Mount Saint Helens, Washington

Mount Saint Helens is about a 2 hour drive from Portland Oregon. There are some great trails for all ages to walk on at the The Johnston Ridge Observatory. (Click on Pictures to Enlarge.)

The Johnston Ridge Observatory will be closed for the winter season at the end of the day on Sunday, November 9. The observatory will reopen in mid-May 2009 for the 2009 visitor season (opening date will be dependent on weather and snow levels).
Mount St. Helens was known as "the Fuji of America" because its symmetrical beauty was similar to that of the famous Japanese volcano. The graceful cone top, whose glistening cap of perennial snow and ice dazzled the viewer, is now largely gone. On May 18, 1980, the missing mountaintop was transformed in a few hours into the extensive volcanic ash that blanketed much of the Northwestern United States and into various other deposits closer to the mountain.

Even before its recent loss of height, Mount St. Helens was not one of the highest peaks in the Cascade Range. Its summit altitude of 9,677 feet made it only the fifth highest peak in Washington. It stood out handsomely, however, from surrounding hills because it rose thousands of feet above them and had a perennial cover of ice and snow. The peak rose more than 5,000 feet above its base, where the lower flanks merge with adjacent ridges. The mountain is about 6 miles across at its base, which is at an altitude of about 4,400 feet on the northeastern side and about 4,000 feet elsewhere. At the pre-eruption timberline (upper limit of trees), the width of the cone was about 4 miles.

Wilf's Restaurant & Bar

Wilfs is a great place to listen to music and yes we did see one of the Northwest favorites Michael Allen Harrison http://www.michaelallenharrison.com/ along with Israel Annoh (drummer), Michael Bard (tenor and soprano saxophone), Tanner Johnson (violinist). For those of you who enjoy music remember Tanner Johnson name, he is only 16 and he is a fantastic violinist with a wonderful future ahead of him.

Wilfs is located in Portland Oregon's Pearl and River District at Union Station

Wilfs statement on life...
Things that endure: Humor, optimism, celebrations, no matter how small. Cooking endures; it brings people together in a way that offers comfort and even joy.

Lively Libations
Sustainable Local Fare
Jazz for Dessert
Scroll down the page to The Oregon and Washington Guide and click on Wilfs link to learn more.

MICHAEL ALLEN HARRISON - PORTLAND ORGON

Are you a Jazz Fan?

We recently saw a fantastic performance by Michael Allen Harrison http://www.michaelallenharrison.com/ and his band along with his friends at JIMMY MAK's a Jazz Club in Portland Oregon Jimmy Mak's. Downbeat Magazine rates Jimmy Mak's as one of the world's top 100 places to hear jazz.

Have you ever left after seeing a performance and thinking this was more than just a great music event. You felt that your were part of the band and you were at their home being entertained, it's a wonderful thing to see people do what they have a passion for.

The band and the guest that were on stage with Michael Allen Harrison were Israel Annoh (drummer), Phil Baker (bass), Michael Bard (tenor and soprano saxophone), Tim Ellis (guitar) and Tanner Johnson a very talented 16-yr-old violinist. Patrick Lamp who is a Northwest favorite (alto saxophone and vocalist) http://patricklamb.com/ and the wonderful voice of Julianne Johnson (Recording Artist, Actress and Director). http://www.siteskins.net/juliannerjohnson/2.html

The following is from Michael Allen Harrison's web site.

His music is best described as a genre of it's own. His cutting edge, classical contemporary style carves a distinct niche of timeless music which far exceeds the scales of his Steinway keyboard. As a sought after producer, composer and arranger, this well-known concert pianist has been in the music scene for over two decades.

Michael Allen Harrison believes in the power of music to soothe and inspire, to enliven and bring people of all ages together, and to foster creativity in future generations. Guided by that belief, he founded The Snowman Foundation in 1999 to support and promote music education among young people. To learn more about Michael Allen Harrison and the Snowman Foundation http://www.michaelallenharrison.com/

Hike Multnomah Falls

Multnomah Falls is Oregon's tallest waterfall and it's also the second tallest year-round waterfall in the United States. While at its best during winter and spring, this magnificent sight is spectacular to see any time of year.

