I drive past it every day. Figured there was nothing to see back there on that short paved trail. But the lakes dry up to mudflats in the summer, which allowed me to do some exploring. Saw a nutria, first ever. Started out boring, but a bunch of interesting stuff emerged an hour in. Gets dark early these days, and I lost my way. Wondered if I'd spend a miserable night out there, but years of off-trail adventures paid off, and I made some smart decisions on the way back (would have been even smarter to pay attention as I was hiking in).
[more pics will follow in a couple minutes]
after-work city hike: Smith and Bybee
after-work city hike: Smith and Bybee
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Re: after-work city hike: Smith and Bybee
A few more pics will follow (am I cheating by posting multiple sets of the maximum?)
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- Pompous and pretentious.
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- I like this.
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- If you decline to pay for this "public art" you can be tortured at the hands of the state in this "home of the free and land of the brave". What a strange world we live in.
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- I've never picked up so many burrs. I'm seriously thinking about tossing the jeans I wore.
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- Lowlife dirtbags think a wildlife refuge is the best place to go shooting.
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- Trough connecting the lakes. Seemed to be manmade (like so much out here).
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- Like I give a damn what Metro thinks about anything.
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- Unknown.
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- Ominous. Great mood out here this day.
Re: after-work city hike: Smith and Bybee
blah blah blah
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- Hmm...
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- I have no idea.
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- Dam between Columbia Slough and one of the lakes. I think this is to keep the lake full in the summer.
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- From a distance it looked like just a pile of logs, but up close I could see there was clearly some sort of structure here at one time.
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- Had to clear out the brush to read the sign. Not really much of a trail here, so the sign was extraneous.
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- Mystery. (graffiti redacted)
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- "plant survey"
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- A sampling well. I think this is because of the proximity to the old closed St Johns landfill. There were a handful of these.
Re: after-work city hike: Smith and Bybee
Don't act so surprised. It's a Chip Down TR; you must have known there would be beer.
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- Oops, took that turn a little too fast.
Re: after-work city hike: Smith and Bybee
Looks like you found some interesting things in there.
Now, don't you think you're getting a little fancy with the beer glass?
Now, don't you think you're getting a little fancy with the beer glass?
Re: after-work city hike: Smith and Bybee
Never been there when the water levels were so low, so it's interesting to see what the end-of-summer drought exposes. Smith Lake's water level is more controlled to provide summer recreation opportunities (canoeing, etc.); Bybee Lake is allowed to fluctuate more naturally.
Re: after-work city hike: Smith and Bybee
You had me laughing hard at that one!Chip Down wrote:Gets dark early these days, and I lost my way. Wondered if I'd spend a miserable night out there, but years of off-trail adventures paid off, and I made some smart decisions on the way back (would have been even smarter to pay attention as I was hiking in).
Some people are really fit at eighty; thankfully I still have many years to get into shape…