Wednesday, September 23, 2020

More from Port Orford

A few days ago we went on a short hike along the Francis Schrader Trail, where there are still old growth Cedars and Douglas Firs. 

Looking up at these natural giants reminded me of how fragile, yet how powerful human beings are. 

 


Currently, wildfires are ripping through forest land. This old tree was burned in a fire over 100 years ago, and yet it survived and is still growing. We can't say the same for those that were clear-cut harvested in the past. We have seen many old growth stumps on our hikes in preserved areas. 

It will be a couple hundred years before any of the smaller trees around them will tower like they do. But given a chance, they will.


These two giant dead cedars may stand for many years before a storm brings them down if humans don't fell them first. We learned that when the trees die it can take several hundred years for them to fall and fully decay.

These two were killed by a non-native fungal disease that is being spread by bark beetles.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 


This was another interesting sight. Part way up the trunk of this living Cedar tree was a charred, blown out place. We could not see the back of the tree, but it probably went all the way around. 

The only explanation we could think of was that perhaps the tree was struck by lightning that it traveled down the trunk before exploding out at this point. 

The tree is surrounded by other giants, and perhaps they are holding it up while the living part of the tree continues to grow. If anyone else has any ideas on this, we welcome them to comment.

It was another beautiful walk!

On our way back to Port Orford we stopped at an overlook for "Sisters Rocks".

A few days later we returned to hike down to the rocks below.


The hike was short and not difficult, but I had a headache so only went part way.





You could not see this part of the southern shoreline from above at the overlook, but we could from the path.














As I enjoyed the sea air while sitting on a nice rock part way down the path, Craig went further down and then climbed up to look into the hidden sea cave.  Look for the blue of his jeans.









I was glad Craig had his phone with him, so he was able to share what he saw with me. I had our larger camera up top.


And through the magic of modern photography, I am able to share this gorgeous northerly view taken from my resting spot. 

I feel like we are hiding out, or just passing time, as we sit in this sleepy little Oregon coastal town, Port Orford. This, our sixth summer of full time travel sure didn't turn out as we had planned. But then there is the old expression "RV plans are written in Jello". 

I feel very fortunate to be able to do what we are doing. We feel safe, and I am trying very hard to focus on the smaller good things in my life rather than the big picture. 

It is all I can do.


4 comments:

  1. I agree that tree was likely struck by lightning. Redwood trees grow faster than people give them credit for. A small redwood tree can get that big in fifty years. How do I know, I live in them all my life and have watched some outside my door step get huge in my life time so don't believe everything you read about them as forest trees can grow much faster than the signs give them credit for. Of course for a big tree to get to be 2000 years old takes 2000 years but they get big much faster than that.
    Cape Blanco is open for day use and there is some nice hiking there at the Hughes house down the Sixes river to the mouth.

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    1. The growth timeline we were given was 250 years. They may get tall, but it can take much longer for them to get big. When an area is clear cut, the stumps are often also pulled out and regrowth does not occur. I am in favor of logging. Trees are a crop. But I also feel sad that more of the large trees are not left for future generations to enjoy as we have.

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  2. That truly looks like someplace we would enjoy visiting.
    Very Nice Pictures.
    Be Safe and Enjoy the environment.

    It's about time.

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  3. If you are still in Port Orford, The Crazy Norwegian has good fish and chips

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