Category Archives: Travel

Wanderings and Music on the Tallgrass Prairie…Oh, and Bierocks, Too

13 Monday Aug 2018

Posted by in Food, Kansas, Nature, Photography, Travel

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I live in the American Midwest. Many Americans call this “fly-over country”, and within that unseen part of the country is what is known as “drive right through it country.” If you are the type of traveler that sticks to the interstate highway, zooming through state after state, as quickly as you can in order to get to those famous mountains and ski resorts in the western United States…well yes, Kansas and Missouri, Illinois and Nebraska become “drive all night to get through them” states. And you would be missing so much of what is beautiful about this vast nation.

The best example of a traveler’s missed opportunity I can think of is the state of Kansas. If road trippers would get off of I-70 and drive along Kansas state and county roads, they would find a land that is beautiful and mesmerizing, a place that makes you understand how big this country really is, and how vast its opportunities. We have driven along Kansas highways and byways many times, and I never tire of its beauty and its openness. As my granddaughter would say, “It’s so grand, Grandma!”

This is America’s heartland, and the world’s breadbasket. Once, this heartland was covered in acre upon acre of tallgrass prairie. Today the National Park Service estimates there is less than 4% of the original prairie remaining. Other sources estimate a mere 1%, while some optimistic souls believe there may be as much as 18% remaining due to unknown patches here and there. Original  prairie refers to tallgrass landscape that has never been plowed for other uses.

The largest swath of original tallgrass prairie remaining is in the Flint Hills of eastern Kansas. It extends from the northern border of Kansas on the Nebraska border, 200 miles south to just inside the state of Oklahoma. It is 80 miles wide at its widest point.

Its rocky terrain made it an undesirable area for farming. If you walk through the tallgrass prairie of the Flint Hills you will find pieces of chert, big and small, scattered across the landscape. The underlying bedrock of the area is limestone and shale. Over time this bedrock weathers, erodes and dissolves. Chert is a very hard rock found within the layers of the bedrock. When the limestone and shale erode away, the chert is left behind. Another name for chert is flint, and flint is what Native Americans used to make their spear and arrow heads.

Chert, or flint, is left behind when softer rocks around it erode. You will find flint scattered throughout the tallgrass prairie of the Flint Hills.

We have been to the Flint Hills before, but one of my bucket list items has always been to attend the “Symphony in the Flint Hills”. This year was the year, and we gave each other the trip to the symphony as Christmas gifts. We spent three days exploring Kansas in addition to attending the concert.  We were also excited to visit a place about which I have read a lot…Konza Prairie in Manhattan, Kansas. It was a major goal…to walk that prairie!

I have visited several prairies in Missouri, where our Conservation Department has saved many remnants of original prairie. But, honestly, there is simply nothing I have ever experienced on the prairie quite like the thrill of hiking Konza Prairie…even if it was 100 degrees when we finished (that is why you start out early in the day)! Please understand, trees are not a common feature in the tallgrass prairie, and that sun is hot as you approach noon. We were happy we had taken a lot of water with us…and our hats. The following pictures are but a few of the many I took as we hiked the shortest trail, about 2 1/2 miles.

Starting out on the trail.

This creek, dry this time of year, these trees, were a welcome sight after a couple hours in the bright sunshine of the Kansas prairie!

When you hike the prairie, landscape is not all there is to take in. I have never seen so many butterflies on so many flowers in all my life…and I have been around a very long time. Butterfies, wildflowes, birds on plant tops…I call it eye candy!

Prairie Clover
Leadplant
Prickly Poppy
Sensitive Briar
Prairie Rose

Butterfly Milkweed and Leadplant

And so, so many butterflies…

We saw many birds, but this Dickcissel sat still for me the longest……

Finally it was time to experience the purpose of this trip…the “Symphony in the Flint Hills”. We arrived early in the day, and took in the many events that are part of this big day. We heard talks on issues important to those who live in, as well as those who visit the Flint Hills, took walks through the open land, and rode a covered wagon, until we got to the highlight of the day…the Kansas City Orchestra playing on the open prairie as the sun sets and the sky becomes a field of stars in every direction. It is simply stunning.

As we mulled around the ranch which was the site of this year’s concert, we took the opportunity to take a ride on a covered wagon.

Just as dusk fell, the concert began, and it was amazing!

And absolutely nothing beats music, out in the open air, watching the sun set on the immense American tallgrass prairie!

A trip to the middle of America, a trip to the tallgrass prairie is a truly inspiring experience. I hope you might consider stopping sometime in this fly-over country, country Midwesterners call Kansas! To learn more about the “Symphony in the Flint Hills”, you can visit their website. More information on Konza Prairie can be found on the Nature Conservancy website

Bierocks

While visiting a new place, I always like to find a food that is unique to the area. In Kansas, I found Bierocks (pronounced “brocks”). Bierocks are a traditional German food, brought over by immigrants who settled in Kansas and established the farming that has made Kansas part of the world’s greatest supplier of food.

