Sunshine and many little birds singing their lilting songs.

Champoeg Park is on the Willamette River about 20 miles south of Portland.

I began by taking a short loop to the west along the River. After returning to an historical pavilion, I hiked easterly on a cinder path, which soon turned to a paved lane along the River.

After a detour to an 1845 pioneer woman’s gravesite, I explored a nature hike loop. Small white daisies were strewn widely among the shoots of green grass.

Then began the two-mile trek behind La Butte to Butteville, a scenic little town on the Willamette River. After taking a break at the Butteville Store, originally opened in 1863, I began the return to the Trailhead.

A very pleasant 8 1/2-mile hike indeed.