Looking for a friend for Hunter

 It has been three weeks since we said goodbye to Quam.  Still miss him.  So does Hunter.  He is whining when he hears us coming from the car to the trailer.  He needs a buddy.

   So we have begun the search for a companion for our big boy.  We are aiming for a smallish friend.  A dachshund would be our first choice.  I have been looking online at numerous websites for numerous rescue organizations in the area.  I have noticed that there are many dogs that are being rescued from Texas.  Although it is a wonderful service, you don't to meet the dog until it is transported from that far location.  1we want to be able to have Hunter meet the candidate before we do the paperwork.  So wt are avoiding Texas canines.

   Today I sent several applications to various groups inquiring about available doggies.  We will see what comes from my time spent.   I will keep you posted. 

Salmon at the Bonneville Hatchery

After work yesterday we visited the Bonneville Hatchery which is located adjacent to the dam.  The salmon are definitely there to spawn.  The concrete waterways into the body of the hatchery are full of adult fish trying to get "up stream".  The hatchery will soon open it's gates and allow the fish in, but until then the fish wait, impatiently.

Looking down into the channel.  There are some huge fish in the group.

 

Thursday Trip

 Thursday we took a road trip down the Willamette Valley.  First stop was Champoeg State Park.  It has been many years since we were last there.  The Visitor Center has been greatly improved.  The museum is small but very well decorated.  Quite nice.  The Willamette River was the chief route for transportation throughout the valley.  The townsite of Champoeg was in the middle of commerce until the massive flood of 1861 when all of the buildings were floated away.  Never to return.  The park is large and a great to visit for biking , hiking, camping and even boating.  The very nice state park.

   Leaving Champoeg, we drove south through farmland.  Nurseries were everywhere.  We had a picnic at Willamette Mission State Park that tells the story of a Methodist Mission established in the 1860s.  The beginning of the colonization of what we now know as Oregon.

  From there another longer hop south to the Thompson Mill State Heritage Site near the village of Shedd.  The water powered mill has been there from the 1860s changing and adapting to the changes in rural needs Grain, hydro-electric power , animal food grinding.  A very interesting story of change to keep viable.

Goodbye Dear Quam

We said goodbye to our sweet boy, Quam yesterday.  He was our first male dog, but our fifth Dachshund.  He was an April 2016 graduate of Clackamas County Dog Services under the name of Johnny.  We changed it To "Ranger Jeff Quam" after the LE Ranger who gave me CPR at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument on January of 2016.

Being a typical Doxie, he gave us some challenges.  He loved to sneak out an open door.  He would run until I discovered that if I stopped he would also.  Quammie also loved cat food.  Whether it was in the bowl in the neighbor's garage or recycled buried in bark mulch in the nearby boulevards. Also trach cans were a favorite toys of his.  He was very good at tipping at over and sampling the contents.

We will him a lot.

 

Morning 8/31/21

 This is the last day of our first month here at Bonneville Dam.  I can't believe how quickly the time has passed. 

This was my view as Hunter and I walked around the "neighborhood".  Nice.

Hood River Fruit valley

Yesterday we drove south of Hood River on Hwy 35 into the Hood River fruit area.  The area is a unique micro-climate,  Undulating hills morphing into mountains covered with fruit trees.  Produce warehouses here and there.  Fruit boxes stacked in their parking lots and scattered orchards.  

   Then there are the fruit and produce stands.  The valley has many.  Every one the same. Every one of them different.  Yesterday, peaches, pears and nectarines were in the sale bins.    Apples are a few weeks not ready yet.  Oh, and gourds too.  Big ones and littles ones.  A rainbow of colors.

Pacific Crest Trail Days

 This past weekend saw the Pacific Crest Trail Days in Cascade Locks, Or.  I found out about it on Friday so several of us from here decided to meet up at the event in the nearby town.  The PCT crosses the Columbia River on the Bridge of the Gods which bisects the town.  ( It's 40 miles west or 30 east to the next crossing opportunity.)

   We went after work so we arrived about 6pm.  The area was down by the river near the marina.  We knew we were in the right area because there were lots of young people wearing backpacks and boots.  We met up with our friends and headed into the display area.  Canopies on both sides displayed tents, shoes, and other outdoor necessities.  Backpacking has changed, modernized .  The packs are better.  No more external frames. Boots are different.  Leather is almost non-existent.  (The Danner booth had some leather boots.)  New tents.  There was even a insulated hammock.  Not much good in the plains.

  A couple of discoveries.

  1.       The Blue Mountain Trail.   A brand new 565 mile trail in NE Oregon. Very difficult and very remote. 

   2.  Pee Cloths.    Evidently these are used by women hikers to clean themselves on the trail.  (They are "cleaned" by rinsing the creeks along the way and then hanging to dry on the pack.)  

Even though I no longer back pack, it was fun to see what's new and bring back some nice memories.