Happy Birthday Oregon

Today, for anyone who is not in the mood to celebrate love, let’s celebrate Oregon instead. She is marking her 164th birthday today. In my opinion, Oregon is one of the best states. I’ve lived in 11 states and visited all but 4 of them (and none of the territories), and I still would bet on Oregon. I was born in the southern rural town of Klamath Falls, Oregon. So was my mom. And so was her mom. I guess, for all my travels, I really haven’t gone that far.

First here, of course, were hundreds of indigenous tribes. We have evidence to suggest human inhabitants in what is now Oregon for 15,000 years, and we have scientifically dated artifacts of human life in Lake County as far back as 13,200 years. Sandals made of sagebrush and bark dated to be 9,300 years old were found in Fort Rock Cave. The reason there were so many tribes in this spot is because of the huge amounts of natural resources that could sustain them all. The ocean offers much bounty, and the massive coastal forests do as well. The coastal mountains shelter fertile inland flood plains. There are lakes and rivers and streams and marshes over much of the state. It’s a perfect collection of fresh and salty water and plains and deserts and beaches and woods for many kinds of animals that have provided furs and meat for thousands of years.

The secrets of all these resources wasn’t kept long, once travelers arrived. As early as the 1500s, traders were sending ships to the coast to trade. In 1804-06 Lewis & Clark were sent by President Jefferson to find a passage to the Pacific Ocean, and the Astor expedition followed soon after in 1811. They found a route that was later famously called “The Oregon Trail,” and even more famously, that trail became immortalized in an early video game. British explorer David Thompson conducted overland exploration. In 1811, Thompson became the first European to navigate the entire Columbia River.

The Columbia River is 1,243 miles (2,000 kilometers) long and forms most of the northern boundary of the state, and the Snake River forms most of the eastern boundary of the state.

The Oregon Territory became the state of Oregon on February 14, 1859. Her state motto is: “She Flies With Her Own Wings.” The capital city is Salem and the largest city is Portland. There are 4.2 million people here.

• Oregon state beverage: milk
• state dance: Square dance
• mushroom: Pacific Golden Chanterelle
• insect: Oregon Swallowtail Butterfly
• pie: Marionberry pie
• fish: Chinook Salmon
• songbird: Western Meadowlark
• raptor: Osprey
• state microbe: Saccharomyces cerevisiae
• animal: American Beaver
• fruit: pear
• flower: Oregon Grape
• grass: Bluebunch wheatgrass
• tree: Douglas Fir
• state fossil: Metasequoia, or Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides)
• gemstone: sunstone
• state crustacean: Dungeness Crab
• nut: hazelnut
• rock: thunder egg (geode)
• seashell: Oregon hairy triton (Fusitriton oregonensis)
• soil: Jory soil

Oregon has one of the oldest continually operating amusement parks in the nation, Oaks Park, which opened in Portland in 1905. The state has 51 covered bridges (which is a drop from an estimated 450 covered bridges at its peak). Hells Canyon can get to as much as 7,913 feet (2,412 m) deep, which makes it the deepest canyon in North America. Oregon has 11 lighthouses.

Oregon has five sets of mountains, or mountain ranges. These are: The Blue Mountains, the Cascade Range, The Coast Range, the Klamath Mountains, and the Steens Mountains.

Oregon’s Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States, at 1,943 feet (592 m). Two significant rivers run their entire course within the state: John Day River, at 284 miles (457 km), and the Deschutes River, at 252 miles (406 km). The highest waterfall is Multnomah Falls, at 620 feet (189 m).

Oregon has 61 volcanoes. The tallest one is Mt. Hood, my favourite volcano of them all, at 11,240 feet (3426 m).

Oregon contains National Forests, National Historic Landmarks, National Parks, National Scenic Areas, National Monuments, National Cemeteries, National Fish Hatcheries, National Recreation Areas, National Wildlife Refuges, and one National Grassland.

We like wine here. Oregon has 1,370 vineyards and has planted 39,531 acres. Of those, Pinot Noir accounts for 59%. We also like beer. Oregon’s hops accounted for 11% of the United States hops crops in 2021. There are 310 craft breweries.

I was expecting a dusting of snow, and was surprised to measure 5 inches this morning. The forecast was for the weather to warm and for partly sunny skies. So I put on my snow gear and shoveled a path out to the yard, and then went sledding for an hour or so.

After I played in the snow, I went for a walk around the pond. It’s fun to see my land in a different perspective.

To be clear, I am excited to celebrate love today. I am crazy about mi Pedrito, and he is crazy about me. ❤ I spent the last weekend with him (and the twins) and we exchanged Valentines cards and flowers. This week we have to work. This coming weekend we will celebrate together again, only it will be for Pedro’s birthday! He is turning 50 on the 23rd.

Here’s wishing you an excellent second half of February and for those in winter, I will join you in wishing for less snowy days and more sunny days.