some cleaner clothes to change and washed off as much of the trail dust as I could. Then we started on the gorgeous drive back to Portland, hitting up some great food options that we'd seen from Travel Oregon's Instagram Feed :)

Beautiful farm views as we headed toward Enterprise to grab beers & amazing steak bites from Terminal Gravity Brewery. From there we went on to Lostine Tavern in Lostine---absolutely amazing food and great establishment. The drive back to Portland was just as beautiful with an amazing sunset as we went over Cabbage Hill. 

Seriously beautiful, incredible trip. If you live in Oregon and have never been, I would highly highly recommend it! So many people visit Oregon for it's Willamette Valley, but if you're an outdoor lover then definitely check out the various other parts of the state also :)