The eruptions from the Four Craters Lava Field, seen in the background, were accompanied by a slight sinking of the older rock surface, which created the Crack-in-the-Ground. It is a shallow "graben," or sinking of the earth, a tension fracture in basalt. (A larger graben in southeastern Oregon is a vertical subsidence, or sinking, of one mile of the earth from the upper to lower edge!)

Carol is standing at one of several places where the walls of the crack have slumped, thus bridging the gap and allowing access to the deeper parts of the fissure. A portion of the crack reemerges in the background.

In the opposite direction from the photo above, Roy was able to begin a descent into the deep fissure, which is approximately two miles long and up to 70 feet deep.

It is estimated that the crack has remained open for a thousand years. Open cracks or fissures in the earth's surface are not uncommon; they occur fairly often as the result of earthquakes or volcanic activity, but they usually become filled with rock rubble or lava and disappear in a very short time. A large fissure that stays open for hundreds of years is, therefore, a rare feature.

Winter ice is sometimes preserved during the summer in the deeper, more cavernous places where cold air is trapped. Early homesteaders went there to hold picnics and make ice cream, using ice they found in the caves of the chasm.

To squeeze between the walls at this point required removing my backpack.

There are several places where the crack is more difficult to traverse due to huge boulders that have fallen into the abyss. This passage requires hands and knees to scramble under.

After a hike of three-tenths mile along the crack, we reached a saddle where the fissure had again filled with earth. There was still the semblance of a small, auxiliary crack to Carol’s left, but within 50 feet, the earth opened again!

NOTICE !!

THE FOLLOWING POSTS ARE TWO YEARS OLDER (2006), THAN THE PRECEDING POSTS LISTED ABOVE, (2008). WE ARE RESUMING THE BLOG BECAUSE OF RECENT TRAVEL THAT INVOLVED ENGAGING SCENARIOS ILLUSTRATED BY NUMEROUS PHOTOS. THIS BLOG IS THE BEST WAY TO REACH CURIOUS PARTIES INSTEAD OF SENDING LENGTHY E-MAILS TO INDIVIDUALS WHO MAY NOT BE INTERESTED.

Watch Your Step!

This photo was taken in 1979, as we are ready to depart for Alaska. It is a photo of Carol, Roy and mother, Elia, in front of the 1972 Cabana motor home. The motor home has recorded over 200,000 miles while on our way to Yakima (see earlier blog). Trivia: Roy's mother is eight years younger in the photo than Roy is NOW!



After 34 years, the step for entering and exiting the motor home rusted "a little!" It was MORE than ready for replacement. Instead of using a similar step, which is still manufactured, I decided to construct a longer lasting step.


The metal step rusted because I covered it decades ago with a carpeted board to increase the step area for Carol. This combination of carpet and wood retained moisture through the decades to accelerate rusting.




I cut the new step out of heavier gauge metal. This step will last many times longer than the original step.







To slow the process of rusting, I applied two coats of high-temperature paint.






After applying contact cement to the new step, I glued a carpet to it's surface and placed six clamps to insure bonding. (Trivia: Due to laying down a new carpet in the school, this carpet was removed from the classroom in which I taught for ten years from 1969 - 1979. It had been trod upon by thousands of students and this teacher for many miles!)



Though the factory installed step was riveted on, I used bolts this time so the step could be easily removed and repaired as needed. Since the steel plate is heavier than the original metal, it should last 40 years!

Crilly Nature Trail

Crilly Nature Trail is on the north side of Eugene, Oregon in Armitage Park near the McKenzie River. It is a deciduous forest habitat that grows along the banks of the river. The trail has low spots that would fill with water in the winter before dams were built to control flood water. The steps provide easier ascents and descents in the gullys.





Carol is pointing to a large cavity in a big leaf maple that provides a habitat for small birds and animals.







A rotten "nurse" stump acts as a seedbed (or nursery) for young forest plants. As the stump decays, it provides nutrients and rich soil that is recycled back into the forest.





Growing out of the big leaf maple is licorice fern, that depends on the moisture in the heavy covering of moss on the tree. The rootstock was important to the early settlers as a sweetner, to flavor tobacco and to make medicinal tea.




The winds and storms of winter drop an occasional tree across the path. The trail maintenance crew will remove the tree later. In the meantime, Carol utilizes her scrambling skills!




We saw this leaf on the trail that lost all of its "body" except for the "veins" of its structure. I placed it over a brochure to reveal its transparency!

Trip to Yakima, Washington

We were planning to travel to Yakima but awakened to an unexpected surprise. This was the third snowfall in Eugene, Oregon on this date since 1937!




So, the motor home will remain idle until the next day. (All the snow melted before noon.)




Our reason for traveling to Yakima was to assist our two Canadian-born granddaughters (Sami and Kai) in becoming U.S. citizens. Their American father, our son, had lived in Canada too many years to simplify the process.


