June 18, 2007: Iron Mountain, Linn County, OR: The promise of a nice spring day lured us back to Iron Mountain. Marvin had never been to the summit so that was our goal. The tree that blocked the access road had been removed so this trip we were able to use the parking lot provided by the Forest Service.
We enjoyed the view from the summit. We could see the Three Sisters, Mount Washington, Mount Jefferson, Mount Hood and way off in the distance, Mount Adams.
While we admired the view a pair of Anicia Checkerspot butterflies performed their pas de deux, spiraling dizzily upward out of sight. Not to be outdone a pair of swallowtails duplicated the performance. We watched for awhile and soon the males returned alone to await another female.
The Checkerspot would chase the swallowtail away and then return to his perch.
We passed a half dozen hikers coming uphill as we were leaving so we didn’t have the woods to ourselves on this trip.
Before starting home we stopped by Sahalie and Koosah Falls on the McKenzie River. The water grade trail along the river is delightful and offers scenic views of the falls. And, coming across from Detroit to Estacada on FSD 46 a half dozen elk crossed the road in front of us. A good sized bull was escorting the herd. They were much too quick for pictures but left evidence of their passage in our memory.
It was just a great day.
byLarry
