Touring the Northwest Report

Touring the Northwest Report and Photo Essay

On the Oregon Coast.

Thank you for reading this Touring the Northwest report. It’s been divine!

Subscribers without photos- go to https://www.spottedtail.com/blog/, please.

Impressions from a couple of weeks of traveling on the Pacific coast highways, CA 1 and US 101. California 1 is petrifying in places. It’s often a narrow, twisty road with some sheer drops of nearly 1000 feet to rocks and the Pacific below. Semi-trucks and too-large RVs use it, as do motorists in a big hurry and (completely fearless) bicyclists, usually with panniers filled with camping gear. The cyclists may have my respect for what they are accomplishing physically, but with all that vehicle traffic I think they are out of their minds.

At the beach, Oregon Dunes. Fog!

US 101 in Oregon is a little tamer. The views from both roads are equally fantastic, though. Both roads also have pull-offs for slower vehicles, to let the speeders by. I made much use of them!

On US 101 in Oregon. I’ve forgotten the name of this famous lighthouse.

Fog was our travel companion on both roads, as the pictures show. We saw a single sunset while there.

Susan clowns around while we wait for sunset.

 

Gulls at Humbug Mountain State Park. They’re enjoying the sun, too.

 

Getting close!

 

And down it goes!

 

Enjoying a foggy beach day, Oregon coast.

 

A view from a US 101 turnout, Oregon.

I write this from near Mt. St. Helens. We tried without success to find a good back way to the mountain- every avenue turned into a dead end and turn-around. We did get to see the mountain, but she had her head in the clouds…

Our best view of Mt. St. Helens.

 

Ironically, we could see Mt. Rainier in the distance!

The next day we went to the closest point one can currently drive to Mt. St. Helens. There is another, closer lookout, but the road was taken out by a landslide. The mountaintop was still in clouds, but we could see Mt. Rainier! Which was our next stop, anyway.

They call Washington the Evergreen State.

 

We stopped in a small town on the way the Mt. Rainier. This seems to be the telephone system.

Our first day at Rainier was very foggy and wet. We visited waterfalls. The next day the fog cleared, the sun came out, and we had glorious views of the peak. We took a few hikes around Paradise, which is aptly named. I imagine it’s less paradisiacal in winter, though.

Another photographer at Narada Falls.

 

The top portion of the falls.

 

A view of the glacially-carved Nisqually River valley. The river comes off the Nisqually Glacier.

 

Christine Falls.

 

Susan in Paradise.

 

Mt. Rainier, with the fog lifting.

 

We got this!

 

And this! An alpine meadow…

 

…full of amazing wildflowers.

After two days at Rainier, we went back the coast- Westport, Washington, specifically. We’re here enjoying the beach and a down-to-earth fishing town, with fresh Dungeness crabs on tonight’s menu.

The Marina at Westport. There are a few fishing vessels.

 

Me and Susan. I’ve lost some weight.

 

Tried (without success) to get a sunset- got this in the dunes there.

 

Did get something of a moonrise, though.

From here it’s up to the Olympic peninsula for several days, a place I’ve always wanted to visit. Stay tuned!

That’s the Touring the Northwest report. Thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Go for a bike ride! Stay active!

John Kumiski
www.johnkumiski.com
www.spottedtail.com
www.spottedtail.com/blog

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, © John Kumiski 2024. All rights are reserved.

A Dash Across Idaho

A Dash Across Idaho

Thank you for reading this week’s post, A Dash Across Idaho. This week again has been just awesome!
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Readers may know I’ve been writing a travelogue for Global Outdoors. You can see some of those posts here- https://blog.globaloutdoors.com.
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A last photo of the stunning Oregon coast.

After leaving the Oregon coast (one last photo!), we spent a couple days around Portland. Went into the city one day. It doesn’t take long to understand, “Keep Portland Weird,” is taken to heart by the people living there. We didn’t know where to go (poor research on my part) and parking was a nightmare, so after walking a bit, visiting the world’s largest independent bookstore, and getting something to eat we returned to our hotel.

Lots of these coming off the Columbia!

We drove through the Columbia River Gorge. You can see where salmon might have trouble returning to their natal streams, what with all the dams. The gorge still has great beauty, though. I can hardly imagine what the Lewis and Clark party must have thought as they descended, and later ascended, the river!

As we drove inland, the berries were past their prime.

We had intended to spend a few days in western Washington and several days in Idaho. Triple digit temperatures and thick smoke from wildfires changed that plan, right now! We got on the interstate and drove four hundred miles in one day, from the Columbia River Gorge to St. Regis, Montana, where I just ran out of gas. What a dash across Idaho it was! We found an RV park, booked two nights.

Two sports and their guide, drifting the Clark Fork.

