Road trip....part three

What better to do after a long day of adventuring?  How about a hike!  This old bridge looks fun, I should explore it a little bit more.  Not too much around the bridge let’s go on a nice relaxing drive to Wine Country?   

Hey, why aren’t I in this picture?

I better be more aggressive in my photos and make sure my roommates know I belong in most, if not all pictures.  Yes, this is better.

We went into a few stores and I saw this box with a fox on it.  Something is written in French but I can’t translate?  Maybe Ben or Sandy can help?  I love that box. 

I wish this was the hotel we stayed at….no such luck.  Our lodging was more....err....how do I say this....."modest" but my roommates say money saved on a hotel allows for more adventuring in the future.  Seems to be a good saying to live by. 

Road Trip Part two....

Hello Blog Pals, glad to see you checked back in.  As you can see we are still driving.  I see a billboard ahead maybe that is for the town we are staying at.

Yes!  We made it.  My roommates made me stay in the car while they checked into the motel.  For some reason motel clerks don't like to see foxes bringing in a cooler of food and a suitcase.  Makes them a little suspicious, I have accepted that and learned to wait patiently in the car.

All checked in.  Let's explore.  What more driving, where are they taking me?

We better drive carefully down this dirt road - don't want to scare any animals (including this one).

Aha I see, we are going hiking today.  That's a beary big hill for a little fox to climb.  I better stock up on chicken jerky and huckleberry lemonade for stength.  It's a long way up.

There seem to be lots of wildflowers on this trail. 

Lupine

Paintbrush.

Hmm, I don't recognize this one.  Could it be a new flower?  It looks like a different color lupine, kind of yellow.  I haven't seen this one before, I think I better name it.  I wish I had my flag wtih me to claim the flower for stuffies.  Oh well, I will have to settle naming it Lupinus Stuffinus. My roommates spoiled my fun and told me it's something called Yellow or Golden  Lupine. 

Made it to the top, finally.  I better rest in this tree and enjoy the view.  I think I might have some altitude sickness. 

We made one more stop before going back to the motel.  My roommates gave me $5.00 and wished me luck.  I need to find a slot machine that has an animal logo on it to see if I win anything.  As you probably figured out I didn't win big - hence why I am waiting for my roommates on this chair outside of the casino.

Road Trip Part One...

I got the call this afternoon to pack my bags.  My roommates told me to get ready for a road trip.  I wonder if I can drive?  Where are we going?  

Where are we going?  I am so tired of being in the car.  Where are the other cars on this road?

Coffee break

Hanging out with a new friend.

Search for the elusive California Poppy, part two....

This weekend presents another chapter in my wildflower adventures.  I am still looking for the elusive California Poppy.  In the Pacific Northwest the California Poppy is an invasive wildflower so you would think it would be easy for me to find them but the conditions need to be good to see them (i.e. Sunny weather).  I started my adventure at the Cherry Orchard Trail (as you can see from this sign).  

I started up the trail with a water bottle full of hucklebeary lemonade and decided to stop at this first plant.  I think it’s a Lupine.  Huh, this isn’t good it looks like it’s bearly alive, I wonder if I am too late to see the flowers?

The sun is definitely out and I like these old Oak Trees for shade.

Time for a little rest along the trail, this is beary confusing to me…why would someone put a gate all the way up here? A few years ago I saw a wild turkey running around, maybe the gate is to keep him out (or in)?

The higher I went the better the flowers became.  I am not sure what this little purple flower is but I haven’t seen it before.  Actually as I increase elevation the Lupine seem stronger and more abundant.  Still no poppies.

Just hanging around.

As I headed down a big train was stopped at the trailhead.  I wanted someone to ask the engineer if they gave free rides to Little Foxes but my SeKrebearies didn’t make any effort.  I mean the train is the same color as I am, that should be worth a free ride AND it was going in the direction of 

my home. 

Do you offer free rides to foxes?

What’s this?  Can it be true?  I think I see some California Poppies, yes there they are.  I can’t believe it they were in the parking lot at the trail head!  I guess they needed the sun to be out to open them up.  I wonder what this blue flower is next to them?  I think I better drop some more hints about a wild flower identification book to my SeKrebeary.  

This is a professional's picture of the poppies.  They are a good looking flower/  

?
 

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day everyone, I can't believe I have 50 posts. 


On another note, to celebrate the nice sunny day I decided to take the gang out for an adventure.
We are supposed to have sunny skies and 80 degrees this week (26.66C for my international friends).  I am off hiking today, Yipee!  

