Opal Creek

This weekend we ventured out for a midday hike along the beautiful Opal Creek. Nestled in the foothills of the Cascades the hike follows the old mining road up the creek to the historic mining town of Jawbone Flats (currently managed as an environmental education center). Along the way there were the remains of an era long gone, complete with quite the collection of trucks.
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I Said Yes!!!

This morning we got up early to try to beat a forecasted snow storm, packed the SUV with survival gear and a picnic, and hit the road for a snowy waterfall adventure to Salt Creek Falls. The falls are one of the most spectacular in Oregon hurtling 286 feet into a gaping canyon near the top of Willamette Pass. Little did I know that just before the snow began to fall I was in for an amazing surprise.
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Masters Graduation – OSU 2012

On May 4, 2012 I successfully defended my Masters Thesis, “Uplift Capacity and Displacement of Helical Anchors in Cohesive Soils”, to earn my MS in Geotechnical Engineering (a Civil Engineering specialty). The journey to the defense was definitely a difficult one, but I could not be prouder of myself for persevering and completing my graduate studies in only 16 months.
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