Fire blooms in the basin floor. It left behind charred remnants, planted still in the Earth. A raging inferno, razing the land, scorched remains, skeletons of once living trees. But from death comes rebirth, and once more the basin is … Continue reading
There’s a plant that looks like poison hemlock, but the leaves are different and so are the heads. There’s also plants that grow in clusters with long stems, ending in bunches of fragrant seed pods. Several burned plants are about, … Continue reading
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Legend: Pushpin=sigificant place Line=approximate route travelled
There’s a cliff. Kept up by roots. The roots are there by trees. Small trees. Smaller than one imagines thirty foot wall of dirt. The tide’s high. Water laps like a tease. But it’s colder than ever now. You can … Continue reading
The plants fought back. They are just as alive as you and I, but we always forget that. They start out just as small as we do: as pollen. They grow through the years, just as we do. These plants … Continue reading
giant’sfootprint
The earth was like the Sistine chapels ceiling, cracking beneath our feet. Why does the earth crack that way? The sky robs the ground, to give it all back again in the end. The water flows down from the clouds, … Continue reading
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Dry Gully
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Here before us is “the big picture,” or at least a part of it. The breadth of this canyon, the nested oasis it contains, the plants we see here that do not show their thirsty faces elsewhere; all these combine … Continue reading
The hanging canyon at Dry Falls was the second stop for the Daytrippers The canyon is about 2/3 mile in length, and about 1/10 mile wide. The canyon runs west for about 1/4 mile, then south until the mouth opens … Continue reading
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Hanging Canyon
The higher the climb the steeper the slope; finally, a bird’s view of the once obstructed end of Deep Lake. The lake stretches in front of me, blue-green against the red of the cliffs. Reflections of dusty red bluffs on … Continue reading
This lake is nestled in between two massive rock faces. This area was likely made by the flood digging deeper and deeper down, through an area of substantially softer rocks. The sheer banks reflect this. The lake has a good amount … Continue reading
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Legend: Pushpin=sigificant place Line=approximate route travelled Warning sign=warning
This path seems to be going further than I had anticipated when I started out. My book group is still sitting at the picnic table, probably, talking about the channeled scabland formations and the significance of Deep Lake. This sagebrush … Continue reading
Plants: Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) Orange, green, white crustose lichens (Mycophycophyta) Cheat grass (Bromus tectorum) Animals: Gnats (Culex pipiens) Wasps (Vespula Spp.) Bees (Apis mellifera) Darkling beetle (Gonopus tibialis) Deer (Cervidae) Trash: Fishing line Cigarettes Water bottle Beer cans Plastic bits
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We ventured towards Deep Lake and found a cave that opened into a pothole. Climbing inside, we found that the pothole was inhabited by a few trees and shrubs, along with wheat and cheat grasses. The walls were about 20 … Continue reading
[singlepic id=296 w=320 h=240 float=] It is difficult to not be consumed by the vast and seemingly endless space out here at Dry Falls. I find myself searching for anything that will give me comfort: A pair of trusting and … Continue reading
Water is slow moving Lush vegetation in close proximity with stream Deer tracks and bedding are present. Soil is deeper near the Spring/stream Small fish inhabit the stream
The ground was mostly a dark, oxidized sand and basalt gravel with sporadic rock formations like cairns. This gave me a feeling of desolation, hinting someone had been there, only to find they had gone. We walked on an improvised … Continue reading
Field Notes: 1st Location: Dry Falls Lake October 12th, 2012 Late morning Weather/Atmosphere: Mostly sunny Warm with slight breeze Overall composition: Rocks, grass, shrubs, trees Buttes, basins, lakes, boulders Beetles, centipedes, birds, snakes Old persons fishing Us, observers Deer, deer … Continue reading
A theme at Dry Falls Lake was the sinificant amount of activity. There were repetitive clusters and clumps like the rocks, feces, bones and concentration of people. Red pin indicates our locaion, Dry Falls Lake Yellow pins indicate observations of interest
Green Lake Cake Green Lake did not strike me as particularly green, or at least not when we were there. Perhaps earlier in the year green graces the lake’s banks and waters, yet for us it was in mourning of … Continue reading
Touch: The lake is dry, but moist just beneath, and in the middle the mud is deep. On top of the mud is a layer of white powdery stuff, the consistency powdered sugar perhaps, or maybe salt mixed with ash. … Continue reading
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At Red Alkali Lake we defied Peters wise words, and climbed the loose basalt up to a cave. From there we watched, like hawks circling the sky, looking out at the dry valley. We watched Jayden almost get sucked into … Continue reading
