This very deep, very clear pool rises from the rock and reforms itself into a surface river.
Once on the surface again, it resumes its mad dash west toward the Willamette.
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Blending Blue and Green
The McKenzie River flows past lava fields, dropping over waterfalls and forming the rainbows of my last post. As it continues downstream, it sinks into the lava, eventually disappearing from the surface for a while, re-emerging in a stunning jewel called Blue Pool.
This very deep, very clear pool rises from the rock and reforms itself into a surface river.
Once on the surface again, it resumes its mad dash west toward the Willamette.
This very deep, very clear pool rises from the rock and reforms itself into a surface river.
Once on the surface again, it resumes its mad dash west toward the Willamette.
Monday, May 12, 2014
Rainbows
The McKenzie River rises high in the Cascades between Eugene and Bend.It runs south, then west to the Willamette. On the southbound leg, it reaches a lava flow from Belknap Crater. The lava flow forces the river into a series of precipitous drops including Sahalie Falls and Koosah Falls.
In past years I have photographed this area from the east side of the river. I decided it was time to check out the other side. I knew it would be a challenge to photograph. The sun was strong on the white water, while the forest, wet and cooled by the spray and spring rains was in deep shadow.
The upper falls is Sahalie. The river splits in two, then drops about 70 feet into the gorge.
I was delighted to find that, with the sun at my back, the mist formed a rainbow.
About a mile to the south, the second major falls is Koosah.
There was a rainbow here too - no, make that a double rainbow.
Well worth a two mile hike...
In past years I have photographed this area from the east side of the river. I decided it was time to check out the other side. I knew it would be a challenge to photograph. The sun was strong on the white water, while the forest, wet and cooled by the spray and spring rains was in deep shadow.
The upper falls is Sahalie. The river splits in two, then drops about 70 feet into the gorge.
I was delighted to find that, with the sun at my back, the mist formed a rainbow.
About a mile to the south, the second major falls is Koosah.
There was a rainbow here too - no, make that a double rainbow.
Well worth a two mile hike...
Friday, May 9, 2014
Green!
Six months in arid lands, and now I am once again home in Oregon. At the moment, I am at the Delta campground, staying under old growth forest between the South Fork of the McKenzie River and the McKenzie River. It has been raining for two days, and it will be another two days before the rain stops. That's ok.
When photographers use darkroom techniques to intensify colors, either digitally or chemically, that is called saturation. In this case, nature has saturated this area, and the intensity of the green is incredible.
First, right outside my door, ferns three feet tall border moss-covered wood.
Heading off on a short hike, I was impressed by the five foot diameter trees that are quite common here.
Streams are filtered by the forest, so the water runs clear. Back east, after this much rain, most streams would be brown.
The trail continues, passing ferns and moss-draped giants.
So - which trail would YOU take?
I followed the nice, flat, wide trail on the right, but looking at the top surface of the fallen tree where the moss that should be there is not, I am sure that a lot of kids choose the long, cylindrical wooden platform provided by nature.
When photographers use darkroom techniques to intensify colors, either digitally or chemically, that is called saturation. In this case, nature has saturated this area, and the intensity of the green is incredible.
First, right outside my door, ferns three feet tall border moss-covered wood.
Heading off on a short hike, I was impressed by the five foot diameter trees that are quite common here.
Streams are filtered by the forest, so the water runs clear. Back east, after this much rain, most streams would be brown.
The trail continues, passing ferns and moss-draped giants.
So - which trail would YOU take?
I followed the nice, flat, wide trail on the right, but looking at the top surface of the fallen tree where the moss that should be there is not, I am sure that a lot of kids choose the long, cylindrical wooden platform provided by nature.
Friday, April 18, 2014
High Sierras, bye, Sierras
The eastern face of the high Sierras is topped by Mount Whitney, the highest point in the lower 48 states. Lesser peaks to the east keep the campground in shadow while the sun paints the higher peaks of Whitney and its surrounding massif.
