Late November Adventures
Henboxes! (11-23-08)
Now if only our young hens would start laying eggs...
I worked hard to match the roof angle from the coop.
Five little doors complete with knobs and latches.
Chickens! Our rooster has started crowing, but he still sounds like a teenager.
Henboxes from inside the coop.
Marys Peak, 11-26-08
My last class was cancelled on the day before Thanksgiving, and the rare clear sky inspired a trip up Marys Peak with Ali and his girlfriend to say goodbye to the sun. The clouds blocked the final moments, but they also provided an amazing color show.
Ali's girlfriend, long exposure.
The last light of dusk.
Thanksgiving with Aunt Kathy and family, 11-27-08
Sarah, the cook of the family, prepared far more delicious food than we could eat - turkey, stuffing, cranberries, creamed corn, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potato fries, salad, and three pies! After dinner we pulled from Hannah's "game hat." Choices included Bingo, Zonk, and two other fun games that kept us going until 11 o'clock. Thanks to all for inviting me!
We washed dishes in one sink and the baby in the other! (Thanks to Emma for this photo.)
Emma and Orion (6 months)
Hey! What's that black round thing being pointed at me?
Brother and sister being cute.
Cascades and Hot Springs, 11-28-08 and 11-29-08
On Friday morning I collected some nonperishable food and energy bars, topped off the Subaru, and headed east on Highway 138 en route to Umpqua Hot Springs - a beautiful place I had seen only in photos.
This giant wooden pipe carries water from a reservoir to a hydroelectric dam. It appears to have a leak...
Warning: hippies ahead!
Dread and Terror Segment! Really?
The bridge washed out a few years ago, and locals have improvised this log crossing.It might inspire "dread and terror" in high water.
Umpqua Hot Springs is unique among Oregon's hot springs in both the unique water chemistry and the degree of volunteer upkeep. The water here contains dissolved calcium carbonate, which leaves travertine deposits wherever it sits or runs. Long ago, locals built the pools here out of rocks, but nature has long since covered them entirely in travertine, making it appear as if nature crafted such perfect soaking pools. It reminded me of the cascading travertine pools at Semuc-Champey in Guatemala - not hot springs there but in a tropical climate cool water is better.
I could have stayed all evening, but I wanted to pick a campsite before dark. I headed south on forest road #34, aiming to camp on the ridgeline of the Calapooya Mountains at about 5,000 feet. The ridgeline itself proved to be a bit too rocky for comfortable sleeping, so I settled for this spot along a little-traveled road. There was 2-3 inches of snow in the shade, but most areas were clear and the temperature stayed surprisingly warm (~40 degrees) all night.
The road just below my campsite (taken in the morning with fog). Some hunters had a hard time getting up this slope in a pickup, but the AWD Forester had no problem.
Descending the north side of the Calapooya mountains, the Forester started to squeal and screech like nails on a chalkboard, continually getting louder. At first I planned to drive slowly to the nearest town (30 miles), but as the noise wore on and I feared for my car and my ears, I decided to pull over and remove the offending wheel. With the wheel off, I found a little pebble, about 1/8-1/4" in diameter, stuck between the brake rotor and the metal plate behind it. I removed the rock, and no more screeching! (Since then I have checked the Forester Owners Forum, and it seems that quite a few folks have had this happen. Another Forester quirk, I suppose, though folks have reported it with other makes and models as well.)
The Office Bridge in Westfir, near Oakridge - Oregon's longest covered bridge. A group of locals had the bridge closed for decoration.
From Oakridge, I took forest road #19 north toward Cougar Hot Springs, stopping at the Constitution Grove along the way. Constitution Grove is ostensibly old growth, but the trees here are not overly large and are "only" 250 years old - not terribly old for Douglas Firs. Worse, the old-growth forest has been turned into a human monument to the signatories of the constitution, with plaques tacked to trees. A noble sentiment, perhaps, to honor the founding fathers on trees that were young at the time, but I prefer my ancient trees free of old dead white guys.
Alexander Hamilton Tree
Constitution Grove
Clear sky at Cougar Reservoir. Corvallis hit 64 degrees on this day!
Deer Creek hot spring - my last stop.
I soaked at Cougar long enough to get warm, then headed north to Deer Creek hot springs. This was supposed to be a short stop, giving me time to explore Sahalie Falls and the upper reaches of the McKenzie River. But I synchronistically ran into some of Ebba's friends who were camping in the area and planning on visiting the springs. They said they were going to set up camp and return to join me, but they never returned, and by the time I gave up on waiting it was getting dark and too late to check out the waterfalls.
In the last light of dusk, with Jupiter and Venus shining in the west, I wound my way along Highway 20 over curvy Tombstone Pass and down through Sweet Home and Lebanon, arriving to find Corvallis nearly devoid of cars. It seems that everyone was watching the "civil war" football game between the Beavers and the Ducks. There would, sadly, be more quacking than gnawing on this night, as the Ducks secured a victory in an offense-dominated game that would have been fun to watch - final score 65-38!