WALKING IN ALTON BAKER PARK IN EUGENE, OREGON, Guest Post by Caroline Hatton

Walkers, runners, and cyclists share this path along the Willamette River

in Alton Baker Park, Eugene, Oregon

My friend and fellow children’s book author Caroline Hatton took all the photos in this post in recent years when she enjoyed this free outdoor activity on her visits to Eugene, Oregon.

Canada geese. Alton Baker Park is a good place for family activities.

When in Eugene in the Spring and Summer, my days often start with a walk in Alton Baker Park in the heart of the city. The park’s 400 acres (~162 hectares) stretch along the Willamette River. The park is named after Alton F. Baker, Sr, who was a local newspaper owner and philanthropist.

Swan Goose (Anser cygnoides) on a pond.

I love the wild river banks and natural forest, and the abundance and variety of birds. On many days in the same spot, a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) flew over as if in slow motion. A Swan Goose (Anser cygnoides) on a pond was my first sighting of its species. But the most fun were the rare geese that didn’t match any bird website photo, probably because their parents didn’t look alike, but they fell in love anyway.

No crowd, early in the morning.

At 6 a.m. I rarely encounter other humans. When I did on the wide paths I chose, physical distancing was easy.

On this Kalapuya Talking Stone, the word “camafeema” means “ferns on the ground” in the local indigenous language.

To honor the Kalapuya, the indigenous people who once called this area home, trailside Kalapuya Talking Stones display words in their language along with the English equivalent. I stopped by each stone to honor those who walked there before.

Alton Baker Park is bejeweled with art works.

The park showcases art works, and contains venues for cultural and sports events. Until I came upon a disc golf target (like a basket made of chains, mounted at chest level), I had never heard of this game, played with a flying disc reminiscent of a frisbee.

A bucolic spot.

My idea of fun with water is to stay out of it and look for interesting photos to take. The park’s varied bodies of water offered endless possibilities to me. Those who don’t mind getting wet can launch a boat on the river or, for calmer water, on the man made  Canoe Canal, stocked with trout for better fishing luck.

Vast open fields add to the diversity of environments in the park.

I have explored miles of paths through forest and prairie in the park. Runners passed me on Pre’s Trail, designed by the late Steve Prefontaine, the long-distance running legend who lived in Eugene. 

Other outdoor attractions in Alton Baker Park include the dog park, the scaled models of the sun and its planets on the Eugene Solar System Trail, and the Nobel Peace Park area, which honors American laureates. But what I want to see next is the Hays Tree Garden, filled with trees chosen for their foliage and donated in honor of loved ones.

MORCOM ROSE GARDEN, Oakland, CA: A Refreshing Retreat

Oakland Municipal rose Garden, Oakland, CA

Tucked into a wooded glen in a residential neighborhood of Oakland, California, the Morcom Rose Garden is a refreshing retreat.  Built in the 1932 as a project of the WPA (Works Progress Administration), it features formal gardens, a pool and fountain, winding paths, and a walkway honoring the Mother of the Year.  (The ceremony is held each year on Mother’s Day and honors a woman who has contributed to the community.)

On a recent visit to Oakland, I visited the garden, a welcome escape from staying at home during the pandemic. It was midsummer, and everything was in bloom.

As I wandered among the flowers, I felt like I had traveled back in time, when life moved at a slower pace.  Indeed, the garden appears used mainly by local residents.  I saw people walking dogs and babies, sitting on benches drinking coffee and reading the newspaper, or just strolling along the flower beds. (Because of the pandemic, all wearing masks.)  It was calm and peaceful, hidden from the noise of the surrounding city. 

The garden is dedicated to Fred Morcom, Mayor of Oakland 1931-1933, during which time the Rose Garden was conceived and created.

A large rock near the entrance to the garden, erected on the garden's 20th anniversary, has a plaque honoring Fred Morcom and is inscribed with the following poem.
Roses are beauty but I never see
Those blood drops from the burning heart of June
Glowing like thought upon the living tree
Without a pity that they die so soon.
                 John Masefield 

The garden is maintained by the Friends of the Morcom Rose Garden.  At their Facebook site you can see photos of hundreds of gorgeous roses and activities in the garden.
The main entrance to the Rose Garden is located at 700 Jean St., Oakland, CA 94610, two short blocks from Grand Avenue.

