Oregon

Antique card showing an Oregon Fir tree

When I think of Oregon I think of trees.  Early postcards that my Dad had were of giant trees in Oregon that were exchanged between his mother and friends of theirs who had moved to Oregon to work in the forests there.  When I was a little girl I enjoyed looking at his postcard collection and was fascinated by the huge trees.  I could not believe there were trees that large. 



Antique card showing grapes grown in Oregon

I traveled by train to my Mother’s home in Eugene around 1991.  It was snowing along the train route which wound through the Cascade Mountains. The snow made the view almost magical as I watched out my train window at enormous snow covered trees.   I was fascinated by the tall firs as they do not grow in Louisiana where I was living at the time.  There were also small waterfalls coming down the mountainside with icicles fringing the edges.  I spent the entire trip looking out at this wonderful landscape.

A few years later we helped my Mother move closer to family, so once again I was in Oregon.  This time we traveled by car (and moving van}.  Oregon is divided by the Cascade Mountains.  From the Pacific to the Cascade Mountains the climate is normally moist and there is a large area of rainforest near the coast.   A great amount of produce is grown in this part of Oregon because of the fertile soil, long summer sunlit days and abundant moisture.  The eastern side of the state has a high desert with little vegetation.  I was awestruck by the beauty of the forests as we traveled across the mountains and then I was shocked to see how desolate the high desert was in comparison.     

The Phantom Ship (island) in Crater Lake National Park

Crater Lake National Park has a lake with the most intense blue water I have ever seen.  The lake was formed by the prehistoric explosion of Mount Mazama.  The volcano erupted and collapsed in such a way that it formed a circular area of cliffs almost two thousand feet high which enclose the lake and a couple of islands.  The lake is the 9^th deepest lake in the world.   http://www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm



Hood River Valley with Mount Hood in background

Oregon has several spectacular mountains including Mount Hood and The Three Sisters, part of the Cascade Range.  The Columbia River forms the northern border between Washington state and Oregon and was the route traveled by Louis and Clark on their exploration of the Louisiana Purchase.  For outdoor exploration, history or beautiful scenery, Oregon is a great vacation destination.  Websites for more information:  http://www.oregon.com/ and http://traveloregon.com/.