It’s always fun to visit a new location for an outdoors adventure. On this sunny day we decided to try the Jenkins Estate on Cooper Mountain west of home. It’s managed by the same folks that handle the Tualatin Hills Nature Park and do such a great job.

The Jenkins Estate covers 68 acres with several miles of hiking trails, historic buildings and has a mix of gardens and natural woods.

As an unexpected treat, there was a quilt show being held in the old stables. Mind you, it was not your typical stables. Clearly the original owners thought highly of their horses. It was a large, attractive two-story building with hardwood floors. A cushy life for the horses that stabled there in the past.

The cultivated gardens had a nice array of rhododendrons, roses, irises and peonies. The natural settings had some interesting trails lined with larkspur, fringe cups and other colorful wildflowers. We truly enjoyed the outing, hiked about 2 1/2 miles and then drove a short distance to the Cooper Mountain Vineyards for tasting some wines. A nice day indeed!

Colorful quilt at the quilt show

Dark-eyed Junco

Orange Honeysuckle

Rhododendron

Colorful quilt

Bachelors Button

Peony

Western Gray Squirrel “hiding” from me

Foxglove