I met a new friend today, he is a black bear and he loves to hike as well.  Although his owners said that they sometimes forget him at home.  I couldn’t imagine such an abuse.

This park has lots of trails and it’s a free day because of Mother’s Day.  We are off to Hardy Ridge to see all the Plox, Bear Grass and other wildflowers.

 

I am practicing my camouflage routine.  Do you see me?

     

I think the pinkish flowers are Indian Paintbrush and I think the yellow berry looking flower is my state flower, Oregon Grape. 

 

 There are lots of orange flowers out today.  The guidebook says they might be wild onions, I am not beary sure I still think they are Indian Paintbrush.  My roommates aren't really sure either, thankfully our lively hood doesn't rely on us identifying wild flowers. 

Indian Paintbrush or wild onion?  You decide.

Now for my secret mission, claim more land for stuffies around the world.  This mountain doesn’t have a name, looks like stuffies are in possession of it now.  It still counts as claiming land if I didn't make it to the top of the mountain, right?

 

Black bear and I decided to claim more land.  It took us a while to get up the hill it was beary challenging but we made it (thanks to some help from our roommates).

 

 

Before we headed back down I figured I better take one last look before we head back down.  Mt. Hood and Mt. Adam’s were supposed to be out today but we only saw clouds instead.  I still see lots of hills (that need to be claimed by a certain Little Fox) and even a river to travel down.  I wonder what else my roommates have planned for today????? Ugh I just heard them talk about mowing the lawn when we get home.  I guess I better get my supervisors hat and a big glass of huckleberry lemonade to enjoy while I supervise the lawn mowing effort.  Someone has to make sure it’s done right.

Adventure part two.....

Hmm, I wonder what is in store for my second adventure this weekend.  Trip to the beach?  Travel in a private airplane?  Train ride?  What?  Spring Cleaning, you have got to be kidding me.

Before I start the cleaning I better open this letter from Beanie; that will put me in a good mood. I like the packaging and look it is an item all the way from Brighton.  Oooh, a post card too, I better register it on Beanie's blog.

I did my fair share of cleaning.  Look at all of these brochures I cleaned out, hmm this one has the word fox in it.  I should explore this one a little more.

I talked my way out of the rest of the cleaning and decided to help assemble a desk and bookcase from IKEA.  I tried to screw in some screws but I had a phillips head screwdriver and I needed a regular one. They don't make that in my size.  I figured I better stick to my natural skills in supervision.  

Now that the roommates are working on the desk I better see what else I can supervise. 

Next stop is  the garden. As you can see someone was going to get wet doing this work.  I was given full creative license over the garden and assumed my role as supervisor (plus I could supervise from the inside and direct my roommates from a dry and warm area). 

As a special treat for my roommates  I purchased some wildflower seeds and seeds specifically designed to attract hummingbirds.  I sure hope they work.

I guess today was an adventure of sorts…..I was hoping for a trip to a honey farm and a trip to the mountains to pick huckleberries (my roommates reminded me I am too early for that activity), perhaps next time. 

Two adventures this weekend, part 1

I got an email from my roommates and they said that I should prepare for two adventures this weekend!  Yipee, I wonder what we are going to do?  Hiking, cooking lesson, road trip?  So many options for a little fox.  We ended up at the Dalles Mountain Ranch, an old ranch from the 1900s.  There are some old farm buildings, a rental house, and an old farm house to explore but we had none of that today hmph.  

After we started hiking I saw why we would have to explore the ranch later or on a different day.  The wildflowers put on a show for a little fox.  The flower that looks like a sunflower is called Balsam Root.  I kept thikning of Jerry on this hike since I know he loves flowers. 

 There was also Indian Paintbrush and Lupine all around.  I really like this picture since if you look hard you can see all three flowers (Paintbrush, Lupine and Balsam Root). 
 

  

I like this picture of me (of course I like most pictures of me) but I felt like I was truly adventuring to get this picture.  I am bearly visible because of the grass. 

 This is my favorite of the day, it’s such a bright shot of the flowers and you can see the town of The Dalles in the background.  I was beary lucky.

This Oak Tree (at least I think it's an Oak)  looks so peaceful at the old ranch.  I included it just to show a different perspective. 

I didn’t even mind making my roommates carry up the hill for a couple hundred feet and a few miles, aren’t I a considerate fox?  Now, what is planned for tomorrow?   

Is is always good to do some reading. ...

Just thought I would try and broaden my reading material today. I usually read hiking books but this looks beary interesting as well.  I wonder where these foxes live?  Do you think they like to hike?  I guess I better read and learn more about them