Bierocks are traditionally made with ground beef. I use ground bison for our bierocks, it is lower in fat than beef, and is a traditional food source of the western United States. For many years you could not find bison to purchase for food, but there is a resurgence in its use…and it tastes really good.

These little pocket meals are tasty, and though they take a bit of work, we always have extras. I put the leftover Bierocks in the freezer, and we take them out from time to time for a quick and delicious lunch that takes only two minutes to heat in the microwave.

Bierocks

  • Servings: 12
  • Difficulty: easy
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This recipe has been adapted from “Taste of Home”

Ingredients

For the dough:

  • 5-5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
  • 1 1/8 tsp. active dry yeast
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup whole milk (it is the only kind I use)
  • 1/4 cup butter, cubed
  • 1 large egg

For filling

  • 1 lb. ground bison (you may use ground beef instead)
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper
  • 1 lb. shredded cabbage, cooked and drained

Directions

To make the dough:

  1. Combine 2 cups of flour, yeast, sugar and salt in your mixer bowl and mix well. Set aside.
  2. Heat water, milk, and butter in a small pan just until the butter has melted, no warmer than 130 degrees.
  3. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix.
  4. Add egg.
  5. At low speed, blend until moistened, then beat at medium speed for 3 minutes.
  6. Gradually add remaining flour by hand, until you have a stiff dough.
  7. Knead on a floured surface for 10 minutes.
  8. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top.
  9. Cover and let rise in a warm place free of drafts until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch down and let rise again until almost doubled.

To make the filling:

  1. Brown bison with the onion, salt and pepper, then drain.
  2. Mix in the cabbage and set aside.

Putting it all together:

  1. Divide the dough in half
  2. Roll each piece into an approximate rectangle that is 15×10 inches. (Mine never looks like a real rectangle!)
  3. Cut into 5 inch squares and spoon about 1/2 cup of meat mixture onto each of the squares.
  4. Bring up the sides of the dough to enclose the filling, pinching it closed to form a meat pocket that looks a lot like a hamburger bun.
  5. Place on a greased baking sheet, and bake at 375 degrees until golden brown.

Enjoy!

How To Do Las Vegas Our Way, and Indian Bread Tacos

11 Wednesday Jul 2018

Posted by in Beef Dishes, Food, Nature, Nevada, Photography, Travel

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We have always had a goal of visiting each of the fifty states. As this, our fiftieth year of marriage began, we set our sights on reaching that goal, visiting the two states we had not yet seen. In April we flew to Nevada to check off state #49. I was not particularly excited…my knowledge of Nevada was limited, and when thinking about Nevada, the mental connections I made were desert, Las Vegas, and gambling.

But then we took a tour of Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, and my mind’s eye view of Nevada will never be the same.

Millions of years ago, the land that is now Red Rock Canyon laid under a deep ocean. When this ocean receded it left behind deposits of shells and the skeletons of ocean life that lay up to 9,000 feet thick. These deposits, when compressed, formed into limestone and other carbonate rocks.

Over subsequent millions of years, the land changed again and again. At one point, movement deep within the Earth caused the sea bed to rise. Mud and sand entered from streams draining into the landscape and eventually became compressed into shale and sandstone.

By 180 million years ago, the area became the arid desert we know today. Red Rock Canyon is in the Mojave Desert, the driest desert in North America. The dunes that stretched across the area blew and blew, they shifted, then shifted again. The dunes grew and they receded, and over time, they formed lines, “crossbeds” which were cemented together by new sediments, fusing them forever. Iron present in the  sandstone is what gives the rock in the canyon its red color.

And then, finally, about 65 million years ago, there was a dramatic uplift, the Keystone Thrust Fault, from deep within the Earth’s crust. This caused the oldest rock in the crust, the gray limestone carbonate rocks to push up and above the younger sandstone.

To take a look at Red Rock Canyon, we took a jeep tour with a knowledgeable and passionate guide. He took us all around the canyon and answered any and every question we had. If you ever find your way to Las Vegas, look up Pink Jeep for some of the very best tours available anywhere.

One of my favorite places in the canyon is that place where you can see real evidence of Native American life and activity from centuries long past. We spent a bit of time in this area, enjoying the beauty of the place, as well as discussing the lives of the people who, at one time, called this place home. Hunter-gatherers were the first to inhabit the area, with the most recent occupations being of the Paiute and Anasazi people.

These petroglyphs on the red sandstone are evidence of a people who wished to leave evidence of their having been here, their having been part of the story of mankind…

The rock formations in this area are absolutely amazing…

There is evidence at several places of fire pits that were used by the Native Americans. Today those fire pits are home to many desert plants.

