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I spotted this field of towering wind turbines creating shadows across the hills near Maryhill, WA just as the sunlight peeked through the fog. The wind turbine fields are becoming a common sight along the Columbia River that divides Oregon and Washington. It's a perfect place to install this form of alternative energy as there is rarely a day that the wind isn't blowing!
The end of January promised some great "storm watching" over on the Oregon Coast, so my husband and I decided to drive over to the Newport area to do some photography and eat some clam chowder. (More on that later)
One of my favorite areas for crashing waves is Boiler Bay State Park. There are several good sites along the paved road into the park, and at the turn-around area, you will find picnic tables and several great viewing spots. If you look back toward the highway, you will see a small waterfall just back from the tide line which offers some great photo opportunities. Just make sure to protect your camera gear from the ocean spray!
Newport and Depoe Bay both offer some great restaurants offering everything from fresh seafood to Japanese sushi! One of our long-time favorites had been Mo's Restaurant in Newport - down on the historic bayfront. While on our trip, w decided to go to Mo's for the famous chowder and ordered a couple large bowls. But when the waitress brought out our lunch, we noticed the chowder didn't look the same as it had before. After tasting it, it didn't taste like the Mo's chowder, either! When the waitress came by to ask how our lunch was, we told her we were very disappointed in the chowder - one of the bowls even had small pieces of gravel or large sand pebbles in the bottom! The waitress informed us they had been inspected recently by the USDA and were told they needed to change the way they processed their chowder. They manager the employees that the new procedures would affect the taste and texture of the chowder and he was worried that long-time patrons would be upset. He was right! After that lunch, we will be searching for a new place to eat clam chowder, that's for sure! Too bad, we've had lots of good memories of eating chowder at Mo's for over 40 years!
Alaska is a state that has divided loyalties - on one hand is the vast pristine landscapes with untold richness of biodiversity, and the other hand holds the energy resources vital to our nation's economy and security.
Controversial actions abound in national politics and in the politics of local villages and towns. Should they open protected lands for energy exploration? It would mean jobs and money for many remote Native villages, but at what cost?? Many Native village people still depend on the land for their survival, just as their ancestors have done for thousands of years. The land is a part of them and their cultural well-being. It is a spiritual part of them that they can't ignore. What will happen to their way of life if they allow big oil companies to move in? What will happen to their culture? Will the land be forever changed to a point that it can no longer support their traditional way of living? Once the decision is made, there is no going back.
