One of the best things about living in the US is our birds. They vary from North to South and East to West in variety, size, color and song. But they are all unique and beautiful in their own way.

When bird flu hit, it was scary seeing so many birds drop to the ground. Was our bird population going to be decimated by this disease? Fortunately that was not the case and our birds are thriving all over this vast country.

Very early this morning this beauty was hanging at the boat basin probably fishing. From the coloring I would guess it to be a Blue Heron as there are many around here.

One of our most fascinating birds is the hummingbird. They come in a seemingly infinite rainbow of colors but similar in size and habits. There are approximately 338 different species of hummingbirds in the world. The US has registered a mere 25 species originating within its borders. There are many more species that will visit during their migration periods especially in the desert Southwest that is closer to tropical climes.

To enter a hummingbird aviary is to walk into awe and wonder. All one can do is stand there quietly and enjoy something that defies description. It is almost heart-wrenching to slowly walk through and eventually leave as one really wants to stay there forever.

At Umpqua River Haven we have at times made our own version of a hummingbird aviary. Hang four to six feeders two to three feet apart all in a row. The sugar mixture I use is heavier on the sugar than most recipes and consists of four cups of sugar to a gallon of very hot water. Then watch them come! They will nest in the trees and bring their babies. We have had so many at times that it was impossible to count them.

My favorite thing about hummers is that they live everywhere I do in every state in the Union. Move somewhere or visit for awhile, put out a feeder if it’s not winter and they will come. The first spring hummers are the scouts and are usually Rufus. Rufus are very territorial and will fight off birds as they arrive to protect its feeder. More than one feeder is an advantage to being able to attract a group of hummers and not just one Rufus.

I have held a hummer in my hand that flew into a house and hit a picture window trying to get out. It was stunned and I feared had its neck broken but it felt warm and alive in my hand. I cupped it gently in 2 hands and took it outside and opened my hands. It held there for a moment and then it flew off as if nothing had happened. I felt as free as it must have.

Hummingbirds are very curious. If you sit far enough away from their feeders for them to not feel threatened but close enough for them to notice you, you may be in for a real treat. I have had them fly directly to me and ‘get in my face’ almost literally. The secret is to sit very still and totally quiet and to enjoy that splendid moment!

Tucked away behind the Umpqua River Lighthouse up out of Winchester Bay, Oregon, is a small, picturesque, serene and placid freshwater lake. Lake Marie is part of the Umpqua River Lighthouse State Park. Oregon’s state parks are well managed and maintained by the State of Oregon to serve its citizens.

Above, overlooking the lake are the campground facilities with something for every kind of camping imaginable including full RV hookups, electric and water only hookups, a tent area, various yurts, a couple of cozy cabins and hiker/biker camping. Hot showers and flush facilities are clean and also well maintained. The deluxe yurts would be very comfy. They have everything and are beautiful inside.

Be sure and make a reservation as this is a very popular camp ground.  http://www.oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=parkPage.dsp_parkPage&parkId=83 Reservations can be made online or by phone.

At the West end of the lake is a sandy beach for swimming with picnic tables and charcoal grill stands. This is a favorite family place to gather especially with very young children as the beach area is perfect for supervised swimming.

There is another large picnic area not far from the beach along with rest room facilities. There are also a few picnic tables on the north side of the lake. Access to the lake is provided for angling and non-motorized boating for fishing, canoeing and kayaking.

The lake is stocked with rainbow trout and also contains bass and other yummy fish for the catching. It’s a very popular place to fish with easy bank access all around the lake. This is a favorite hiking place as the loop trail is about a mile, easy to get to and well maintained. Some of the trail is paved. In winter the earthen low spots can become muddy.

The scenic beauty on this trail is endless.

And often breath-taking.

About a quarter into this hike there is a trail that veers off south and then turns west that will take you toward the ocean. It becomes obvious that Lake Marie is perched on top of the Oregon Coast Dunes as the trail opens up to a large dune riding area with a view of the ocean beyond.

Returning back to the lake trail the scenic views continue all the way around the lake.

 From the sandy beach area you can look back west and see the lighthouse.

I like to do three rounds of the one mile loop trail with one diversion to the ocean and dune view. I never tire of the scenery here.

It’s high Chinook Salmon fishing season on the Umpqua River. May and June are the best spring fishing months for these silvery, yummy salmon.  From Elkton to the coast, the salmon are running.

