Golden and Silver Falls State Park

Clean Green Future

Clean Green Future

Helping the planet with clean renewable energy is a first step in being able to walk in the woods and enjoy what nature has to offer.  I believe in helping to keep the world clean and the air pure.  Those who enjoy the out of doors would hate to see it become like a city slum.  Do your part, it may be easier than you think and can put money in your pocket.

Check out the  link for information on clean renewable energy

RMK

Oregon's Other Crater Lake--Newberry Crater

While Crater Lake National Park gets the lion's share of attention, Newberry Crater National Monument Is spectacular Oregon wonder, boasting of things even the great one doesn't have.

Newberry Crater National Monument is found near Highway 97 between the cities of Bend and La Pine, Oregon.  A very informative visitor's center is located right off the highway just south of Lava Butte.  You'll recognize Lava Butte, even if you miss the signs pointing to Lavalands Visitor Center  just off the highway.

From the visitor center you can hike through the lava fields at the base of the butte, or take a shuttle to the top and walk down into the crater of the cinder cone.

Though the volcano covers a huge area, 500 square miles, the most often viewed portion of the monument is the caldera itself.  A paved two-lane road takes you right inside the crater and throughout that portion of the monument.  More daring motorists can continue on through the crater and exit the east side into even more 4-wheel drive roads.  A partially paved road goes to the highest point in the monument, Paulina Peak, a respectable 7984 Ft. above sea level.  According to Forest Service officials, this point is about 3500 ft. above the surrounding plain.

Two lakes, Paulina and East Lake are, are inside the caldera.  Both are fairly large and fishermen find them productive at certain times of the year.  On the south of the lakes is the huge obsidian flow where 7 million cubic yards of the molten material flowed and cooled into glass.

This big flow is just one of several within the crater.  Next to the Obsidian and right under Paulina Peak is a flow of ash that created Pumice.

There is a lodge at the lake with boat rentals and food and drink.  Nearby is Paulina Creek which forms a side-by-side waterfall just about 1/4 mile below the lodge.  From the highway, the falls is a short, easy hike where visitors can get a close-up view.

The High Desert Museum is another attraction in this land of rock and Ponderosa Pine.  Situated north of Lava Butte and right on Highway 97, the center draws thousands of visitors every year.  Lava River Cave is yet another interesting stop in this land with so many outstanding physical features.  The cave is approximately 1 mile long.  It was formed by a lava flow.  The outside cooled and left a pipe-line.  The inside, still molten, continued to flow and emptied the now hollow tube.

Lodging is available in both Bend and La Pine and restaurants abound in Bend.

Hidden Treasures of the Oregon Coast Range

The Oregon Coast has its share of stories about buried treasure and ships going down loaded with pirates plunder.  One of the more often told stories takes place at Neahkanie Mountain, just north of Manzanita.  It's been told so many times that no one is sure if there really were any "Pirates Plunder."

Not all of the treasures along this beautiful coastline are golden, but all are jewels.  One such treasure is found hidden in a small valley some 25 or so miles from the beach near the almost deserted town of Mapleton.  The name Sweet Creek Falls is misleading in that there are 11 waterfalls found within a mile of each other along Sweet Creek, a small tributary of the Siuslaw River.

Take the camera out of the bag, because this tiny area is full of scenics that would make any photographer worth his salt drool with anticipation.  Here the water drops over lava rock shelves and between huge boulders, much like James Bond's Martini, "shaken, not stirred."

None of the falls are gigantic, some just a few feet tall.  Sweet Creek Falls, itself, is the largest, but it surely isn't much more than 35 feet.  This area does boast a feature that is found nowhere else in the State.  Beaver Creek, a smaller tributary, drops into Sweet Creek about halfway through the hike, the only spot in Oregon where two streams come together, both in waterfalls.

To get to Sweet Creek Falls from Florence, take Hwy 126 east to the town of Mapleton.  Turn toward Eugene and immediately after crossing the Siuslaw River (It runs through town) turn right and follow the road about 10 miles to the parking area.  From Eugene, take Hwy 126 west toward Mapleton and turn left just before crossing the Siuslaw.

The Parking area for Sweet Creek Falls is easy to miss, so be watching your odometer.  It will be on the right side of the road.

For suggestions on cameras, hiking and camping gear, go to RMKunlimited.com.

10 Reasons to Own and Use a Digitial Camera

OK, there are more than 10, but there are at least 10 good reasons to own and use a digital camera.  Let's get right to it.
1) The obvious reason is to record vacations in both video and stills.  I often look over those I have taken and relive the moments that have become special.
2) Portraits-of loved ones.  Lives are worth recording, photos taken  at the beginning of each school year show graphic examples of how the kids have grown, how we have changed or how much we have stayed the same.
3) If you have a passion for photography, photos and videos can make you a few dollars on stock photo and video sites.
4) Home Inventory.  a forest fire burned out of control near my house several years ago. It would have been a real chore to evacuate, but using a video camera I made an inventory in case of loss.  It's a good idea to help police in the case of burglary.  This would go double for business owners.
5)Well, there is just plain sharing too.  On sites like Picasa, Twitter, and others.  The relatives and all the world can see how junior has grown without the expense of making prints and mailing costs.
6) Speaking of blogs, people nowadays are into instant gratification and would rather see than be told with text.  Remember the old Chinese roverb about a picture being worth a thousand words?
7) A nephew recently had a heart transplant.  at the speed of light, the word went out in pictures that he survived and was doing well, all because of the technology built into a cell phone.
8) You Tube.  It has become my number one source of news.  Those small handheld cameras make everyone in the world a news anchor.
9) Valuable tool.  Years ago an attorney friend made a huge enlargement of an auto accident in which his client had been injured.  Showing that photo to a jury quieted the defense and brought a quick settlement.

10) To preserve the past/history.  My wife and I are in the process of recording the memories of her father (age 89) so that all the grandchildren and on down the line will have an idea of what their grandfather looked like and what events in his life were worth remembering.
Digital photos are easy to store and the bad ones can be thrown away with a mouse click, making it easy to keep just the best ones.  Literally hundreds or perhaps even thousands of cameras are available that will do the job.  The newer models will handle both stills and video, making them much more versatile than in the past.  I personally use and carry a couple of Camcorders because of the small size and relatively small cost.  The DSLR stays home except for photo assignments. Check out some of the models on this site rmkunlimited.com/