A great drive

We headed off to Crater Lake. On the drive we saw some deer. The change from mostly meadows to forest was interesting, especially the variety in the forest. I love staring out at the landscape. I love losing myself to motion and the land. This trip made me realize how much I don't know about forestry.

There was overgrown, densely packed forest. Then there were areas where the forest had been eco-thinned. That was interesting to me, because it was forest service land. Typically there priority is log harvest and yet there were all these logs lying on the ground. Then we passed through a large area where there had been a fire. It was amazing. Pine trees that had lost everything but their trunk were finally growing back there branches and needles. They looked like very tall seedlings the green was so fresh. There were also trenches at very frequent intervals in the forest. I can't figure out what they were for, they were obviously artificial. It's driving me nuts.

And of course, there is that distinct transition when you enter the National Park. The trees are so much bigger. It is closer to the majesty of old growth forest. We also passed a beautiful river that was spilling over lava rock; it looked like it should be in Hawaii not the Oregon.