Mountain Drive

In the backyard now there are more leaves on the ground than in the trees.  They make a pretty carpet.  Nowadays we aren't responsible for lawn care and in addition we've had mostly dry Fall weather.  Those two things make it easy for us  to admire the beauty without worrying about what needs to be done before the fallen leaves get wet and sloppy.

 

 I've read  that it's better for the environment and the birds to leave the leaves alone or to mulch them  in place.  We didn't know about that back in our former life when we had a yard and gardens.   Unfortunately, if this year is like past Autumns since we've lived in this apartment complex,  the lawn maintenance crew here doesn't know it yet.  And worse they will use noisy leaf-blowers.    At least, the City of Eugene will pick up the bagged leaves and make them into mulch available to the gardening public.  So there's that good thing.

Last week we took a mountain drive up the Old McKenzie Pass. It's a good day-trip  this time of year for the Autumn color and because Winter snow will close it.   

 

Bill loves driving curvy mountain roads.  I like riding along.   This is a good paved highway, but there are sharp curves and I wouldn't want to pull our trailer on it.   Years ago, when driving this road, we were stuck a traffic jam because a truck driver had jackknifed his long flatbed tractor/trailer rig on a curve.  We were coming down the hill, and had a few cars behind us.  We decided not to try backing up the hill to find a place to turn around, and instead  to wait for the totally blocked road to be cleared. It took quite a while, involving large recovery trucks being summoned from towns both above and below the accident.  I think a tree or two had to be removed before the problem was solved.  The truck driver had  passed flashing lights and signs warning that his 50 foot plus length was not allowed!

Whether you love navigating curves or not, there are beautiful mountain views as payback for the effort:

 

Three Sisters Mountain

Besides mountain viewing and leaf-peeping, we wanted to see how much damage there was in these hills from the summer wildfires.   It  wasn't quite as bad a fire season this past summer,  but still thousands of acres of forest land were burned and there were some evacuations in mountain communities and campgrounds.   Annual wildfires are a frightening fact of life now.  

 

 

Some ghost forests (dry burned trees) and blackened trunks along the McKenzie Pass.  

Back at home this past week, we've had some rain but interspersed with beautiful blue sky days that make it easier to appreciate the rainy ones.  Later in the season, when it starts to rain and drizzle day after day and the sky stays gray, that's when I have to remind myself often that we need the rain.  

 

 

Grateful for beautiful blue sky October days, but still hopeful for a good rainy season here because that means needed snow in the mountains east of us.   

 

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