Anniversary Outing

It was a glorious day here in Portland today - warm and sunny. Laurie and I celebrated our 9th anniversary by loading up the scooter and Liza and heading to Tryon Creek State Natural Area for a hike/scoot.

According to Friends of Tryon Creek website: Tryon Creek State Park is a 670-acre forest located on the boundaries of Portland and Lake Oswego. Although the canyon was first logged in the 1880's, the forest has naturally regrown into a lush stand of red alder, Douglas fir, big leaf maple, and western red cedar. Over 50 species of birds and many small mammals reside in the Park. Tryon Creek, home of crayfish, trout and other aquatic life, is one of the last unobstructed tributaries of the Willamette River in the Portland area and is located within a highly vulnerable watershed due to its urban location. The Park has 14 miles of hiking, biking and equestrian trails... Tryon Creek State Natural Area (as it has been re-named) remains the only state park within a major metropolitan area, allowing the park to play a unique role in comparison to all other Oregon State Parks properties.

It's also home to a number of trillium, one of the harbingers of Oregon springs noted for its strikingly large three leaves and three flower petals.

We chose Tryon partly because of the accessibility. One of the trails is completely accessible - paved and with a gentle grade - and many of the other trails are do-able when it's dry. It's also a gorgeous area and even though it's in the city it feels like being in the middle of a forest. The park is minimally maintained, i.e. it's not landscaped; the ecosystems are left intact as much as possible.

We didn't see much wildlife but heard numerous species of birds and saw hundreds of varieties of trees and wildflowers. I love the way the ferns grow on the trunks of the trees, and this one was particularly lovely, with ferns growing all the way up and the sun just behind. For more photos, including several trillium shots, view the slideshow.