Here are the catch regulations:  Anglers can harvest 2 wild spring Chinook per day and up to 5 wild springers from Feb. 1 to July 31.  From Aug. 1 to Dec. 31, you can harvest 2 wild Chinook per day, and in combination with the other salmon/steelhead recorded on your salmon tag, up to 20 fish total.  Fin-clipped hatchery fish can be recorded on a separate hatchery harvest tag. There is no limit on the number of hatchery tags that can be purchased but daily limits still apply.

Drift boat fishing is a common way to catch spring salmon and many boats dot the river during salmon season. Coast wide, Spring Chinook numbers have improved significantly since 2010. That means there are lots of them out there for you to catch!

At Umpqua River Haven we have space available for those looking to fish and we are very close to bank fishing as well as a boat launch ramp. Come stay with us and try your luck for some easy fishing. There’s no better eating than fresh-caught Spring Chinook Salmon from the Umpqua River. Mention you read our blog and receive a $5.00 per night discount in the RV Park here at Umpqua River Haven.

The Oregon Coastline cannot be bought or sold.  It belongs to the people of Oregon. Managed by the state, the beaches run on as far as the eye can see and beyond.

There are some private homes, summer cottages and small apartment buildings on the coast but they cannot block public access to the beaches. Residential and commercial areas “on the sand” are required to provide specific public access at intervals along the shore. And, buildings cannot be close to the water so to provide wide beaches for everyone to enjoy.

 The Oregon Coastline is varied from wide, open and vast stretches of beach you can hike on for miles to small coves and more between. This beautiful cove is on a favorite drive there will be more about later.

 When family visits there are many trips up and down the coast. There are many sights to see but the single most important thing they want to do is visit and walk on the beaches.

If I dally too long in other coast places, the cry goes up loud and clear to head to the beach! And you can see why.

 Bright sunshine, endless sun and surf is a better attraction for them than the often rugged coastline where the Coast Mountains sometimes run right down to the sea.

The beaches at Bandon are famous for the rock formations out in the water. We’ll visit Bandon again but this is a sampling of Face Rock.

 Up north off of one of the 3 Sisters Capes I caught this shot from the beach.

 The sunsets over the ocean from the beaches of Oregon are spectacular and incomparable anywhere.

 We will visit the Oregon Coast Beaches again as this is just a sample of their beauty.

Winter in the Northern Mid-West was extreme this year. Record cold temperatures, frozen solid lakes and tons of snow. But what of the freighters that haul and deliver materials around the lakes during the warm months and can’t maneuver the lake ice during winter?

They anchor the 680 foot freighters in the rivers that feed the Great Lakes. For our purposes here, the Huron River in Northern Ohio is host to two of the American Steamship Company’s really big freighters.

The Adam E. Cornelius and the John J. Boland previously docked in port at Toledo but had some kind of tiff and the powers that be decided to dock in the Huron River at Huron, Ohio. In spite of taking the entire day to dock such huge ships, they are very happy at dock in Huron. 

To be certain ice doesn’t trap or damage the colossal vessels, they have state-of-the-art bobber systems that stir the water to prevent the formation of ice around the ships.

26 crew members and contract workers spend the winter repairing the ships before these 42 year old vessels get back into service in June.  During the warmer months, these two behemoths will travel throughout the Great Lakes picking up and delivering materials such as iron ore pellets, coal, limestone and grains from Ohio farms for businesses at various ports, rail yards, marinas and harbors.

The two freighters valued at $10 million to $15 million dollars are considered an asset by the Town of Huron drawing attention to the developing waterfront.  They are quite the site when you are up close and personal!

Cousins are the best friends. You grew up together in the same extended family and have known each other since birth. The more time you spend together, the more in common you seem to have. Today was all of that and more.

Our friend, Stacie, is an Origami Artist and was willing to share her art techniques with us. Fold here, fold there, press that, keep it on the surface, start over, repeat. Whew! Practice, practice, practice! She has such patience which is the sign of a great teacher. And we learned.

It takes a desire to learn how but Stacie is into practice and kept saying “one more” until I finally made one without her having to assist! “I did it all by myself” on about number 6.  “Now make another one,” she said.  I kept folding.

Make one tomorrow morning when you get up so you don’t forget!

After she left, I made one more—so I wouldn’t forget! It’s the brown flowered one in the right front corner.

Stacie made three of these and I made the rest. Hers are perfect….mine not so much but can you tell which are hers and which are mine?

And she left a gift from her tinygami collection that appears to be metal but in reality is gold paper. Thanks, Stacie, for your expertise, patience and willingness to share!

