YELLOW LEAVES AND FUZZY TREES

Heading back to Portland this morning, I am totally mesmerized by patches of yellow along the roadside. Fall has come to the vineyards of the Willamette Valley. There are also lots of tall Sitka Spruce trees...some towering at least 100 feet overhead.
In between these vineyards and the spruce trees are also "fuzzy trees".

We had seen these all along Highway 26 to the coast as well as OR 101 which stretches from the Washington state line to the California state line. And now we see them again on our way back to Portland. I have been noticing these trees covered with a soft green moss......totally covered! I have named them "fuzzy trees" as that is how they appear as we zoom by.

Being a lover of all things wine inspired, along with the great seafood that we have enjoyed, the wines of Oregon are top notch. There are more than 160 vineyards here. Because of the cool climate and damp winds from the Pacific Ocean, this is a terrific place to grow the wonderful and now very expensive Pinot Noir grapes. It is the leaves of this pinot noir grape that turn bright yellow in the fall. I wanted to stop and sip Dundee Hills or Le Cadeau wineries...but we were on a mission to arrive in Portland and see the sights of the city. Next time...wine tasting!

So what about the "fuzzy trees" you ask....? We finally found another one of those state parks of which there must be at least a million in Oregon....and in that park....were FUZZY TREES! So as you will see above....there I am standing at the base of a FUZZY TREE. These were not the best examples that I had seen. Most of these trees are totally covered....trunk.....branches.....twigs....all with the soft green moss. Not only covered on the north side like we have back east....but these are generally covered all around. I am not sure if this moss kills the trees or not...but they are truly spectacular if not a little spooky when surrounded by a grove of them.

So out of the forest and into the traffic of Portland. Streetcars, noise....weekend markets and tons of people. Rain or snow...the people are everywhere....!

Take me back to the vineyards and the fuzzy trees please!