THE SPECTACULAR EASTERN SIERRAS: Guest Post by Tom Scheaffer

Mobius Arch, Alabama Hills, California

My brother, Tom Scheaffer, loves the outdoors and recently took a trip with two friends from their home in San Diego, CA, up the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains to Lake Tahoe. On the way, they stopped at Mammoth Lakes and Lone Pine. Here is Tom's report:

Camping at Mammoth Lakes. Note the snow patches at higher elevations.

Two weeks ago, I took a road trip to Mammoth Lakes and Lone Pine, CA.  We camped at an idyllic lake in the pine woods at 8,000 feet.  The night air was cold, but swimming in the lake the next morning was a real energizer.  The temperature rises quickly in the Sierra Nevada summer, and the lake water was refreshing. 

The trail to Mobius Arch

Our next stop was at the Alabama Hills near the Mount Whitney portal, where hikers start the journey up the highest mountain in the lower 48 states.The Alabama Hills are a formation of rounded rocks and eroded hills set between the jagged peaks of the Sierra Nevada and the Inyo Mountains to the east. We hiked about half a mile to Mobius Arch, which is in an incredible area of massive rock formations. Click HERE for a guide to the trail.

Tom Scheaffer at the Mobius Arch trail head.

In the above photo, Mount Whitney is the peak to the right of my head. At an elevation of 14,505 feet, Mt. Whitney is the tallest peak in the “lower 48,” but ranks 11th in the United States (the top ten are all in Alaska.) If you are ever traveling on Highway 395 along the eastern Sierra, take the time to visit Alabama Hills, preferably at sunrise or sunset when the shadows accentuate these unique rock formations.

BALLONA LAGOON NATURE WALK, Marina Del Rey, CA

Path along Ballona Lagoon, Marina Del Rey, California

Hidden among the Marina Del Rey condos near the beach in Los Angeles, is one of our favorite nature walks. Following the historic water channel from the Ballona wetlands to the ocean, this 1.5 mile round trip walk is an opportunity to observe a surprising wealth of wildlife–birds, native flowers and other plants, fish and other creatures–or just to enjoy being out in the fresh air.

Wildflowers at the edge of the lagoon

After parking our car on a residential street, we started at the north end of the trail on Via Dolce, near the pumping station. (The channel goes underground from there before coming out in the Venice canals.) The beginning of the walking path is marked by a sign with information about wetland ecology.

Great egret

The lagoon supports 86 species of plants, 9 species of marine fishes, 35 species of invertebrates, and nearly 60 species of birds. While we saw only a small portion of the bird life on this summer walk, at other times of year, especially during the spring and fall migration season, we have seen many more.

Dahlias in a private garden along the path.

The dirt trail was mostly free of people, except for a few dog walkers. (We wore our masks whenever passing other people.)  On one side, spacious homes border the walk, many with elaborate gardens. The other side of the path looks onto and across the water, over a bank of wild plants adapted to the salty soil and seaside climate. At the edge of the water we spotted an egret, patiently waiting for a fish to swim by. On the other side, a cormorant perched on a parked canoe.

View of the lagoon from the top of the bridge.

A short way from the beginning of the path one comes to a long white bridge–the only chance to cross the water before coming to the marina channel at the other end. One can cross the bridge and go straight ahead to the beach. Or, one can turn left and follow the lagoon on its west side along a dirt path (which we did in reverse on the way back.)

Breakwater between the beach and the marina channel.

The trail ends at the channel where boats from Marina Del Rey go out to the ocean. From there we followed the paved path along the top of the breakwater that divides the channel from the beach, extending our walk by another half mile.

Shorebirds.

The tide was out, revealing mussels and other shellfish clinging to the rocks. Along the channel a variety of shorebirds were resting and foraging for food in the wet sand while a bevy of tiny sandpipers scurried to and fro. Out in the water a few boats motored by on their way out to sea, and a group of paddleboarders passed in the other direction.

Monarch butterfly and milkweed.

On our return trip, the sun was beginning to come out. A monarch butterfly was flitting from flower to flower collecting nectar. In one area, we noticed hundreds, if not thousands, of snails--some in piles of shells on the ground and others clinging to what looked like dead plants. Apparently they thrive on fungi and the remains of dead plants!

