Exploring Oregon

Last weekend, Llama and I took a short holiday and went to Crater Lake. One of the perks of living here in Oregon is the proximity to this truly awesome, natural lake. It takes about 2-1/2 hours to drive down, if the traffic is light, so it makes a great two-day getaway.

On Monday afternoon, we hiked up the 1/4 mile trail at Sun Notch. Short of taking the boat ride, this is the best place to view the “Phantom Ship”. The hike is short but not easy, in spite of a well kept trail, as the grade is steep. Once you reach the top, there are trails to the right and the left, following the rim of the crater.

We headed off to the left, and kept following the rim long after the trail ended. When we stopped, Applegate Peak was looming over head, and the lake was spread out before us. I set up my tripod and took three pictures in hopes I could “stitch” them together into a panorama. The program did a decent job, though I wouldn’t try to sell the resulting picture.

As you can see from this composite image, with this high vantage point you can see Wizard Island to the left and Phantom Ship to the right, and all of the lake in between. This is a really spectacular view, and no photo does it justice. If you ever make it to Crater Lake, take the hike! It’s well worth the view.

UPDATE: This video is now only available as a series of nine shorter videos. I’ve found it on both YouTube and MySpace. Here are the YouTube Search Results for Great Global Warming Swindle.

I like to tell stories with my blog, entertain with anecdotes about camping or hiking (and other misadventures) as I attempt to get photographs of out of the way places the masses otherwise won’t see.

Stories take time to write, and since becoming self-employed, I haven’t had much time for my own pursuits. So my blog goes months without a new post, even though nearly every day I tell myself I need to make the time ‘today’.

Today is Sunday, allegedly my ‘day of rest’, and I stumbled upon a video on Google Video that I just have to share. You see, I’ve never bought into the Global Warming as man-made disaster camp, so I was delighted to discover a BBC documentary that debunks the politically correct views.

Personally, I think it is incredibly arrogant of man to believe that anything we do in the course of living our everyday lives can have such far-reaching effects on the planet. That doesn’t mean I’m for pollution, or anything like that, though.

I believe we have a responsibility to be good stewards of our planet and the environment. And nobody bristles more than I at the garbage I see along our roadways. I always leave a trail or camp cleaner than when I found it.

Anyway, here’s the video. It’s long, over an hour, and you’ll need the Flash Player installed to see it. But if you’re interested in an opposing point of view to Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth”, you’ve found it.

(The complete video is no longer available. See Update above.)

Feel free to leave comments and opposing points of view are welcome (English only, please.) However, I moderate all comments and any comment which is disrespectful (flame), uses crude language or attempts to spam my blog will not be approved.

On the trip to and from Prineville we drove by way of Highway 242, perhaps better known as the “old” McKenzie Highway. This “highway” is a two lane winding road, a beautiful scenic drive that is closed in Winter thanks to snow. It has a very colorful history, and was once the only route between Eugene and Sisters.

I got this shot from the top of the observatory on the trip to Prineville.

At the summit of the McKenzie Pass, in the middle of a massive and old lava flow, stands the Dee Wright Observatory. An amazing structure of lava rock and mortar, with a winding blacktop walkway. From the Observatory, you can see an impressive number of mountain peaks throughout the volcanic Cascade Range. On a clear day, you can even see the top of Mount Hood.

The Observatory has two levels: A single room, with windows directed at various peaks, the size of the window only large enough to isolate the one feature; and an open deck with a lava rock pedestal in the center, topped with a large bronze “peak finder,” which points to the various peaks and other geological features within view.

I love this stretch of road, through the lava fields. The stark contrast between the black lava, white sun-bleached trunks of long dead trees and the verdant new growth never fails to touch my soul. I find it hauntingly beautiful… The persistence of life in the face of death and destruction.

Update: You can see these pictures larger by going to my new MySpace Blog, Look for the entry dated July 18, 2006.