The next day I broke out my tackle, went to the local fly shop for some advice and a fishing license, and went wading in the St. Regis River, starting at its confluence with the Clark Fork of the Columbia. This was to be my very first fishing in Montana. It did not disappoint.

Rainbow on dry fly, awesome catch!

On my third cast I hit a beautiful cutthroat trout (15-16 inches, best guess) that took a drifted nymph. No, I did not use a bobber. I could hardly believe my luck! Until, not having a net, I leadered the fish. It surged and popped the 5x easily. I was out the fly, fortunately barbless, and did not get a photo.

Same fish, different angle.

I’d love to say it got better, but that would not be true. However, it did not really get worse, either. In four hours, I unhooked eight or nine fish, all cutts but one feisty rainbow. That fish nailed a Purple Haze (basically an Adams with a purple body), and jumped a half-dozen times! I got several other fish on dries too, not to mention all the hooked and lost and missed strikes. It was pretty awesome!

We drove to Missoula and booked two nights in an RV park. While checking out town and an art gallery, we were advised to visit the National Bison Refuge. An hour later we were literally on a bison safari there- un-bee-lee-va-bull! Can’t recommend it highly enough.

 

Don’t know what these are called, but suspect they are invasive.

 

All the smoke made for a blood red sunset.

The next day we visited Garnet, a gold mining ghost town. Different than I expected (I was thinking of the OK Corral), it was a worthwhile delve into history made real. The town had a school, but it also had thirteen saloons. I guess mining is thirsty work.

It’s a ghost town, but she is quite real!

 

Suspect this beautifully colored thistle is invasive, too.

We switched campgrounds and ended up on the bank of the Jocko River. I wanted to fish immediately but another camper told me I needed a reservation permit.

One of the few photos I shot at Glacier National Park. Note the smoke.

Dean Altenhofen texted me, telling me he and his wife had a Glacier National Park Pass for the next day, and did we want to go? We met them in Polson, and went with them to the park. It was a lot of car time, but the park is amazing. The only problem was that there was so much smoke in the air, photography was a wash. Thank you, Dean and Sunday, for an amazing day!

Didn’t fish this, but sure would like to!

 

Dean works the Jocko.

Dean and I planned a fishing trip for the next day, fishing the Jocko. It’s a small stream but one of the prettiest I have ever seen. The gravel was awesome, lots of red and pink and orange. The fish ran small, but they were plentiful and eager. We caught many. The best was about 12 inches long, a cutt that took a wooly booger. Most fish were caught on dries, though. Another great day, and thank you once again, Dean!

Typical Jocko cutthroat.

 

A lovely pool gets a line.

 

And that’s the report for this week. Thank you again for reading the post, A Dash Across Idaho. Life is great and I love exploring the USA!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go hiking! Take a walk! Do SOMETHING!

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide

Purchase a signed copy of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2021. All rights are reserved.

US 101 in Oregon- A Photo Essay

US 101 in Oregon- A Photo Essay

Thank you for reading this week’s post, US 101 in Oregon. This week has been just awesome!
———————————————
Readers may know I’ve been writing a travelogue for Global Outdoors. You can see some of those posts here- https://blog.globaloutdoors.com.
———————————————
Bumper Sticker of the Week (been too long since I did this!)-


Flowers are ubiquitous along the coastal road. So many are invasive exotics, though.

Everlasting pea, an invasive exotic.

 

Crocosmia, an invasive exotic.

 

Fennel, another invasive exotic, growing under the US 101 bridge over the Rogue River.

I love all the blackberries, but they’re another invasive. A very delicious invasive.

Susan picks blackberries from the van!

 

Handful of delicious.

Famous fishing rivers split the coast into sections- the Rogue, the Umpqua, the Columbia. You see lots of fishing activity, and lots of seafood restaurants. I haven’t fished, but I’ve certainly eaten seafood!

Trolling for salmon on the Rogue River.

 

This commercial fishing boat reminded me of my son.

 

These guys are tougher than me. That water is REAL cold.

 

Sea lions get some fish!

 

A wall mural in Reedsport.

 

One of the places we “caught” some fish.

We went to an elk viewing area outside of Reedsport.

 

The Oregon coast has lots of lighthouses, lots of fog, and lots of sand dunes. The diversity continually astonishes.

A paddle boarder at Sunset Bay.

 

Lighthouse at Yaquina Head.

 

In Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area.

 

Fog over the Umpqua River, Gardiner, Oregon.

 

Susan explores a caboose at the railway museum.

 

Sometimes, you just need to relax!

 

Low tide meets dusk at Nehalem Beach.

Thank you again for reading this week’s post, US 101 in Oregon. Life is great and I love exploring the USA!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go hiking! Take a walk! Do SOMETHING!

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide

Purchase a signed copy of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2021. All rights are reserved.