Banded snails

Human activity, such as urban encroachment, threatens Ballona Lagoon’s fragile ecosystem. Fortunately, local residents, the City of Los Angeles, and public interest groups have joined to protect Ballona Lagoon and its resources.
For a history of the development of Ballona Lagoon and its restoration click HERE.

Helpful informational signs are placed along the path.

JAPANESE FISHING VILLAGE MEMORIAL at TERMINAL ISLAND, LA: A Piece of California’s Hidden History

Japanese Fishing Village Memorial on Terminal Island, San Pedro, California

From the early 1900s until World War II, the fishing village of Fish Harbor on Terminal Island was a thriving community of 3000 people—primarily Japanese immigrants and their U.S.-born children. The canneries and fishing boats played a vital role in the American fishing industry. In the village’s neat rows of shops and homes, people loved, laughed, worked, played and raised families. On February 25, 1942, all those of Japanese descent were given 48 hours to leave Terminal Island. By April the village was gone, homes and livelihoods taken away and villagers sent to internment camps.

We remember these people, and the community of Terminal Island that was their home.

(From the first panel of the photo mural at the base of the Terminal Island Memorial.)

Life-size figures of two fishermen

Although I was aware of other communities of Japanese heritage in Los Angeles--in West Los Angeles along Sawtelle Boulevard and in Little Tokyo downtown--I had never heard of Fish Harbor, the Japanese fishing village on Terminal Island. It was only because we took a wrong turn on a recent excursion to San Pedro, that we discovered this poignant and sobering memorial to its history.

Center panel of Torii Gate

Terminal Island is the industrial port of Los Angeles and Long Beach. As we headed south on the 110 Freeway toward San Pedro from Los Angeles, we missed our turn and found ourselves heading east on Highway 47 crossing the Vincent Thomas Bridge to Terminal Island.  As we exited to find a place to turn around, we spotted a small sign pointing to the Japanese Fishing Village Memorial. We were intrigued.  

So, following a zigzag route past warehouses and vast industrial shipyards, we eventually came to a roadside display of a pair of sculptured fishermen under a Torii gate. (A Torii gate is the traditional entrance to a Shinto shrine in Japan.)  We pulled into one of the parking spots and got out to take a close-up look.  A raised walkway leads to the Torii gate, which frames the fishermen, who are mounted on a plinth.  Along the side of the walkway, names of the donors who made the memorial possible are engraved.

Photo panels on the street side of the memorial.

At street level, a series of photo panels displays pictures of the people and the village as it was before 1942, along with short explanations.  “Men fished with poles and nets. Tuna season kept everyone busy in the summer. On dark winter nights, sardines set the ocean aglow.”  

“For young girls, Girls’ Day was a day to be celebrated, to dress in their kimonos, display their dolls and perform traditional folk dances."

"On Boys’ Day, the symbolic carp flags were flown, and boys displayed their athletic prowess at the annual track meet.”

The photos are printed on dark panels with a reflective surface, which functions to give the images a ghostly feel as the faces of people merge with the reflections of the present-day world. (In fact, it was impossible to avoid catching my own image in the pictures I took with my camera, making me feel like a bit of an intruder.)

The fishermen sculptures wear real, cloth neckerchiefs.

The memorial sculpture depicts two fishermen at work, one pulling his net up, the other paused for a moment and looking out to sea. The white paint in the fisherman’s eyes gives an intensity to his gaze. He looks through a glass panel on which are engraved a poem and a photo of the town of Fish Harbor as it once was, superimposed on today’s view of a yacht basin and shipyards.

End panel of the memorial.

Black Current off our shore

Fishes so plentiful

Yet, hardships parents endured

We remember

And honor forever

our village no more.

(Translation of poem printed on the glass.)

Because of the Covid19 pandemic, there was little activity on Terminal Island. We encountered almost no traffic on the way to the memorial and no one else was there. When I got home, I looked up the history of the Terminal Island Japanese Fishing Village Memorial on the internet, learning that it been put up in 2002 by the descendants of the original inhabitants. I also found a VIDEO with highlights of the 15th anniversary of the dedication day.  
The Terminal Island Memorial is an important piece of Los Angeles' hidden history. It took us a wrong turn on the freeway to discover it. I am glad we did. 

Photo of Terminal Islanders "Reunion", 1980