I love the flora of any landscape, and Red Rock Canyon was no exception. The canyon is filled with beautiful wildflowers, trees, and bushes. Here are my favorites…

The most impressive was this very old, lone Juniper Tree…

This Cliff Rose was my very favorite…

The Creosote is a very important plant in the arid desert landscape…

This squat little Barrel Cactus…

There are Joshua Trees everywhere throughout the park…

I loved looking “through” this Joshua Tree…

This beautiful Desert Marigold…

and the unique Desert Rhubarb…

So, if you ever find yourself thinking about a trip to the American southwest, and you are not a city person, or a gambler; you would describe yourself more a nature lover, an adventurer, don’t count Las Vegas out. Once outside town, and its hotels where you can spend your nights. there is so much more to the area than casinos and glitzy shows. I am so glad we found ourselves in Nevada!

Indian Bread Tacos

After returning home, I found this recipe, and tweaked it a bit, to help us remember the time we spent at Red Rock Canyon. Fry Bread was a typical bread made by Native American women…and these bread tacos are delicious, and we think much more filling than typical tacos.

Indian Fry Bread Tacos

  • Servings: 6
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Fun and filling way to make tacos.

Ingredients

For the Bread

  • 2 cups flour
  • 3/4 tsp.salt
  • 3 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 cup warm water

Directions

  1. Mix the dry ingredients and add warm water. Work with hands until dough forms and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
  2. Break dough off to a bit larger than the size of a golf ball.
  3. Roll dough into 6 inch circles.
  4. Fry each piece in 2 inches of hot oil in a medium saucepan. When the dough is golden and poofed up, turn the bread and fry on the other side. Drain on a paper towel.

Ingredients

For the Topping

  • 1 pound of ground beef or ground bison
  • 1 pkg. Taco seasoning
  • 1/2 of a 15 oz. can of refried beans
  • 2/3 cup water, you may add a bit more if you like.
  • shredded lettuce
  • diced tomatoes
  • sour cream

Directions

  1. Brown ground meat.
  2. Add package of taco seasoning and the water.
  3. Stir in the refried beans.
  4. To assemble the taco. place some of the meat mixture on top of a fry bread, then top with lettuce, tomatoes, and a dollop of sour cream.

Enjoy!

The Lines of Time

25 Wednesday Apr 2018

Posted by in Nature, Nevada, Travel, Weekly Photo Challenge

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We have just returned from a trip to Las Vegas where the highlight of our trip was a tour of Red Rock Canyon. The lines of time can be seen everywhere in the park,

lines from the layering over time of sedimentary sandstone…

and lines caused by folding that occurred during dramatic uplifts…

as our Earth was forming and preparing itself to be our home.

In response to the Weekly Photo Challenge

The Oregon Coast, and Oregon Style Salmon Cakes

01 Thursday Mar 2018

Posted by in Fish, Food, Oregon, Photography, Travel

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Here, in the great Midwest, here in Missouri, winter has not been a spectacular season. It has been, quite often, very cold…but without snow, and I believe that cold without snow is a waste of freezing temperatures. When we have had precipitation, it has been rain. The rain is much welcome, since we have been in drought conditions for some time now…but, snow melts into fresh water! I do not want anyone to believe I enjoy ice on the roads, but in a winter like we have had, a little ice on the bare branches of our trees has been a glittery, welcome sight on two occasions. As you can tell, winter fatigue has set in.

So, I remember the ocean, the Oregon sunshine, the walks on the beach with some of our family, the rocks I explored that I knew nothing about, and best of all…the sea creatures I got to see up close and personal.

The Pacific Ocean meets the beach in Lincoln City, Oregon.

I have written a couple posts about our trip to Oregon last summer, but now I want to share my favorite part…our week on the Pacific Ocean in Lincoln City. Each and every  morning, we awoke to the foggy layer that covers the ocean at sunrise, and watched it as it lifted and left a crystal day. Each night we went to sleep after watching the sun set off our patio…

The view from our beach house, where…

we watched the sun set each and every evening.

Each morning we got up, had breakfast, and went out to explore…up and down the coastline. The waters off the Oregon coast are pretty cold, too cold for most of us to swim in, but that did not mean we did not get wet, we did not tempt the waves, nor that we did not climb back in the car, many times, with really cold toes.

Our first big stop was Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area in Newport. We walked on the rocky beach to peer into the tide pools, and looked across the rocks and into the sky to find other wildlife. The two kids were awestruck…so were the big “kids”.

Peering into the tide pool

Sea anemones are amazing creatures

It did not matter that walking was challenging, because…

well…because getting to a new place to explore was the name of the game.

“Look at that, Luke!”

Look at all those birds…and what could this be!

And the birds…so many on the rocks of Yaquina Head. Many birds come here to nest.

Common Murres on a rock
So many Cormorants, and…
a nesting Cormorant.

And my personal favorite…the seals…

We also visited the light house at Yaquina Head, a most beautiful backdrop to the tide pools…

and we stopped to take pictures of the scenery on our way.

 

 

Another day we traveled to the Neskowin Ghost Forest…also known as the petrified beach. In the winter of 1997-1998, heavy storms uncovered the petrified remains of ancient sitka spruce trees that had been buried for centuries. At one time, possibly as many as 2000 years ago, these trees were part of a forest that was destroyed. Many believe the forest was destroyed by an earthquake or a tsunami. While we will never know for sure what destroyed the forest, what remains is a beautiful, almost haunting area of ocean fog, and over 100 petrified stumps.

