Yesterday I went for a hike in the Gales Creek area, which is about 15 miles west of Forest Grove on Hwy 6 on the way to Tillamook. Like all of Oregon, it was beautiful, but honestly I have to say it wasn't as stunning as I had maybe hoped. I did the 7.1 mile loop, which took about four and a half hours; lots of the trail is very steep, so it's not super easy. I got lots of shots of wildflowers -- maybe Dagon or Mark can tell us what they are.
I'm still figuring out the light meter on my "new" camera; this picture didn't turn out at all like I intended, but I kind of like it nonetheless.
I also encountered one of the Northwest's most feared predators, the Giant Slug. This is a juvenile, about 3 feet long. They feed on rodents and unwary birds. Adults can grow to 12 feet, and have been known to prey on small Republicans.
After my hike I met friends downtown for dinner, and then we checked out the Portland Pride festival at the waterfront. I felt very old. Furthermore, not like I think of myself as "cool" or anything (I know I'm kind of uptight), but this crowd made me feel like a complete square. Still, it was a good time.
6 comments:
Creepy slug!!!
BTW, Picture 3 are trumpet honeysuckles. Pictures 4 and 9 are foxgloves
Pictures 4 & 10 are foxglove, which grows wild all over Oregon, apparently. We saw a lot of it when we were there, esp. on our way out to Tillamook and the coastline. It is a poisonous plant to animals and children. The horticultural name is Digitalis purpurea...recognize the first word in that name? The synthesized compound is used to make the heart medication of the same name.
I'm jealous of the beautiful stuff you have within a short drive!
Actually, I think in #8 the yellow is called "Scotch Broom" and then I think that's some kind of wild daisy in there with the purple thingy.
Happy birthday!
Gale's Creek is not the most inspiring hike around... my FIL used to go there but stopped because he could hear gunshots on most days that he was hiking (either hunters or people target practicing... either way he didn't feel safe going alone for sure)
Lovely foxglove pics... those crop up all over our yard. Picture #5 looks like it might be a snapdragon or something? #7 might be some sort of bluebell, but I can't tell because it's a bit fuzzy. #6 is what we in the Northwest call "trees" :)
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the gunshots. They were kind of irritating/worrisome.
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