Out in the woods, we found a fire that wasn’t fire but a stand of aspens turning gold. What a treat!
Weird and Wild #Oregon : While I was Walking in the Woods #NaturePhotography #Explore Read More »
East Lake is located inside the Newberry caldera. When a magma chamber collapsed, the caldera was formed and slowly filled up with water. East Lake is one of two lakes. The water accumulated from snow melt, rain fall, and hot spring. The average depth is 67 feet.
It’s a tranquil and sublime spot. The geologic activity isn’t done either. The lake bubbles.
There’s boating and hiking and wildlife to discover in this wonderful place.
Weird and Wild #Oregon: East Lake #Explore Read More »
Sea lions are large and noisy creatures, but amazing to watch. A few miles north of Florence, Oregon, are the Sea Lion Caves, and definitely worth a visit.
The above statue is true to size. I was amazed at how they dwarf a grown man. What a treat to watch them and spend the day by the cool sea.
The species at the caves is the Stellar sea lion, one of the largest, and the cave is the largest in America. It’s part of a series of caverns open to the Pacific Ocean.
The sea lions can be viewed from an outlook. Even over 200 feet above, the sea lions can be heard (also the hella wind).
An elevator can be taken down to the largest cavern. It was a remarkable place to view wildlife in their natural habitat.
Weird and Wild #Oregon : Sea Lion Caves #animals Read More »
State Highway 58 is one of my favorite roads to explore in Oregon. It has lots of big, old trees and splendid sights. One of the gems is McCredie Hot Springs along Salt Creek.
There used to be a resort hotel there that became a baseball camp and then a bordello. It burned down in 1958, and there’s litte sign it was ever there. The hot springs are still there, however, the views are stunning.
If you decide to try the hot springs, they can be very hot, so be careful. And, clothing is optional.
McCredie Hot Springs: Wonderful and Weird #Oregon #Explore Read More »
Oregon is full of volcanic landscapes from different periods in Earth’s history. The Mascall Overlook near John Day, OR, is stunning.
15 million years ago, this was a receding forest being replaced by grasslands. It was populated by horses, camels, and giraffe-deer. Then, as so often happens in Oregon history, a volcano exploded. The upheaval filled the valley with lava and ash and pushed up the plains, creating this unique landscape and capturing the denizens in fossils who weren’t fortunate enough to escape .
Glad we ran across this gem in our wanderings about the state.
Mascall Overlook: Wonderful and Weird Oregon Read More »
Out in Eastern Oregon is the John Day National Monument, a large parcel of desert land rich with fossils and history predating human existence. It is a beautiful place, and one of the fossils they find in the area are entelodonts, also known as ‘Terminator Pigs.’
I love my dinosaurs, but there were some really interesting and gruesome large mammals that walked the Earth as well. These ‘pigs’ were the size of a buffalo, and look at those teeth! Those do no look friendly.
The extent to which they hunted is widely debated, but those teeth weren’t for eating grass. They lived in the forests and on the plains of North America and Eurasia from the late Eocene to middle Miocene epochs (37.2–15.97 million years ago), existing for about 21.23 million years. Their fossils are quite rare, and I find their existence fascinating to ponder.
Here’s what they probably looked like. I wouldn’t have wanted to meet one.
Terminator Pigs of the Badlands: Wonderful and Weird Oregon Read More »
