Friday, November 8, 2013

November 8, 2013 Mackenzie River Trail, Oregon

The bus is still in the shop. They might have had it done today, but we were going out of town to hike and they said we could stay the weekend at the the repair shop.

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We drove up the Mackenzie River to the the trail head. It is an old growth temperate rainforest here. Lots of moss. It is an area of past volcanic activity, so all the rocks are basalt. But they are covered with moss.

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Couple views of moss covered rocks.

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We followed the river to Blue Hole. Above this area the river goes underground and is diverted into a lava tube to a power plant. The rest of the water  that seeps through the lava and comes out in a cave under the cliff here in the Blue Hole. It is blue because it is filtered extremely pure by the lava.

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John, Scott and Leslie hiking back. Looking down on the river from the cliffs above.

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More from above. The trail.

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Moss covered pile of rocks. This hillside has moss rocks and trees, and the fallen maple leaves contrasting with the moss, with fog in the background.

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Same hillside including the river and red alder stems. I couldn’t decide which photo to use, so I used both.  I took this photo of John on the bridge behind an old growth giant tree.

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He took this one of me in the same place. One of many small streams coming down the mountain sides.

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Koosah Falls is 90 feet high. This is before the water is diverted into the lava tube. Lots and lots of water. Sue photographing the falls.

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Sahalie Falls is 120 feet tall. John climbed up on the slippery log fence to get a better photo, Leslie and Scott took the photo op.

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John and Leslie looking over the top of the falls. Fall leaves in the water.

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After the hike we stopped at Belknap hot springs for a soak. Very relaxing. We had dinner afterwards at Takodas. We are in Big Foot country.

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Lichens, golden club moss, witches butter, orange mushrooms and bright white mushrooms

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Tree forms and mushrooms.

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