Our Portland fall, with its ubiquitous rain, is here. I try always to plan outdoor excursions often, and never more urgently than when the sun is shining. We spent a lovely fall afternoon at the
Tualatin Hills Nature Park, an oasis in the heart of Beaverton. Many of Portland's better natural areas are notoriously impossible to get to on public transit, but the Max train actually stops right behind it (Merlo Rd. on the Blue Line). And doubtless because of the suburban sprawl around it, we are never disappointed in the outstanding opportunities to glimpse wildlife here. We saw about a dozen garter snakes (this is a superb place to find them), a pair of deer, and a barred owl that surprised everyone by being out in the daytime.
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| Wooly worms are everywhere! |
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| And so are mushrooms, of every shape and size! |
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| Jasper caught four garter snakes... |
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| ...looked at them for a while, and set them free. |
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| Wild mint, which fills the air with an amazing scent. |
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| Barred owl. |
Our Portland fall, with its ubiquitous rain, is here. I try always to plan outdoor excursions often, and never more urgently than when the sun is shining. We spent a lovely fall afternoon at the Tualatin Hills Nature Park, an oasis in the heart of Beaverton. Many of Portland's better natural areas are notoriously impossible to get to on public transit, but the Max train actually stops right behind it (Merlo Rd. on the Blue Line). And doubtless because of the suburban sprawl around it, we are never disappointed in the outstanding opportunities to glimpse wildlife here. We saw about a dozen garter snakes (this is a superb place to find them), a pair of deer, and a barred owl that surprised everyone by being out in the daytime. 
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