state park challenge

this last year for Christmas, my sister gave me (and others) a wonderfully thoughtful, interactive gift: a year long state park contest! She made a zine that included maps and a checklist for every major state park in Oregon; the challenge is to fill in as many as possible during calendar 2010. Whoever gets the most wins a prize - although none of us know what the prize will be. (It hardly matters, although if I win it had better be a good one!) Proof is a picture of yourself with the park sign visible in the picture. It's great not only because it provides a reason to go somewhere on itchy feet/ ants in pants days, but also because it makes me more aware of the abundant beauty all around. A couple of weeks ago the three of us (me, sister, mom) went up the gorge a little way and checked off three or four parks - the Columbia river gorge is lousy with state parks because it is so incredibly beautiful that the EARTH WOULD CRY if it was covered with truck stops instead of hiking paths and signs telling you not to eat the mushrooms. Anyway, I finally got my pictures uploaded - this is a teaser picture for Shepperd's Dell, a spot I have driven by countless times but only stopped at twice - more from there tomorrow!