Oregon - July 2007

03/27/08

 
In late June and early July, we were in Oregon visiting Eleanor and Jake.  We started off in Portland at the annual symposium for the American Association of Woodturners where Jake and I took classes, perused the tools at the trade show and looked at a huge gallery of work by artists from all over the world.   We stopped to visit friends in Dallas before returning to Eleanor and Jake's place in Eugene before taking a three day foray into the Cascades where we hiked (trekked) and stayed in a small cabin on the Metolius River, a fast moving body of water that is worth more time than we gave it.  We eventually had to return to reality and took the red eye back to Indy.  We are now wondering how many red eyes we have left in us.  In the words of Danny Glover, " I'm gettin' too old for this!"  We survived, though, and would gladly to it again for this vacation.  Enjoy .... 

 
There were hundreds of turned objects at the show.  I have been busy organizing our lives upon our return from Tassie, but I have to get back in my shop now!  Every Saturday there is a market in Eugene, so we had to go to see what it was like and to compare it to the Salamanca Market in Hobart.  Being Eugene, it was a little heavier on earth mother/hippy crafts, but we enjoyed ourselves and left a few of our coins behind.
We began our big trek early Tuesday morning... ... and walked toward Three Fingered Jack ...

... under Ponderosa Pines and Hemlocks covered with mosses....

 

 ... and through high meadows and wildflowers. 
Jake and Eleanor gave us geology lessons as we climbed.  Here's the core of an ancient volcano complete with veins! The views were spectacular.  This is looking south from the saddle at Three Fingered Jack toward the Sisters ...
and at 7841 feet above sea level looking north toward Mt. Jefferson.  Note the snowfields in the foreground - more below... The side of Three Fingered Jack.  I thought the veins of rock varying from grey to red were spectacular. 
My two girls! After contemplating picking our way back down through the loose scree and losing all that altitude slowly, we opted for a more unconventional descent. 
Here's Eleanor (in shorts and Tevas) on the cold snow! A last view of Mt. Jefferson before I sat down and pushed off!
Jake and Eleanor at a stream crossing ... ... same stream a little further down the line.
Eleanor out over the Metolius River Blue water on the Metolius
Note the absence of water above these "springs"  These dozen or so underground streams just boil out of the side of the  hill here.  I found this pretty impressive.  A great finish on the lawn of our little cabin with some of Jake's bubbly, a pork roast with boursin cheese, spinach and cherries and GREAT company!
   
   

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