Check out Stacie on her tinygami blog site:  http://www.tinygami.com/ and follow her Michigan adventures in Origami Art with her new tinygami project for ArtPrize2015 in September. She is working on 4,000 tiny cranes for the project for this upcoming competition! The cousins are definitely rooting for her!

Dunes are not exclusive to the Oregon Coast. The Dunes on the eastern shoreline of Lake Michigan are the largest freshwater Dune system in the world. Dunes exist in many places all around Lake Michigan and in some places the Dunes rise several hundred feet above the surface of the Lake. This shoreline is often referred to as the “Third Coast” of the United States.

At Holland, MI, Mt. Pisgah rises 157 feet above Lake Michigan and is accessible via a boardwalk and stair system. At the top are majestic views of Lake Macatawa, an inland lake, and Lake Michigan. Michigan is nick named the” Great Lake State” because of its 11,000 inland lakes. Lake Michigan is known to the locals as “The Big Lake.”

When driving the eastern coastline it can be challenging to find quick, easy and free access to the beach and Dunes. One great place is New Buffalo where these photos were taken. Whittaker Street leading to the city public beach is lined with shops that are also fun to visit. Highly recommended is The Villager for gifts or just something nice to take home. For souvenirs and especially post cards, visit the New Buffalo Pharmacy. Just a block from The Villager is a restaurant that boasts “New York Style Hot Dogs!”

At the end of Whittaker Street is the beach access. Jake’s At The Beach with its Famous Strawberry Shakes sits here next to the Dunes.

Across the way is a hangout for the gulls.

At the base of the stairs to this Dune was a crew cleaning sand off of the concrete walkway to the stairs. My Wyoming T-shirts always cause comment and one worker started to converse when he was distracted by a couple coming down the stairway asking if he was playing in the sand. Yes, he said, it’s never-ending. I climbed the stairs to the top of this Dune and the views were great. Again my Wyoming T-shirt was noticed by the couple up top and we struck up a conversation. From central Indiana, the gent visited here in New Buffalo growing up and did a lot of fishing on The Big Lake with his uncles. They were just here for the day and on their way to Elkhart, IN to visit his mom for Mother’s Day.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the great moms out there!

Time for Oregon Coast lighthouse number two. The Yaquina Bay Lighthouse is probably the oldest structure in Newport, OR. It is also the only remaining wooden lighthouse on the Oregon Coast. Built in 1871, the bay lighthouse could not be seen from the north so a new, more visible lighthouse was built, the Yaquina Head Lighthouse. Due for demolition twice over the years, the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse was declared an historic site in the 70’s and was restored under the Historic Preservation Act in 1974.

One of the most interesting aspects of this lighthouse is that it is haunted. Well, most lighthouses are haunted but this one has a unique haunting story. Here is a link to the most common one:  http://ouroregoncoast.com/newport-area-guide/1461-yaquina-bay-lighthouse-an-oregon-coast-ghost-story.html Muriel’s friends also reported seeing a man at the lighthouse before they left. When you know the story and visit the lighthouse, it becomes quite real.

The kitchens in the lighthouses display so much of life at the time. The Yaquina Bay Lighthouse is the only one that houses both the family home and the light within the same structure. The kitchen shows the work that the woman of the house did daily with its wood stove and iron pots and all the implements of the day.

If you have ever cooked on a wood stove you know how tricky it can be. I finally learned how to make great pancakes on a wood stove that I was initially unable to make on a modern, electric one. Not sure why that was but I enjoyed the wood stove in spite of the work involved. These women managed them daily, three times a day, every day—not just on a camping weekend.

The house is 3 stories with the bedrooms on the second floor and this winding stairway is at the back of the second floor leading to the watch and lantern rooms.

Well worth the climb, at the top is the keeper’s watch room. He had to keep the light burning all night long and also keep a log pertaining to his duties with the light and anything else that might happen.

The Yaquina Bay Lighthouse is located in the Yaquina Bay State Recreation Site at Newport, OR, just west of the north side of the Yaquina Bay Bridge. It is easily accessible when open which is most of the time except holidays. Check online for dates and times. Manned by volunteers, there is no charge to tour the house and view the video in the basement. Don’t miss the framed braided hair artwork. This is a working lighthouse that was officially relit December 7, 1996. The lantern room is not open to the public but there is a replica of the light on the first floor. I visit here every time I am in Newport, Oregon.