Walking out to the petrified beach

Petrified stumps of ancient sitka spruce along the beach at Neskowin.

There is something mystical and magic about this place…

But I have saved the very best for last. Not far from our beach house was a place, known to locals as the Secret Beach…and several people I spoke with indicated they wanted to keep it that way. We were so happy the owner of our rental house shared its location with us. It was to the Secret Beach that we went to walk, to explore, to hide behind big rocks, to run until we were exhausted, where I went to draw, and to gaze out on the ocean, knowing we could stay only until the tide came rushing back in.

Enter our Secret Beach…

The scenery was incredible, but for me, the ocean life exposed at low tide was the most amazing. It would have been impossible to count the number of sea stars and the number of sea anemones we saw. Here is but a sampling…

And then there was this little guy…

What an extraordinary trip it was to the Pacific Coast of Oregon…and now I am ready for warmer weather, further travels, and new discoveries! I hope you can find a secret beach, a secret forest…a secret and special place to relax too! I just can’t tell you where our secret beach is!

Oregon Style Salmon Cakes

I remember when I was a little girl, and my mom used to make “salmon patties”. The prize for each of us four siblings was finding the little, chewy bones in the salmon. These salmon cakes remind me of those patties mom used to make, but maybe just a little bit better…and I still look for those little bones as a special treat.

Oregon Style Salmon Cakes

  • Servings: 6 patties
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

This is a delicious way to get dinner on the table in half an hour using a can of salmon.

Ingredients

  • 1 (14.75 oz.) can of high quality salmon
  • 2Tbsp. butter
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 cup cracker crumbs
  • 2 eggs, slightly beaten
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, or 1 Tbsp. dried
  • 1 tsp. dry mustard, plain mustard will work just fine
  • 3 Tbsp. shortening

Directions

  1. Drain the salmon, reserving 1/4-1/2 cup of the liquid. Flake the meat.
  2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, and cook until translucent.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine the onions with the reserved salmon liquid, 1/2 cup of the cracker crumbs, eggs, parsley, mustard and salmon. Start with 1/4 cup of the reserved liquid and add more if the mixture is too dry.
  4. Mix until blended, and form into six cakes.
  5. Coat each cake in the remaining cracker crumbs, and sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper on each salmon cake.
  6. Fry salmon cakes in shortening, turning once, to brown on both sides.

Enjoy!

Apostle Islands Ice Caves…and Wisconsin Cheese and Beer Soup

07 Sunday Jan 2018

Posted by in Nature, Photography, Soups and Stews, Travel, Wisconsin

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Here in Missouri, it is cold…it is very cold. It is cold from the Midwest to the East Coast, all the way down to the Southeastern United States. It actually snowed in Florida last week. And as I sit here, awaiting the beginning of the freezing rain that has been forecast for later this morning, I think back to other experiences I have had with ice, some of them not such great memories. But then I remember Bayfield, Wisconsin, and the ice caves of Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.

In February of 2014, we traveled to Minneapolis to be present for the finalizing of our granddaughter’s adoption. What a special moment that was. There are no words that adequately describe how much joy that little girl has brought into our lives.

It was a snowy winter, and as we drove north from our home in Missouri, we never once lost sight of snow along the way.

After spending what is never enough time with our grandchild, we were getting ready to head back south, and home. As we watched the local and national news on our last evening in Minnesota, we saw stories highlighting the ice caves at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in northern Wisconsin, Jim and I glanced at each other, and knew exactly what we needed to do. Our son-in-law looked at us and said, “You are really going up there, aren’t you?” Well, of course we were!

The trip up to the northern reaches of Wisconsin was beautiful…very snowy the whole way.

When we arrived in Bayfield, a point from which we might access the national lakeshore and the caves, I felt as if I had walked into a Currier and Ives painting. The scenes of the town and Lake Superior are pictures that will live in my mind forever. Just walking through town would have satisfied me that we were right in traveling north instead of south toward home.

A view of Bayfield, Wisconsin I took while taking a walk on frozen Lake Superior.

Why, yes, that is a car driving on the lake. We actually saw semis on the lake, taking supplies to islands far from shore.

This boat will not be going anywhere for some time.

Bayfield was simply a winter wonderland!

Bayfield is very busy during ice cave season, (especially after being featured on the news), so if you ever decide to visit I would suggest you make better plans than we did. After searching for a room to stay in for some time, we finally found a condominium unit we were able to rent for one night. We made a quick trip to the grocery store, had some dinner, got some sleep, made a quick, but hearty, breakfast and headed out to the caves.

The caves were very busy, and cars were lined up for a very long way…forget anything like a parking lot. State patrolmen directed traffic, helping people find parking places, and we found ourselves parked on the side of a fairly narrow road hoping Jim’s door handle would remain attached to the door while we took our walk on the ice.

