An really really late mail call.

 Hiya Gang.

Wolfy, Baxter, and Reindeer Coyote here doing the mail.  

The regular crew is a little behind on the mail and had an "appointment" to attend to so they left the mail to us.  No big deal but some of this mail is from as far back as Summer 2023.  Sorry about that blog pals.

Wolfy thinks the best way to do the mail is by senders.  Okay, so first up is Droopy and his crew.  As you may know, he went to Italy last summer.  Looks like they saw the tower of Pisa. Baxter remembers when the roommates went to Italy in 2011 and did not take any stuffies..... unbearable.  I wonder if Droopy tried any Gelato in Italy?

Also from Droopy is a birthday card for Little Fox. Droopy asked about New Year's Resolutions - any that we made in 2024 has long been broken.

Thanks, Droopy for the mail, sorry it took so long to process it.

Up next is the mail from Team Jerry and Ben. Jerry and Ben would be happy to know that the pollinators are really liking our garden this year.  Bees have been seen.   Sounds like Ben has a few recipes to try including homemade ice cream.  Baxter being an ice cream aficionado is very interested in hearing more about Ben's ice cream adventures.

Looks like Jerry and Ben also took a little trip Gooseberry Falls State Park and up into Ontario Canada for a little get-away.  

Thanks Jerry and Ben for the mail - Baxter wants a review of the homemade ice cream Ben is going to make this summer. 

Finally, we have some mail from Sandy up North.   First up is a birthday card for Little Fox.  

Keeping with the holiday theme they also sent a Valentine's Day Card. Actually, this card was to Cocoa and Navy along with Little Fox. 

Up next is an Easter Card. Sandy mentions that Cocoa loves anything chocolate - who doesn't.  Apparently, Canadians also need to keep an eye on Cocoa prices as they have increased in Canada as well as the US.

Oh my, a card addressed to Baxter.  Sandy took the train to Jasper.  The humans did that drive in 2012 and saw a ton of bears.  Did you see any bears on the train?  Sandy mentions that Amtrak goes from Oregon to Vancouver BC. The humans have looked into this many times but always seem to never get any tickets - us stuffies need to get on them asap.

Looks like Sandy and the crew went to Denver but no sightseeing.  Oh my, it's time to get the grievance paperwork prepared.  

Stuffie pals thanks for the mail - us stuffies have made a pact to get the mail processed much much much faster.

To the beach!

Hiya Gang,

Little Fox, Cocoa and Navy Beanie here fortifying ourselves before our beach hike. It's still a little chilly and windy so some hot cocoa to start off makes sense. 

Navy and I here (along w/ Haystack Rock) in the background.  Where's Cocoa you ask? Cocoa ditched us to look for remnants of the sand castle contest a few days ago. 

I'm glad that Navy Beanie is able to enjoy the beach and not trigger any lingering trauma from the Mouse Island Tsunami. 

So many cool rock formations. 

Anyone  know what these growths on the rocks are? 

The seabirds are out in full force.  Has anyone seen Cocoa? Should we be scared?  Sneakerwaves?

Little Fox sat me down and told me that he got a text from Cocoa.  Cocoa went to the cheese factory (being that there were no remnants of the sand castle contest just a few days ago). Phooey.

Off to find Cocoa.

About 50 miles south of Cannon Beach Little Fox drove me to the Tillmaook Cheese factory.  I guess a good place to find a mouse is at a free cheese tasting event.   Today's cheeses:

1) Fresh Curds, 2) Aged Cheddar, 3) Colby Jack.

Back before the pandemic they used to sample the more unique cheeses made at Tillamook, sigh.

The cheese process is running strong today.  Looks like they are making cheddar cheese.

Those are 40lbs blocks of cheese.

How does a mouse get a job here? 

You would think that cheese directly from the factory would be cheaper than the grocery store.  Nope, not here. However, it's hard to pas up the unique flavors (curds, chili garlic cheddar, smoked salmon). 

