Sunday - Walking on Sunshine

Almost an inch of rain fell on Saturday, which kept us out of the woods on Sunday.  Instead of riding through the woods mud and talking to squirrels we opted to walk the 3 miles (4.82 km) to downtown Corvallis.  We had thoughts of a nice soy latte and perhaps a cookie from Laughing Planet running through our minds.

As we were leaving the house at noon, we discussed possibly having lunch downtown instead of a snack and coffee since it would take us about 45 minutes to get there.  It takes even longer when I take the camera with me, which I did hoping to find some fall color.

Our route takes us through Oregon State University.  On the western edge we pass sheep and dairy barns as well as greenhouses and other miscellaneous buildings.

(Random rusty tin roof)

(Ginko Biloba, aka Maidenhair Tree in front of research greenhouses - OSU - Corvallis)

A little further East on campus we noticed the Black Tupelo trees in their bright red finery.  We planted one in our back yard last year to replace the giant sequoia we took out.  I think this will be a nice change as it grows. We squish squashed our way out into the soggy Peavy Sports Field to get the picture below.

(Nyssa Silvatica, aka Black Tupelo - OSU Campus - Corvallis)

As Troubadour looked south across the field he noticed that some one had a fire going and the smoke was visible behind a small tree.  He chuckled.  "Look, a smoke tree."  He knows that Cotinus Coggygria is a favorite of mine, aka Smoke Bush or Smoke Tree.

("Smoke Tree" - OSU Campus - Corvallis)

Across the road on the east side of the sports field was another large Ginko.  Looks bigger than the telephone pole in the picture.  Last year we planted a ginkgo in our front yard beside the driveway, but it is only 6-8 feet tall.  Note - if you ever plant one - do not plant a female.  The smell of the fruit is horrendous.  Unless of course you enjoy the odd smell that is something like a combination of rotten feta cheese and dog poop.

(Ginko Biloba in front of Sackett Hall - OSU Campus - Corvallis)

Looking North from taking the above picture we noticed a row of Ginko along one of the newer brick buildings on 30th street.  I believe the brick building below is the Linus Pauling Science Center.

(Row of Ginko Biloba along 30th Street)

(Close up view of the Ginkos)

(The back side of the Womens Building on the left and old Fairbanks Hall on the right)

There were a few Daphne shrubs by the Womens Building and a butterfly or moth was fluttering about the blooms.

(Butterfly/moth on a Daphne plant)

(Random tree at the east edge of the Memorial Union Quad)

(Red fall color - perhaps a maple of some sort)

We were walking further east and saw the back of Benton Hall with this Giant Sequoia.  I thought I'd snap a pic for size reference.

(Backside of Benton Hall - OSU Campus - Corvallis)

(More giant trees against a 4-story building - the Pharmacy Building, I believe)

Our walks usually take us to the multi-use path on the east edge of campus between 14th street and 11th street.  It is a favorite of mine and I take photos of it at different times of the year.  I think these might be Elm trees.  One other we noticed nearby had a plaque that stated it had been planted by the class of 1913.

(Looking east at the Campus Way multi-use path - OSU Campus - Corvallis)

The photo below is looking east down Madison Avenue from 11th street.

(Rows of trees on Madison Avenue between 11th and 10th - Corvallis)

(From 11th Street looking west back towards the multi-use path)

(Another view of Madison Avenue looking east - Corvallis)

(A sidewalk view of the leaves)

(Some maple trees further east on Madison Avenue)

(One block North on Monroe Avenue is another large Ginko)

We arrived downtown about 1:00 pm and proceeded to stop at my office to use the facilities and then walked to Evergreen Indian Restaurant thinking to have lunch.  There were about 10 people outside waiting for tables.  No thank you.  A few blocks away we tried Laughing Planet. There was a long line there as well.  We tried Sky High Brewing & Pub another block or so away and they had the longest line up.  We weren't sure why downtown was so busy on a Sunday.  Could it be everyone was out playing in the sunshine? As we walked back towards my office we tried the Indian place again.  While there was still a line, it was smaller.  We still didn't care to wait so we decided to just get a Starbucks and head home.

We ordered our lattes and while we were waiting I noticed the bagel shop next door wasn't busy. Ah Ha!  We wandered over after our lattes were prepared and ordered a bagel each.  A pumpernickel for me and an apple cinnamon for Troubadour.  I'd been on their website before so I knew they didn't have eggs or dairy.  We just had to eat them plain with nothing on them.  It still helped to cease the hunger pains.  We finished our bagels and took our lattes with us.

One more stop at my office and then we headed west towards home.  The weather had changed. Gone was our sunshine, but it wasn't cold, just a little windy.

I noticed these trees on the corner of Madison and 6th Street at the entrance to Central Park.

(Fall color - southeast Central Park entrance - Corvallis)

Back to the walking path and we admired the elms standing as sentinels along the way.  This time we stopped at Benton Hall for a few pictures.  Why?  Because we noticed a rock with a plaque embedded it it we'd never noticed on the dozens of times we've walked this route.

(Benton Hall - built in 1889 - home to the Dept of Music and the oldest building at OSU)

(A close-up of the clock tower on Benton Hall)

("The clock in the tower of Benton Hall was manufactured in 1913 by the E. Howard Clock Company of Boston Massachusetts. From that time until it was dismantled in 1988, it marked the hours in the tower of the old gas plant in Portland for commuters traveling along St. Helens Road.  It was refurbished and presented to Oregon State University through the efforts of the class of 1988 by Northwest Natural Gas Company on October 29, 1988.  The presentation took place following the centennial year of historic Benton Hall and recognizes the important contributions OSU Alumni have made as employees of Northwest Natural Gas Company.")

(More fall color on Campus Way - Corvallis)

As I was taking the above picture Troubadour noticed that you could see the clock tower on Benton Hall through the trees behind us.  

(Benton Hall Clock Tower - OSU Campus - Corvallis)

(Look at the gorgeous orange foliage)

(A few rhododendrons were still blooming)

(And the hawthorn trees in full berry)

(Crataegus - Hawthorn, not sure which variety, fan leaf perhaps - OSU Campus - Corvallis)

(Yet another Ginko - they seem to be popular on campus)

(Lonely leaf)

As we progressed past 36th Street and onto the multi-use path that runs through the fields of the University, I noticed the skies darkening and the clouds gathering to the west.  I stopped for two last photographs that show our view on the long stretch home from town.

(Campus Way multi-use path, looking Northwest)

(Campus Way multi-use path - looking southwest - alpaca and llama barns in the center)

We arrived home at 3 pm, a little stiff from the walk but overall had a good afternoon.  Round trip of 6 miles (9.65 km).

So far November has been drier than October, and for that we are thankful.  KMTR, a TV station out of Eugene 45 miles to the south of us, has reported that Eugene has broken their record for the most consecutive days without freezing temperatures - 257 as of November 7th.  It has not dropped to 32˚F (0˚C) since February 23, 2016.  Can't really complain about that.  Also there are no freezing temperatures predicted in the long range forecast.  Click ---> LINK for full article.

- Au Revoir

"Now Autumn's fire burns slowly along the woods and day by day the deal leaves fall and melt." - William Allingham

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