Road Trip

There were a couple places that Petey had wanted to see so on his last day here we took a little road trip to Smith Rock just north of Terrebone.  We've driven by it over the years and wondered what it was so we checked it out - on Father's Day.

It's more than a rock.  It's a former caldera with it's surrounding volcano worn away.  The Crooked River runs alongside and you can take the walking trails along it or take this trail to the top.

The problem in going to a popular destination on Fathers Day is the parking.  We found a spot in the 15-Minute parking area and had to make do with that, a very quick do.  Cars were parked as far as we could see, hundreds of cars.  I'd like to go back but early in the morning and in the middle of the week.

A nearby place that Petey also  to see was the Peter Skene Ogden State Park which is better known to locals as a rest area on the way to Portland.

You know somethings up when you get out of your car and see signs all over the place like this one -  "Many dogs have died here."  That ought to get your attention.

The area was peppered with informational signs but this was the one that explained things the best.  Central Oregon needed a bridge over the Crooked River and the railroad was the first one, built about 1910.

This bridge is still in use today.  There were other informational kiosks explaining the construction, photos that I did not take.

Taking this picture made my palms sweat.  Can you imagine what it took to build?!  This is before OSHA so did they wear safety harnesses working 300 feet above a certain death??

This is the second bridge built in the 1920s and before the WPA projects though it certainly does have that look.  It's still safe to drive on but too small for modern traffic.

So on weekends it becomes a Bungee jumping destination.  The "birthday boy" is getting ready.  The guy in the foreground with the rod is recording everything.  I was using my DSLR and snapped the moment he jumped but it was still too slow.

It couldn't have lasted more than a minute or two and then they wenched him back up, all for $99. A couple more jumpers went after him, both guys.

The third bridge was designed to handle all the traffic while mimicking its predecessors and it's the road we take to Portland.  Pretty spectacular.

And of course there are plenty of warning signs scattered throughout the park.  Words fail me when it comes to the sudden and bewildering depth of the chasm.  I wouldn't want to have be responsible for a child or a dog, either one.

I couldn't resist being "artsy" with this view of the Cascades.  Summer heat arrived this week so the days of the white peaks are numbered.

Ian and I returned from the Wednesday Farmers Market today to find this doe resting in the shade in our front yard.  She hangs around often enough here that she wasn't perturbed by us and stayed for a couple more hours.  She left a couple hours later with friends.  We still get excited by the deer.  I bet you can tell :)