Donnelly Oceantics: August 2017

OREGON – CHAPTER TWO

JULY 2017

Gil came in two days before the in-laws returned so we hung out in critter land, kayaked the lake, visited his Mom in Ashland and got caught up.

Sand Hill Cranes that like the fields near the tip of the lake

Peli take off

Water plants, felt like we were kayaking in our little lily pond at home

Little buck – just hanging out in residential Ashland

Baby Boomers Indulge

With recent changes in several state’s laws regarding pot, we became very aware of just how indulgent our generation and younger, have become. Besides technology, wine, chocolate, beer, and pot are all big business these days as well as organic food farms, thankfully. Which are you? Pre 1945 = Silent Generation

Baby Boomers = 1946 - 1964 Gen X = 1965 - 1976

Millennials = 1977 - 1995 iGen = after 1996

Medford Airport - the overhead was quite amusing because of the pot ad below

But the ads were everywhere

Stickers

At least it is an industry that provides jobs to graphic artists, among others

Pot farm just getting started

Hops vines, also just getting started

Vineyards and wineries cropping up all over the country

Oregon Road Trip

One of the reasons Gil visited was to see a little more of Oregon, a state we had not spent much time in. Once the critters were returned to the care of Darlene, we took off. Mountains, forests, lakes, and rivers dominate – gotta love that.

Logging - nothing new about this one

We had arranged to visit friends with second homes and the road trip was very rewarding. First stop near Bend, Jim – who lives a few doors down from us in Princeville – has a ski cabin he has renovated and expanded. Lunch with him and more than a few laughs, we were on the road again.

Jim & Gil

Mt. Bachelor

Jim chose his location south of Bend for its access to skiing here. It turned out to be another mountain in the Cascade Arc, what fun. It last erupted about the same time Crater Lake was formed but maintains a height over 9,000 feet. It hadn’t been my plan to follow the volcanoes but they do stand out!

Three Sisters +10,000’

L to R: called Charity, Hope and Faith but better known by the less imaginative names of South, Middle, North. And, of course, they are part of the same chain.

We hadn’t realized it, but it turned out to be a McKenzie River trip, as well, once we crossed the Santiam Pass and were on the western Cascade watershed that eventually enters the Pacific. We followed the McKenzie the rest of the way.

Our goal was to visit a couple waterfalls with a loop hike between and through the forest. They did not disappoint. Driving we were swarmed by butterflies though they were more pleasant along the water than on the windshield.

Sahali Falls 120’ drop

We were so lucky to have the sun hitting the cascade and the mist was very welcome that came from below.

Koosah Falls 90’ drop

Butterflies

Following the stream that was wonderfully clear was interspersed with the antics of these flittering little orange guys among the forest shadows

We visited our friend Bob for the next couple days. We had wanted to see his lovely home on the river for some time and, as it turned out, we made it just in time as he had reluctantly put it on the market and was soon to turn it over to new owners.

Driveway

We knew it was on the river, just didn't know it was ON the river!

The deck was built around that large red cedar standing past the table.

Gil and Bob - they had just spent time on Kauai and now here, I had catching up to do

G&S on the McKenzie River

Between visiting nearby reservoirs and other scenery imbibing, we helped pack and load household items as they were staged for new destinations, including a large load of books to the local library.

Couger Reservoir for camping, boating, fishing, etc.

Lava rock dam – still amazed that these many mountains were the result of Vulcan activity, the entire dam (at right) was made of lava rock

The forest itself was a source of amazement with maple and ferns forming the understory for pines, red cedar and fir trees. I kept wanting to capture what I found to be an unusual combination but when we returned to Bob’s for our last night I noticved his entire drive had the same mix. (I really like Oregon.)

Maple & Ferns

Back to the Homestead

After giving D&D a few days to get back on track, we returned for a couple more trips to share their lake.

Sharon eagle gazing

Hooded Merganser (duck) and her big brood – too bad we didn’t see the male, they are quite dramatic looking compared with these guys that tend to blend easily

We were back in time for Denny’s birthday. We had all discussed what he would like to do and we ended up taking breakfast to the boat (massive egg burritos) and then a BBQ with family and friends later that evening. Perfect.

Birthday morning on the lake

Skipper Bruddah Gil

We parked/anchored where we could watch the eagle chicks for the last time. Huge babies, the size of the adults, chirped and begged. They finally left the nest, circled, landed in various trees and continued their basic whining. One parent grabbed a fish from the water and dropped it into the nest where they immediately returned and devoured it. The parent was apparently trying to teach them something (we could only guess). The whining/chirping continued but they were largely ignored.

Landing

Eventually this one circled and attempted a difficult landing, briefly succeeding. Hard not to assume the parent approved.

Having devoured our own food and drink, we made our way around the point and found the adult pair well out of sight of the nest. Not sure what the lesson was, but quite a wild adventure to witness.

Pair out of sight of big chicks now

A floating outhouse in the middle of the lake was a new experience for me!

Finally deciding to move along, we made a circuit of the far end of the lake and were rewarded handsomely. Note: close up shots of birds are from Darlene’s mega camera