February-March 2009
Burning our blackberry brambles and other debris (2-21-09)
Husky chain saw - it still has some carburetor/fuel line issues.
Fire!
Chicks! (2-23-09)
Old-growth forest near Alsea (3-1-09)
Giant 9-foot-diameter Douglas Fir
A group of folks leads hikes to old-growth on BLM lands every Sunday, in an attempt to document the large trees and prevent these lands from being logged. There may be other tracts like this, but I was most amazed by the abundance of enormous, towering Douglas firs and the otherwise intact understory.
Mahogany and an ancient fir
Forest primeval.
Me and a hollow, 10-foot-diameter fir.
Truffles! (3-21-09)
Ali and his "haul" of Oregon Black Truffles.
Truffle close-up.
Truffles are underground mushrooms with a unique, delicate flavor that is treasured by top chefs. Good quality truffles sell for ~$300 a pound in Europe, and many folks say the Oregon varieties are just as good. As for myself, I rather enjoy the truffle flavor, but not enough to pay that kind of money when I don't have Ali picking them from the forest.