The BEAUTIFUL and the BAD

It was perfect  October weather last week -- just about as perfect as perfect can be.  Not too hot, not too cold.   No rain, but it has rained recently so it's no longer  too dry!  

 

All the colors of Autumn with blue sky -- from a Saturday morning walk around our neighborhood.   Earlier in the week, we took a drive up the McKenzie River.  The Highway is open again after being closed because of the Holiday Farm fire.       

 

 

Goodpasture Bridge, McKenzie River -- built 1938

 

Oregon has more covered bridges than any other state west of the Mississippi.   Back when bridges were built of wooden timbers, the roofs were protection from the Oregon rain.  Quite a few of them have been preserved and some like this one are still in limited use.  

   

 

We stopped at the bridge above and this stretch of the river just after leaving the urban area of Eugene/Springfield.    The sun was shining, the river flowed, the trees were green.   Over the years, we've had so many happy times along  the McKenzie and at first, the drive-by views  looked just like old times.   Because of last month's fire, we knew to expect  damage further along  but felt like we needed to see it for ourselves.     

 

 

We didn't have to drive too much further before seeing blackened trees and crews removing dangerously damaged ones .  Along here, we were surprised to see places where one home would be severely burned and the one on the next property still standing apparently unharmed.  In our travels, we've been in areas where we've seen the aftermath of hurricanes and tornados, but didn't expect fire damage to be so sporadic.   But this fire was exacerbated by a severe windstorm, so it was wind patterns here as well.   

 

 

We began to see signs thanking the fire crews for the amazing job they did stopping the fire where they did.  But soon we reached the towns of Finn Rock and Blue River.  Those towns are near where the fire started.  They are pretty much completely destroyed.

 

 

There used to be a store and cafe where the structure at the top left and center were taken.  Small vacation cottages lined the portion of the river where some owners are still sifting through the remains.   The three pictures on the bottom are from what was once the town of Blue River.  Firefighters saved the district school building, but the town is just gone.

 At first as we drove through the remains of the town it somehow  felt wrong that the sun was shining and the sky was blue.   I suppose it is a sign of hope.   It was so very sad, but I was still glad we took the drive.  We don't watch the news and  nothing I had read had quite prepared me for this.  It will be a long time before things are anywhere near back to normal in this part of our county.

Rather than re-trace our route  along the McKenzie River, we made it  a circle drive by going home over the Santiam Highway.  

 

 

 We were traveling a portion of this aptly named scenic byway.    Here is a brief bit of info from "America's Scenic Byways."

This 66-mile route begins in the rich farmland of the Willamette Valley, and then winds along rushing streams, and through dense forests as it climbs into the Cascades to join the West Cascades and McKenzie Pass-Santiam Pass National Scenic Byways.

Along the way travelers will pass through some of Oregon's oldest settlements, while experiencing the geographic diversity of five western Oregon ecosystems. With access to rivers, reservoirs, parks and campgrounds, many trails and winter sports access areas, this byway offers a wide range of scenic wonders and recreational activities.  

 

 

Short Bridge, Santiam River , Built 1945 to replace an earlier one built in 1920

 

Short Bridge crosses the South fork of the Santiam River.   Like the Goodpasture Bridge at the beginning of the post, this one is also named for a pioneer Oregon settler.  The name is not meant as a description, but it could be -- it really isn't very long.   (I think it is shorter than this blogpost is.)    If you've read this far, thank you!!    Even though I usually try to keep this blog "my happy space", another purpose of it is to keep memories.  And I don't want to forget this fire (which I can only hope will be a rare happening).    

 

LINKING this week to the following, with thanks to the hosts.  

 

MOSAIC MONDAY;  NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS;  SIGNS SIGNS;  OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY;  MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY;  FRIDAY  BLISS; 

 

 

Comments

[Debbie]

the covered bridge is so beautiful, i am naturally attracted to them!! as for the aftermath of the fire, oooooh, i can barely look. it is so heartbreaking as you think about the loss - it is more than i can handle right now!!!

[ellen b.]

