BenTha'er-Horizons

Oregon

Storms At The Ocean Beach

We went to see the high tides over on the coast along with staying at a hotel in Lincoln City. It was very breezy with waves of rain broken up by sunshine. At times this lead to amazing color contrasts as the pictures below show. The stormy ocean and beaches at Lincoln City.

rainbeach

oceanstorm
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Off To The...

We are off on a 12 day trip to see the family and grandchildren in South Dakota. A bit of a reverse trek for our families who in part came from the area or places in the MidWest.

Now a fun fact about the Oregon Trail since I had both sides of my paternal grandmother's side of the family come on the Oregon Trail in 1844 and 1852.

"It’s often thought that the Oregon Trail was made easier by the covered wagons that have become synonymous with the grueling journey, but that’s only partially true. Those wagons weren’t actually for people, who walked most or all of the trail’s 2,000 miles from Independence, Missouri, to Oregon City, Oregon. They were for the supplies that hopeful settlers deemed necessary for the trek, pulled by mules and oxen. Indeed, people who were ferried by wagons had a habit of falling out as the vehicles didn’t have springs and thus bounced around a lot; some folks were even run over by other wagons or trampled by beasts of burden after falling. As for those walking, many of the children didn’t have shoes.
So while we often romanticize that months-long journey as being emblematic of the “American Dream” and westward expansion, it was above all else a brutal quest that many did not survive."
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Flowers of Spring

In helping a client with some community cats in her neighborhood, I came across at her house a flower bed with lovely tulips and bluish ground cover plants. Taking photos while there created a beautiful art-like picture with the colors. Spring with the flowers just coming out and sunshine is wonderful.

spring tulips
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Silver Lake and Dining

A travel article today listed towns that were remote locations in the United States to other towns. One of the places listed was Silver Lake, OR which is in south central Oregon. One of the highlights is dinner at Cowboy Dinner Tree which we have eaten at twice. The photo below was taken in 2019 at our anniversary dinner there. Always tasty and lots of food to take away and eat later. We have not visited the geological site called Crack in the Ground but will look to make a trip to do so. This is within a day's drive from our home.

Silver Lake is a town of roughly 150 people in southern Oregon, 39.3 miles from the nearest other town. It was founded in the late 1800s and remains quite small, with a single gas station and a handful of restaurants. One such eatery is the Cowboy Dinner Tree, which was inspired by an eatery that existed many decades ago. Back then, a wagon set up underneath a large juniper tree and sold beans and biscuits to passing cowboys. While that wagon is gone, the restaurant serves up local fare in a rustic albeit slightly more modern setting.
The town is also home to a fascinating nearby geological site known as the
Crack in the Ground. This volcanic fissure is two miles long and 70 feet deep, and formed due to volcanic activity that occurred thousands of years ago. Today, it offers a great opportunity for curious hikers looking to explore the country’s volcanic history.

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State Site Pronunciations

I was born and raised in a state where many of the place names are Native American based. My home town is often mispronounced, LebaNON is said, and it is LebaNUN. Along with how Oregon is constantly mispronounced. I can always tell who is not a local, born and bred.

Not Ore-uh-GON. Some say "It’s pronounced OR-aginn' or I will say "OR-e-gun' just automatically running together.
Other spots in Oregon that get mispronounced are…
Heceta Head Lighthouse 
Champoeg State Park
Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge
  1. Deschutes (Somebody on Reddit said they heard it pronounced Day-SKOOT-taze
  2. Willamette (pronounced w’LAMMIT, not w’LAMMITEE or WILL-uh-met))
  3. Tigard (tiger’d)
  4. Lake Oswego
  5. Glisan (pronounced “Gleesin)
  6. Helvetia (Hint: It’s not Helvetica; that is a font!)
  7. Tualatin (It’s not Tua-LATE-in)
  8. Yachats (Yak-Hats)
  9. The Dalles (Please don’t call it The Dallas)
  10. Aloha (pronounced Uh-LOWuh)\
  11. Coquille (pronounced Ko-KEEL)
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Haunted Cemetery

Interesting story to pop up in a daily local news feed…
Could a cemetery here in Oregon truly be haunted or is it just a myth, superstition?

Among the many haunted places in Oregon, one stands out as particularly terrifying: the Lafayette Pioneer Cemetery. This cemetery, located in the small town of Lafayette, is said to be cursed by a vengeful witch who was hanged there in the late 1800s. Here is the story behind this haunted cemetery and why you should avoid it at all costs.
The Hanging of the Witch
According to legend, the Lafayette Pioneer Cemetery is haunted by a woman who lost her life after being accused of being a witch. Apparently she wasn’t too happy about this, and stuck around to haunt the cemetery and the people of Lafayette. The witch part of the equation has since been debunked, but the clarification is just as gruesome.
he Lafayette Pioneer Cemetery is a place of horror and mystery, where the dead do not rest in peace. The story behind this haunted cemetery is terrifying, and so are the experiences of those who dare to visit it. If you are looking for a thrill, you might be tempted to explore this cemetery, but be warned: you might encounter more than you bargained for.
Story here.
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Mt. Hood in Morning

We had an early drive up to Portland yesterday. We seem to be stuck in air stagnation and low clouds here yet it was clear skies from Salem north. It was the start of a pretty sunrise and I was able to take a photo with my phone camera out the window of Mt. Hood and the sunrise as we went down the freeway with traffic. A bit tricky yet quite worth it.
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Boomers at Depoe Bay

A week ago today we were over at the Oregon Coast at Depoe Bay. The waves were coming in fast and hard at high tide. They were high boomers near the bay entrance. We ate at Tidal Raves for seafood which is on the north side of town near Arch Cape. The boomers were hitting the rocks we view from the restaurant. It is a beautiful spot to eat a meal and watch the ocean waves.
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