Blackjackets

Thank you so much BugEric! That ID seems to fit it to a T. I'd kept quite a distance from them due to the reputation of the bald-faced hornet, but it's true these guys seem to have borrowed their rep without having the actual buzz behind it (so to speak); they didn't come after me. I can kind of see why they're not real common: The blue jays tore up their nest (or at least that's what it looked like--it didn't last real long, certainly long before winter).

Pretty much everywhere west of the Cascade Mountains has water! We have tons of state and national parks. Are you looking for rivers, lakes or ocean? Birds or aquatic life? The Columbia River gorge is beautiful with its waterfalls, though the Dalles area is pretty hot right now with a raging forest fire. The North Umpqua River is one of my favorite spots, leading up to Crater Lake National Park. Up the Lower Rogue River has lots of bear, eagles, etc. as well as a nice run of salmon if you hit it right.