Moores Art Gallery & Design Blog: #hike

Saturday, June 5, 2021

Fort Yamhill State Heritage Area and Colored Pencil Artwork Update

Fort Yamhill State Heritage Area

Today we visited Fort Yamhill State Heritage Park located near Willamina, Oregon. In all my years living in the Yamhill County, Oregon area, I have never had a chance to visit this state park. The park has the historic remains of a store, blacksmith shop, carpenter shop, horse stables, granary, bakehouse, laundress house, hospital, mess room, company quarters, kitchen, blockhouse, storehouse, commissary, guardhouse, adjutant's office, officers' quarters, sentry box, parade grounds, and flagpole. In 1866 the fort was abandoned, and the buildings were auctioned off.

An easy ADA-friendly trail loops around the historical remains and is approximately 0.7 miles in length. There are information panels located along the trail that share the history and life of army officers, soldiers, and Native Americans. There are location markers indicating where the structures once were standing. This is a great little hike to take your kids and teach them some history of the area.

The only structures remaining are the store and relocated officer's quarters. The store is where the camp hosts are located.

The blockhouse was sold for $2.50 at a public auction. Later it was moved to the town of Dayton, Oregon.

Sentry box and flag pole.

Wildflowers begin to bloom in late May and early June. I was able to catch a few on the trail.

Wildflowers on the trail

Work in Progress

Advancing a little further now on this wildlife colored pencil work in progress. Working on adding color to the sky first. Then I will apply a colorless blender. After I finish adding color to the sky, I will add color to the rocks and vegetation.

Keep on Creating!

Have a blessed week!
www.mooresartgallery.com

Saturday, July 18, 2020

Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge

Woke up at 5:30 this morning to head to Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is located just south of Salem, Oregon. Although this isn't as well maintain as Fernhill or Jack Bottom wetlands, it is great place for bird lovers to catch glimpses of a variety of songbirds, waterfowl, and birds of prey. There are also beaver, coyote, turtles, frogs, deer and variety of other wildlife that roam this refuge of fields, marshes, and ponds. In addition, there are several native and non-native wildflowers and shrubs throughout the wetlands.
There are several little trails and boardwalks to meander along and catch glimpses of wildlife, birds and wildflowers. There are a couple of blinds and overlooks to view wildlife and birds as well. The Eagle Marsh Kiosk and trail was my favorite out of all of the trails. As it was teeming with waterfowl and we even caught a glimpse of a beaver. Altogether we hiked approximately 3.9 miles along the dike trails and the Pintail/Egret Marsh Boardwalk.
Some of these new photos will be available soon as prints, cards and/or stock. Prints and cards will be available at my DA and Zazzle store and stock will be available at my website.