This is the line for the ice cream shop.  It's long, but it goes fast. Little Fox recommends Moose Tracks or Strawberry Cheesecake flavors.

It's hard to miss the cheese factory (according to the internet 1.3 million visit the factory annually).  That's a lot but not as many as Spirit Mountain Casino (3 million) or 2 million at Multnomah Falls).    Of course with an obvious sign like this it's hard to miss.

Shh, don't tell anyone but some of the best fish on the coast is located across the street at the Old Oregon Smokehouse.  Yes, it's in a doublewide and you have to eat in the car or outside but the fish is the best around. 

Well we found Cocoa but where did Little Fox scamper off to? 

 

Bend day 2 and 3

Hiya Gang.

LF, NB and CB are enjoying a few more days in Bend.  Here we are on a hike Cocoa suggested, it's called Tumalo Falls from Skyliners trail head.

You definately got a good view of Tumalo Creek as you worked your way up to the falls. 

Being that it was spring the falls were going like crazy.

Next up was Navy's hike, it was along Peterson Ridge and West Trails.  The views were amazing.

Navy doesn't take a bad picture.

So many mountains were out today.

The roommates forgot to bring lunch on this hike.  Can you believe it?
Luckily, us stuffies found a pretty good city park with some great views.

 

Bend Adventure for a fox and mice

Hiya Gang, 
Little Fox and gang deciding to explore Bend a charming city known for its hiking  and large number of breweries per capita.

First hike of the trip is to the Oregon Badlands with the hope of finding petroglyphs (they are here but we had no luck).  Along the way the wildflowers were out on our way to Badlands Rock.

 

A few early desert wildflowers - Larkspur, Wallflowers and some sort of desert parsley

Made it to the top of Badlands Rock.  Do you see the Cascade Range mountains in the background?

Onward, LF heard that this area used to be an old homestead and there is apparently proof of the homestead.

It's important for LF's grade in Archeology 304 that he finds the homestead since he could not find the petroglyphs.  

This looks like an old cistern.  Yep LF's portable carbon dating kit dates the rockwork to about the 1860s).    

Time to go celebrate at Spider City Brewing.  Today was a fundraiser for a Great Pyrenees Rescue and Navy was very intrigued by the animals (hint hoomans in Canada Navy wants one).  Cocoa and I had a beer or two or threee.

 

 

The oldest settlement west of the Rockies.....

 Did you guess Astoria, Oregon?

 Astoria is named after John J. Astor financier who sent fur traders to establish Fort Astor in 1811 (even though John J never visited).  Astoria has a very interesting history and a seedier side of history involving Shanghaiing (kidnapping drunk men and putting them on freighter's as crew). 

So much history and potential archeology research in town (like what he heck is that thing behind me) that this little fox can't address it all in one blog, plus I have my pals Navy and Cocoa with me. 

Navy Beanie is super curious and wants to explore  history of seafaring.  Astoria is the place to be. 

Can you see the ships in the distance.   Navy is super intrigued as they are loaded with grain and lumber wait in Astoria for river pilots to guide them down the Columbia River or out to the Pacific Ocean.

He is in the process of calling all of his contacts to get a spot on the ships. 

Cocoa Beanie wanted to explore some of the movie related history in town.  Sure, we could go to the Goonies house but Cocoa said that was too boring.

Instead Cocoa wanted to see the Astoria-Megler bridge and try and remember all the movies it's been in.

1) Short Circuit

2) The Goonies

3) Free Willie 2 (yes there were 2 Free Willie movies)

4) Kindergarten Cop 

Speaking of Kindergarten Cop Cocoa found this sign that talks a little bit about the history of Kindergarten Cop and the filming sites.

Do you recognize the school?  It's the one used in Kindergarten cop (yep, still a public school in use today).

Need a refresher about Kindergarten Cop check out this trailer from 1990.