标签 俄勒冈 下的文章
史密斯洛克州立公园，俄勒冈 Smith Rock State Park, Oregon (© Manuela Durson/Getty Images)
史密斯洛克州立公园，俄勒冈 Smith Rock State Park, Oregon (© Manuela Durson/Getty Images)
A rock in a wild place
Here in the high desert of Central Oregon, Smith Rock beckons rock climbers from around the world with its cliffs of tuff and basalt. Considered by many to be the birthplace of American sport climbing, it's home to nearly 2,000 climbing routes of all levels of difficulty. For those happier with their feet firmly planted on the ground, Smith Rock State Park offers the usual range of outdoor activities, including biking, hiking, and watching for wildlife including prairie falcons, golden eagles, and mule deer.
巨大的冰柱悬挂在Abiqua瀑布周围的玄武岩石墙上，俄勒冈 Frozen colosseum of ice sticking to the columnar basalt walls surrounding Abiqua Falls, Oregon (© Joshua Meador/Tandem Stills + Motion)
巨大的冰柱悬挂在Abiqua瀑布周围的玄武岩石墙上，俄勒冈 Frozen colosseum of ice sticking to the columnar basalt walls surrounding Abiqua Falls, Oregon (© Joshua Meador/Tandem Stills + Motion)
Midwinter freeze
Abiqua Falls in Oregon is a beautiful example of a basalt column amphitheater. Over 90 percent of all volcanic rock is basalt, but only a small fraction of it forms into the hexagonal columns that you see here. When molten lava hits the atmosphere, the rapid cooling of the rock causes it to contract into these characteristic columns. It's just part of what makes Abiqua Falls so spectacular.
The waterfall is on the grounds of the Mount Angel Abbey, a Benedictine monastery formed in 1882. The monastery now houses a seminary school, a library, retreat center, and a very successful brewery. Monks and brewing have a long tradition together, with medieval monks being credited with developing the first true breweries as early as the 9th century. Lest you think the monks were just looking for a little buzz, remember that beer was such a common drink back then because it was healthier than the often polluted or diseased water generally available to the public.
野外探险家亚历克斯·彼得森在胡德山南侧快速滑翔，俄勒冈 Backcountry adventurer Alex Peterson speed riding on the south side of Mount Hood, Oregon (© Richard Hallman/DEEPOL by plainpicture)
野外探险家亚历克斯·彼得森在胡德山南侧快速滑翔，俄勒冈 Backcountry adventurer Alex Peterson speed riding on the south side of Mount Hood, Oregon (© Richard Hallman/DEEPOL by plainpicture)
Ready, Set, Snow
Far above the clouds, an adrenaline-seeking skier glides past the jagged Crater Rock on Oregon's Mount Hood. He's practicing a relatively young sport known as speed riding—similar to paragliding but with more emphasis on high velocity than altitude. Skiers with parachute-like 'wings' launch downslope at high speed, navigating runs partly on skis and partly in the air.
As Oregon's loftiest peak and with a year-round ski season, Mount Hood has long been a destination for pioneering winter sports enthusiasts, so a view of its snowy slopes seemed appropriate for World Snow Day. This annual celebration was initiated by the International Ski Federation in 2012 to promote sledding, skiing, snowboarding, and other frigidly fun athletics. Organizers also emphasize the health benefits and connection to nature that snow sports provide. With hundreds of wintry events slated worldwide, it's touted as 'the biggest day on snow all year.'
Fort Rock Valley Historical Homestead博物馆，俄勒冈 Fort Rock Valley Historical Homestead Museum, Oregon (© Prisma by Dukas Presseagentur GmbH/Alamy)
Fort Rock Valley Historical Homestead博物馆，俄勒冈 Fort Rock Valley Historical Homestead Museum, Oregon (© Prisma by Dukas Presseagentur GmbH/Alamy)
A night on the (ghost) town
The spooky scene here might look like someplace you'd want to avoid, but it's not likely to scare you—not too much anyway. It's the Fort Rock Valley Historical Homestead Museum in central Oregon—a collection of abandoned homestead-era buildings from the area. In the late 19th and early 20th century, people acquired federal lands around here for farms and ranches via the Homestead Acts. But most left within a few years due to the hot, dry summers and extremely cold winters. Today, the buildings are assembled as a ghost town and contain items from that period, including furniture, dishes, and tools. There's also a nearby cemetery which, according to local lore, is haunted by the ghost of rancher and author Reub Long riding his horse.
You can find ghost towns scattered around the country, the dilapidated remains of towns whose populations grew quickly and then dwindled. Many of them, like Rhyolite, Nevada, and Bodie, California, were gold (or silver or coal) mining towns that declined once the profits dried up. Others, like Cahawba, Alabama, died due to floods or other natural disasters. They may not all be haunted, but they sure can give off a spooky vibe.
胡德山国家森林里的延龄草湖，俄勒冈州 Trillium Lake in Mount Hood National Forest, Oregon (© Frank Krahmer/Getty Images)
胡德山国家森林里的延龄草湖，俄勒冈州 Trillium Lake in Mount Hood National Forest, Oregon (© Frank Krahmer/Getty Images)
A picture-perfect day on Trillium
Today we're out on Trillium Lake, a manmade lake in the shadow of Mount Hood, Oregon's tallest peak. Formed in 1960 by damming a tributary of the Salmon River, Trillium Lake's a popular spot for fishing, camping, and boating. In springtime, the surrounding woods are filled with trilliums, the native flowering plants the lake's named for. Take the flat, 1.9-mile loop trail around the lakeshore for stunning views of Mount Hood. But don't stop there. Mount Hood National Forest has more than 1,200 miles of hiking trails, not to mention year-round skiing at higher elevations. Wrap up your day at the Timberline Lodge, built during the Great Depression by the WPA and now a US National Historic Landmark. Bonus fact: Timberline Lodge was used for exterior shots of the Overlook Hotel in the horror movie 'The Shining.' But don't let that scare you off visiting.
俄勒冈州Zumwalt Prairie的草原土墩 Prairie mounds at Oregon’s Zumwalt Prairie (© Michael Durham/Minden Pictures)
俄勒冈州Zumwalt Prairie的草原土墩 Prairie mounds at Oregon’s Zumwalt Prairie (© Michael Durham/Minden Pictures)
Mysterious prairie mounds abound
Collections of these dome-like hills are common in landscapes throughout the United States. Depending on your region, you might know them as Mima mounds, hogwallow mounds, or even pimple mounds–and their origin isn’t always clear. Theories range from seismic activity to gophers—and even just an accumulation of sediment. The prairie mounds on our homepage today are part of Oregon’s Zumwalt Prairie, a unique landscape in northeast Oregon. Encompassing some 330,000 acres, It’s of one of the largest remaining intact tracts of bunchgrass prairie in North America. Once part of an extensive grassland in the region, this portion has remained preserved due to its high elevation, which made farming difficult.