We walked about a mile to get to the official entrance to the caves (really happy we had that substantial breakfast) though some natives appeared to know short-cuts through the woods. But no matter the distance, or the cold, it was absolutely worth the time and effort.

I think the best way to describe the nature of an ice cave is to quote the FAQ page on the Apostle Island National Lakeshore website:

There are intricately carved sea caves in cliffs along the Mainland Unit of Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. As ice was forming on Lake Superior, waves splashing against the rock began to freeze on the sandstone cliff. In addition, water seeping between sandstone rock layers froze to form a variety of features similar to limestone caves. There are large icicles and formations hanging off of the cliffs, curtains and columns of ice, and abundant ice crystals.

With that explanation, let me show you some of the magic that is the ice caves…

There were a lot of us all bundled up, walking on the lake under a sun-drenched sky.

Our first views of the ice were these frozen waves…

We saw icicle formations as we walked along…

all the time knowing that if we could just pass the cliff in front of us…

the real magic would begin, and we were right. The ice itself is amazing…

as it forms caves inside of caves, as it hangs overhead, lining the walls of rock with long icicles and new walls of ice, creating slippery floors, and magnificent ceilings.

All of us wanted to get inside of the caves…

and we wanted to play in the caves.

Jim took a picture of me doing what I love to do anywhere we go…taking a pictures.

Nor could we help staring from the outside…

The Apostle Island ice caves are amazing. If you would like to experience this magical world yourself, you can plan your trip by visiting the Apostle Island National Lakeshore website. I hope you do, I promise you will not regret it…the hardest thing is waiting for the ice to be thick enough for visitors to be allowed into this frozen wonderland.

Wisconsin Cheese and Beer Soup

Wisconsin Cheese Beer Soup

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
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A quick traditional Wisconsin soup to warm a cold day, or to enjoy while watching a football game.

Ingredients

  • 1 lg carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 med. stalk celery, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 onion, roughly chopped
  • 1 lg clove garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1/4 c. butter
  • 1/4 c. flour
  • 2 1/2 c. milk
  • 1 c. beer
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • dash pepper
  • 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
  • 1 c. sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
  • 1 c. medium Cheddar cheese, grated

Directions

  1. Place the carrot, celery, onion and garlic into a food processor, and pulse into small bits. You may make them the size you wish, dependent on how long you pulse them.
  2. Melt the butter over medium heat in a large saucepan, and add the chopped vegetables. Cook about 5 minutes or until the onion is translucent.
  3. Stir in the flour, and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
  4. Add the milk, beer, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard powder, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  5. Stir in cheese just until melted.

We like to serve this soup with fresh soft pretzels torn to make croutons, and extra pretzels on the side. Enjoy!

One of my favorite pictures is this one of the bare rock face….it makes me feel like I am standing on the edge of a deep hole.

Waterfalls, a Snow Capped Mountain, the Columbia River Gorge…and Pacific Salmon Chowder

12 Sunday Nov 2017

Posted by in Family, Food, Nature, Oregon, Photography, Seafood Dishes, Soups and Stews, Travel

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The Columbia River Gorge

While visiting Portland, Oregon this summer with some of our family, we took a day to travel the beautiful Columbia River Highway, the first ever planned scenic highway in America. We made many spur of the moment stops for “Grandma has to take a picture”, before stopping at the our first “planned” photo op at Crown Point and the Vista House. The views here are spectacular, even in the foggy, early morning…

But, to be fair, there were simply no spots along this highway that were not amazing.

A view of the dome inside the Vista House.

The Vista House is probably one the most elaborate rest stops you will ever visit! It is a domed building constructed of gray sandstone with a tile roof, and sits 733 feet above the Columbia River. It was built to honor early pioneers to the area, as well as to serve as a comfort station along the highway, or what old-timers called “the $100,000 outhouse”.

As we continued the drive we arrived at the first of the waterfalls we were to visit on this trip, and waterfalls are one of my favorite things. Our first falls was Latourell Falls. Latourell Falls spills 249 feet off a columnar basalt cliff in a single stream that touches nothing on its way down.

Latourell Falls

And of course, if one can, one must get as close to the falls as possible!

Latourell Falls is beautiful, but for me, hailing from the “cave state” of limestone and sandstone, the basalt columns were simply amazing. I was so impressed, I purchased a book on the geology of the state of Oregon…trust me, no one saw that coming!

Basalt columns at Latourell Falls

Next, we stopped for a hike to Bridal Veil Falls, and it was along this trail that I first realized I was in a rain forest, the American northwest temperate rain forest. Sometimes the head knows things, yet the mind does not comprehend, and realizing where I truly was gave a whole new meaning to my entire trip.

I realized on the trail to Bridal Veil Falls that I was in a rain forest!

Bridal Veil Falls

Bridal Veil Falls is 120 feet tall, and cascades over a basalt cliff. The climb to the falls is beautiful, but a little steep.

