Alsea / Green Peak Falls and Finley NWR 3/31

[pdxgene]

Joan and I headed into the Coast Range about 30 miles south and west of Corvallis today to go see Alsea and Green Peak Falls with a stop at nearby Finley Natl Wildlife Refuge on the trip home. The route is all paved and when the trees fill in will be a real nice drive. This is along one of those BLM Back Country Byway routes. The parking area is easy to find..



A couple looks at Alsea Falls where some big trees were down and the trail and stairway down torn up pretty good..




Somehow I always miss these signs until I'm coming back out (hey, it's a kinda long drive...)


Along the trail to Green Peak Falls


Looking down on the South Fork of the Alsea River


Heavy drop of water weighing down a fairy slipper orchid


Green Peak Falls, easily the highlight of the pair of them


Hiking books talk of swimming holes but probably not early spring


Oxalis and bright red Pacific yew bark


Little waterdrops


Green Peak Falls. The spray was shooting either up or out so we could get right next to it without getting wet


Salmonberry flower in front of Green Peak Falls


One last look before starting back


Bleeding heart were starting to bloom along the trail back from Green Peak


More of the trail as we headed back. Green Peak Falls is an out and back and connects to a loop from Alsea Falls


Skunk cabbage bog as we headed down the Alsea Loop Trail


One more of the trail heading back to our car at the Alsea lot


Finley Natl Wildlife Refuge looks like they had a ton of rain. Most trails were either very muddy or do not offficially open until tomorrow. Once all is open there's over 10 miles of hiking trails. Today we just did the Cabell Marsh Boardwalk





Looking out from the shelter/blind at the end of the boardwalk


And the thick layer of moss along the route





With a parting look at the boardwalk and its reflection


Album is here http://picasaweb.google.com/pdxgene/AlseaFalls
Not another soul along any of the trails.. Yay

[sprengers4jc]

Wow, really beautiful! Thanks for sharing with us.

And from one K30 user to another, I feel I should warn you that despite this camera's weatherproof claim, my LCD now has water behind it because the seal around it failed during our hike Saturday. It's two months out of warranty, too . The LCD works but is really corrupted now and when the camera motor heats up, it fogs like crazy to where I can't view any of the photos I've taken or make adjustments. So if you are also out of warranty, hit it with some silicone around that LCD and save yourself the hassle and damage to your camera .

[pdxgene]

Wow, really beautiful! Thanks for sharing with us.

And from one K30 user to another, I feel I should warn you that despite this camera's weatherproof claim, my LCD now has water behind it because the seal around it failed during our hike Saturday. It's two months out of warranty, too . The LCD works but is really corrupted now and when the camera motor heats up, it fogs like crazy to where I can't view any of the photos I've taken or make adjustments. So if you are also out of warranty, hit it with some silicone around that LCD and save yourself the hassle and damage to your camera .

Thanx for the tip. I always worry most about really windy days on the beach. Those sand particles are so tiny, they get into everything.

[bobcat]

Great photos of all the drooping Methuselah's beard. Those falls seem to manifest themselves in only two ways: as roaring torrents or feeble trickles.

The red bark you depicted is not western red-cedar but Pacific yew, of which there are many along the Alsea. The yew bark is much redder than cedar when wet.

[cfm]

My first year in Oregon(1996) we lived in the town of Monroe and this was my backyard.

Miss it, thanks for sharing.

Love that wall o' moss picture!

[pdxgene]

Great photos of all the drooping Methuselah's beard. Those falls seem to manifest themselves in only two ways: as roaring torrents or feeble trickles.

The red bark you depicted is not western red-cedar but Pacific yew, of which there are many along the Alsea. The yew bark is much redder than cedar when wet.

D'Oh! Thanx.. all fixed. That's what I get for being lazy... 'hmm..red, tall, eh' probably a cedar..'

[pdxgene]

My first year in Oregon(1996) we lived in the town of Monroe and this was my backyard.

Miss it, thanks for sharing.

Love that wall o' moss picture!

Thanx! I'd like to see it there in fall. If all those trees missing leaves have nice fall colory ones on them it'd be a pretty impressive display.