The Crooked River flow below the jagged volcanic spires known as the Phoenix Buttress at Smith Rock State Park in central Oregon. The park is a mecca to rock climbers seeking challenging climbs with relatively easy access.

The walls and spires of Smith Rock SP were formed 29.5 million years ago when a massive volcanic eruption occurred, the largest within the present boundaries of Oregon. Subsequent basaltic flows and deposition covered up the rocks from the older eruption around 500,000 years ago. Erosion from the Crooked River has re-exposed the older more resistant rock from the ancient eruption.

Tags:   Smith Rock State Park Phoenix Buttress Crooked River Oregon tuff rhyolite dike

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A species I had longed to see for many decades- twinflower (Linnea borealis), growing in the understory of an old-growth stand of Douglas fir in the Cascades along the Brice Creek trail southeast of Eugene Oregon. Although it is geographically widespread across mountains and the boreal zone in the northern hemisphere, including Colorado, it had eluded my searches for it until this summer.

Twinflower gets its common name from the pair of flowering stems emerging from a common node on the flowering stem. Its scientific name commemorates Carl Linnaeus, considered to be the originator of the modern taxonomic system for naming all organisms. Evidently Linnaeus was a bit of a curmudgeon, and would name what he considered to be beautiful plants after his supporters, while his detractors were used to name weeds and plants considered to be ugly. He didn’t name plants after himself (despite his arrogance)- Linnea was named by his friend and teacher Jan Frederik Gronovious.

Tags:   Twinflower Linnea borealis Brice Creek trail old-growth forest Cascades Oregon

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Deep in a lush old-growth forest in the Coast Range of Oregon Sweet Creek cascades over a dozen waterfalls along a 3 mile section. The forest includes huge douglas fir trees with an understory of big-leaf maple, alder, and ferns.

Tags:   Sweet Creek Falls old-growth forest Coast Range Oregon Waterfall

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A group of the many lovely cascades found along Sweet Creek in the Coast Range of Oregon.

Tags:   Sweet Creek Coast Range Oregon old-growth forest waterfall cascades

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The Crooked River meanders slowly beneath the jagged Phoenix Buttress illuminated by the early morning sun. Several features indicate the fiery volcanic history of this region. To the right is a portion of the shadowed Red Wall, an igneous intrusion (rhyolite dike) into the older volcanic sediments deposited during a massive eruption 29.5 million years ago. Another recent volcanic feature, a volcanic cone, one of many across the Cascade Range, is visible through the gap in the rock in the center right portion of the photo.

Tags:   Smith Rock State Park Phoenix buttress Crooked River volcanic deposits Oregon

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