We also visited Horsetail Falls, cascading 176 ft. over a cliff. It got its name because its shape is so reminiscent of a horse’s tail.

Horsetail Falls

The last falls on our tour was the grandest of them all, Multnomah Falls, the most visited natural recreation spot in the Pacific Northwest. Fed by underground springs from Larch Mountain, Multnomah pours ice cold water over the side of the cliff from 611 feet up. It is truly an amazing sight, and the sound of all that cascading water is equally amazing.

Multnomah Falls

It is so sad to have to mention that, until at least next spring or summer, none of these beautiful falls are open for visiting. A devastating fire, the Eagle Creek Fire, roared through the area, destroying huge areas of the forest. Even now, when the danger of fire is gone, lasting consequences will plague the area for a very long time. Remember those basalt columns that so interested me? Those columns are held together by moss, which serves as a natural glue. The fire burned and destroyed the beautiful mosses we saw everywhere. Without this “glue”, pieces of rock continue to fall, endangering the highway, the buildings, bridges, and also any people who might happen by. I hope nature will heal itself quickly, and we can all return to this most incredible place.

Many of the trees are gone, but I will always remember how huge they were, and I will always cherish the picture of my son and grandson hugging their favorite tree on our hikes up to the falls.

Everyone, especially our two grandchildren, enjoyed Lost Lake Campground, Resort, and Day Use Area beneath Mt. Hood. And people who have cameras should not be allowed to spend too much time there…I must have taken three dozen pictures of the view over the lake, toward Mt. Hood while the rest of the family ate a picnic lunch and played in the lake…thank goodness for digital cameras.

Mt. Hood is spectacular. It has an elevation of 11,250 ft. and is located in the Cascade Range Mountains. It is the tallest point in Oregon. It is also a volcano, having experienced its last eruption in 1907.

Mt. Hood

While at Lost Lake, we took time to eat, and just play for a time….

We hiked through the forest.
Our granddaughter was the first in the water…
and eventually all the “kids” ended up in the water.
While we played, this chipmunk could not resist a free meal of bing cherry pits.
And I was not the only one taking pictures…that is my daughter out there, taking after her mom!
This little one loves exploring anywhere and anytime…and she simply knows no fear!

 

What a wonderful place the Columbia River Gorge is. I hope and trust that it will grow back, and that we might all be able to visit and experience its natural beauty once again and for many years to come. It is not only candy for the eyes, it is candy for the soul! I hope you get to visit it someday too!

Pacific Salmon Chowder

For centuries, salmon have fed the peoples that have gathered to live in the Pacific Northwest. This delightful and simple chowder would have been something Native Americans might have made long ago, and it is still absolutely delicious today. When I first came across this recipe, I wondered if it would not be even better if I added some corn, as appears in most chowders. But after doing some research, I discovered that the first people to live along the Columbia River did not participate in the activities associated with farming. These early Native Americans were hunters and gatherers. This chowder is so simple, with so few ingredients, yet it is now one of our favorite go-to meals. It is equally good the next day, maybe even better, as a nourishing lunch. I have adapted this recipe from Spirit of the Harvest: North American Indian Cooking, written by Beverly Cox and Martin Jacobs. It is published by Stewart, Tabori and Chang, New York.

Pacific Salmon Chowder

  • Servings: 4-6
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp. butter
  • 3 potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 1 bunch green onions, sliced, about 3/4 cup
  • 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. fresh dill weed, or to taste
  • 4 cups milk
  • 12 oz. fresh salmon, cut into chunks
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Dill sprigs, for garnish

Directions

  1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Add the potatoes and green onions, and saute for 3 minutes.
  3. Add the milk and the dill weed.
  4. Simmer over low heat for 40 minutes.
  5. Add the fresh salmon and simmer for 10 minutes more.
  6. Season to taste.
  7. Serve in individual bowls garnished with a sprig of dill.

Enjoy!

We Are Pedestrians In An Un-Pedestrian World

07 Saturday Oct 2017

Posted by in Family, Oregon, Photography, Travel, Weekly Photo Challenge

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To be a pedestrian is to walk, and to be pedestrian is to be ordinary, perhaps even boring.

While in Oregon this summer, we walked and walked and walked. We were pedestrians in a world we had never seen before. And as we moved along, we discovered, and we walked into, around, and through experiences we had previously only lived vicariously through videos and books, on-line shares from friends, and travelogues. It was a new world for us…and it was anything but pedestrian.

This post is in response to the Weekly Photos Challenge.

The City of Roses…and Sweet Cherry Caflouti

03 Tuesday Oct 2017

Posted by in Family, Food, Oregon, Photography, Sweet Treats, Travel

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It has been a busy summer, and as autumn begins, I once again have the opportunity  to return to my simple indoor pleasures. The garden has, for the most part, run its course, travel has slowed down (though it never really stops), and I can reflect on the places we have gone and the things we have seen.

