Oregon’s Wild Coast

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Oregon’s Wild Coast

Oregon’s wild coast is a wondrous place. The rugged rocky border at the interface between land and sea offers some great hiking and beautiful vistas, as well as sandy sections suitable for strolling. The water is cold and clean, often also quite forceful. The wind can be stiff, though once on a trail under the protection of the canopy of the dense coastal forest, a hiker may be well protected.

Recommended visit: Rogue Brewery

After a strenuous hike, I would highly recommend a visit to the Rogue Brewery in Newport. They keep a wide variety of their brews on tap. I especially like their Good Chit pilsner (chit is a brewing term). Plus, the menu includes fine pub grub and seafood. The brewery is situated on the harbor and the parking lot affords a great view of the ocean inlet and bridge.

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View of the Oregon coast through the front windows of an A-frame house

Amazing Crater Lake, Oregon

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Flying over Crater Lake a couple of years ago, I found the sight so amazing from the air — spectacular, even — that I knew this was a place that I had to visit.  It took a while to find an opportunity. Crater Lake National Park is remote. But, a trip to Oregon for a family event provided just the occasion.

Crater Lake West Rim and Wizard Island

Crater Lake is formed from an ancient volcano, which erupted long ago with a massive blast, losing roughly 1300 meters (4000 ft) off of its top. The loss of material from the magma chamber below caused the remaining material in the center to collapse.  The resulting crater eventually filled with water, making the deepest lake in the United States. Up close, its tremendous size is hard to take in.

The rim is still quite high and even in June we encountered a lot of snow. During our visit, the drive around the rim was partly closed as were many hiking trails. We were still able to find a couple of nice hikes, such as at pull off no. 8 on the park map, along Munson Creek by Duwee Falls (easy hike, through wonderful conifer forest, but don’t expect to see much of the falls, which are hidden in a narrow valley) and at pull off no. 1, a trail that climbs the ridge behind the bountiful spring that forms Alice Creek (moderate difficulty, through some nice old timber).

For food, we enjoyed dining at the old Crater Lake Lodge, which has a good kitchen and a nice selection of regional wine. It is a little pricey. The view from the patio behind the lodge is wonderful! And, the lobby is a fine place for a drink or coffee and cake. Down in the valley below, we were surprised to find a great little organic grocery store at Jo’s Motel on route 62 in Fort Kalmath. They had a nice variety of organic food in the tiny establishment, as well as a carry out snack bar with fine sandwiches and burgers (though service was a little slow when we came by for lunch). While there, you will want to pick up a bottle of their All Terrain brand DEET-free herbal mosquito repellant, which we found to be effective. Some trails can be buggy. Lots of other wildlife can be seen, as well, such as deer that like to browse on the grass along the roadside.

All-in-all, it was well worth the effort to visit this national park!

A satellite view of the crater. (Problems viewing the map? Then click here)

Killing Time in Seattle Airport

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Changing planes in Seattle Airport… which needs a bit of refurbishment in the international arrivals area. It is quite a contrast from the newly refurbished and modern Sheremetievo Airport in Moscow where I was yesterday! But, the people are friendly and there is a nice Alaska amber beer on tap in the Delta lounge. Makes the transfer kinda pleasant.  :0)

Plane at the Seattle Airport

TED Talks and Cognitive Behavioural Modification: A Music List

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I am a regular viewer of TED podcast lectures. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design and the organisers offer thought leaders in various fields from around the world an opportunity to present their cutting edge work in an accessible manner. And, this one on cognitive behavioural modification grabbed my attention.

I was really impressed with a fun and informative TED Talk given last February by psychologist Shawn Achor on The Happy Secret to Better Work. This talk makes a case for cognitive behavioural modification, basically highlighting the power of positive thinking in making the brain function better.

Since that time, on my way home each day, I’ve made it a practice to reflect on three positive things from the day. Sometimes with a smile, sometimes with satisfaction, often with gratitude, I pull out of the smoldering wreckage of many a bad day, a handful of positive gems. This meditation helps me to view the world differently, with hope and a greater sense of the possible. I try to write down each item in a word or two on my iPod. The act is positively changing the way I view and interact with the world around me.

In recently reviewing my notes, I found that music is an oft featured element in the daily lists. Below is a list of the music that has turned up since February, in no particular order, with no particular ranking… just the actual music groups that have come to mind in my meditations. This is music that has a positive effect on me in the hearing:

  • Minutemen – the band (a socially aware, post-punk rock band: great lyrics, very tight), e.g., Theatre is the life of you
  • Isis – Great progressive metal band, e.g., Panopticon
  • Serart – Great world music with Armenian Roots, e.g., Narina
  • Beastie Boys, esp Adam Yauch (rip), e.g., Flute Loop (a mild song from folks with a wild side)

and, finally,

  • High fidelity (not a band, but rather the actual sound quality) – After 20 years of computer speakers, we just got a new, real stereo and we are rediscovering sound. I send out a rec to Bowers and Wilkins for making great speakers (even the ones at entry-level, such as those that we acquired)! What sounds have we been missing all these years!?
Wildflower – Vallée de la Bièvre, France

Cross reference: See my post on Patti Smith.

Flavigny-sur-Ozerain, Burgundy, France

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Flavigny-sur-Ozerain is a real gem of a medieval town in Burgundy. Lush countryside and agriculture, historic structures, great hikes, wonderful food, local wine. The town served as the set for the movie Chocolate.  What’s not to like?

