RIVER SONATA FOR YOUR EARS ONLY!

Arriving at Camp Sherman my trusty companion Sophie and I were met by a gentle breeze, overcast sky and 86 degrees as we pulled in at 3:30 PM. The campground was nearly empty so we got our choice of a riverside camp. By the time the van was unpacked and camp set I had consumed a bottle of ice water and iced decaf coffee latte and was ready for a walk.

Many small wild flowers are in full bloom. The larger bodacious ones will arrive later in the summer. But for now these microscopic blooms are every bit as beautiful if you get down on your knees with your nose two inches from them. That's what I did on my afternoon walk. I took pix of each and every species I could locate. Get down, take pix, get back up, etc for about a mile.

While on this walk I saw three Spring Azure butterflies. It is impossible to capture them in a pix since within the blink of my eye they will have moved in every way imaginable. I just have to be satisfied with a sighting.

To experience the river walk without actually going, start by putting your eyes on the pix below, take a deep breath and imagine your incoming breath arriving on the gentle breeze as it wafts through Spring warmed pine thus delivering a hint of new pine, old pine, new verdant vegetation with eons of the old.

Your foot steps fall upon a path strewn with layers of old pine needles creating a magic carpet ride as you silently glide along.

As you go the river sings to you. It's one of the oldest songs on Earth. The whisper of water as it slides over declining river beds meeting with various obstacles as it goes. Each impediment offers a different tone creating a melody heard only just this once, by you, hosting your own private Chopin as you walk.

Piercing and sometimes melodious birdsong punctuates the sonata. The sonata of the river, sung only for your ears. Don't miss it.

METOLIUS MAMA MERGANSER & PIGGY-BACK BABIES

The Metolius River in Central Oregon is filled to the rim with surprises. While on the river walk trail this week I encountered the family pictured below. Mama Merganser with nine golf-ball size fuzzy babies. As they scrambled to hit the river and safety the water churned like a motor in a bath tub. It only took a blink of an eye for all nine ducklings to be lined up and ready to hop aboard Mom's back for the ride to the center of the river. They were all aboard and 30 yards away before I could count to two. It does look like Mom's "hair" is standing on end doesn't it? If I had nine little ones to shepherd around mine would probably fall out. Continuing on down the river trail as I snapped pix of the beautiful river my eyes came upon a bump on a log. Indeed, it was another female Common Merganser sunning herself. She had no chicks around so she was living the good life sitting there in the sun. Notice how tame her "hair" is compared to her sister.

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THE BEAR'S DEN

Have you ever hiked or explored the Elliot State Forest in the Coast Range of Oregon? There are critters living everywhere.  The pix below is a bear's den.  A real bear's den.  In our family it is the famous (for personal reasons) "The Bear's Den".  I believe wilderness should be trod upon carefully but trod upon nonetheless.  If our (YOUR) wildernesses are not used, development will ensue.  Can you stand that? Just think, no place for the critters, no place for us critters to observe, no place to wander. 

Spring is here and summer waits in the wings. This is the time when we need to get out and really smell the flowers, or the "sign" left by critters, or the Mother Earth as she spreads her verdant arms to embrace all life as we know it. You don't have to "hike". You can take a road trip with the help of a good forest service map and then get out and walk along a mountain road. You may want to pitch a tent or sleep in your van like I do next to a stream.  But the important thing is to get out and do it. You will make memories to be fondled and played with in your "diaper and dribble-cup years" that will put a smile on your face and drive your care nurse crazy.  That's almost a "two-fer", two good times for one.

Since we all only get to do this earthly trip once, I hope you treasure each day and make the most of it. Go stick your head in an old bear's den. He might grump, but throw him an apple. That will shut him up and give you time to retreat. Actually, the chance of you catching a bear in the den is pretty slim. But the chance of catching wildflowers, birds, small animals, maybe an elk or a deer are pretty good.

You will love every breath you take in the wilderness. Treasure THAT!! And remember when it comes to our wilderness we have to use it or lose it! So USE the heck out of it, leaving no trace of yourself and taking life-long memories to be treasured over and over again.