Weekly musings on the arts and current events.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Back from Oregon

My greatest pleasure was the morning air. After a summer of heat waves and smoke in Southern California, I awoke each morning in Oregon just to breathe the air with its nip of autumn and taste of dew.



I spent most of my days driving beneath colonnades of alder, cedar, and spruce. On a coastal highway, the moss covered tree trunks graciously leaned over the road as if to canopy the cars.




Oregon is clean. I've car-camped in California from north to south and never seen a picnic table that wasn't heavily etched with grafitti, but from what I saw, this blight has yet to reach Oregon's camping grounds. Furthermore, on the way up to Crater Lake, I drove for miles without seeing any litter at all. It could be, however, that I was merely witnessing the effects of federal infrastructure spending. On every highway there were crews, usually with a sign announcing that their work was paid for by Recovery Funds.

This week, the seasons changed in Oregon, with snow at 5000 feet and rain at lower elevations. The trees were solid green on the way up, but turning colors on my return. I felt privileged to witness it.

Satellite photo of Oregon with borders added. Click on the picture for a closer look.

5 comments:

Janie B said...

You've gotta love a fall morning with a nip in the air!

DUTA said...

Apropos of 'dew' and 'morning air'. There are people who hate ironing, so I have a small tip for them (it works well in a warm country with no sudden rains):

"Leave the laundry hanging outside for the night. The dew caresses, straightens and "irons" it. When you collect the items in the morning they are no only "ironed" but also impregnated with the fresh smell of the early morning air".

Paula Slade said...

Sounds as if you had a most enjoyable journey! So glad to hear.

dragonfly said...

Oregon is lovely, and so much to see- the first time I went, years ago, I made a point of seeing the coast, the mountains and the desert all in one day. I'm infatuated with the northern coast, I loved being there. Sounds like you had a great visit.

BioniKat said...

Welcome back! Ive left washing on the line a lot overnight and it may be 'ironed' by the morning(?) but it is also damp! I thought your pic might be an aerial map but it also could have been moss on a rock!