Yesterday I went with a group to the Silverton Reservoir for the first kayaking trip of the year. Due to a miscalculation of how long it would take me to get there and how long it would take to pump air into my inflatable kayak, I was on the lake by 9:20 in the morning.

Since the group I was with wouldn't show up for another half hour, I decided to use the binoculars I had to see some of the birds in the area. I had not expected to see Osprey so close to the town of Silverton even though I know they live near lakes. Being on the lake that early had other benefits as well. I was able to take pictures of the lake when it was still smooth.

Once everyone showed up, we decided to go up the creek so we could possibly see the lowest waterfall, but after half a mile upstream, we turned back since the current was strong enough to keep us from going any further.

Overall it was a great day to be on the lake--not too hot, cold, or windy.

Oregon Cheese Country

This past weekend I went over to the northern Oregon Coast to go camping at Cape Lookout State Park. (Okay, okay. So I should have written this sooner.) On the way over, I drove through a small town called Beaver; unfortunately I didn't get any pictures. I stayed in a cabin (Yes, staying in a cabin isn't exactly camping in tents.) and enjoyed the great weather. As I love to collect rocks and agates from the beach, I scoured the shoreline for something unique both the night I got there and the next morning, but came up empty handed. I did find many sand-dollars though, but since I don't collect them, I gave them to my parents who seem to collect them. As I watched the sunset go down, I took several pictures hoping that the clouds would light up in different colors.

The following day, I went to the Tillamook Cheese Factory and sampled several types of cheese and had some ice cream. The picture below is at the outskits of the nearby town of Nehalem. (I had to take the picture because I really like the setting with the mountains in the background)

Then I went hiking at Ecola State Park to burn off the calories from the ice cream (and that mornings' breakfast) and get a view of the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse.

Unfortunately the rock is 2 miles from the mainland and my camera isn't able to zoom in good enough to get a great picture. After the hike I ate at the Oregon famous Mo's and had some clam chowder, and finally headed for home. I definitely was the perfect weather to go to the coast. Usually it is overcast and raining at this time of year