Surrounding Sighters

I've still got a lot of photos to share with you folks, so here's a few taken from around the area...most of these were taken by Kes, to give credit where it's due.

Jeff posing with his trusty steed, the Salmon-tinted Champ. It recently was involved in an accident, and alas, may never be the same again. This is taken from outside the parking lot of our apartment complex in the historic neighborhood of Sullivan's Gulch (no, I did not make that name up).

A shot of Multnomah Falls, located in the Columbia River Gorge a few miles east of the Stump. This is the second tallest year-round waterfall in the U. S. and A. As good as Yosemite Falls, without all the flocks of little tourists.

This was actually taken in Washington on our way back from visiting Mike and Pork (Jeff's parents). That's our version of the Matterhorn, Mount Hood. It's the tallest mountain in Oregon, considered an "active" volcano, and is home to the Timberline Lodge, made famous in the amazingly creepy-good Stanley Kubrick/Stephen King classic film, The Shining. I know, the photo sucks...I promise a better one at some point.

Haystack Rock, outside of Cannon Beach, a few hours southwest of Portland. For all of you nerds out there who like to drink a 40, smoke a Jackie Jointer-Kersee, and rent Goonies (yes you, Jeff), this imposing monument to coolness was featured several times in the timeless fun-fest we know as The Goonies. Watch out for booby-twaps. It also made a brief appearance in the dismal Kindergarten Cop. Dillon, you set us up! Wait, wrong Ahnold movie.

The wreck of the "Peter Iredale", located at the mouth of the Columbia River (on the Oregon side), at Fort Stevens State Park. The park contains a fort called...ummm...Fort Stevens, which earns the distinction of being the only military installation in the lower 48 to be directly fired upon by enemies during WWII...On June 21st, 1942, a Japanese sub snuck up, fired 17 rounds, caused no damage, then turned around and went home. Too bad they didn't attempt to destroy Gresham while they were at it.

Man, from these pictures alone, one would think it either always rains in Oregon, or is eternally dark and dreary. Oh wait, it does rain all the time, and really, it is DARK AND FUCKING DREARY. What I wouldn't give for some summer already...or even a bit of that accelerated global warming everyone's talking about.