The last few days in Oregon we visited Multnomah Falls which has been on our bucket list and it was well worth the visit. The viewing area is a short walk from the parking lot. There is another access that we wanted to take but all of the roads in that area are closed due to the recent arsons fire. We then went to the Bonneville Dam and Fish Hatchery. At the dam they have a fish ladder but wrong time of year to see the salmon but inside there is an underwater viewing area and we watched what we thought were eels but they were Lamprey with three-toothed suction-cup mouth, funny to watch. At the fish hatchery we viewed pools of rainbow trout and an extremely large white sturgeon maybe 10 feet long. The next day we took a scenic drive around Mt Hood and visited Trillium Lake, the location of one of the stained-glass windows I did a couple of years ago for a friend.    

On our way to Portland we spent a day touring the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, home of the Hughes Flying Boat “Spruce Goose”.  Seeing the “Spruce Goose” with several planes on display under its wings. The Old Stone Village Campground had a very nice paved walkway over to the museum. We spent a good part of one day there and enjoyed talking with the volunteers, particularly one of the planes we toured, was guided by a man who was the pilot of a Douglas C-47 in Vietnam and a lady who was a stewardess on the commercial version of the same plane DC-3. We also saw an IMAX movie of a modern-day fighter pilot’s war training, so cool and well done. The space museum was very well done with exhibits showing the world history of man getting into space. Outside were many planes, helicopters and rockets. This was a very good stop.    

Spruce Goose model of  all wood construction

DC-3

Apollo 11

We are staying at the Mill Casino RV Park at Coos Bay Oregon. We took a drive to Cape Arago and Shore Acres State Parks, and the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area.  At Cape Arago we were able to view and hear barking sea lions along the rugged Coast, the main viewing area for the seals was closed because it is pupping season. It was not the best day for photos with heavy clouds and misty but we did enjoy our time there. At Shore Acres there is a very nice formal garden which we also enjoyed. The Sand Dunes were more visible from the highway unless you had an ATV which is what the area is set up for, nice drive though.

Here are a few photos from the day.

Turkey Vultures 

Pelican Formation

View from the dunes beach viewing platform

Yosemite National Park is now checked off our bucket list. What a beautiful place of God’s creation. I had been checking the weather and info on the park and our timing was just right. There was a large amount of people in the park which made parking our dually a challenge but we managed OK. The waterfalls were just past peak and wonderful as was the day with mostly clear skies and comfortable temperatures. We drove about 85 miles from our campground in Chowchilla, CA and arrived about 9 AM and with our senior pass we were just waived on through the entrance station. Our first stop was Bridalveil Fall which was a short walk from the parking area and a nice start to our visit even though it was a little chilly yet and the sun was not on the falls but still impressive. As we made our way into the valley we soon got a glimpse of Upper Yosemite Fall with clear skies and in full sun. Many years ago, when I was younger maybe in my 50s I hiked to the top of the upper fall and had always wanted Karen to see it and here we are. We traveled slowly looking for spot to park and we did and spent some time walking on the board walks and enjoying the beauty. We then lucked out with a parking spot a distance from the visitor’s center and as we walked about a quarter mile through full parking lots we arrived to a closed for the day visitors center due to a power outage, very disappointing. We wanted to visit the Half Dome Village and have lunch but could not find a place to park so we moved on. We were also hoping to hike to Mirror Lake and Lower Yosemite Fall but no available parking so we drove to El Capitan picnic area and got the last parking space there. We had packed lunches incase we needed them so we had our lunch at the base of El Capitan and that was nice and peaceful. Tunnel view was a place I remembered and Karen loved it looking into the valley with El Capitan, Half Dome and Bridelveil Fall in one spectacular view. Our last stop was Glacier Point and that road just opened last week so our timing was good. It was about a 25-mile winding road up to 7,200 feet. Traffic was not bad and a lot of cars were coming down so we thought parking should not be bad, wrong. About one half mile from the parking lot the traffic came to a stop and go, we had a good view and no time frame finally we reached the parking area and as we creeped along we stopped for people walking across the road and one guy motioned that he was leaving so we waited and got a great parking space large enough for the truck and a short walk to the viewing area and much needed restrooms. Wow is all I can say about the views, the time of day and the weather. I believe God had his hand on our visit. We picked up a cup of coffee and a large pretzel at the visitors shop and enjoyed them while looking across the valley at Half Dome before making the 95 miles back to camp. In a few days we will be in Oregon along the coast. 

Bridalveil Fall

Upper Yosemite Fall

El Capitan

Tunnel View

Half Dome while waiting on traffic

Views from Glacier Point area

Bridalveil Fall

Upper & Lower Yosemite Fall

Our view at a coffee break!

What a beautiful place. Today we went to the Shin Zen Friendship Garden in Fresno, CA. It is located in a public park, the senior admission was $3.00 parking and $2.00 entrance, that was nice. This garden is on about five acres and very well laid out and well kept. We walked the grounds a couple of times and took some time to sit in the umm areas and reflect, very peaceful. We were fortunate to see the bonsai collection open. The web site said it was open on weekends, so we enjoyed the beautiful works of skilled art most were either donated or on loan from the artist. The peacock was a special treat and he did not mind us being there. Another very nice day.