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"Go West, Young Man" was popularized by New York publisher
and politician Horace Greeley, although it is first
attributed to John B. L. Soule. While neither were likely
refering to the AMS Middle Atmosphere Meeting held in
Portland, Oregon this past August, it seemed a fitting
title to my recent adventure, in part because I was just
outside Greeley, CO, named in his honor, while in Fort
Collins!
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I started out in Fort Collins, CO to visit a few colleagues
at Colorado State University. It was mostly work, but I had
a chance to go for a quick ride out behind the Atmospheric
Sciences building, which stands right up against the
foothills. I had to dodge a couple t-storms, but made it
back dry! I stayed with Wayne and Karen Schubert while in
town. Wayne and I cycled in each morning, and caught this
rainbow coming back on the second day of my visit!
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Rolled into Laramie in a stick-shift pickup truck,
lightning flashing in the distance; it seemed an
appropriate entrance to Wyoming, the second square
state on my itinerary! The next morning Hilary Getz (a
friend from my Sewanee days) and a couple of her friends
took me fly fishing in the Snowy Mountains, about an hour
west of the city. This is how to fish! Fresh air at 11,000
ft, an incredible backdrop, and fish literally jumping out
of the lake. While I only caught one, compared to 10 or so
each for the others, mine tasted the best. Honest! We had
to weather a thurnderstorm up at the lake -- above the
timberline you have to take lightening more seriously.
While it kept us off the peaks, it did make for
spectacular cloud forms. The jagged peak on the right side
of the picture in the bottom right is Medicine Bow -- the
names sake for the national forest in which we spent the
day!
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The next day we went to Vedauwoo, a series of ancient (1.4
billion year old!) rock formations in the Laramie Range,
just east of Laramie along I-80. The interstate follows
the Lincoln highway, hence the bust off the side of the
road. The Laramie Range is up around 9000', but it's a
very slow climb, so you don't realize it. From the top of
the rocks we could see Ames Monument marking the high
point on the trans-continental railroad. (It's also the
high point on I-80!)
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After the conference I went for a great ride along the
historic Columbia highway. It starts with a decent climb,
first along the Sandy River, and then over a ridge to some
commanding views of the Gorge, as shown above. Then it
dips down along a series of incredible falls. The first,
Latourell, was one of my favorites, as you can walk right
up to the base, and even behind it! (It also boasts some
beautiful hexagonal basalt.) Up close, the power of the
water makes me feel small, not in a negative sense, rather
awestruck to the point I can't stop smiling despite being
sopping wet. The road crosses several historic bridges,
one crossing Shepherd's Dell pictured in the bottom right.
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Multnomah Falls is the show stopper along the highway --
620 feet of cascading water, its two stages bisected by a
picturesque (and crowd filled) bridge. A steep trail
takes you up to the top for a nice view of the river
below. Oneonta falls, however, was the biggest surprise
on my ride. The sun was setting as I pulled up to a log
filled chasm. A few people were coming out, so I decided
to push in, soon up to my waist in cold water. The falls
themselves can't compare with Multnomah, but to be alone,
exploring 1/4 of mile in the deep cut into the valley
granite . . . it was breathtaking. The ride home was
impossible to document on my camera, but something I'll
never forget. Traffic was light, so I could wind up the
valley through the fading twilight, listening to the
rustling water, shrouded in the ancient pines.
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I saved the best for last -- a hike in Mount St. Helens
National Monument! It was one of the best hikes of my
life. I was in and out of the clouds all the day. The
caldera was mostly shrouded by clouds, but poked out a bit
from time to time, as shown in the top right. At times it
felt like I was exploring the moon! I went for a c. 18
mile hike back into Mt. Margaret Mead wilderness, cresting
Cold Water Peak at 5727' (twice -- I thought I might get a
view on the way back, but still ended up in the
clouds!). The backcountry lakes were gorgeous. The
"beach" on the lakes are trees knocked down by the blast
27 years ago! The clouds provided a spectacular play of
light and shadow at sunset, and the rain held off until I
was 100 feet from my car! To round the trip out, one
can't go to Seattle without visiting the origin of the
species, the very first Starbucks in Pikes Place Market!
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