This Land is Your Land, This Land is My Land....
Happy 4th of July!
What I’m celebrating today is the incredible land of this country. The natural world here in the U.S. is extraordinary and when I came to the west from my home in Connecticut as a freshman in high school for the first time in 1981, it was the land that I fell in love with kept calling me back.
Now more than 30 years later, I’m still deeply in love with the land particularly of the western United States and am regularly moved by it’s beauty. In this post I want to show you a place that Rob took me to yesterday that offers one of the best views I’ve ever seen of the mountains surrounding Portland, Oregon.
We live here amongst some majestic giants and when you fly into Portland via airplane, you can look down on these glacier capped peaks and the plane is circling for landing.
In order of what you see in the 20 second video clip below: Mt. St. Helens is 8,366’ high now and was 9,600’ pre-eruption in 1980, Mt. Rainer is 14,410, Mt. Adams is 12,280’ high,
Mt. Hood is 11,250’ high, and Mt. Jefferson is 10,495’ high. If you look at the upper right corner during the very last moment of the video, you can see the moon.
View from Larch Mt, Oregon from Ruth Greenberg on Vimeo.
From this view, no evidence of civilization obstructs the continuos carpet of trees between each mountain, it truly captures your breath in person!
Larch Mountain is a viewpoint that can be more or less driven up to. One has to walk up a steep quarter of a mile to the rock peak, but it’s not a hike which makes it highly accessible which means that finding a moment alone up there is rare. I longed for a moment of silence and to be able to look around without obstructing heads and at the very end of our hour there we got it to ourselves for about 15 minutes!
I have a special affection for Mt. Hood since it's so close to Portland and I've spent so much time exploring there.
Rob's favorite flower is the native wild Indian Paintbrush:
On the way back, we stopped in Corbett to see one of our favorite views of Crown Point - the outcropping of rock over the Columbia River Gorge. The land on the opposite side of the river is Washington state.
The video clip and all photos in this post were taken by Rob Streff and his wonderful eye.
Thanks to all of you great supporters and friends here on Steemit, I feel lucky everyday to know you!
Incredible nature, looks so absolutely untouched. Wow
It is truly so beautiful and the untouched feeling there really is so rare! Thanks @steemboys
Oregon is absolutely on my must Visit list and is high in priority! My goal would be to home, camp, and explore the beauty all around. Thanks for bringing back that excitement to visit there!
it certainly is a varied and stunningly beautiful place from east to west, north to south! I will post more of my Oregon adventures since it's the season for travel and we take lots of day excursions. Where are you located?
I am in Iowa and have always thought if I ever relocated, Oregon would be the place to go! Hoping to get out there maybe next summer if things settle down here. I would love to see more of your perspective as a resident and add places on my list to visit!
Awesome! Happy 4th, also the day that Steemit first paid out :-)
I had no idea that Mt. St Helen's was in the US, wow, geography is not my strong point!
I can see why you love it so much; absolutely beautiful, and I love that Indian Paintbrush as well, super cool :-)
Cg
I didn't join until early Aug last year, I didn't know the 4th was the first day steemit paid out, happy anniversary! Yes all the huge Mts in the US are here in the western part of the country and north in Alaska. I grew up in flat lands and nearby the beach which I loved, but now I'm completely in love with rivers, mountains and trees. You live a long way away, so it's understandable that you wouldn't know about this one mountain. Anyway, thanks so much for reading and commenting!
You're welcome!
Aha, it seems you've been around forever :-)
Yeah, I had heard the name Mt St. Helens, and I thought it was somewhere tropical, like Fiji or something, weird.
It's funny, I used to scoff at Americans without a passport, however now I realise that there is almost every type of climate and terrain in the country. Therefore you can really know a lot, just by travelling around the States.
Cg
You're right the country is so large and varied in people and land! But I agree....everyone needs to go to other countries, it opens the mind which I think is a necessity for everyone and particularly Americans.
have you been to the US?
oh my, I have to go to sleep, I can't believe i'm up here commenting on steemit at 3am...yikes, good night!
Haha, uh-oh, get to sleep! Catch this comment when you wake up! :-)
Yes I have been, but only to New York, where I have family.
I reckon I could spend 10 years exploring America (at least!) I want to do Yellowstone, and the swamps of Florida, and now the mountains of Portland :-)
Nighty night x
Cg
:-), got a little sleep. New York is so fun and so much of everything and also unlike anywhere else in the US, your list is great and I'd like to add the central California coast, and the desert like Death Valley, Joshua Tree and/or the Alvore Desert in Oregon, as well as what's called the four corners area which is where Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico meet - this area is truly other-worldly. I have Swiss friends who came here for 3 months, rented a car and drove around the country. They had a great time and it was a life-changing experience, that's a good way to do it. Anyway if you come here, let me know and I'll give you some tips, contacts and anything else I can help with and hopefully meet as well!
btw, I've never really been to the UK except Heathrow several times, it's time I go! I have family there and have always wanted to go so maybe in the next few years.
Good stuff :-). Yeah I've heard that NYC is really different from the rest of the States. Which both excites, and terrify's me :-)
Thanks for the extra tip, so many places! I'm also thinking San Francisco... One day soon... I'll keep you posted :-)
Cg
As you know, us NY'ers get excited over a piece of grass -- never mind such awe-inspiring examples of the beauty of nature. HAPPY 4th!
hahaha! yes the nature in NY has to really put up with a lot to survive...as do the people, but we all love NY anyway.
I loved it!
so glad to hear it @colovhis!
Beautiful scenic views. Yes, we are truly lucky to be here in this great country. We sometimes forget what we have. It's good to take time out and appreciate our country's beauty and what our country represents to us.
So very true @steppingout23!
Beautiful photos and video @natureofbeing. Very peaceful place.
Happy 4th of July from north of the border. 😊
thanks so much @freeinthought! Just north of the border, you live in glorious country as well!
Thanks @natureofbeing. We have our fair share of problems but still manage to be content. Ever since I was a kid, I've always loved the USA as well. Must be because we are so close and share alot of common culture and values. Cheers!
Very nice post.
thanks @team101!
What an expansive and beautiful location to connect with. I can see why you would fall in love with an area like that. Rob's photography is consummate, your post elicits a genuine smile. Cheers on your day of independence @natureofbeing.
what a wonderful comment @bloomview, you have a real talent for your responses! Many thanks and I'll pass along your compliment to Rob. Cheers to you too!
wonderfull
thanks @skrzypietz for your support, glad you enjoyed it!