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.