Even at midday, the views of Mount Whitney from the Lone Pine Trail are breathtaking (or maybe that was a combination of steep slope and altitude?).
I was very fortunate to have a storm engulf Mount Whitney in the afternoon sun, while I was at a point where I could see and try to capture the magic of that moment.
Even at midday, the views of Mount Whitney from the Lone Pine Trail are breathtaking (or maybe that was a combination of steep slope and altitude?).
I was very fortunate to have a storm engulf Mount Whitney in the afternoon sun, while I was at a point where I could see and try to capture the magic of that moment.
Yeah, that's a keeper…
So now I am in the Cascades, approaching home, relaxing just south of Mount Shasta. I don't expect to see the Sierras for another year.
I'm Goin' To Alabama...
…Hills, that is. No banjo on my knee.
The Alabama Hills are a rocky formation in the high desert at the foot of Mount Whitney. This is where I headed from the Sequoias. They are about 30 miles to the west, and a 5 hour drive away. The Alabama Hills have been used in a lot of movies. Remember that opening shot of the Lone Ranger - black and white TV, "HiYo Silver, Awayyyy,"? That was here. Kirk and Picard dealing with the guy trying to redirect the nexus was here, as were some Iron Man scenes, lots of John Wayne stuff, Gunga Din, and so on.
The rocks are formed by weathering of a mix of hard and soft granites.
But… time to move on.
The Alabama Hills are a rocky formation in the high desert at the foot of Mount Whitney. This is where I headed from the Sequoias. They are about 30 miles to the west, and a 5 hour drive away. The Alabama Hills have been used in a lot of movies. Remember that opening shot of the Lone Ranger - black and white TV, "HiYo Silver, Awayyyy,"? That was here. Kirk and Picard dealing with the guy trying to redirect the nexus was here, as were some Iron Man scenes, lots of John Wayne stuff, Gunga Din, and so on.
The rocks are formed by weathering of a mix of hard and soft granites.
The result yields some interesting shapes.
One very well-known, oft-photographed spot is the Mobius Arch.
The desert is not just rock, however. There are flowers here, especially in the spring.
A Sierras visit
Once in a while, I get to visit with folks from before I began full time RV living. My most recent such was set in the Sierras, on the west side, at Sequoia National Park.
Home of the largest living things on this planet, the scale of a sequoia is hard to grasp. Bree and David just look up, toward the top more than 300 feet above them.
We did some hiking,
but mostly just visited.
After they headed home, I did some more hiking. These peaks rise above the Kaweah valley, across from Moro Rock.
A visit from loved ones is a joy, but saying goodbye is soo hard…
We did some hiking,
After they headed home, I did some more hiking. These peaks rise above the Kaweah valley, across from Moro Rock.
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Not really lost...
Many years ago I worked hard, and I played hard. The hard play was almost always outdoor-oriented, and was often high adventure. These activities included open boat white water paddling, backpacking, cross-country skiing, camping, and nature photography. One of my favorites was underwater videography.
Yep - that's me, taken by either Millard or Kathleen.
Another favorite, and perhaps the one most "high adventure" in nature, was rock climbing. One of my favorite climbs was a 5.3 climb in the Gunks called Three Pines, shown in the shot below.
If you look carefully, the yellow rope, leading from the two climbers toward me and up is my rope. I am on top of a rock outcrop about 200 feet above our starting point.
The years, and some medical issues, stripped much of that life away. What remains for me now is my hiking and my nature photography, or exploring places like the Monticello Box, about as far off the beaten path as you can take a car that is not designed and modified for rock crawling. (Thanks, Jim, for the photo.)
I enjoy these things, but I missed the challenges that I had enjoyed confronting in my younger days.
In southern New Mexico, I found a kindred soul in my hiking buddy, Jim. His hiking range and speed is similar to mine. Like me, he likes wandering off the beaten path, exploring, and delving into the more adventurous routes. We have spent the past 4 1/2 months wandering through the desert, no trails, walking ravines, climbing up steep hillsides, and slowly increasing our distance and the challenges we are willing to take on. The slopes have been getting steeper.