We try, and always succeed, in seeing each of our five children scattered across the country at least once a year. This summer we joined our daughter’s family from Minnesota, and our son’s family from Maryland on the Oregon coast for a most fantastic vacation. My next several postings will be devoted to our trip and the many things we saw, and the many things we did.

Our first stop was Portland, “The City of Roses”. Our three families flew into Portland, where we spent several days exploring the city, getting a feel for its inhabitants, and relaxing in a small house, on a corner lot, in an old and historic neighborhood.

What a charming little place to spend time with family.

Portland is the largest city in Oregon. It is located at the foot of Mt. Hood, and at the confluence of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers.

Before European settlement, many Native Americans of the Chinook made this area their home. The thousands of Chinook from the Clackimas and Multnomah bands made this area the most densely populated on the Pacific Coast.

When streams of settlers traveling the Oregon Trail began arriving on the west coast of the American Northwest, they could not help but notice the vast forests. Two of these settlers, William Overton and his friend, Asa Lovejoy staked out a claim, cleared many of the trees in a business venture, built roads, and erected the first buildings in the area. Eventually, Overton moved on, selling his share of the settlement to Francis Pettigrove. As the settlement grew and prospered, it was called  “The Clearing”, and “Stumptown”, but finally, in 1845 it was decided by virtue of a coin toss between Pettigrove and Overton, that the town would be called Portland.

Early settlers found vast forests in the area that now encompasses the city of Portland.

By 1850, Portland had approximately 800 residents, and the town was incorporated in 1851. Industry in the area was benefited by its location on the newly laid railroad. Workers in Portland made their living in lumber, fishing, growing wheat, and raising cattle. Over the years Portland has grown to be the second largest city in the Northwest.

A few scenes from Portland…

Downtown Portland…
the entrance to Chinatown in Portland’s Old Town…
and apparently, according to my husband, son, and son-in-law, you cannot visit Portland without eating and drinking at Deschutes Brewery
Portland on the Willamette River.

Our first big outing was to the Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland’s Old Town…what an amazing place. We wandered around the garden for quite some time, marveling at the beautiful flowers and plants and enjoying the kids as they enjoyed the huge koi! But one of the best parts of this visit was our lunch at the Tea Room. We ordered several items and shared them all around.

Both the grandchildren enjoyed watching the fish in the pond…

and our granddaughter could have stayed right here for hours listening to the soothing, beautiful music…

Another day we traveled to the International Test Rose Garden in Washington Park. Pictures do a much better job than words ever could to describe this beautiful place…

We met friends of our son’s at Washington Park to give the children an opportunity to play on the  playground. While they played, and wore their parents out, I took a walk along one of the paths and realized for the first time that I was actually in the rain forest…

We wandered around Portland for several days, enjoying the sites using their mass transit. One of my favorite places to visit was Powell’s Books, the largest independent book store in the world. I cannot believe I did not take a picture…guess I was too busy buying books, and wondering how on earth I would get them all home in my luggage…on a plane with weight restrictions. I did it, but it wasn’t easy, and Jim’s luggage was suddenly heavier than he remembered it on the flight here. And to round out one very busy day, we stopped for some of Portland’s famous Voodoo Doughnuts. Oh, how the two kids enjoyed those!

And on our way out of Portland, we stopped at another of their magnificent parks for a picnic lunch…as we headed to the coast, and a beach house on a hillside. But more about that in another post!

Tired kids, tired grandpa…on our way further west…

Sweet Cherries…Sweet Treat

Some of the best sweet cherries, known as Bing cherries, are grown in the American Northwest. Here is a slightly adapted recipe for a sweet cherry caflouti from the Portland Farmers Market. A caflouti is a custrdy cake which originated in Southern France…and it is really delicious.

Sweet Cherry Caflouti

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
  • 2/3 c. all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 c. sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 c. milk, warmed just a bit
  • 4 eggs, slightly beaten
  • 2 Tbsp. amaretto (optional; you may substitute 1 Tbsp. of pure almond extract)
  • 1 lb. of sweet cherries, stemmed and pitted
  • a bit of confectioners sugar

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt, and make a well in the middle.
  2. Add the milk, eggs and amaretto.
  3. Stir the mixture together with a wooden spoon until well combined. The batter will be similar to heavy cream.
  4. Butter the bottom of a cast iron frying pan with the butter, and cover evenly with the cherries.
  5. Pour the batter over the cherries and bake at 375 degrees on the middle rack of the oven until the clafouti is firm, about 35- 45 minutes.
  6. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
  7. Dust with a bit of confectioners sugar. and serve warm.

Enjoy!

A Midwestern Garden of the Gods…and Grandma’s Stewed Tomatoes

16 Tuesday May 2017

Posted by in Food, Illinois, Photography, Side Dishes, Travel

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Garden of the Gods Wilderness Area

When people think about the Midwestern state of Illinois, the terms “flat”, and “corn fields” are likely to come to mind. Or perhaps one might think about its largest city, Chicago, or even its most famous native son, Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United States.

