Northbank Myrtlewood grove and south Gold Beach walk

3.5 miles 01/03/12
Ed and I drove up the north bank of the Rogue to a myrtle grove that had the biggest Myrtle tree in the world! They say they only grow here and in the holy land. So why are they called California Laurels?

Inside the myrtle tree.

There was a room inside its trunk (6X8'). After walking among them, one's sense of smell is permeated with Bay Leaf odor. As if your nostrils are infused and all other smells eliminated.

We picnicked along the river then walked from the Gold Beach visitor center to Kissing rock picking up sugar agates and jasper.

Yesterday I only walked a mile because it rained most of the day and I took a walk looking for small wild rhodies.

Hunter Creek/ Kissing Rock

 1 mile 01/02/12

New Year--new goals

young Myrtle sucker.

I've been trying to figure out a hiking biking long range goal. If I do 30 miles a week I can get to Boston (virtually) in about 100 weeks. It seems like a reasonable goal. I would like to complete it by September of next year but in the meantime, I have an excuse to log my hikes.
December 31 2011 will be day 1--Ed and I hiked 4 miles through myrtlewood groves on the south bank of the Rogue from Huntley park. I did a half mile of a mushroom loop after we got home.(4.5 miles)

Indian Sands

January 1st was sunny--50 degrees and calm. We drove south and hiked about a mile down and back from Indian Sands, off the coastal trail, south of Thomas Creek Bridge. Then we drove to Loeb Park on the Chetco--the northernmost Redwood grove.  We walked around the camping area looking for the trail then walked the river-view trail through doug fir, myrtlewood, oaks, maples, huckleberry and rhododendrons to a grove of giant redwoods. Fishermen floated in double-enders down the murky, rain-engorged Chetco river. (5.5 miles)

October at Cape Sebastian

The last barefoot walk on the beach of Indian summer

view from the cape

 The chicken maze. I planted oats on August 25 and let the chicken in to a dense field on Oct 22. They have been forging trails and jumping for oat seeds ever since.

More Kodiak scenes

Eilidh and Bella taking the chickens for a walk

monkeys at Abercrombie Park

catching up

channel sunrise

me, Jill, Ed, Eilidh and Bella Haakanson, Sara and Angus Bruce.

Chiniak Bay- a boat returns

a bowl of lingonberries

dessert at the Pirok-luk

24 Piroks (Fish pie) and the hearty tasters

Eilidh fishing at Salone creek

I recently returned to Ophir from Kodiak. A near perfect trip, visited and hiked with a cousin, Sharon Epstein in Portland. Spent time with the grandkids, friends, Ed, hiked and picked Lingonberries on Pillar and Old Women's Mountains. Hiked Abercrombie, Cliff Point and launched  Ed and my project boat.

Whoops!

Slipped on the slime crossing St. Paul Plaza and sprained my wrist. I should know better than to think that there will be traction on a wet board where those without resources to stay in the bars hang.
tomorrow I'm hoping to get weather to glass some cracks in the deck of the R&R. I guess we won't get it launched this month. It has been hard to get help from the electrician--lots of mystery wires.
I have leads on red salmon but only have one fillet in the freezer!

writing in beach junk

Eilidh spelled with beach junk

oystercatcher landing

Balika, the kids, and I took the "Green Weenie" out gillnetting on a glassy calm and sunny day. After we set the net, an onshore wind came up and we bounced around for a couple of hours and picked 2 dollies out of the net.  a guy in a 14 foot Lund was tending the net next to us.  The skiff flipped, throwing him into the water. Dr. Withrow in the Sea-Jay was closer to him than us and he called the Coast Guard while running over to pick the guy out of the water.  The next couple of hours we watched another skiff try to right the lund and pick the guy's net up. I looked at my daughter and grandaughters and thought about how fast things can go to shit on a boat and my heart raced and I realized how thankful I was that I got out of fishing before having a serious accident. We pulled the net and went home to eat dollies for dinner.