Not far down Interstate 5 we took the exit that goes to Drain and on to Elkton to the Elkton RV Park.
The RV park is next to the Umpqua River, one of the most beautiful rivers in Oregon, with shallows and at some points, glassy smooth waters and great vistas. Where we were is a pretty spot for viewing the river.
I went out on some shore rocks that had many small pools of water.
I don't know why but something down river caught my eye. It was a family of otters that had found a rock in the river to stand on.
They soon started upriver.
This one was having a bit of a problem with the swift water in the middle of the river.
After the otters took off I decided I'd walk the rocky shore and look at the pot holes in the rock. They were all shapes and sizes and some had the rocks inside that help form the pot holes.
As I understand it part of the year when the river is high small holes are eroded in the rock. Later sand and pebbles fall into the holes and are swirled around creating the potholes. As the pot holes enlarge larger rocks fall in accelerating the process.
Many of the pot holes are perfectly round and there is no indication of an outlet. Some like this one are almost dry.
Some are elongated and usually those have an inlet for the water. Some like this one have foliage growing inside them.
This pot hole shows how it retains the water and has few rocks inside.
This pot hole has inlets on either side and must get a lot of sun because it's perfectly dry.
This pot hole is submerged totally but still you can see as the water level drops it will also become dry.
You can see one small pot hole at the bottom of this image just a bit to the left of center. You can also see how some water is trapped in the rocky shoreline. The shore at this part of the Umpqua river is actually a large rock formation.
I kind of liked this shot that looks like a miniature seaport village complete with palm tree.
So lets start to look at the shore and the tiny inlets that flow and then pool between the huge rock structures.
Looking closer to the river I got the feeling the bed of the river is much like this shore area. Look at the pot holes below the surface.
This is the shoreline and rocks I walked through for the pictures. Notice the surfaces are smooth and covered with moss.
I got low to take this picture looking down one of the rivulets.
There was the occasional plant growing between the rock surfaces.
The surface showed that there were little grasses and other foliage searching for water and finding them where they could.
There were some very interesting potholes like this one with a larger rock that was captured when the river was high.
This pot hole had both large pocks and plants inside and almost looked like a garden pond that had been planned.
This on also looked too arraigned to be natural.
The shapes were very interesting and I had a good time walking around.
Of course the Umpqua is a great fishing river and these two fishermen were coming back to the RV park from a trip upriver.
Scrabble Score - Scrabble Queen 325 - The Contender 322
Quote of the Day
The RV park is next to the Umpqua River, one of the most beautiful rivers in Oregon, with shallows and at some points, glassy smooth waters and great vistas. Where we were is a pretty spot for viewing the river.
I went out on some shore rocks that had many small pools of water.
I don't know why but something down river caught my eye. It was a family of otters that had found a rock in the river to stand on.
They soon started upriver.
This one was having a bit of a problem with the swift water in the middle of the river.
After the otters took off I decided I'd walk the rocky shore and look at the pot holes in the rock. They were all shapes and sizes and some had the rocks inside that help form the pot holes.
As I understand it part of the year when the river is high small holes are eroded in the rock. Later sand and pebbles fall into the holes and are swirled around creating the potholes. As the pot holes enlarge larger rocks fall in accelerating the process.
Many of the pot holes are perfectly round and there is no indication of an outlet. Some like this one are almost dry.
Some are elongated and usually those have an inlet for the water. Some like this one have foliage growing inside them.
This pot hole shows how it retains the water and has few rocks inside.
This pot hole has inlets on either side and must get a lot of sun because it's perfectly dry.
This pot hole is submerged totally but still you can see as the water level drops it will also become dry.
You can see one small pot hole at the bottom of this image just a bit to the left of center. You can also see how some water is trapped in the rocky shoreline. The shore at this part of the Umpqua river is actually a large rock formation.
I kind of liked this shot that looks like a miniature seaport village complete with palm tree.
So lets start to look at the shore and the tiny inlets that flow and then pool between the huge rock structures.
Looking closer to the river I got the feeling the bed of the river is much like this shore area. Look at the pot holes below the surface.
This is the shoreline and rocks I walked through for the pictures. Notice the surfaces are smooth and covered with moss.
I got low to take this picture looking down one of the rivulets.
There was the occasional plant growing between the rock surfaces.
The surface showed that there were little grasses and other foliage searching for water and finding them where they could.
There were some very interesting potholes like this one with a larger rock that was captured when the river was high.
This pot hole had both large pocks and plants inside and almost looked like a garden pond that had been planned.
This on also looked too arraigned to be natural.
The shapes were very interesting and I had a good time walking around.
Of course the Umpqua is a great fishing river and these two fishermen were coming back to the RV park from a trip upriver.
Scrabble Score - Scrabble Queen 325 - The Contender 322
Quote of the Day
“A pile of rocks ceases to be a rock when somebody contemplates it with the idea of a cathedral in mind.” ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery quotes (French Pilot, Writer and Author of 'The Little Prince', 1900-1944)
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