Eagle Rock is worth exploring in wild and wonderful Oregon.
In the Ochocos Mountains, Eagle Rock is an erosional remnant of a hardened volcanic ash deposit. You can climb up it, which I did. That was the easy part. Getting down was much harder. Knowing that, didn’t stop me. Luckily, I didn’t break myself. That would have been easy to do.
What spectacular views! In the morning, the higher elevations had some snow.
Salt Creek Falls is the 3rd highest waterfall in Oregon. Salt Creek is a tributary of the Middle Fork Willamette River. Along this creek are some stunning views with cascading waterways, towering trees, and dizzying mountain peaks.
The creek was formed during the last glacial period and has hot springs closer to Eugene. Oregon loves its geothermal activity. Ancient and current volcanoes are the story of the state.
Salt Creek Falls is also one of a handful of nesting sites in Oregon for the Black Swift, a unique and mysterious bird. You can learn more about them HERE.
The best thing about weird and wild Oregon is there is always a photography opportunity.
Picture Rock is between Summer and Silver Lakes in the Oregon Outback.
The petroglyphs were left on this boulder were most likely created during either the Clovis Period (10,000 and 12,000 years ago) or the Stemmed Point Period (7,500 to 10,000 years ago).
The rock wasn’t easy to find. In fact, without Google Maps, I doubt we would have. That’s a good thing, though. The harder it is to find, the more likely it is to be preserved. But it was worth the hunt.
I found this diagram on Wikipedia, which shows the carvings in clearer detail.
Four arms? And, two of the figures have horns. It’s obviously either an alien or yeti attack, and the one dude is escaping on horseback. What do you think it means?
It’s nice to take a road less taken into the quiet and wonder this planet has to offer. From the road, it may all look uniform and bland, but if you take a turn and a stop to really experience a place, you can find unexpected pleasures. One of the most beautiful things about a place with no other people is the quiet. When it’s so quiet, you can hear the Earth hum, well, that’s special.
This little water hole had flowers growing in the water. Neat!
