I had a couple of blog posts planned for this week but I got some bad news yesterday and I’m trying hard to just hold my shit together. So here’s a photo for you that I took over the weekend. It was taken at Bridal Veil, a waterfall along the Columbia Highway. That’s Highway 84 and the Columbia River in the picture.
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I picked up my Zick Zack Tunic again and am making some great progress. I finished the back a couple of months ago and am now working on the front. I’m almost completed the decreases. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! I can’t wait to finish this and wear it. Looking at the finished pieces on Ravelry, it is one of those designs that looks great on everyone. It will be a nice addition to my work wardrobe. -
If you ever find yourself at Multnomah Falls and are irritated by the large crowds, might I suggest a prettier location, not too far away? If you drive a mile or so East on the Historic Columbia River Highway you will find Horsetail Falls. There you will find a trail-head for a really easy, fun, beautiful hike that will take you to some gorgeous, of-the-beaten-path waterfalls.
This is exactly what we did yesterday. We decided to try the Columbia Gorge again, forgoing Multnomah for one of the lesser-known spots. The trail switched up a hill giving us really pretty views of the Autumn foliage along the Columbia River. The trail itself was nice and wide and very well kept. I loved the mossy wall of lava rock that lined it on the way up. The hill climbed higher and higher and my fear response to heights started to kick in slightly but, as I said, the path was wide enough to settle me a bit. we continued to wind around until we came to Ponytail Falls, otherwise known as Upper Horsetail Falls. As we hiked along we were delighted to find that the trail takes you behind the actual waterfall! How fun! You can see the picture that I took to the left.
We continued on our way around a few bends and I heard Raf laughing loudly. He shouted back to me, “Your not going to find this very comforting.” As I reached him I saw what he was talking about. It was a small placard that said,In Memory of Glen W. Replogle. He fell from a cliff East of Horsetail Falls.
Yikes.
I prowled around the area, wondering whether or not this was, indeed, the cliff in which Mr. Replogle met his untimely demise. And then Rafael reminded me that I was standing on a cliff soaked with water and mud and that I should probably not stand on the edge of it. And I backed onto the main trail.
We continued on our way and found ourselves nearing Oneonta Bridge Falls. We saw a weeping cliff on the approach to it, which I thought was kind of interesting. We got down to the bridge and Raf said, You aren’t going to like this bridge, he just having crossed it before me (since he tends to wander ahead). He was kind of right because you could see right down through it and that tends to freak me out a bit (with my fear of heights and all). So I crossed the bridge without looking down and that worked just fine. When I got to the end of the bridge I managed to use it as a makeshift tripod so I could take a picture of it.The rest of the hike was rather uneventful. Well, except for the beautiful flowers and ferns that we saw. We switched back down the hill, back to the old Columbia Highway, and walked the road to the parking lot where our car was parked. Along the way we crossed the Oneonta Gorge and found a really cool tunnel that was once part of the highway.
We had a great time! We plan to explore more of the Historic Columbia River Highway in the near future.
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At the moment I am reading The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon. I was invited to join the woman’s book group at the library and thought it would be a great way to make some friends. I still love the idea. I checked out the current read, fully planning on attending the first meeting. Well that meeting came and went. I didn’t go because I didn’t feel well. But also because I was only half way through the book. sigh. I’m still getting through it. I have 200 pages left. I’m really enjoying the story, don’t get me wrong. I just wish I was a faster reader. I doubt I will be able to get to the book group’s current book before the next meeting.I’ll post more about it when I’m actually finished. God knows when.
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Image via Wikipedia When I was in 3rd grade, one afternoon on the playground, the girls in my class formed the, “I hate Carol club.” I’m not sure why. Carol was a friend of ours. We all hung out with her regularly. I think there might have been a fight between Carol and another girl and the other girl decided to form this club behind Carol’s back. Somehow, like sheep, we were convinced that we needed to form this group because Carol was a horrible person and needed to be shunned.
Or maybe we were afaid of being shunned ourselves and went along with it.
Regardless, I remember thinking the whole thing was dumb. I knew that Carol felt bad, playing on the playground by herself. I was sure that she could see the sneers of her female classmates and I’m sure it made her sad.
I had an idea. I told the other girls that I would be a spy for them. This way I could still be friends with Carol and also be friends with the “I hate Carol club” girls.
I thought this was such a great idea at the time. But in retrospect I wish I would have had the guts to tell these girls how mean they were being.
It’s crazy, the things kids will do to fit in.
In the end, Carol and this other girl made up and all was right with our group again. And if I recall correctly, this all took place during the after-lunch recess one day.
This memory popped into my head today after reading about some online drama. Yeah. This shit still happens, even when we are adults.
