Moccasin Lake in the Eagle Cap Wilderness area of Northeastern Oregon. We backpacked through this area for my 30th birthday.

Low tide along the Oregon coast near Oceanside. We set up our blankets and spent the morning/afternoon lounging around the beach and cooling off in the ocean water. So few people for such a beautiful beach....Apparently that is the norm for the Oregon coastline.

The lucid waters of Clear Lake. We arrived at Clear Lake around dinner time, and decided to rent a dingy and cruise around the still waters. The lake is famous for it's underwater forest that sits on the lake bottom. The water is so clear that you can see the trees jutting up, petrified in time from the clean, cold water. It's a scuba diver's paradise (as long as you have a dry suit) and a very cool place to take a paddle and some champagne!

"Here we are in the moonlight....words cannot describe" - The Man by Pete Yorn We spent the day rowing around Clear Lake with a bottle of Champagne. Unfortunately, we forgot glasses, so we decided to drink straight from the bottle. After returning the boat, we dropped Niko and Captain off at the babysitter (locked them in the car with a DVD player and some puppy biscuits) and went down to the waters edge with our champagne to watch the sunset. This was what we witnessed.

"Walk me out in the Morning Sun..." - The Man by Pete Yorn The sun made it's way thru the forest in the early morning to create an almost imaginary world as we walked the trail. Beams of light shined thru the canopy, spotlighting details such as ferns, logs, moss, and this red plant. The sunbeams opened my eyes to details I would have never noticed during a normal afternoon hike.

Deep Blue River...We drove from Clear Lake to the Sahalie Falls lookout and parked for the night to sleep in the Excursion. The next morning, we brewed up some hot chocolate and hit the trail. Within 2 minutes, we were at the beautiful Sahalie Falls. After walking the 2 mile loop, I decided that the McKenzie River is one of Oregon's finest rivers.

Proxy Falls is so big that it's hard to capture on film. This photo was taken from the base of Lower Proxy Falls. To better see the scale of the Falls, I had Oneea stand next to the waterfall. That picture is found in the People gallery. At any rate, this is probably my most favorite waterfall from the trip. The water is feathery and welcoming, and the surroundings so green...The falls just invite you to stay for the day and enjoy the natural setting.

The Smith River in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. This was our swimming hole for the afternoon. The weather was perfect and the water refreshing. As with many of our stops along our road trip, we had this entire beach to ourselves for most of the afternoon.

I've never felt so small.... These trees are incredible. If I ever have some extra money, the "SaveTheRedwoods" organization will be the first place I donate. There's really something to learn from these giants....patience, wisdom, longevity. Whatever it is, you'll walk away from the Redwoods a better person. The main tree in this picture is over 300 feet tall and between 1500 and 2000 years old. Unreal to stand next to this gentle giant.

"Walk me out by the water's edge" - Pete Yorn We didn't know that rivers could look this good. This is the swimming hole that we stumbled across after leaving the Redwoods State Park. The water was crystal clear and way more inviting than most ocean beaches we've seen along the Pacific coast.

Azure Blue Crater Lake. An amazing sight, and the only National Park in the state of Oregon. A road leads around the entire rim of the crater, lending many beautiful pulloffs to take pictures. Unfortunately, many of our pictures and views were spoiled by the wildfire burning on the Western flank of Mt. Mazama. We'd love to come back here during the Winter though to take advantage of some world class crosscountry skiing terrain.

"Come with me to a place that we don't know" - Pete Yorn We drove all night and saw less than 5 cars along the highway in the middle of Oregon. We pulled into the Painted Hills around midnight and parked at the trailhead for the Lookout. The next morning, I woke up at 5am to make sure I could watch the sun rise from the East. I was shocked at the alien beauty of the hills and spent the next 3 hours walking up and down the ridge in amazement. Even more amazing was the fact that I was the only one taking in this beautiful sight. Not one other soul in the park to witness another day beginning in the John Day Painted Hills.

Martian landscape. Looking like gigantic ant hills, these painted hills were created over 30 million years ago by volcanic activity. The area continues to be one of the most active fossil research sites in the world.

"I want to go back" - Ice Age by Pete Yorn Another "otherworldly" group of Painted Hills. The Kool-aid cherry red of these hills can really wake you up first thing in the morning. We spent a half hour walking around the path admiring the beauty of this 30 million year old mound of color and clay. If there's one place to visit in Oregon, I'm convinced this is the place to see.

This gold Painted hill stood out from the rest because it had no pink/red/purple. No signs or anything special for this hill. Just passed it on the way to one of the 3 main trailheads. Still can't believe that more people don't know of this area. It's a national treasure in my book.

"I want to live alone in the desert...." - Splendid Isolation by Pete Yorn A closeup of the Painted Hills at sunset. Although the scene looks serene and calm, a storm blew threw just before sunset. Our champagne dinner on the ridge turned into a mini hurricane with Niko and Captain nearly getting blown off the hill. Oneea lost her painting and I dropped my camera. At least Oneea made sure the champagne didn't spill! It was quite an adventure. The winds were so bad that Oneea and Niko eventually decided to hike back to the car. I stuck it out thankfully to catch a few last sunset pictures....

Looking East towards the Painted Hills at sunset.

Punchbowl Falls along Eagle Creek in the Columbia River Gorge. This was one of the first waterfalls I saw as a kid that stuck in my mind. I think it was featured in one of my grandpa's free calendars from his insurance company. After 31 years of existence, I finally got to see it with my own eyes. It's a great spot that surprisingly wasn't that crowded on a Saturday. The canyon that the river has carved out is lush green and makes you feel very small. The water was crystal clear and river rock lined the bottom of the riverbed. A great stop that we'll be sure to visit again. Next time, we'll continue up the trail to High Bridge and Tunnel Falls though and make a backpacking trip out of the visit.