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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (April 21, 2005)
Super Science Circus BY JAMES JOHNSTON F UN FOR THE W HOLE F AMILY Exploring Newton & Einstein in Celebration of the World Year of Physics 2005 featuring Dr. Stan (UO Physics Dept) & Rhys Thomas North Fork Smith River Trail Big payoff for a journey into the heart of the Coast Range. T he timber industry likes to tell peo- ple that the Oregon Coast Range is the most productive timberland in the world. To prove it, they logged practical- ly all of it, and are growing billions of small, fast-growing Douglas fir trees in short-rota- tion plantations. Today there are tens of thousands of miles of logging roads that snake up and down the rugged ridges and ravines of the Coast Range, past endless miles of clearcuts. An automobile trip to the few isolated islands of old growth in this ocean of tree farms can feel like an epic journey from classical literature, like Aeneus descending to the underworld in the Aeneid, or Marlow traveling up the Congo River in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. The ultimate hero in the canon of epic journeys is the person who can journey through death and destruction and return. The North Fork Smith River trail is flat out one of the finest old-growth hikes in Oregon, but it is not easy to get to. A map and a stout heart are recommended. Directions: Drive Highway 126 west from Eugene for approximately 30 miles. Take a left onto Siuslaw River Road at a sign for “Whittaker Creek Recreation Area.” Stay to the left at the intersection in just 20 yards, following signs for Whittaker Creek and Clay Creek. Follow the Siuslaw River upriver for 1.7 miles, and then take a right over a bridge. Go 1.6 miles and turn left as the road climbs steeply uphill. Stay on this road, following signs for Kentucky Falls. In 7.4 miles, take a sweep- ing left turn; the road will turn to gravel. In 2.9 miles, take a sweeping turn to the right. In 1.6 miles turn left. Go downhill on pavement for 5.9 miles and find the trail- head on your right. A couple hundred yards down the North Fork trail, the trail forks. The left hand turn is a side loop that will take you back to the main trail. Continuing straight ahead, look for a gap in two large trees next to an interpretive sign where the trail bends off to the left. Through this gap is the main trail. In about 2.5 miles, the trail enters a clearcut, which is a pretty good place to turn around. The Forest Service intends for the North Fork Smith River Trail to extend another three miles and connect with the spectacular Kentucky Falls trailhead, but the trail is not maintained and almost impossible to follow another half mile past the clearcut. At any rate, you’ve outrun the old-growth island, and you’re back in the ocean of tree farms. The big attraction of this trail is, of course, the old growth — enormous Douglas fir and western hemlock, lush mosses and luxurious ground cover of oxalis and wild ginger. Many of the shrubs on the forest floor are in bloom this time of year, as are the ghostly white trilliums, crimson wild currant, dogwood, salmonber- ry and much more. Now all you have to do is find your way back. ew THE WAIT IS OVER! APRIL 28 ... CHOW! Eugene Weekly's Restaurant Guide Chow! features reviews of area eateries and a directory o Eugene and Corvallis restaurants. Ad reservation deadline is Friday, April 22nd by 5pm. Contact Mark Frisbee 484-0519 ext. 12 JAMES JOHNSTON (JuggleMania) Pretty Silver Jewelry Aromatherapy Vases • Candles Yoga Mats • Books Cards • Journals Saturday, April 30 Ruby Chasm Doors open at 3pm a Show at 3:30pm 152 W 5th • Eugene South Eugene H.S. Auditorium 344-4074 Info: 681-9662 M-Sa 10-6 • Sun 12-5 Early Bird Camp Sign-up Days April 21-22 • Noon-7pm April 23 • 9am-Noon Camps fill fast, so sign up early and get your T-shirt and $10 discount off each camp sessions, paid in full, on Early Bird Sign-up Days. Camps for ages 2 1/2 - 18! Traditional to adventurous. Sports, arts, daycamps and resident camps M A K I N G C A M P F U N S I N C E 1 8 5 1 ! EUGENE FAMILY YMCA 686-9622 • 2055 Patterson, Eugene • www.eugeneymca.org It’s where your family belongs! APRIL 21, 2005 35
