Which Season is This??

Many people determine the season of the year based on the calendar. I tend to think of the season having a very high correlation with tempature and weather. Based on my judgment, I can tell you most assuredly that I spent the summer in Arizona during December, January, February and March, and that April is a winter month in Oregon. I promised not to complain when we came back to Oregon. I guess it’s a promise I can’t keep. Forgive me for not posting a photo of rain; I'm sure you know what it looks like anyway.

In Mermoriam

Margie Elizabeth Scott

September 2, 1953 - - April 27, 1991

Contrasting Hike

This was a hike of great contrast compared to two day ago. This time not only did I remember my boots, and my rain gear, pack, etc. ---I remembered to take my girl friend Jeanette and her dog Buster. And instead of rain and snow I had bright sunshine. By the end of the day we were in t-shirts. To see more check out Trio of Falls Hikes in the TRIP JOURNAL.

No Boots ???

I know it’s an ugly photo, but it was impossible to completely hide my disappointment, frustration, and anger at discovering I had left my hiking boots at home. My only option was to hike in, well I’m embarrassed to say,-----my slippers. This was another of my trail surveying trips, this one to the Parker Falls Trail. I discovered my mistake at Cottage Grove and then spent the next 29 miles fuming at my situation. Arriving at the trailhead, it was not only raining, but I noticed snow was mixed in with the rain----Grrrrrr. I put on my rain hat, raincoat, and rain pants, and padded off in my slippers, sans vibram soled, Gor-tex lined, ankle-supporting boots. But at the end of the day, my lungs filled with cold fresh air, my heart pumping blood to all my muscles, my system seem purged of all poison toxins and I felt close to normal again. The worst? My toes are a little tender today.

Moon Mountain

My son Michael went with his friend Neil on a wildflower hike on Moon Mountain yesterday. Never heard of Moon Mountain? Neither had I. I learned of it through a phone call with him. Later he sent me photos with his iPhone of himself and then some wildflowers. We had several e-mail exchanges, he with his iPhone on Moon Mountain, I with my Blackberry in a grocery store parking lot, about flower identification. The mobility of it all astounds me. Back in my den at home today, I now know that Moon Mountain is a part of Eugene’s Ridgeline Parks System, and I have added a new flower to Cascade Ramblings, Meadow Checkermallow.

Barrel Tour

Yesterday, Jeanette and I helped out with Barrel Tour at River’s Edge Winery here in Elkton. Twice a year in the Spring, Umpqua Valley Wineries put on a Barrel Tour. People are bused to various wineries, where they get to sample the new wine straight from the barrel, and enjoy food paired with the wine.

Mike Landt, owner with his wife Vonnie of River’s Edge Winery, is shown here using a “thief” to extract a sample of 2009 Pinot Noir from an oak barrel. This is the wine made from grapes harvested this last fall. It has been aging in oak barrels this winter and will be bottled this coming fall.

An attendee receives her sample from the “thief”. In addition to the new Pinot Noir, a bottled 2007 Pinot Gris, and 2007 Gewurztraminer were also served. All three wines were paired with special foods.

Buster Goes to the Beach

We picked Thursday’s sunny weather to hike at the beach. We got a later start than planned, so when we got to our destination, the first order of business was to climb to the top of a sand dune and have lunch. Buster was pretty patient waiting for us to finish before he could have his free romp in the dunes and on the beach. Check out the TRIP JOURNAL for more.

Brice Creek Trail Completed

Yesterday I finished off the trail survey of the Brice Creek Trail by hiking the last section from the Lund Park Trailhead to the Champion Creek Trailhead. I also did the the Trestle Creek and the Upper Trestle Creek trails. Check out the TRIP JOURNAL for more.

Justin Rothboeck

Meet Justin Rothboeck of Salem. He says he’s picking mushrooms, but its looks to me like he’s out on a limb so to speak. He has sent two excellent photos to me that I have added to the CRITTERS section of Cascade Ramblings. Check them out: Dunn's Salamader, and Pacific Tree Frog. Thanks, Justin!

New Job!

Hey, I got a new job! A volunteer one that is. I’ll be surveying hiking trails for the Cottage Grove District of the Umpqua National Forest. I’ll be reporting on the trail conditions, noting downed trees, drainage issues, and brush encroachment. Yesterday I got started and did a section of the first trail, the Brice Creek Trail. Check out more in the TRIP JOURNAL.

Waiting for Spring

Spring is kind of a fickle thing. It comes and goes, and you just have to be ready for the moment. Today it rained all morning long, but by 2:00 the sun came out and by 3:00 the streets had dried out and we took off for a walk. I’m a big proponent of looking for the sweet part of the day to get in some exercise, and if I’m patient it usually occurs. That’s the way it is with spring, it takes patience, and waiting, but then it happens and beauties like Smith’s Fairy Lantern appear as this one did as we walked along Schad Road next to Elk Creek.

iPod Class

Dinner at the Glenwood Restaurant in Eugene with Michael, Robin & Evan morphed into a class for Jeanette and I on iPods, specifically on podcasts. Jeanette and I consider ourselves somewhat tech-savvy, we use the Internet for everything, and we have a couple of the latest gadgets from Apple, iPod touches which we love and use constantly for e-mail, weather, reading blogs, and surfing the net, but we seemed to have a hole in our learning, like what is a podcast? Michael served as our instructor last night and ran us through finding podcasts, downloading podcasts, saving them, and playing them back. Much to our surprise he showed us how we could listen to a podcast on our car radio. Who would have guessed! This morning it all seems a little----well foggy. I’m not sure you can teach an old dog new tricks. We may have to sign up for a series of classes. By the way, Robin took this photo with her iPhone while we were deeply engrossed in our learning experience.