Bear in charge blog 6, Oregon Vortex and House of Mystery

Baxter here.  Hope all is going well.  Another day on vacation for this bear. 

Today I am out and about exploring Gold Hill Oregon.  As the name might imply there was gold in them hills many years ago.  The building I am about to explore is an old  assay office that fell off its foundation and slid down a hall in 914.  Some say it slid down the hill because it was built near the Oregon Vortex, a place very sacred to Native Americans.   

The Oregon Vortex and House of Mystery is a roadside attraction known for optical illusions.  You can't take video at the vortex (rules....you know) but I found a you tube video that demonstrates the coolness of the place.

Little Fox would love the color of this sign. 

 You learn about the vortex and other vorti in the world then you get to see all sorts of optical illusions once you get inside the old assay office.   Whoa, be careful in here.

 Can they turn on the lights please?

The tour guide said that dogs are not allowed at the vortex.  They say that when service dogs come they start barking, growling and get aggressive inside of the assay office.  The tour guide explained that it's part of the mystery of the vortex.  

Next stop was to visit a winery for a picnic and a glass or two of wine.  I found a nice winery to hang out at.  Big vats of wine all ready to go.

 Lots of elbow room at this winery.

The grapes look in good shape.  The grass is mowed, the grapes are planted in nice rows, now the wine maker just needs to wait for grapes to grow.

Now it's time to sample some of the local wine. 

Bear in charge 5. Time to explore with a hike.

Baxter here at the healm of the blog.  Little Fox's roommates and I are on vacation and today we are off on a hike.  The adventure starts at Lost Creek Lake near Prospect, Oregon.  The Army Corp of Engineers built a dam here many years ago and is in charge of the reservoir and the trails around the lake. 

 The lake looks like it's in good shape.  Lots of water, the trees are green.  No drought this summer.

 The clouds are coming in.  Do you think this bear is going to get wet?

 I think this is a pacific madrone tree.  Hard to tell from this picture  but the tree has a nice red hue to the bark.

 Is it lunch time yet?

One of the stops on the trail was an area called "Blue Grotto".  Sounds interesting so I decided to check it out.

 An easy side trip off the main trail.  Not too spectacular.  There is a small pool, it's kind of blue and a waterfall.   Perhaps when the snow melts more the waterfall and grotto really sparkle. 

 Wildflowers are starting to come out.

Not a bad little adventure for this bear.  Of course a nice lunch was waiting for me on the trail.  Turkey sandwich, rice cakes, and a granola bar.  No ice cream stand along the trail, I guess I will have to make sure we stop somewhere on the way home. 

Bear in Charge Blog #3. Proper introductions.

Hello Blog World,
Good afternoon.  I have to admit I am a little embarrassed as I have not properly introduced myself yet.  My name is Baxter T. Bear.  I come from a long line of stuffies mainly from the Mediterranean.  As you can see my Mediterranean roots are showing as I am about to eat this nice pizza.

Don't worry.  I did some nice hiking today (one of the many tasks I have been tasked with now that Little Fox is on vacation). Today's destination is Catherine Creek to search for wildflowers. 

On board for today's adventure is Sequoia.  

Catherine Creek was originally an old ranch.  It's been out of commission for many years and now the land belongs to the forest service.  You can still see old remnants of the ranch along the route. 

There are a few scattered old oak trees and about 10 miles east there is an old cherry orchard.  The hilltop that Catherine Creek is really windy. 

One of the few surviving oaks around.

The views are expansive.  The Columbia River is in the foreground and the meadow is wide and open.   

A few wildflowers were out today.  I have always called the purple ones "Grass Widows" but I am not botanist so the real name is a mystery to me. 

Ahhhhh this is the life.  Now if this cloud would move I could enjoy a little more sun.

See you next time blog readers - your pal Baxter.