On our last hike, we left the realm of simple walking/hiking. At one point, about 400 feet above our car, the rocks were on a grade somewhere between 60 and 70 degrees. Our hiking poles became more of a hindrance than a help. Fortunately, the rock was hard and tight, and gave us good footholds - and handholds. Yep - handholds. I was climbing again.
No pics of that spot - it was too extreme, but a bit later, Jim lead the way up another steep part.
It felt good, as if I had regained, in a small way, some of that adventure that had been such a part of my younger self.
On our hikes we have been collecting interesting rocks - chunks of quartz, schist, gneiss, and chert. After exhausting the availability of new areas to hike based from the campground, we moved our starting point to a place beyond the first ridge, and found new rocks, and fossils. That was fun, and the fossils brought a renewed interest in putting dead weight in our packs.
One afternoon, we drove to the top of Caballo Peak. The views were dramatic, as were the drop-offs. From this point, on a ledge below me, there are supposedly a LOT of fossils.
Looking back at the car, however (upper right corner), you can get a sense of the drop-off that is there. The ledge is topped by a slope with much loose rock. Beyond the edge is - nothing. Well… air…
We may be reaching out for, and embracing challenges and high adventure, but neither of us has lost our sense of caution or good judgment. Those fossils in the rock will not be disturbed by these two old fossils.
Yep - that's me, taken by either Millard or Kathleen.
Another favorite, and perhaps the one most "high adventure" in nature, was rock climbing. One of my favorite climbs was a 5.3 climb in the Gunks called Three Pines, shown in the shot below.
If you look carefully, the yellow rope, leading from the two climbers toward me and up is my rope. I am on top of a rock outcrop about 200 feet above our starting point.
The years, and some medical issues, stripped much of that life away. What remains for me now is my hiking and my nature photography, or exploring places like the Monticello Box, about as far off the beaten path as you can take a car that is not designed and modified for rock crawling. (Thanks, Jim, for the photo.)
I enjoy these things, but I missed the challenges that I had enjoyed confronting in my younger days.
In southern New Mexico, I found a kindred soul in my hiking buddy, Jim. His hiking range and speed is similar to mine. Like me, he likes wandering off the beaten path, exploring, and delving into the more adventurous routes. We have spent the past 4 1/2 months wandering through the desert, no trails, walking ravines, climbing up steep hillsides, and slowly increasing our distance and the challenges we are willing to take on. The slopes have been getting steeper.
I think Jim is saying, "I think I can, I think I can…"
On our last hike, we left the realm of simple walking/hiking. At one point, about 400 feet above our car, the rocks were on a grade somewhere between 60 and 70 degrees. Our hiking poles became more of a hindrance than a help. Fortunately, the rock was hard and tight, and gave us good footholds - and handholds. Yep - handholds. I was climbing again.
No pics of that spot - it was too extreme, but a bit later, Jim lead the way up another steep part.
It felt good, as if I had regained, in a small way, some of that adventure that had been such a part of my younger self.
On our hikes we have been collecting interesting rocks - chunks of quartz, schist, gneiss, and chert. After exhausting the availability of new areas to hike based from the campground, we moved our starting point to a place beyond the first ridge, and found new rocks, and fossils. That was fun, and the fossils brought a renewed interest in putting dead weight in our packs.
One afternoon, we drove to the top of Caballo Peak. The views were dramatic, as were the drop-offs. From this point, on a ledge below me, there are supposedly a LOT of fossils.
Looking back at the car, however (upper right corner), you can get a sense of the drop-off that is there. The ledge is topped by a slope with much loose rock. Beyond the edge is - nothing. Well… air…
We may be reaching out for, and embracing challenges and high adventure, but neither of us has lost our sense of caution or good judgment. Those fossils in the rock will not be disturbed by these two old fossils.
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