Alsea Falls and Green Peak Falls

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Heather and I went up to visit Alsea Falls and Green Peak Falls in the Oregon Coast Range today.

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The bridge over the Alsea River above the falls.

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The top of the falls.

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Heather is a master of the self portrait.

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Don’t fall in!


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Checking out some interesting moss.


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Big trees lurk in this part of the forest.  Most of the old growth is gone in Oregon but in a few small isolated pockets the elders of the forest still live.

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This is a very large, very old tree.  I am happy that it hasn’t been cut down yet and still lives on in the primordial forests of the Oregon Coast Range.

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These plants look inviting on the surface.

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Underneath they are full of needles!

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Don’t touch that trunk!

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Walking up a different fork of the Alsea River toward the Green Peak Falls.

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A secret little garden.

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The path to Green Peak Falls.

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Green Peak Falls.  I think this is a bigger falls in terms of vertical distance than the Alsea Falls but perhaps the other falls pushes a larger volume of water over.

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Heather is telling me to come quick with the camera.

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Heather found a newt climbing the falls!

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A crayfish was just under the surface of the pool below the falls, too.


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During times of high water, the falls expand to encompass this area, too.

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Go newt, go!

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From above the falls.

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It is a placid pool above.

Looking around at the top of the falls.

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Big trees lurk around every corner.

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Back at the top of the Alsea Falls.

Old Growth Trail, Soap Creek, and Sushi with Melissa

Melissa and I went on a hike yesterday through the patch of old growth forest that the College of Forestry has built a trail through

 

 

Yeah, that’s a tree.

We stopped by the pond full of newts.

And then went on a drive down Soap Creek.  It’s gorgeous out there this time of year.

 

Afterward we went for some sushi.  The rainbow roll was my favorite on this sushi boat.

 

Old Growth Trail in the McDonald-Dunn Forest

Samantha and I went for a short hike on the Old Growth Trail in the McDonald-Dunn Forest the other day. An okay map of the forest is available from the College of Forestry website.

The trees are quite beautiful although the grove is rather small in comparison with others I’ve visited. We found a beer bottle quite a distance off the trail which we picked up and disposed of in a recycling bin back in Corvallis.

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I should also note that this is the first time that I am using Gallery2 in a post that is being crossposted to Livejournal. If for some reason, the thumbnails don’t come across correctly, please view the original post at my website for the photos.