It is hard to see the devastation from fires. I'll have to share this post with my brother's family who are RVing through Oregon this week. Thanks for sharing...

[Michelle Keltner]

I love those first photos, but it is sad to see the photos of the fires. Thank you for linking up and have a great week. Stay safe.

[Arun Goyal]

Heartbreaking ! I hope everything will be normal in near future.

[tomthebackroadstraveller]

...no global warming Donny says!

[Rambling woods]

It is hard to blog happy and I struggle

[Sharon Wagner]

I try to keep blogging happy too. No politics. No venting. Those west coast fires are terrible. Sad for all the unimaginable loss.

[riitta k]

Such sad sights after the fire. The firefighters have a tough job. The Us covered bridges are so interesting, we don’t have that tradition at all in Finland. Your autumn foliage in collage look fantastic and there is a Pampas grass too, I think. Warm greetings, take care.

[Alan Bates]

It's like a new era of fire these days. From what I read it is not just global warming, it is the mass of fuel available to burn. The destruction is just heartbreaking.

[Linda W]

So sad about the fire. I like the covered bridges.

[Gaelyn]

Fire is a weird phenomenon going through neighborhoods selectively. Very sad to see. But a scenic byway, they are always spectacular.

[Peter B.]

Aftermath of these fires is so tragic. Peoples lifelong hopes and dreams can so quickly disappear. On a happier note, I love the vintage covered bridges. They photograph beautifully!!

[Jim, Sydney, Australia]

Beautiful.

[A ShutterBug Explores]

A bittersweet post for sure ~ prayers and love to those who were affected by the fire ~ may you be safe and well and beautiful photographs ~ Xox

Live each moment with love,

A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)

[T3inKy]

Truly heartbreaking what the west has been through this year and recent ones as well. Bless you and stay safe!

[Dina Johnston]

So sad. Your pictures really tell the story.

[My Corner of the World]

You certainly have some wonderful scenery (as usual!) but I especially enjoyed the covered bridges. I love the sign, too!!

Many thanks for your link at 'My Corner of the World' this week !!

[bill burke]

The devastation is depressing. Hopefully the people will get the assistance they need. Love the covered bridges. When I first moved to Oregon in the 80s, we drove around Covallis and Eugene and I photographed lots of covered bridges. We wanted to see if we liked the area, we did but we ended up in Portland.
Have a wonderful week.

[William Kendall]

I can see that it would be numbing to view the aftermath of a fire.

[Veronica Lee]

Love your gorgeous fall colours, Sallie. It is so heartbreaking to see the haunting aftermath of the fires.

Stay safe, my friend!

[Lady Fi]

Beautiful autumn foliage and colours! Those burnt remains of people's hopes is very sad.

[Bob Bushell]

Hi Sallie
You have the colours of Autumn, the trees, green to copper red, beautiful. The Mississippi river winds is way onwards. And the bridges, nice.

[NatureFootstep]

Glad there are some unspoiled areas left. They are needed for recovery. But I guess more rain is needed. I love those old bridges. We don´t have any such covered ones.

Re your question: Hi sally, with harvest I mean the crop is taken are of. Hunting season is just about to begin. It is bad as it is also rut season soon. Our people in charge kind of count the population and they decide how many can be shot. And buck or doe. Hunters are licensed people. Not civilians. For the most part they shot bucks so there are not many old ones today. :( Just young ones.

[Martha]

Your fall photos are so gorgeous! I've always lived in Florida and have never traveled in the fall to see such beauty. I really need to add that to my bucket list. All the fire photos are overwhelmingly sad to see. I hope we never have to see another year as devastating as this one has been.

[craftygreenpoet]

Beautiful autumn colours and I love the covered bridge. The fires are tragic.

[Beatrice P Boyd]

This was indeed a bittersweet post, Sallie. Seeing the beautiful colors of Autumn and then the sad aftermath if towns where once people lived and enjoyed the beauty around. Like yourself, Imdo not watch the news and seeing something first hand is always more jarring. Thanks indeed to those brave firefighters as my husband was also one in NJ for over 25 years.

