08/18/09 Day trip to Silverton to visit the Oregon Garden, a spectacular 80 acre botanical garden.

We had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa Burrows, afterwards we went out for lunch at a nice German restaurant in Mt. Angel, we sure had a good time. We love when they come to visit =;)

The garden was created to showcase Oregon’s significant nursery diversity for Oregonians and others to enjoy. Some believed it was possible and donated time and money. It was not easy. The Oregon Garden site in Silverton was selected in 1995, groundbreaking occurred in 1997, and the grand opening was in 2001.

08/14/2009 Climbing South Sister!!!!! The trail to the summit of South Sister gains a staggering 4,900 feet of elevation! What a Rush........

Hike to the top of South SisterIt's a non-technical but very demanding climb of the state's third-tallest peak.
About the Hike: Oregon's third-tallest mountain has a path to its top. Admittedly, the trail up 10,358-foot South Sister is exceedingly steep, long and rugged, but no technical climbing skills are required and the rewards are great.
From the summit - a broad, snowy crater with a small lake - you can see half the state. If this sounds too demanding, here's a secret: the loop to Moraine Lake, halfway up the mountain, is just as picturesque. This lower hike avoids the final trudge up cinder scree, yet still offers views 100 miles south to Mount McLoughlin. What's more, the weather's better here. The summit often generates its own little cloud, complete with whiteouts, wind, and a miniature blizzard.

Relaxing at Black Butte August 10th 2009

Just hanging at the house, Grandma Burrows had a great time winning!!!!

Tuesday August 11th

We decided to go on a hike to Canyon creek Meadows.

The B&B forest fire burned a third of the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness in 2003, but the cliffs surrounding Canyon Creek Meadows served as a natural fire break, leaving the valley as a "donut hole" of green in the midst of the burn. We hiked by silver snags at the start and end of this hike, but there were millions of mountain hemlock seedlings thaat sprouted naturally after the fire. Beargrass, huckleberries, and many other plants that rely on fire are thriving as well.

Leon with his dad George Burrows and Christopher

















Time for a breack!!!!

















This meadow is a well knownWild flower santuary.
there are great views of Three Fingered Jack's summit pinnacles.























































As you can see, Christopher was enjoying himself very much!!!
























We Climbed south up a steep, rocky moraine to a notch overlooking a stunning, green cirque lake at the foot of Three Fingered Jack's glacier.



























The flowers were gorgeous!!!!

Monday August 10th.
We arrived at Balck Butte last night and today decided to go explore a lava tube just north of Bend, Oregon.
We had a great time at the Newberry National Volcanic Monument.
Newberry Volcano is one of the largest shieldshaped volcanoes in the lower 48 states, coveringover 600 square miles. The Monument is located along a group of faults known as the Northwest Rift zone. A complex geological history indicates that the volcano has erupted hundreds of times during the last half-million years. The most recent eruption was 1,300 years ago suggesting that the volcano is still active. The caldera of Newberry is commonly referred
to as Newberry Crater but it is truly a caldera like Crater Lake. This feature formed after a series of collapses following big eruptive episodes and now contains two crystal clear lakes. The Monument also has many other fine examples of common volcanic features such as cinder cones, ash flows, lava tubes and flows, pumice and obsidian deposits.

We went into the lava tube it was 42 degress in there, the boys loved it!!!!

















As the cave got smaller and the tunel got narrower Leon and I decided to wait untill the boys craweld to the end. the cave was so low we had to sit on rocks along with other parents.

































We drove to the top of the butte to enjoy the vew!!!
















Alexandro loves to be creative with his pictures, here he is "holding" his dad and Christopher.

July 27th -31st Rogue River Rafting Trip.

Oregon is such a beautifull place, we loved rafting the cristal clear water of the rogue and watching all the wild life, what a great trip!!!!

July 18th, Salem art fair 5K run.

Ingrid and Christopher ran the 5K in Memory of our friend Josh Grahm, he passed away T-cell Non-hodgkins lymphoma. We loved him very much, he will always be in our hearts and minds.