Here is a sketch from our recent visit to see friends in Flavigny last weekend. Below that, you’ll find some suggestions, and below that you’ll find a map:

A chapel and (former) pigsties - Flavigny-sur-Ozerain, France(Doug, ©2012)

Some of my favourite things from our short visit:

  • Lunch at La Grange: just in front of the village parish, St. Genès. Local farmers offer a reasonably priced lunch based on their local produce, served up in an old hall with a great atmosphere.
  • A visit to the Carolingian crypt under the former Abbey of St. Pierre (ca. AD 800s). Dating from the time of Charlemagne and his sons, this structure provides a fragmentary glimpse of an early church structure. I’m partial to Carolingian history, as it was a time of cultural reawakening after centuries of turbulence in the aftermath of the collapse of the Roman empire.
  • Maison des Arts Textiles et du Design is a wonderful small museum, training centre and shop, where the history of textiles in the region is presented alongside art in modern fabric design by a real master. Gorgeous stuff and interesting content.        (a visual presentation)
  • Hiking on any of the trails around the valley of the Ozerain river.
  • The choir stalls of the St. Genès church date from hundreds of years ago and include some beautiful carvings including a few that bring some unexpected humour to an otherwise spiritual atmosphere.
  • Cut stone and stone carvings throughout the town. Paying attention to the old stones is well worth it, as some are quite elegant and artful, reflecting a spiritual quality. Just being there, pondering the stones, provides a cosmic connection to the sculptors of previous centuries.

Here is a map:

(If map doesn’t display properly, then click here)

 

International Trade and Jobs – A Good Partnership

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Economists generally agree that free trade is a good thing for the economy. It provides producers with access to global markets (and therefore potential to become more efficient by specialising and seeking economies of scale in their operations). It provide consumers with greater choice, including access to new types of products and new varieties of existing product types. It increases competition, which spurs innovation and productivity increases and limits growth in prices. In addition, market openness can provide access to world-class imported inputs, which in turn can improve the economic performance — including export performance — of domestic industries.

But, trade has taken a few hits in recent years, as it is sometimes viewed mainly as a source of economic disruption. Spurred by trade, economies adjust and that may mean that some folks in import-competing sectors may face economic hardship as a result. At the same time, such adjustment can be a good thing, promoting a better deployment and use of resources (hence rising productivity, which helps enable wages to rise). Here, there is a role for government to ensure the right conditions exist for business and workers to capitalise on the new economic opportunities arising from trade. In other words, for market openness to deliver the expected benefits, complementary policies are required.

For workers, this means government has a role in providing a social safety net to ensure that those facing adjustment can get the assistance they may require to find a new job, get training they may need to adapt, and get income during the adjustment period. For business, this means government policies to promote infrastructure development, keep the overall economic framework sound (e.g., avoiding undue inflation), limit red tape, and maintain sensible regulation, as well as provide a supply of labour with appropriate skills. And, to tie it all together, there is a need for clear rules of the game and standards for business and labour, as well as channels for frank and open discussion and social dialogue.

This is not just abstract theory. A new and substantial round of work by the OECD and other international organisations has looked at how some of these processes operate in the real world. The findings document the benefits of market openness and the importance of the complementary policies. Above all, experience demonstrates that protectionism is not the answer to the challenges of free trade. The economy as a whole is made much better off through a strategy to promote free trade while addressing the challenges that such a policy will entail.

You can find out more via the OECD website:

1) Trade, Growth and Jobs (in a nutshell, 4 pages)

2) Policy Priorities for International Trade and Jobs (the full story, 450 pages)

Hike along the Bievre River

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The Bievre River flows right under the sluice gate house.Hike along the Bievre River

I love to hike along the Bievre River on the Chemin des Prés de Vauboyen (Vauboyen meadow path), which has a great rural feel. By rail, it is perhaps 45 minutes from Paris on the RER C line. A nice hike is to get off at the Vauboyen station and walk along the meadow and river to the town of Bievre. In the centre of the little town (up the hill to your left, when hiking from Vauboyen), you’ll find the Café de Paris, which serves up a nice traditional lunch, reasonably priced. Makes for an excellent weekend outing and a chance to reconnect with nature!

View from above

Here is a satellite image that gives an idea of the bucolic nature of the area…

(If map does not display correctly, then click here)

Review: Domaine de Veilloux winery

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Saturday was a gorgeous sunny day and spontaneously we headed out to the Loire Valley on a wine scouting expedition. It is beautiful countryside and after the spring rains, everything would be lush. Plus, we had an idea for a new destination: I’d just heard about the Domaine de Veilloux winery close to Cheverny, a town that is one of my traditional haunts.

Domaine de Veilloux winery

Lush countryside at Domaine De Veiloux

The Domaine de Veilloux winery caught my attention because of its fully organic approach to agriculture. They even have one brand of wine without additional sulfites, designed to be drunk young. Sulfite supplements are generally considered essential for protecting wine that is to be laid down.

M. Quenioux - Winery in the family 3 generations

 

The wines proved to be delightful. The whites are sauvignon-based blends, which include a new variety for me called menu pineau (a local Loire variety) and other grapes. The reds are pinot noir-based, blended with côt malbec and other varieties. Red or white, most of the wines are fresh and light, with nice fruit out front, just right for the approaching summer.  We also appreciated the wines labelled Les Veilleurs, which come from older vines and which were a bit more complex and subtle.

Domaine de Veilloux wines are mostly sold in France, but are also exported to Japan, other parts of Europe and the US. Recommended!

Antique Toy Fire Truck

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OurAntique Toy Fire Truck house outside of Paris was built in the last quarter of the 19th century. After World War II, it was completely rebuilt inside and out. A row of hedges was planted around the yard.

Recently, one of these old bushes died and I was forced to cut it down. While digging out the roots, about 1 meter down (3 feet), I found this toy truck. Some kid seems to have lost it long ago, or maybe intentionally buried it when the bush was planted (it has a broken wheel).

Not quite a Delorian, but it is back to the future nonetheless!