[Penelope Notes]

Trees that are so beautiful can turn into matchsticks unfortunately and homes burn or not at the whim of the wind it seems. If this year of fires didn’t get through to deaf ears nothing will. Thankfully, people do gather strength and rebuild.

[Hazel]

Covered bridges take you back in time. I love your colors of autumn.

[Life Images by Jill]

I love these old covered bridges - Mainly because of the romance of "The bridges of Madison county" - though I've only ever seen one - in Italy. So tragic to see the result of the bushfires I know how I felt when we had a fire near here a few years ago and then in the Stirling Ranges last summer. We saw the results in September. Devastating. Happy travels and stay safe

[Gillena Cox]

Gorgeous photos. Thanks for dropping by my blog today Sallie
Stay safe

Much❤love

[Sylvia D.]

Sallie, I love the covered bridges. How very sad. Thanks for sharing and have a good week. Sylvia D.

[iris Flavia]

I´ve never seen a bridge with a roof! So far... The river is sooo beautiful.
Oh, boy. Am I glad here in Germany we don´t have such fires, tornados or hurricanes! I am that lucky flooding is nearly impossible and storms should not get us, either, deep in the city.

I love the "thank you"-sign (and I am thankful my Hubby is too old for the job now! He was a volunteer firefighter).

Oh, I would love to take that Scenic Byway! We did that in Australia and to be honest... I have never seen such signs here in Germany, but maybe I´m "local-blind".
You made me giggle with the description of length of that second bridge 😁

Yes. Same here. Bad things happen and we should not forget.

[Rain Frances]

Beautiful photos, even though the subject matter is sad in some of them. Forest fires scare the bleep out of me. Firefighters are modern day heroes. I live in New Brunswick Canada, and we have lots of covered bridges here too, they're so lovely!

[Jennifer Jilks]

It's a lovely spot! I don't know much about Oregon. We have a few covered bridges here, just a few!

[Lavender Dreams]

That really is so sad to see the damage in that beautiful area. It just makes your heart sink! But I'm glad the land has a way of coming back to good health...eventually. Love these neat bridges! Have a good week my friend!

[Carol]

I really love old covered bridges. What a beauty - and the fall foliage is superb!

[David Gascoigne]

I too hope that the fires were an isolated event, Sallie, but I fear that next year may be worse, based on the serious scientific projections, free of political doublespeak, that I have seen.

[Sondra]

Awesome fall colors....and the fire reminds us of how frail our lives really are, and how we can go from all to zero in a few minutes time. Reality is a sad part of nature. I hope it is not a recurring theme for the area. The Scenic byway is the way to go for sure...and the covered bridges are wonderful. Have a great week!!

[Dawn aka Spatulas On Parade]

I love covered bridges and the trees/colors are beautiful.
Dawn aka Spatulas On Parade

[EileeninMD]

Hello Sallie,
It is sad seeing the damage from the fires, the homeowners had to be worried sick about losing their homes. The fall colors and trees are gorgeous. I love the covered bridges. Take care and stay safe. Wishing you a great day and a happy new week!

[Amy Franks]

Aren't the fire crews wonderful? We have so many volunteer fire fighters in NZ who don't get paid for what they do but we are so thankful for them.

[Pat]

I love driving along scenic highways! I love your autumn colors. I never knew that Oregon had the most covered bridges in the west. I always loved driving through them on trips to New England.
Seeing the remains of the fire made me sad. I'm sure you know that right now the Cameron Peak fire in Colorado is the largest in our state's history and our recent high winds have been carrying embers to other locations. We are a tinderbox right now with no rain for a month and none in the forecast. It's very scary for areas close to the wildfire.

[Angie]

Sallie - it is indeed sad and numbing to see the aftermath of a disaster such as the fire that wiped out Blue River. My greatest hope is that we can learn from this so that future generations do not have to experience more of the same. Thanks for sharing these beautiful autumn skies and colors, and the gorgeous covered bridges, with the Mosaic Monday crew!