The Rogue River Valley with Fred - October 2006

Trip to Prospect Upriver Downriver Civilization Forest Roads		Forest Roads and Rocks Our "going home" day was as good as any other. Fred is not a guy who just "hits the road." We had an interesting route and a mission. The mission was to collect some paving stones for his back yard, some good-sized pumice stones for mine and some smaller pumice for pedicures. The route was forest service roads from the Crater Lake area up through the Mt. Thielsen Wilderness, connecting into Highway 58 at Oakridge, southeast of Eugene. The route started on Tampanagos Road, continued along Oregon Central Military Wagon Road and ended up on Kitson Springs Road. There are several campgrounds and some pretty little lakes. Here's one. I don't know which one. If you want to take this route, and you're not familiar with the area, you'll probably need more information than that. You can call and I'll put you in touch with Fred. Oh, and here's a nice picture of Mt. Thielsen, just because it's such a dramatic-looking mountain. I'm sure it could stand in for Frodo's Mt. Doom with a little make-up. And here's the geologic information about Mt. Thielsen for those interested. Fred knew just where he wanted to go for pavers and the pumice is everywhere, along the road banks and out in the meadows. You have to develop an eye for whether it's really pumice or just a pumice-looking heavy rock. Fred let me call a few and get out and try to move them in hopes that I would get better at it. I didn't though, so eventually gave up and followed his lead. Fred says the best way to find pumice is in the Spring when the weather has exposed some new layers or to look for an area that has been grated for some reason -- logging, trail construction, fire break, whatever. The fact that it was hunting season gave an extra fillip of adventure to all of this wandering around on the backroads. And some of the roadlets we decided to try were definitely hunting camp roads. We had no close encounters, just heard a few hunters and saw a few RVs and tents. We did come across a workcrew, preparing to replant after a fairly recent fire. This season or last, I'd say. Here's a picture of a burned-out area and then one of the next step. In this case, pile everything into stacks and burn them again. Oregon has begun some painful discussions recently about what is the best combination to restore a forest after a fire--salvage logging, planting, natural regeneration. It's important work, challenging some long-held beliefs about reforestation and about fire suppression in the forests. Here's an article about the basic issues and some interesting further reading at the end of the second page. This debate will go on for some time and the dynamics are expected to change dramatically with the new legislative majorities in Washington D.C. and here in Oregon. Should be fun to watch. Eventually we came to Fred's personal paving stone quarry. It's not so easy that you don't appreciate them. I only managed to select and carry two stones down the hill, one of them was pretty nice, though. We also looked around for late season blackberries and huckleberries, but everything was dried up or eaten by the birds and bears. We saw some great scenery that day and very few people, until we got to Oakridge and headed back into the Willamette Valley. It was a good five-day, four-night trip, we had been in at least four National Forests--Rogue River, Umpqua, Willamette and Six Rivers (Calif.), maybe part of the Klamath, too. We saw a few wilderness areas, lots of great scenery and gorgeous rivers AND when we were at Crater Lake National Park I bought my Golden Age Passport. If you are in the U.S. and you don't know about this, check it out. It works at the facilities of seven different federal agencies--Fish and Wildlife, Forest Service, National Park Service, etc.--and it provides free vehicle and/or family entrance and a 50% discount on user fees, like for camping and tours. I thought you had to be 65 to get these deals, but you only have to be 62. Or, often, just traveling with someone who is. So the next time you go on a trip, take a Golden Ager with you! They're fun and you'll save money. That's all for now. Since this trip, the weather has turned rainy and cold and the holidays and Oregon's legislative session are fast approaching. So there probably won't be any more adventures until spring (Mexico in March). Until then stay well and thanks for letting me share with you.