We walked to the edge of a meadow and looked down on this beach. We could not find a way to safely descend - The Thumb #OregonExplored

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On our way into the Clackamas Foothills, we stopped to look at old barns - Estacada #OregonExplored

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Trees pointed us toward the gorge - Chenoweth Loop Trail #OregonExplored

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We could look across and see apple orchards - Coyote Wall #WashingtonExplored

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There was a kind of rhythm to this place - Painted Hills #OregonExplored

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Cows here wandered into the road, curious - Shellburg Falls #OregonExplored

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Further down the trail were piles of rock and a view of the river below - Herman Creek Trail #OregonExplored

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There used to be a fire lookout here - Tumala Mountain #OregonExplored

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My favorite county park - Lebanon #OregonExplored

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The rainforest here is made up mostly of Sitka Spruce and Western Hemlock. We chose it because the guidebook said we were unlikely to see other hikers. The guidebook was right. - Cascade Head #OregonExplored

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The deepest shade of blue - Neskowin #OregonExplored

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When my dad was in the hospital across the street, this was a good place to be with my thoughts - Bush's Pasture Park #OregonExplored

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It was quiet here - Thomas Kay Woolen Mill #OregonExplored

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Nature delights in color - Samuel H Boardman State Scenic Corridor #OregonExplored

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It has been far too long - Drift Creek Falls #OregonExplored

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A curve of coastline - Port Orford #OregonExplored

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Light on the water - Lake Floras #OregonExplored

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There's a flat piece of rock here at the top of the second tier. The water rushes by - Baker Creek Falls #OregonExplored

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The best kind of day - Rogers Camp #OregonExplored

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She leaned into the trail and offered to share some forest gossip - Cape Horn #WashingtonExplored

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A really strong blue - Rowena Crest #OregonExplored

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To stand against the sky - Maryhill Loops #WashingtonExplored

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We stopped at the side of the road and stood in the shade - Parker Creek Falls #OregonExplored

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I always keep an eye out - Herman Creek #OregonExplored

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We could have stood here all day, counting the passing cars and dreaming up future adventures - Cape Horn #WashingtonExplored

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I visited here on a Saturday morning in early February. There were already signs of spring emerging - Cathedral Park #OregonExplored

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The war to end all wars - Maryhill Stonehenge #WashingtonExplored

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Early in the morning, you can watch them come in, one right after another - Rocky Butte #OregonExplored

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Pure gold - Horse Heaven Hills #WashingtonExplored

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On the other side, looking down, is an apron of talus - Herman Creek Pinnacles #OregonExplored

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I used to think of these kinds of views as end-of-the-map places. I have learned that they are actually beginnings - Marys Peak #OregonExplored

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They reach for the light - Santiam State Forest #OregonExplored

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We could still see our breath in the morning air - University Falls #OregonExplored

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They persist - Tillamook State Forest #OregonExplored

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The clouds were thick and heavy - Cape Perpetua Overlook #OregonExplored

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It is not as angry as it looks - Spouting Horn #OregonExplored

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There's something about the clear curve of a ridge. And the sea. - The Thumb #OregonExplored

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I could only imagine the views - Heceta Head #OregonExplored

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An island of trees - Rowena Loops #OregonExplored

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They grow almost everywhere in the Pacific Northwest. This one was in McMinnville - Baker Creek #OregonExplored

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If you peer over the edge here, you can look down on the empty middle school buildings - Chenoweth Tableland Loop #OregonExplored

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Someone came through and cleared the brush and small trees so that this falls is no longer hidden from the road - Slide Mountain Creek #OregonExplored

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Several times now, I've stood beneath this arch and contemplated the weight of rock above - Natural Arch #OregonExplored

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A flash of silver-white - Royal Terrace Falls #OregonExplored

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A walk in the country - Shellburg Falls #OregonExplored

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We arrived in the still-dark of early morning, and the water was calm - Memaloose Lake #OregonExplored

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Light filtered through - Chenoweth Tableland Loop #OregonExplored

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It was harder to get here than I'd remembered and even more beautiful than before - Abiqua Falls #OregonExplored

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I'm learning how vital it is, in order to live, to open myself - McDowell Creek #OregonExplored

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Sometimes, in spite of everything, way opens - Tumala Mountain #OregonExplored

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