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Grizzly Peak panorama
This image isn’t done justice in a blog window. Hopefully you have a decent monitor (18+ inches) and can click on this to expand it to its full width.
If you look closely you can see not only cows but also some trucks on I-5.
I have always thought that one of the best views in town is from the middle school looking towards Grizzly Peak. So, this past week, when I went to pick up my son and arrived a little early I pulled out the camera to take in the view.
The cow in the foreground immediately came wandering over to me as if it thought I was going to feed or milk it or something.
I’ll try to remember to take a similar picture in a month or two when things are much greener.
A view from the backyard as a deer attempts to frolic on our neighbor’s play equipment. Grizzly Peak can be seen in the background.
My daughter took this picture a couple summers ago. We haven’t seen any fawns yet this year but it shouldn’t be long now.
These bucks are considering their recent purchase of a cute little house with a pink door and blue roof. They aren’t nearly as concerned with the lack of legal same-sex marriage in Oregon since a domestic partnership law is on the books. Instead, they are worried about the lack of head room in their new home.
Here is the little guy I talked about in yesterday’s blog entry. He was living out on this big rock in the ocean. There was grass (or maybe it was just moss) on the top of this rock but no trees. I’m not sure what he lived on. I doubt he scampers back into town on a regular basis since the rock is only connected to the beach for a brief part of the day. Even then it is probably a 40-yard scramble over a bunch of jagged rocks with water flowing between them. Then it’s another 20-yards of beach to the trees.
I suppose you could say he is a mini, non-human version of Ted Kaczynski, living life on his own terms, bucking the trends that his predecessor squirrels followed. I didn’t notice any manifestos or bombs in his possession however.
This is the second of three shots my daughter took that I will share with you. I like tomorrow’s the best so stay tuned.
Another contribution from my daughter. She took this one in April of 2007. My daughter is a pet lover. I am not. Every chance she gets she volunteers to watch the pets of others while they are out of town, etc. So this is “Hank,” a cat of a friend who spent a couple of days and a night at our house. My only memories of Hank include his walking over my face during the night while I was trying to sleep and the dozens of pictures my daughter took of him.
Photo taken in August of 2008
We don’t actually have chipmunks in Ashland (that I know of anyway). We have squirrels. I took the above picture a little over an hour from Ashland near Union Creek next to the Rogue River.
Photo taken in September of 2007
Pilot Rock isn’t technically in Ashland. It is on the California/Oregon border just south of Ashland and can be seen from many vantage points in Ashland. The landmark can also be climbed. The views from the top are spectacular on a clear day. One can see Mt. Ashland (in the background above), Mt. Shasta, and much more.
Getting there can be tricky and climbing it can be even worse. I don’t recommend the climb for kids or for those not in decent shape. To get there get off at the Mt. Ashland Exit on I-5 (Exit 6). Get on the east side of the freeway heading south on Old Highway 99 (which doesn’t resemble a highway anymore and may even turn into dirt and rocks if memory serves). Make a left just beyond the crest onto a likely unmarked Pilot Rock Road 40-2E-33. The road immediately splits. Take the left. Drive about 2 miles before turning left. Turn right onto Road 41-2E-3 (again, probably not marked) where there is a large plateau area. After another half mile you will keep right when the road splits. Another .2 miles later you will cross the Pacific Crest Trail. There is a small parking area on the right.
After parking you begin your Pilot Rock ascent by walking across the road and getting on the Pacific Crest Trail for about 900 feet. Stay right and you’ll eventually see Pilot Rock and be able to take it from there. When you get to the rock itself, stay left against the wall.
Make sure to bring water and wear high tops or your shoes will fill up with small rocks. Bug repellent is also a good thing to bring along in certain seasons. The above lizard lives off of the little guys.