Dear Former Self, I would ask you how you are, but I already know. Perhaps you are running on the driftwood along the beach, avoiding the sand at all costs because it’s lava. Perhaps you are climbing the … Continue reading
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Plant Species: Stiff Sage Brush, Lichen on North faces of rock formations, Queen Ann’s Lace, Cheap Grass, Wheat Grass, Reeds, Purple Sage, Common Cattail, Wild Rose Rocks: Basalt is the major rock type in the area. The loose rocks that … Continue reading
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I am constantly reminded of where I am; in life; in school; in the world. At this moment I am sitting on the edge of the butte, on the edge of life, really. My feet dangle off the edge of … Continue reading
Day 2: The Butte Plant Species: Base of Saddle: Sage, Cheap Grass, Bear Grass, Bent Grass, Monkey Flowers, Thistle Trees, Sagebrush Stickseed, Mules Ear, Rabbits Foot On Saddle: Lichens (on rocks), Thistle Trees, Cheap Grass, Bear Grass, Moss Lichens- … Continue reading
Umatilla Rock was much less of an adventure than any of the other sites, and the rocks were not at all safe to climb. However it was fun to image all the water flowing above and around the rock, and … Continue reading
Our world is created by perception. To the naked eye, a valley is just a valley; the sage is just sage; a person is a stranger. In this light, ignorance is not bliss, it is blinding. I try to see, to understand … Continue reading
Plant Species: Stiff Sage, Thistle Trees, Cheap Grass, Bear Grass, Reeds (only by water) I imagine its harder for life to grow on top of this rock, its in much more direct sunlight, further away from water, and the wind … Continue reading
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As we climbed to the top of the plateau, not knowing what was in store for us, our neurons fired with excitement. We were met with satisfaction when we reached the top. Our minds blown from the actual scale; the … Continue reading
This place has moments of strong silence, where the faintest shuffle seems to fill the air with intensity. I see the silence reflected in the stillness of nearby plants, and the surrounding standing structures of stone. How many silent moments … Continue reading
The mesa is directly East of Umatilla Rock, it offers an amazing view of the valley and Dry Falls Lake. The plateau landscape is very similar to the valley, except that the rocks and shrubs are a lot smaller. The … Continue reading
On day two, the Carrot Spoons made the journey to La Mesa. On the way back, we explored a huge channel, which turned out not to be a shortcut. It was great anyway! Their track is meandering, and appears to … Continue reading
The Longitudinal groove we arrived at (with some difficulty) had little meaning for the non-specialist yet provoked a sense of being that made it memorable as a ‘place to be’. Red pin indicates our location, the longitunal groove Yellow pins indicate … Continue reading
What do I see? It’s a dry pothole with trees at the lower areas so that you could not see the bottom. The rocks that surrounded the upper half of the hole seemed very unstable. I looked at the scene … Continue reading
Field Notes: 2nd Location at Dry Falls: Mossbottom Pothole Pothole off of Jeep Trail Approximately ¼ of a mile east of Deep Lake dock October 13th, 2012 Noon Weather/Atmosphere: Overcast, slight rain Cold, breezy Sounds: Bird calls, near and distant … Continue reading
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The pothole we visited was like a cavity of color and life within the open desert. The area is somewhat chaotic. The broken up rock strewn across the immediate surroundings signified action within the greater stillness of the landscape. Red pin indicates … Continue reading
Deep Lake Deep Lake’s water is clear with algae in shallow areas along the shore areas around deep lake look like seasonal flood plains. These areas are characterized by fine sediment, extremely arid sediment, and a lack of vegetation. Water … Continue reading
A Pothole Near Deep Lake We walk along a seemingly endless road, with smiles on hand until we come upon Deep Lake. The lake is the ultimate symbolism of life itself; a green tint shows thriving algae and the … Continue reading
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As we rounded the bend, a wide valley opened before us. The form and constraint from previous experience seemed to immediately vanish. Prior beliefs, assumptions, theories, narratives, and comforts could not stretch to contain this new perpective and so were … Continue reading
Anonymous Field Notes The pothole is about 60 ft. in diameter and 40 ft. deep. The rocks are all basalt and seem to be organized by size. There are a section of small golf ball sized rocks, next to a … Continue reading
On the first day of field research we walked to a pothole on the South side of Deep Lake. These pictures convey different perspectives on how this space became a place for us.
Potluck This is the pothole that our group went to on the first full day of being at Dry Falls. We stumbled upon it after climbing a treacherous and rocky path up to the plateau.