Fed by the crystal clear water of underground springs originating in Larch Mountain, Multnomah Falls divides into two distinct sections as it crashes to the ground. The much taller upper falls is thinner and longer while the lower section is wider and stronger. There is a fairly easy, short hiking trail up to Benson Bridge. In 1914, Simon Benson, then owner of the falls, replaced the existing log bridge with this much wider and safer bridge, crafted by Italian stone masons. Whether looking upward to the top of the falls, or downward over the lower half of the falls visitors can thoroughly enjoy great views of the Columbia River and of the falls themselves.

For the more adventuresome visitor, there is a hiking trail to the top of the waterfall. This hike is long and strenuous. It's a mile long and is made up strictly of several switchbacks heading upwards at a forty-five degree angle most of the way. There are several resting points, and the view at the top is very much worth the effort.



Hiking Tips: When you start out from the parking area, you'll pass a historic 1925 stone lodge, a good place to pick up a map or a quick ice cream cone. Walk to the left of the lodge, straight toward the falls to find the paved trail switchbacking up to a stone bridge between the two segments of Multnomah Falls' long cascade.

The classic hike here follows a paved 1.1-mile path to the top of the falls. But you can beat the crowds and see half a dozen extra waterfalls if you have the energy for a longer loop to Wahkeena Falls.

FORT VANCOUVER WASHINGTON

Development of Fort Vancouver by the Hudson’s Bay Company from 1825 through 1846 was a seminal event in the history of the Pacific Northwest and lower Columbia River basin. The fort was an outpost of Western civilization during that period and functioned as a commerce and provisionary center for the lucrative fur trade throughout the Pacific Northwest. It was named in honor of the famous British sea explorer, Captain George Vancouver.

Under the leadership of Dr. John McLoughlin, the Hudson’s Bay Company at Fort Vancouver played a central role in the European settlement of the Pacific Northwest. As the anchor to British claims in the Pacific Northwest, Fort Vancouver was at the center of competing interests between Great Britain and the United States. With Fort Vancouver as its regional headquarters, the Hudson's Bay Company controlled 34 forts and posts in a territory encompassing present-day British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, western Montana and the Hawaiian Islands.

An 1835 visitor to the fort described it as "the New York of the Pacific."

Owing to its national significance, the site was designated a National Historic Monument by Congress on June 19, 1948. In 1961, its size was expanded and renamed Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.
Extensive archaeological documentation of the Fort Vancouver site from the 1940s to the present has provided a significant body of information for the interpretation and reconstruction of Fort Vancouver and its environs. Buildings reconstructed to date include the Chief Factor's House, bakery, blacksmith shop, central stores and fur storage facility. The site continues to yield important archaeological information concerning early nineteenth century patterns, events, processes, design and construction methods. Fort Vancouver National Historic Site is administered by the National Park Service.

MARK LINDSAY - PAUL REVERE AND THE RAIDERS

Mark Lindsay was the lead singer and saxophone player for a 1960's band called Paul Revere and The Raiders, is a native Oregonian born in Eugene Oregon in 1942. He now owns a restaurant called Mark Lindsay's Rock and Roll Cafe in Portland Oregon. The above picture of Mark Lindsay was taken March 15, 2008. Blog updated May 25th: As of May 2008 Mark Lindsay's Rock and Roll Cafe is closed, the radio station K-Hits 106.7 is still on the air.

Mark began performing at the age of fifteen with local bands that played local venues. He was tapped to sing in a band called Freddy Chapman and the Idaho Playboys after he won a local talent contest. After Chapman left the area, Lindsay saw the other band members and a new member, Paul Revere, playing at a local I.O.O.F. Hall. He persuaded the current band to allow him to sing a few songs with them. The next day he was working at his regular job at a bakery when Paul Revere came in to buy supplies for a hamburger restaurant that he owned. This chance meeting began their professional relationship.

Mark and the group caught the attention of Dick Clark, who was creating an afternoon show for the teen market. Clark hired the group to perform on the show, which was called Where the Action Is. As regulars on the show, the group soon became very successful. Mark Lindsay's lanky stature and good looks, as well as his excellent singing voice, quickly gained him immense popularity; he became one of the premier American teen idols of the 1960's.

