Tag: Oregon

The Futility of Going Home

I had not been back for over four decades.

My childhood home along SW Sunrise Lane
My childhood home along SW Sunrise Lane

My parents sold my childhood home shortly after I joined the Air Force in the mid 1980’s. They abandoned the suburbs and bought a very nice home in the city, which they still own today. It is this home I stay in when visiting Portland. For four decades, this is now “home” in many ways, but not the house I grew up in.

My childhood house is still there, along Sunrise Lane in the far southwest of the Portland metro area. This is the home featured in childhood memories spent roaming deep forests and neglected orchards. A green childhood of trees, sheep and chickens, endless mowing, picking blackberries and plums, or wandering a wonderland created by another ice storm.

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A Forest Hike

It has become my habit to take a forest hike whenever I find myself back in the Pacific Northwest. Hawaii Island offers relatively few good hiking trails, and I do miss the deep green forests of the PNW.

80' tall University Falls in The Tillamook Forest
80′ tall University Falls in The Tillamook Forest

I spend some time researching and selecting the hike before I go. Since I dedicate one day of the trip, I do want to make the best of it.

After considering a few possible plans I selected University Falls this year. As the falls hike is pretty short, under 2 miles, the plan included the nearby Nels Rogers Trail to add some distance and additional photographic opportunities.

There was some thought to my choice… Selecting the Coast Range rather than the more heavily used Cascades or Columbia River Gorge offered less risk of a fire season restriction. And while there were other hikers about, I was generally left to my chosen solitude on the trail.

The result? Not a bad plan.

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Another Hop Across the Pond

Starting out on an adventure, a couple weeks on the mainland. A bit of visiting family, the annual tribal meeting, then off to Alaska for a little fishing with family. A lot of camera gear loaded, will be making time for some exploring along the way.

Yet another hop across the Pacific, leaving the island behind and headed to Portland.

Oregon Star Party 2023

A large star party is an experience worth seeking out… Hundreds of people, hundreds of telescopes, all under a dark sky.

A large dobsonian set up at Oregon Star Party 2023
A large dobsonian set up at Oregon Star Party 2023

A star party is a meeting of geeks. Technical talk of optics, electronics, and fabrication techniques like 3D printing abounds. In the afternoon and evening you will find small conversations in the shade, pull up a chair and join the discussion.

The plan was something I had executed successfully before… Fly into Portland, spend some time with my folks, then borrow the family camper for the trip out to the Ochoco Mountains for the star party.

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Oregon Star Party 2017

Due to lucky happenstance the location for Oregon Star Party, the same location used for decades, was within the path of totality for the 2017 total solar eclipse. This provided an opportunity to both attend the star party again, and to view the eclipse.

An assortment of telescopes wait out the day at oregon Star Party 2017
An assortment of telescopes wait out the day at oregon Star Party 2017
I do enjoy the large star parties, something we do not have on the island. I had attended OSP a few years ago, the eclipse made the opportunity to attend once again very tempting.

Registration for the star party was an issue. Due to the eclipse attendance was going to be very good, so good that registration was closed within two hours of opening! I got the announcement email, then waited until I got out of a meeting to register, only to find out I was too late! I put my name on the waiting list and hoped.

With a month to go I received word that my waiting list position was opened for registration. By this time my family already had plans to camp in the Ochoco Mts. for the eclipse, no reason not to do both!

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