Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Santiam Pass

We moved to another sno park, this one just west of Santiam Pass and about a mile off of US20. This is the biggest sno park I have ever seen - a good four times the size of Wanoga. We could park 100 rigs here, but we are alone.


Coincidentally, I was here 9 years ago with Diana and Randy when we admired this lovely Bear Grass. It seems to grow only in very limited areas. I hope that doesn't mean there are bears nearby.


Here's a closeup of one of the complex blooms.


There are also lots of wild strawberries here. Ron's going to pick some for his breakfast.


Some of the WINs had raved about the color of the Metolius River, so we checked it out. Wow! Near the Wizard Falls fish hatchery, the river has cut a deep grove down the center of the bedrock. The water is crystal clear and you can see how shallow it is along the edge, but the center reflects those blue light rays and is a stunning aqua.
We asked how deep it is in the center and were told, "Very!"

We were also told about the springs that pour out of the bank into the river, so, once again, we had to see it. Well, it wasn't nearly as impressive as Mossbrae Falls in Dunsmuir, CA, but it was a beautiful hike along the Metolius river.


And I wanted to show Ron the campground where we had also stayed in 2002 - Jack Creek. The creek is just amazing with flowers and plants growing on all the fallen logs. I remembered it as being one of the most memorable sights of my second year of full-timing.

4 comments:

  1. How nice it must be to return somewhere with positive memories after nine years.

    Hope you enjoy the strawberries. My brother and I went climbing a few days ago and feasted on some wild raspberries. (Actually, I did. He's too much of a city boy and was freaked out by the idea of eating something that's actually growing in the ground. What if it's cyanide?)

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  2. Great place and those wild strawberries are soo sweet. I'm not sure about staying there all on my own though.

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  3. Don't worry, bears don't like to eat beargrass. Your photos brought back some wonderful memories for me.

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  4. HOW nice that you are now getting to return to a special place! That makes if ever better right? WOW I bet there is a slot canyon below that creek? Very interesting...The flower is Stunning!!!!

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