Update

So yesterday we hiked up Mt. Neahkanie along the Oregon coast. The weather was less than ideal as it was cool and a bit rainy. There was no view from the top because of fog and a good mist blowing up the mountain. But it was interesting looking at some of the vegetation that is quite different from being on a damp coastline. But now I can say that I've seen the Pacific Ocean. We walked out to the beach but we didn't walk out to the water itself (it was cool and we had hiking boots on). Then we had supper and hung out at Gary and Lynn's house. We were all rather exhausted so we went to bed kind of early.



Today, we went to church with Gary and Lynn. They just started a series on Jonah, which was interesting for all of us who are leaving tomorrow to go to the Philippines. The preacher asked what opportunity might God be presenting us with that we are running away from. Then we had lunch and just spent time together at Gary and Lynn's house. Throughout the day I was able to chat with Gary about some of my favorite music, especially Keith Green. He knows a lot about his life from having been on the West coast during Keith's life. It was great to talk with someone whose experience with Keith Green has been more than just listening to his music. He knows people who spent time with Keith's ministry in Texas and he and his wife had a time where they modeled their own ministry off Keith's ministry. It was such a blessing to talk to someone who also appreciates the music that has meant so much to me in my lifetime.

So, below are a few pictures I've taken so far with a brief caption explaining the photo. If you click on the photo itself you can see a larger version of the photo. Enjoy!

The sky looks so blue at 30,000 feet. (Somewhere between Salt Lake City and Portland)

A snow-covered mountain about 20 minutes before we got to Portland.

We stopped at a small cafe, and this cartoon amused us.

The Pacific coastline near Mt. Neahkanie.

You can kind of see the moss hanging off the trees here. Lots of trees were covered in moss, I assume due to the dampness coming straight from the coast.

An interesting flower I saw quite a bit alongside the trail.

Here you can see a bit of the lush greenness that we saw the entire hike, along with the fog.

Again, the lush greenness and the fog.