Friday, September 17, 2010
The last gasp of summer.
For about 20 years, I've wanted to dig thundereggs in central Oregon. This week, the weather was not too cold and rainy, and Bob was scheduled to work in central oregon, and Soren, of course, didn't need me, and I was not at work. What better time could there be? So, I went.
Thundereggs are round rocks, generally baseball sized, that have agate inside them. Some of them are beautiful. They grow in Oregon - I think they're the state rock. The whole state has a pet rock.
So, I go to the rock digging place, and there's a bunch of dirt. You poke around in the dirt and pull out some round rocks. If you're smart, you know when it's a rock and when it's a clod of dirt. If you're smart, you know when this round rock is a thunder egg and when it's just a piece of another rock that might look round. But, if you're me, you just say - huh, rocks? - and pick up a few and leave.
When I got back to the rock headquarters, they sawed two of my "rocks" in half, and they really WERE thundereggs! Success!
After rocks, I went to Smith Rock State Park, which it turns out is the headquarters for rock climbing in Oregon, with huge cliffs for climbers to scale. The rock is "tuff", which is just tough enough to put pitons in, and there are crazy people hanging halfway up these HUGE cliffs. But the rocks are gorgeous, and the river is lovely. The powers that be know these climbers are going to break their legs, so they even have strategically placed wire tobaggons so that you can put your broken climber in one and carry them out of the canyon. I climbed down from here to the river, and then walked along the north side of the river (on the right as you look), around the bend and beyond where you can see the river. The Crooked River (the one here) is one of the rivers at Cove Palisades park. Here, it's beautiful and clean.
Just so you know, central Oregon is stinky. Starting on the west side, you have the lovely smell of woods and water. Then you go over the top, and there is the smell of snow waiting to fall. Then you get to the east side, and it smells like a cat box. The whole of central Oregon, from north of Madras to south of Bend, is one big litter box. Bob says it's the juniper. Even in the cities, where there are houses and trees and lawns, the air stinks. The only time it's better is when you're on the water. But perhaps it's only better because the water is so fabulous it takes your mind off the smell.
My time on the water came on the second day. I went to Cove Palisades State Park. I was going to take a walk (even if it was stinky) on the bluffs of something, I never did figure out what. But I got lost and couldn't find the trail. However, I did find the marina where they had kayaks for rent. After deliberating for a while, i decided, yes, I could spend the money, and I rented a kayak and went out on the water. The water was filthy, but it was wet. There were ducks and geese and cormorants (I think it was cormorants). Three rivers come together into a dammed area, making a lake with 4 arms. It was flat and silent, two weeks after labor day, beautiful and wet. The rivers fit themselves between huge cliffs. It was like you drove your knife into a watermelon, and it split all the way down, with water at the bottom.
So, another summer is over, leaving me with much to remember.
For about 20 years, I've wanted to dig thundereggs in central Oregon. This week, the weather was not too cold and rainy, and Bob was scheduled to work in central oregon, and Soren, of course, didn't need me, and I was not at work. What better time could there be? So, I went.
Thundereggs are round rocks, generally baseball sized, that have agate inside them. Some of them are beautiful. They grow in Oregon - I think they're the state rock. The whole state has a pet rock.
So, I go to the rock digging place, and there's a bunch of dirt. You poke around in the dirt and pull out some round rocks. If you're smart, you know when it's a rock and when it's a clod of dirt. If you're smart, you know when this round rock is a thunder egg and when it's just a piece of another rock that might look round. But, if you're me, you just say - huh, rocks? - and pick up a few and leave.
When I got back to the rock headquarters, they sawed two of my "rocks" in half, and they really WERE thundereggs! Success!
After rocks, I went to Smith Rock State Park, which it turns out is the headquarters for rock climbing in Oregon, with huge cliffs for climbers to scale. The rock is "tuff", which is just tough enough to put pitons in, and there are crazy people hanging halfway up these HUGE cliffs. But the rocks are gorgeous, and the river is lovely. The powers that be know these climbers are going to break their legs, so they even have strategically placed wire tobaggons so that you can put your broken climber in one and carry them out of the canyon. I climbed down from here to the river, and then walked along the north side of the river (on the right as you look), around the bend and beyond where you can see the river. The Crooked River (the one here) is one of the rivers at Cove Palisades park. Here, it's beautiful and clean.
Just so you know, central Oregon is stinky. Starting on the west side, you have the lovely smell of woods and water. Then you go over the top, and there is the smell of snow waiting to fall. Then you get to the east side, and it smells like a cat box. The whole of central Oregon, from north of Madras to south of Bend, is one big litter box. Bob says it's the juniper. Even in the cities, where there are houses and trees and lawns, the air stinks. The only time it's better is when you're on the water. But perhaps it's only better because the water is so fabulous it takes your mind off the smell.
My time on the water came on the second day. I went to Cove Palisades State Park. I was going to take a walk (even if it was stinky) on the bluffs of something, I never did figure out what. But I got lost and couldn't find the trail. However, I did find the marina where they had kayaks for rent. After deliberating for a while, i decided, yes, I could spend the money, and I rented a kayak and went out on the water. The water was filthy, but it was wet. There were ducks and geese and cormorants (I think it was cormorants). Three rivers come together into a dammed area, making a lake with 4 arms. It was flat and silent, two weeks after labor day, beautiful and wet. The rivers fit themselves between huge cliffs. It was like you drove your knife into a watermelon, and it split all the way down, with water at the bottom.
So, another summer is over, leaving me with much to remember.