Land. It has seen 10,000 years of our past and has lived through more than we can know completely. Each rock tells its own story, carved with patterns of geologic lineage. In the valley below, boulders open to a barren, … Continue reading
Plants: Orange, green, white crustose lichens Basalt loose rocks and cliffs Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) Cheat grass (Bromus tectorum) Cattails Nettles Wild Roses Saddle fungus Rotting Elf fungus Algae Animals: Gnats Bees Wasps Gardner snake Bull snake Rattlesnake skin Hobo spider … Continue reading
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At Red Alkali Lake, there was evidence of the drought. Arid ground cracked beneath our feet and a hawk circled above, looking for any prey we might stir up. We sat on a boulder and watched the day go by, … Continue reading
Imagine cliffs to every side, canyon like in their complexity of form, vast in their expanse, yet vaster still is the expanse between them. Grassland winds endlessly around the cliffs, dotted with boulders, most small yet some large, towering over … Continue reading
Touch: Getting down into the pothole the rocks shift beneath my feet. My skin feels dry against damp stone. Hot against it’s coldness. The rock is rough, solid, pockmarked with lichen. Moss grows here as well, soft and refreshing against … Continue reading
As I stand close to the water on the beach at Evergreen I picture a painting. One that is changing from living, moving objects such as trees to dying still objects. Although this change seems dull and full of nothing … Continue reading
You can see in all degrees for a good while and everywhere you look can take your breath away. The distance and elevation is pretty dramatic. When you’re on a flat part of the mesa looking around at the other … Continue reading
The plants on this mesa are larger than the plants on the other one There are many small ridges and valleys on this mesa Each valley contains a slightly different ecosystem, with larger plant species and sage brush, which is … Continue reading
This is the gallery of pictures from the Southern Mesa
We sit at the edge of the world, and smell distant fire making its way through the air. Sun and water diffuse each other to form a rainbow over the distant bluffs. Calm. The little pebbles that were so noisy … Continue reading
Plants: Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) Cheat grass (Bromus tectorum) Other knee high grasses Desert Asters (Xylorhiza tortifolia) Desert Buckwheat (Eriogonum codium) Orange, green, and white crustose lichens (Mycophycophyta) Moss (Bryophyta) Animals: Darkling beetle (Gonopus tibialis) Sparrows Cows (in the form of … Continue reading
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The southern escarpment is an area located just south of camp. Here, there was a small rock outcropping that we found shelter underneath when a few drops began to fall. Thick, golden grasses tickled our ankles and played with the … Continue reading
When on top of the cliffs, I cannot help but feel like a parasite, a flesh covered flea standing on the precipice of some rocky laceration. The empty expanse standing before me is blood, and I feed from it, taking … Continue reading
Shallow soil with sparse desert vegetation. Vegetation is less sparse and more hydrated near the bottoms of grooves. Predominately basalt rocks, with heavy to light lichen cover. Large amounts of livestock droppings. Grooves roughly 16 feet deep. Areas of sloping … Continue reading
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The babbling brook, as I’m sure everyone will write, is babbling. I see a microscopic, seemingly endless expanse. It flows as I hope to do, into the distance. A leafy cloud cover, pinescrapers slashing through its softness to the god … Continue reading
There is an uncomfortable sense in writing this place by description. The haggard floodscape is quintessential of an uneasy subject. One can identify the location, and perhaps it leads to an in depth comprehension. The longitudinal groove is a feature … Continue reading
Field Notes: 3rd Location at Dry Falls: Longitudinal Grooves Sunday, October 14th 2012 Audio: Very quiet Almost (but not quite) far enough from the highway not to hear it Voices of other teams are heard but they are not … Continue reading
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Here are our photographs of the longitudinal groove. Continue reading
The peak of a basalt spinal column appears easily accessible from above. A little more than half a mile, no problem. The pursuit of a perfect view swaddled by a secret fear of heights. Not much required to conquer the … Continue reading
There’s sagebrush here, and some small strangely pink-white flowers. Occasional grasses spring up. Small tan rocks around that don’t seem to belong, they almost look like quartz. There are flies up here, as well as ants and the occasional bee. … Continue reading
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Legend: Pushpin= sigificant place Male/Female sign= starting point Arrow pointing to star= spider Line= approximate route travelled
On the butte called Umatilla rock was a saddle that was low enough to cross on foot. On either side, lay a valley, one with a full lake and the other with a dry one. The earth was cool on … Continue reading
Touch: By the time I write this it’s wet. Small raindrops sprinkle expectantly on my hands. The stone is rough and scratchy where I touch. The stone cracked and unstable. The grass is smooth and my feet slip slightly against … Continue reading
