Katie Roams: A Whirlwind

The last few weeks have been busy . . . and cold; winter isn't being shy this year. Despite the work and the temperature, I've managed to abandon the swirling flurry of papers in favor of swirling flurries of autumn leaves.

When the rain started in early October, I bought some rain pants and reluctantly prepared myself for another wet season. Much to my surprise, Eugene really is dryer than Seattle and I have only had to use those pants a handful of times. One weekend evening I took a walk around the Ridgeline Trails for some fresh air and colors.

This is my attempt at editing a photo past the "I'm feeling lucky" button on Picasa

Halloween weekend brought Peter to town and sent a group of us out for a climbing trip to the Callahans. Unfortunately, it was too wet so we turned instead to the Umpquah hot springs.

Translation: There is at least one old naked guy up there. Always.

This natural hot spring has been dammed into a series of pools of varying temperature. One pool is covered by a rickety lean-to, giving the whole scene a rustic feel. The spring sits on a hillside overlooking the river far below. It sprinkled lightly on us, but the water was so warm that to hop from pool to pool was no inconvenience. We spent hours soaking and relaxing and planning our next visit: post climbing, in the snow, a ski trip once the road is closed. After we took a short hike to a nearby waterfall.

Last Sunday, I helped lead a field trip to the coast. I prepared for weather akin to taking a ride in a laundromat washer, but as we drove into Florence, the sun was peaking through the clouds. You could not ask for a better day on the Oregon coast. We went north as far as Newport, and I killed my phone snapping pictures of the scene.