Take a Hike - Part Duex

Interesting history in Part II, but no cool close ups of nature like the first part.  When I left off at the last post we'd made it back to the car and were driving east towards Highway 99W.  

A bit up the road from the headquarters the fields opened up to the south.  They were filled with thousands of migrating geese from Alaska foraging off the grasses for the winter.  I cannot describe how loud they were when that many were honking in one place.  We attempted to take video but it didn't turn out great.  Bear in mind this is just one area of geese in the refuge.

(Interpretive sign regarding the wintering geese)

(Got geese?)

Beside the interpretive sign for the geese was a sign for the "Elders of Big Top", meaning the mighty oaks located on the hill across the road behind us.  You know me and trees, I had to take a picture or two of them as well.

(Oak trees older than 200 years - still young by some standards)

A little further west are several historical buildings.  "The Fiechter House is located on the original donation land claim site of John Fiechter and is considered one of the oldest buildings in Benton County.  John Fiechter was born in 1822 in Baden, Germany and immigrated to the United States in 1835.  He arrived in Oregon in November 1846 via the first wagon trail to travel the Applegate Trail. In 1861 John was shot and killed while preparing to go hunting, leaving his 29 year old wife a widow with 7 small children.  In 1862 his wife Cynthia married Archibald Johnson, the man with her husband during that accident.  Together they had 5 additional children and continued to operate the farm until Archibald's death in 1889.  Cynthia and her son Francis Fiechter then operated the farm together until they sold it in 1906."

(One of the interpretive signs at the Fiechter House)

(Front of Fiechter House)

(No one around so we peeked in the windows)

(Double sided fireplace - one in each room)

(Kitchen at back of house - oil heaters to keep the dampness at bay)

(Painted floor on other side of kitchen floor)

(Troubadour said the root cellar still smelled like the 1800's)

"The Fiechter Barn is 250 ft to the north of the Fiechter House.  The exact date of construction is unknown and it is now used by the Benton County Historical Society to house historical farm related equipment."

(Fiechter Barn)

"Colonel Henry and Emily Cabell purchased the Fiechter House in 1906.  They built a carriage house on the west side of the house in 1933 when they remodeled the Fiechter House.  The Carriage House is on the Oregon Inventory of Historic Properties."

(The Carriage House)

"Cabell Lodge was built by Colonel Henry and Emily Cabell in 1912 and it is located about 200 ft south of the Fiechter House overlooking Cabell Marsh.   When originally built, the first story housed the farm manager and his family and the second story was used by the Cabell family during hunting seasons and at other times when they visited the estate."

(Another Interpretive sign)

(Cabell Hunting Lodge)

"Colonel Cabell bought tracts of land to add to the Fiechter land and eventually amassed two thousand acres.  In 1964 the land was purchased from Cabell's son by the US Fish and Wildlife Services as the nucleus of the present National Wildlife Refuge."

We finished walking around the homestead and got back in the car to head further east making our way towards the highway.  Troubadour spotted an egret and we pulled over for a photo.

(Egret - photo by Troubadour)

(Zoomed in - Photo by Troubadour)

A little further beyond Turtle Flats (no we didn't see any turtles) and almost at the end of the road we found a parking lot at Prairie Overlook.

(Hmmm wonder where that leads....)

(A floodplain as a national landmark)

(More geese coming in to forage)

(Way in the distance at the tree line you can see little bumps of brown)

(A herd of Roosevelt Elk that live year round at the refuge)

The wind was blowing so hard across the prairie our fingers were numb and cold within minutes.  That was the end of the picture taking for the day.  We sprinted back to the car, turned up the heated seats and headed home for a hot cup of coffee.

It was an abrupt ending to the venture but we still had a great day and I am sure we'll go back again and try out some of the other trails.

Thanks for hanging on through the long posts while I wrapped this up.

- Au Revoir

" Life is not long, and too much of it must not pass in idle deliberation how it shall be spent."  Samuel Johnson
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Take a Hike

On Sunday we slept in and had a lazy morning.  I made scones for breakfast and we debated about what to do for the day.  The weather was not particularly inviting for a ride, as it always seems so much colder riding 60 mph as opposed to walking 4 mph. Damn wind chill.  Troubadour had a great idea - drive to the 5,325 acre William L. Finley Federal Wildlife Refuge ten miles south of Corvallis and take a hike. We can always use more exercise.

The Refuge was named for William L. Finley, an early conservationist and photographer, who persuaded President Theodore Roosevelt to set aside the first National Wildlife Refuge west of the Mississippi River.

(Sign at entrance off Bellfountain Road)

We parked at the headquarters which houses a gift store, conference rooms and of course restrooms.  

(Headquarters seen through mossy oaks)

Located just beyond the headquarters was a huge barn and an eight bay shop all belonging to the US Department of Fish & Wildlife.  "This barn is used to house Refuge equipment and is on the Oregon Inventory of Historic Properties.  Thought to have originally been built in 1904 the lean-to sides on the east and west elevations are thought to have been added in the 1920's or 1930's.  It was used to house several hundred cattle and 30 horses with enough room in the loft for feed and hay for all of the animals all winter."

(Now that's a big barn)

Finley doesn't have the extensive trail system that we experienced at Peavy a few weeks ago but the trails are more rustic.  Bicycles, horses and motorized vehicles are forbidden so there weren't any confusing yield signs, just the following.

(The sign says go this way - please tell me it isn't confusing....)

We started off down the Mill Hill Trail heading towards the 2.5 mile Mill Hill Loop.

(We head down the trail in the center of the photo)

 

(Troubadour taking the lead)

(A wooden boardwalk through a marshy area)

(Moss - nature's garland)

(Not sure where all the lower tree branches went)

(I love how green the grass is during the fall and winter)

(Troubadour - watching for birds perhaps)

(More of the loop trail)

(A few small hills, but not much elevation change)

(Bright ferns growing on trees)

(Nesting box)

(A place to rest and watch the ducks)

(The view from my hiking boots)

(Widest part of the trail)

 We came upon the widest part of the loop pictured above.  The canopy seemed to be heavier and the ground off the trail was completely covered in moss.  What was cool were all the different types of mushrooms.  I am saving some of the pictures for a future post, but the following are a few highlights.  Who knew delicate mini mushrooms grew on trees?

(The caps were about the size of a dime or even smaller)

(So delicate)

(These were a little bigger found on the ground)

(I found even the tree bark fascinating in this section)

(So many ferns, yep, it's the wet coast)

There were so many paths branching off that weren't marked we eventually popped out on the entrance road a little distance from the headquarters and car.

(Starting point on left, white oak savannas we were walking through on the right)

(We walked the fence line)

The access road (at the end of the fence above) was lined with oaks with moss hanging from the branches.  I was compelled to take a few more photos.

(The old oaks are so big)

(And so mossy in the wet Pacific Northwest)

We arrived back at the gift shop, used the facilities, wandered a bit then drove through the rest of the refuge towards Highway 99W.  Along the way we were treated to sights of thousands of wintering geese, a herd of Roosevelt elk and the Fiechter House, built in 1855, which is thought to be the oldest remaining home in Benton County.

To put all of the photos in one post would have been too long so I shall put them in an upcoming post.  Here is a teaser.

(Fiechter barn - built in early 20th century - exact date unknown)

......to be continued

- Au Revoir

"To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug." - Helen Keller