The Yakima Greenway is a large city park on the east side of town that features picnic areas, a soccer field, playground, jogging path, exercise stations, fishing ponds and a WW II relic.




Geese, among other avians, are residents of the park and enjoy the large ponds.




The jogging path parallels the Yakima River for a mile. There were many citizens who donated to the building of the Greenway, and every few yards is a plaque dedicated to a contributor.



Every 1/4th mile along the jogging path is a "mileage" marker. In Eugene, the marker is embedded in the bike path, but along the Greenway it is a concrete pylon.



There are 21 different exercise stations along the jogging path. This one is for strengthening the triceps. Place heels on the elevated table in the center, while supporting body weight between the tee-shaped bars. Lower the body between the bars, by bending the elbows, then straighten arms to elevate the torso.


An interesting artifact in the park is this boxcar from the "merci," French Gratitude train. This was presented to Washington State in 1949 from the citizens of France.




The gift was an expression of gratitude for food, fuel and clothing donated to the needy people in war ravaged France and Italy in WW II.





Bryn, Ada, Kai and Sami joined us for a Mexican dinner in the Cabana. The 23-foot motor home is rather cozy for a large family gathering.




Following bean burritos and tostados, Carol concentrates on her daily puzzles.





Bryn, Ada, Kai and Sami are waiting outside the Naturalization Center. Due to Homeland Security, we were not allowed to enter the building as a group, only one at a time, and I was not allowed to photograph the girls' swearing-in ceremony!



Driving home, we stopped near Memaloose Island in the Columbia River, a burial island for the Chinook Indians. Before Bonneville Dam, it encompassed four acres, now it's 1/2 acre. Graves were relocated before the water rose. One of Oregon's first senators stated he wanted to be buried there, in 1883, because "In Resurrection, I'll take my chances with the Indians!"

The Autumn Leaves …

Before going on a trip, I took a picture of the backyard. We knew it would appear differently after being away from home for a few weeks.







With over 50 maple trees in the backyard, and a few cottonwoods, each fall harkens a duty not looked upon as joyous.







Using a combination of raking ...







... and blowing with an industrial leaf blower ...









... we finally completed the job! (We had three piles this size!)

Key Lime Pie

In 1980, we visited Key West, Florida and had our first taste of Key Lime Pie. We enjoyed it, and Carol obtained a recipe so she could bake it at home. The limes grow wild in the Florida keys.







It was scrumptious and continued to be a treat for special occasions. Carol would also bake it for a neighbor lady and her husband.








The neighbor lady also savored the pie and was enthralled by its unique taste. It was not the only reason, but the pie was a major incentive for her to give us her automobile, which had less than 17,000 miles on the odometer! (Moral: Be kind to your neighbors!)

Eugene is Number 2!

The national magazine, "Bicycling," rates Eugene the second best cycling city for its size. Boulder, CO is first for a similar population, and Portland, OR is rated best—of all the cities—in the nation! Boulder earned first place because of very strong work-day, commuter bike-travel. Eugene has more emphasis on recreational use.






Eugene has 30 miles of off-street paths, such as this bridge, and 89 miles of on-street bike lanes. As early as 2009, the sixth bike-bridge is planned; autos have three bridges. In 2005, the 130-mile Willamette Valley Scenic Bikeway was established. (Oregon has the world's best mountain biking trail, on which I'll post images and a narrative later.)

Scenic Outdoors

Today's post will feature the beauty of Oregon's forests and mountains. This image is the trail to Lookout Creek in an old growth forest that is protected from logging. The forest canopy is so thick that it diminishes the light for sharp photography. Still, the verdant mosses and lichen create a luminescence on the forest floor.



Lookout Creek splashes its way through an old growth forest. This bridge is part of a six-mile looping trail that is rather primitive. The next time I crossed the creek, farther along the trail, I had to scoot across the chasm on a log on my bottom! (Note the huge log on which I'm standing that is used for the bridge!)



In the background are the "Three Sisters," all above 10,000 feet in elevation. The ridge I'm on is part of the "Old Cascades," which are 30 million years old. They were as high as the Sisters, but the erosion of time has worn them into foothills. Millions of years ago, they were where the Sisters are now; notice how far the tectonic plate has moved west!



In the background is Mt. Washington, 7,794 feet in elevation. Accompanied by our younger son, I climbed to the part where the peak becomes dramatically steeper. Without ropes and pitons with us for climbing protection, I decided not to ascend the remaining height. The more vertical section has claimed the lives of hapless climbers.




After a day of trekking, on the way home I decided to climb Castle Rock, 3,308 feet in elevation. A fire lookout, long abandoned, used to occupy this promontory. The peak is southwest of McKenzie Bridge, Oregon and looks down on a portion of the Tokatee golf course, rated one of the most beautiful in the state.