Spring Lake

About a month ago, Mary wanted to take the scooter for a ride on a beautiful fall afternoon. I followed along on my motorcycle.

I thought I’d ridden pretty much every road within at least a hundred miles in my many years of motorcycling around Oregon, but Mary led the way on a few country roads that were new to me, and in less than ten miles from town, we were at Spring Lake, which I’d never seen before. It’s a beautiful small, natural lake surrounded by farmland and rolling hills, and the fall colors were spectacular.

The north end of the lake is natural, with wetlands, reed beds and lots of waterfowl, including herons and egrets, as well as a variety of hawks. (In the winter, the basin is also home of the largest concentration of bald eagles in the lower 48, but the eagles haven’t arrived yet this year.)

The south end of the lake was a particular surprise, with a tidy but very modest trailer park with single- and double-wide trailers and a few spots for RV overnighters. The park had a beautiful lawn with a small dock and tables and chairs. Although it’s private property, we stopped for awhile and enjoyed watching geese and a trio of pelicans sitting on a floating log.

I was struck by this scene in part because the surrounding farmland is starting to be bought up by land-rich retirees, mostly Californians, who are building luxury mansions often costing over a million dollars. This lakeside property has to be worth a fortune, but a lucky few regular folks get to live there for now. I didn’t ask what a monthly rent might run, but I have a feeling it’s still an inexpensive little secret.

I was struck also because the longer I live here, the more beautiful I think it is. Spring Lake is just another delicate, picturesque little spot that’s been there all along, only a few minutes from home.

I’ve posted a few shots to my site at Flikr, and you can view them by clicking on the Ross’s Photos link in the right-hand column.