Iʻm back! I was at the beach with some special friends so couldn’t update da bloggie.. but here I am again, ready to show you more of Ryderwood and its environs.

Pau lunch, Nolemana and I stepped outside, and saw another very familiar sight in Oregon. A log truck with a huge load of logs. Going somewhere to become something. Adunno wat.

I have no idea how much all those logs weigh, but I know it’s a lot. I admire and respect these truck drivers, because they often have to haul their loads in mountainous areas as well as on very narrow logging roads, in all kinds of weather.

We took another photo of the Little Crane Cafe, this time from across the street.

And another log truck went by. This one was huge!

Heading back to Ryderwood, we saw this gorgeous hale.

I love the turret on it; of course I wondered who lived there! The grounds were manicured, and everything was in pristine condition.

We crossed Campbell Creek again; this is on Highway 506 heading to Ryderwood.

But wait! Here is one place that we needed to explore. We love walking through old cemeteries. This one was established in 1801! I bet there are a lot of pioneers buried here, but what other stories are here as well?

This is an aerial view of the cemetery. Let’s go inside and check it out.

This is the quiet entrance road with its towering fir trees on either side.

It’s a peaceful place, and we were the only ones there.

I’m not sure what’s the purpose of this little hale…maybe equipment storage? The mural on the side seems to convey the peacefulness of the place.

Oh Nora, who were you? You died when you were only thirty-two years old, much too young to be leaving this earth.

This is the road leading out of the cemetery. It reminded me of the place in Kapiʻolani Park back home near the old bandstand that was called The Queen’s Road. The trees there are Ironwood trees, different from the Douglas Firs here, but the feeling was exactly the same to me. I could picture myself riding my horse down that road oh, so long ago…

Joseph Wymer. He was born during the Civil War and died seventy-six years later.

Corine was born during the Civil War too.

Gravestones like this always make me feel so sad. Teddy was so young, and died too soon. He hardly had time to live and I’m sure left behind grieving parents.

Josiah and Anna Hack. I wonder when they came to Oregon. Were they pioneers or did they come here later?

This gravestone made me the saddest of all. Why was there no other information but Mark’s name? The hand-carved lettering just caught me…I stood there for quite a while just looking at the gravestone and pondering…

There were a number of military-type gravestones here. Kenneth Priem was in the Coast Guard.

And Malcolm Brown was in the Marines. A Master Sergeant.

This gravestone was so old I couldn’t even read it. There’s a zero at the end of the date, but the rest of the lettering has just been worn away.

I found a really lovely surprise there in the cemetery; this incredibly beautiful mushroom.

And then we headed out.

Here’s a video we took as we drove out of the cemetery. I felt quiet, sobered, and pensive as we drove slowly out.