Jon and I visited the Strawberry Mountain wilderness area along with Clay, Kirstin, Todd and Chad. We hiked up to Little Strawberry Lake in 3 feet of snow in some points. Much less snow than last year due to the unseasonably mild spring in Oregon. After Strawberry, we stopped at John Day Fossil Beds Painted Hills Unit. For those of you not from Oregon, the stratified layers were composed over millions of years; they contain minerals such as manganese and iron. As it oxidized over time, the layers took on the color of the predominant mineral.

Also included in this trip is my venture to Portland's Rose Garden and Japanese Gardens.