If you are in the Portland area you will need to visit Mark Lindsay's Rock Roll Cafe, this is Portland's first and only celebrity restaurant. It's similar to a Hard Rock Cafe where you can relax amongst classic guitars and rock and roll memorabilia while listening to K-Hits 106.7 broadcast live from the radio studio that is located in the corner of the restaurant. On Saturday nights you may see Mark Lindsey as a DJ working in the radio studio or mingling with the people in the restaurant and bar.

Mark Lindsay's Web Site: http://marklindsay.com/

KAH-NEE-TA - Warm Springs Oregon

Kah-Nee-Ta is approximately 100 miles East of Portland Oregon and is located on The Warm Springs Reservation. The pool that is in this picture is in the Village area, where you can take a trip down the giant, 140-foot-long or 184-foot long slides into the waters of the double Olympic-sized hot springs mineral pool. The village hot springs pool is open year-round. It is cooled during the summer and heated to 92 degrees during the fall season.

The Teepees in the pictures are available to rent and they hold of up to 10 people. (Click on pictures to enlarge.)

The Warm Springs Reservation was established by The Treaty of 1855 on a small reserve of land where our ancestors lived for thousands of years. In 1937 the Wasco, Paiute and Warm Springs Tribes organized as the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and became a sovereign, self-governing nation.

Kah-Nee-Ta Village was completed in 1964 and named for the Indian woman Xnitla, "Root Digger" who had owned the property. Xnitla was a scout and spiritual leader who used the natural hot springs and indigenous plants and roots for medicinal purposes and religious ceremonies. The Lodge and Convention Center opened in 1972, followed by Indian Head Casino in 1995.

In the spring of 2001, the Tribal Council approved unifying Kah-Nee-Ta Resort and Indian Head Casino, forming what is now Kah-Nee-Ta High Desert Resort & Casino.

Hughes Flying Boat, H-4, HK-1 Spruce Goose

The Hughes Flying Boat represents one of man’s greatest attempts to conquer the skies as the largest airplane ever constructed. It flew only one time on November 2, 1947. Conceived as a personnel and materiel carrier, the single hull prototype was designed to fly Trans-Atlantic to avoid World War II German submarines that were sinking Allied ships in large numbers. Completed in 1947 after the end of the War, the wooden winged giant is nearly six times bigger than any aircraft of its time. The press insisted on calling the Hughes Flying Boat the “Spruce Goose,” a name that its billionaire builder Howard Hughes despised. Most of the huge plane is actually made of birch, with only small amounts of maple, poplar, balsa, and, yes, spruce. Birch was chosen because testing proved it light, strong, and resistant to splitting, dry rot and deterioration.

The Museum is located at 500 NE Captain Michael King Smith Way, McMinnville, Oregon. Scroll down to Oregon and Washington Guide and click on link for EVERGREEN AVIATION AND SPACE MUSEUM - Home of The Spruce Goose.

WARM SPRINGS INDIAN RESERVATION - OREGON

Warm Springs, a nation where the sun shines most every day and time turns to the pace of a culture thousands of years in the making.

It is the land of the Warm Springs, Wasco and Paiute Native American Tribes, stretching from the snowcapped summit of the Cascade Mountains to the palisaded cliffs of the Deschutes River in Central Oregon.
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COLUMBIA GORGE STERNWHEELER

Journey Into History

In 1803 Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson to learn and report about western geography, climate, plants and the indigenous people encountered on their journey to find the great waterway to the Pacific Ocean.

Experience the history of the Cloumbia River Gorge and learn about the Lewis and Clark Expedition on a cruise aboard the Columbia Gorge Sternwheeler. Enjoy riverboat cruises on our authentic triple-deck paddle wheeler, providing 360 degrees of breathtaking vistas. Watch Native American tribes fish from their legendary platforms as they have for centuries. Meal Cruises and Sightseeing excursions are available. Step on board for a unique viewing of the Columbia River Gorge. www.sternwheeler.com

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