Fall in Ashland, Oregon

Yesterday I thought I'd take a break from the monotony and go to Ashland to take pictures of the fall leaves and such:

Southern Oregon Coast Trip, 5/31/09

Part 1:



Part 2:

More Pictures from Lower Table Rock.

Hiking Notes.

I just returned from a hike on Lower Table Rock. Hiking guides in the southern Oregon area call the trail "moderate," but in fact it is largely strenuous. After one gets to the top of the rock, there is a trail continuing for about a mile to the edge. It used to be an airplane landing:



I will have to make it a point to visit the rocks during the spring months because there are many wildflowers there, including the endangered dwarf woolly meadowfoam, which grows only on the Table Rocks and nowhere else on the planet. What would also be worthwhile is seeing the vernal pool fairy shrimp, which can be seen during the rainy months of November through April. It is also on the federal list.

The County Where I Spent

the first twenty-nine years of my life, Jackson County, Oregon, is about to earn a dubious distinction: If funding doesn't come soon from the federal government, it will close down its entire library system.

This is no mean feat, for this is largest such closure in the United States.

Congress needs to get off its collective ass and push through the funding.

Despite the convenience of the internet, it is no substitute whatsoever for libraries and other traditional avenues of obtaining information:

Kniffel, the American Libraries magazine editor, said most people feel the same way, and despite the advent of electronic information, library visits nationwide increased 61 percent between 1994 and 2004.

"Say you search something online and get 550,000 hits. How do you know which one is the right one?" he said. "You need a knowledgeable navigator to help you."

Incidentally, Talent doesn't have a population of 20,000; it's only about 5,000 or 6,000, if that. Nearby Ashland is about that large.