Sweet Creek, Oregon, photo hike

PAGE 3

Sweet Creek, about an hour west of Eugene, Oregon

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O r e g o n
P h o t o T o u r s

Sweet Creek

Shoot Date: 6-18-2006

Several of these nifty bridges hug the walls of the canyon above the water, enabling the visitor to get up-close and personal with the creek and its surrounding habitat.

We lucked out when Paul noticed this little guy lumbering down the slope beside the trail. He seemed totally oblivious of us and went about his business only inches away, eating the surrounding foliage at a very rapid pace. It wasn't until he stumbled into the trail and nearly collided with someone's foot that he beat a quick retreat to the slope... and immediately started to munch again.
About four inches long, he didn't look like any animal we'd ever seen before. Obviously a rodent, he was tailless with small ears and arms shorter than his legs, as if he spends a good deal of the time sitting up (probably eating.) When we got home I did a web search for rodents of coastal Oregon and discovered that he's a mountain beaver, an herbivore common to these parts, though not actually related to the beaver. Evidently they're nocturnal and rarely seen by people, so we counted ourselves lucky to have happened across him. Below you can see a nice close-up of him that Paul caught.

All along the creek--and lining the roadsides for miles--were many tall spikes of these beautiful wild foxgloves in purple and the occasional white. Thinner and much taller than the hybridized varieties seen in gardens, these sometimes reached four feet tall. They made great accents amid the dense, vivid greenery along the roadside.

One last view of the creek on our way out. Thanks for joining us, and if you're ever in this area, be sure to stop and see this amazing place for yourself.