Stub Stewart Oregon State Park

Hill Top Day use area
Originally uploaded by Mary Anne Thygesen.

Wow, what a great new park we have. We stopped at Stub Stewart State park on sunny fall afternoon. The Hilltop Day use area has a bathroom and picnic tables. The view of the coast range from there is stunning. There are no garbage cans at the picnic area. They want you to take your garbage to a recycling area at the beginning of the park. Packing your garbage out is great for the environment and keeps the bears away from the picnic area. Bears and cougars live in the coast range. Wild animals haven’t been a problem in the park. The trails are named after logging terms and many of them follow old logging roads. We took our dog for a walk. She picked the horse trails because they smelled good. I don’t recommend hiking on the horse trails because they are muddy old logging roads. There are other trails to hike on.
We walked by the cabins. They have views of the coast range. The cabins looked so nice that I can’t wait to stay in one.
It is a fee park $3 per day. 30380 NW Hwy 47 Buxton, OR 97109 503-324-0606, reservations 1-800-452-5687 The Park is off Highway 47 North of Highway 26 before Vernonia on the Banks Vernonia State Trail.

Oak Knoll Winery

The other day we stopped by Oak Knoll tasting room. There is a five dollar tasting fee. The wines are reasonably priced from $5 a bottle to mid $20’s. The wines that I purchased 2005 Oregon Gewurztraminer and

2006 Oregon Muller Thurgau are only available at the tasting room. They were temporary out of the Twilight Blush. I will pick some up at a store. The tasting room is easy to get to. It is just south of Hillsboro just off highway 219. www.oakknollwinery.com

Adelman Peony garden

adelman Peony garden
Originally uploaded by Mary Anne Thygesen.

The Willamette valley is full of beautiful gardens and nurseries. Adelman Peony is not far from Schreiners iris gardens. Memorial Day is the height of the bloom season. The peony that I got last year from this nursery is about ready to bloom. As soon as I find room for more peonies I will buy more. They are such lovely long lived plants.
5690 Brooklake Rd, NE Salem, OR 503 393 6185 Open May 1 to June 15, 2007 www.peonyparadise.com

Cooleys iris Garden

Cooley's iris farm
Originally uploaded by Mary Anne Thygesen.

Last Sunday I had a lot of fun visiting iris gardens. Cooleys garden is a nice garden by Silverton, Oregon. It isn’t as big of garden as Schreiners. The smaller size is nice for a short stroll. Currently the irises are in full bloom. Pick out irises for your garden. The quality is high and their policy are very friendly including; nightmare insurance available for $3.00. It provides replacement for unthinkable things like your dog or husband digging up the irises. They have a replacement policy for problems that are their fault like the tuber is rotten.
Peak Bloom Festival May 19th to June 2nd, 2007. Free admission, Daily from 8am to 7pm. Cooley's Gardens is at 11553 Silverton Road NE, just outside of Silverton and nine miles east of Salem, Oregon's Capital. www.cooleysgardens.com

Schreiners Iris gardens

Schreiners Iris gardens
Originally uploaded by Mary Anne Thygesen.

Off of I 5 just north of Salem is a beautiful iris nursery and garden. It is delightful to look out gazing over the fields of irises. Last Sunday we drove down to wander thru the iris gardens. It was a rainy day. The crowds were thin. The irises sparkled with rain drops on them. It is fun to pick out the irises for your garden. Preorder for fall planting. Also available are nursery plants ready for your garden. Cut irises are for sale. Food and drink is available for purchase. Bring a picnic; there are plenty of picnic tables. On May 28, 2007 from 11:30 to 4 pm is a chicken BBQ.
Open May 4 to June 3, 2007 Dawn to Dusk. Free Admission. 3625 Qiumby Road NE Salem, OR, 503 393 3232
www.schreinersgardens.com

Wahkeena Falls

Wahkeena Falls
Originally uploaded by Mary Anne Thygesen.

Last Sunday I went on a hike on one of my favorite trails, 420 Wahkeena Falls on the Oregon side of the Columbia River gorge. The park is on the old Columbia River Highway near Multnomah Falls. It was an overcast day and not too warm. A few years back on the first day of summer I went on a hike on that trail and it rained almost two inches. The trail became my favorite when I was a child. I fell in love with fairy falls, it was just my size and I could walk thru it. I was amazed by Wahkeena Spring. I start hiking at the picnic area at the bottom of the trail. There is a bathroom, picnic tables and barbeques in the picnic area. Cross the road and hike on the paved path up to the bridge over the creek about ¼ mile, then continue on up the now paved second part of the trail up to the view point. The boy scouts did a nice job rebuilding the trail holding up the side of the hill with rock walls. The trail zigzags up the switch backs. Enjoy the view, and then continue up the trail following the creek. Stop at fairy falls. Just past fairy falls there is a branch in the trail, both ways go to the spring the branch following the creek is muddier. At the top is the spring. The trail continues on you can go right to Angles Rest or left toward Larch mountain. It is a great trail for children. The trail is wide and the exposure to cliffs is limited. My dog loves the trail; she has easy access to water most of the trail.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/columbia/forest/recreation/trails/WahkeenaTrail.htm