Roger’s travelogue

View from Scenic Beach State Park uploaded on 22 March 2008

Scenic Beach is a Washington state park near Seabeck, Washington, about 45 minutes from Tacoma, on the Hood Canal. Hood Canal is a misnomer, since it is geographically a fjord carved out by glaciers during the last ice age. The park features camping, picnicing, hiking and oyster shucking when these tasty morsels are in season. Visitors are asked to shuck the oysters (up to ten per person maximum) on the beach and leave the shells for future colonization. This view looks over the Hood Canal to the Olympic Mountains on the Olympic Peninsula.

The Dalles Dam at Celilo Falls uploaded on 16 March 2008

The Dalles Dam is a US Army Corp of Engineers project on the Columbia River between Washinton and Oregon. Building the dam angered many by violating Indian fishing rights when it flooded the spectacular Celilo falls area and forever buried much of the ancient history of the Columbia Basin in 1957. The Dalles Dam inundated Celilo Falls, Tenmile Rapids, Fivemile Rapids, and other nearby falls. For thousands of years Indians had fished these falls, building scaffolds out over the rushing water and plying the river with long-handled dipnets.

The Dalles Dam and US HWY 197 Bridge uploaded on 16 March 2008

The dam and bridge link the Oregon and Washinton State shores of the Columbia River. Even though The Dalles is only a short drive from rainy Portland, Oregon, it is arid due to the intervening Cascade Mountains. The location of the dam is near a meeting point of Northwest Native American tribes who would exchange goods for the salmon caught and dried here in the open air. The navigatable lakes created by this and other dams along the Columbia are scenic and provide recreation, electricity and irrigation to several states. However, an entire culture was destroyed and fishing and land rights were taken away without compensation in violation of existing treaties.

Haystack Rock at Sunset uploaded on 15 March 2008

Haystack Rock on Cannon Beach, Oregon, is silhouetted just after sunset at twilight on a Fall evening. The rock is the third-tallest sea stack in the world and is a popular tourist destination. It can be reached by foot during low tide. Tide pools around the rock are home to many intertidal animals, including starfish, anemone, crabs, and sea slugs. The rock is also a refuge for many sea birds including terns and puffins.

Tower of Cosmic Reflections, Portland Oregon uploaded on 15 March 2008

This teahouse is located in the Classical Chinese Gardens in Portland, Oregon. The Garden's teahouse, run by the Tao of Tea, located with the Garden, allows visitors to sip authentic Chinese tea and view the Garden. The Teahouse also offers small snack. It is located in the Tower of Cosmic Reflections

Endangered Red Wolf at Wolf Haven uploaded on 15 March 2008

Wolf Haven International is a not-for-profit sanctuary and breeding facility for endangered wolves near Olympia, Washington. The organization seeks to restore wolves to some of their their historic ranges and to educate the public about wolves. Although not a zoo, Wolf Haven is visited by 20,000-30,000 people a year who can see wolves close up and learn more about the value of all wildlife.

uploaded on 14 March 2008

Breakfast at Rancho Encantado uploaded on 14 March 2008

Breakfast was a delight of fresh fruit, juices, home-made granola and cereals, freshly baked breads and other healthy dishes. Guests could order made-to-order cooked entrees. The Maya chef at the restaurant used local ingredients and healthy techniques to transform dishes such as chile relleno and other traditional Mexican cuisine into healthy alternatives with no trans-fat and reduced calories.

Late Afternoon Hammock Time uploaded on 14 March 2008

A hammock under the thatched roof of an open-air palapa on the dock provides a serene setting for reading or relaxing after a day full of kayaking, snorkling, wind surfing or other activities on the jungle-surrounds of Lake Bacalar.