But there is another Illinois, down in the southern tip of the state, where the terrain and its beauty will amaze you. The Shawnee National Forest encompasses the southeastern tip of Illinois, and it is in the national forest you will find the Garden of the Gods Wilderness Area. The wilderness is a place of ridges, bluffs, canyons, and some of the most interesting rock formations I have ever seen.

More than 300 million years ago, this part of the nation was covered by a huge inland sea. As rivers brought sand and mud into this sea, the sand and mud settled along the shorelines, and with increasing weight and pressure, created thousands of feet of sandstone. At some point in time there was an uplift, and this sandstone was exposed to the forces of wind and rain. Because each of the layers of sandstone that had formed had varying mineral content, ribbons of color were exposed as the sandstone weathered. When I saw them for the first time I actually thought they might be petrified wood, but they are solid rock and they are beautiful.

The rock formations are called “hoodoos”. A hoodoo is a rock formation that has been carved and formed by the influence of ice as well as normal weathering. When melted snow falls into the cracks and crevices of rock, it will refreeze as temperatures drop at night. Ice takes up 10 % more space than liquid water, so the crack widens and rocks crack in new places, creating new shapes. As I read in one reference, if you understand the science of a pot hole, you will understand the science of a hoodoo.

There are many hikes, of many lengths in the wilderness. The easiest one, the one that will give you a good overview of the area and its many interesting formations is the Observation Trail.

The Observation Trail is an accessible trail that is a one quarter mile loop laid with flagstone. It is an easy trail to walk, with no climbs or obstacles…well, the one obstacle is staying on the trail, because you want so badly to get off the trail and onto the rock outcroppings…don’t, many of the drops are 100 feet or more.

I took so many pictures as we walked the Observation Trail…a one quarter mile long trail that took us over an hour. It provides truly amazing views of a truly amazing place…

Many hoodoos have a “totem pole” appearance.

This rock formation is called the Devil’s Smokestack.

It took all my willpower…and a husband that was constantly at my elbow…to keep me off that ledge for a better look!

About twenty-five miles south of the Garden of the Gods, you will come to Cave In Rock State Park situated on the Ohio River. We stayed in one of their cabins as we explored the southern Illinois area. We had a great view of the river, and the river traffic. We had that awesome view of the river any time of the day, as seen in the photos below. It was a quiet, beautiful place for a week-end stay, and a terrific base for all our explorations.

I hope you have an opportunity, at some time, to visit southern Illinois…you will get a much different view of this state in the middle of our country.

Grandma’s Stewed Tomatoes

I spent a lot of time at my grandparent’s house when I was a little girl. After my grandfather passed away, my grandmother, who was raised in southern Illinois, moved into our house. One of the things she would always make, whenever my mom needed help in the kitchen, was a side dish of stewed and breaded tomatoes. I loved them, and I still do! Not only are they yummy, but they also bring back great memories.

I grew up within the Detroit city limits…it was, by the way, a terrific place to grow up. Every summer my dad would pack the four of us kids and my mom into the car, and drive out to one of the truck farms outside the city to pick tomatoes, or beans, or corn…or whatever was in season. We would also go out to the orchards to pick bushels and bushels of apples, peaches, and cherries…lots of those cherries never made it into a basket, and we never wanted supper after we were done picking.

Then it was back home, and mom and dad, with the help of my grandparents, would can all that produce….jars, and jars, and jars of good things to eat all the coming winter. All those jars of tomatoes became wonderful bowls full of stewed tomatoes, or went into soups and big pots of chili. I do not go out and pick tomatoes, but I do go out to the farm and buy a couple bushels of tomatoes each year to can and put into our soups and our tomato dishes. It feels like I am keeping all the good memories alive!

Grandma's Stewed Tomatoes

  • Servings: 4
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Ingredients

  • 4 Tbsp. butter, divided
  • 3/4 cup thinly sliced onion
  • 2 Tbs. flour
  • 2 pint jars of home canned tomatoes, or a 28 oz. can of tomatoes from the store, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp. sugar
  • 3 slices of toasted home-made wheat bread, or any bread you would like, torn or cut into 1 inch pieces
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in your grandmother’s old cast iron skillet…well, any skillet will do, I just happen to have my grandma’s frying pan.
  2. Saute the onion until translucent, then add the remaining butter.
  3. Add the torn toast and stir to mix.
  4. Stir in flour, and cook for 3  minutes, stirring constantly.
  5. Add the tomatoes and sugar and simmer for 15 minutes.
  6. Season to taste.

Enjoy!

Wanderlust…It’s My Nature

27 Thursday Apr 2017

Posted by in Photography, Travel, Weekly Photo Challenge

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Let me tell you about all the things that cause me to wander…

The birds…

and the bees…

and the flowers…

and the trees…

and the moon up above…

and all the other things out there that I love….

sunrise on the river…

walks in the woods…

beautiful architecture…

the prairie…

winter…

history…

and I could go on and on…

This post is in Response to the Weekly Photo Challenge