Tag Archives: Smith Rock State Park

Rocks and Trees

Posted on by

A rock wall among the trees at Smith Rock State Park in Oregon

When we were kids, the family took turns saying grace before the evening meal. Sometimes my youngest sister would pray in “Rocks and Trees” mode, where she’d start off thanking God for the food that was prepared for us, mom for preparing it for us, all of the other things in her daily life she was thankful for, leading on and on until she eventually thanked God for the rocks and trees. At that point we knew the prayer would finally be wrapping up and we could start on our dinner.

Places like Smith Rock remind me she was on to something. I liked the way the evening light left some of the trees in dark shadow, the shape of the rock wall stone mimicry of the living trees below.

Looking Back

Posted on by

The Crooked River runs below a rock wall at Smith Rock State Park in Oregon

A look back from the loop trail at the Crooked River as it flows past a large rock wall in Smith Rock State Park. The loop trail leads hikers on flat ground while it parallels the river for half the loop, then gets more challenging as it winds up to the top of the cliff walls.

Monkey and No Monkey

Posted on by

A turkey vulture soars high above the rock formation Monkey Face at Smith Rock State Park in Oregon

A turkey vulture soars high above the rock formation Monkey Face at Smith Rock State Park in central Oregon. If you’re hiking the loop trail clockwise, you’ll come by Monkey Face shortly before the uphill hike to Misery Ridge. I don’t know where the ridge gets its name but after hiking the loop twice in one day, my calves thought it appropriate enough.

From this vantage point, the rock formation Monkey Face at Smith Rock State Park doesn't look like a monkey face

Viewed from behind, the monkey disappears but is still interesting in its own right. You can see the loop trail that runs at the base of the rock wall, as the trail continues you will hike up up up to the top.

Blend Modes

Posted on by

A western fence lizard sunbathes on a rock at Smith Rock State Park

Fence lizards come in a variety of shades from light to dark, but most of the lizards I saw at Smith Rock had this light coloring. I don’t know if it is genetically more common or if it leads to higher survival rates by enabling the lizards to better blend in with the lightly colored rocks in the park.

A Mule’s Ears

Posted on by

A mule deer doe browses at Smith Rock State Park in Oregon

Between the heat and the elevation changes and hiking all day, I was feeling pretty beat as I walked the River Trail at Smith Rock State Park for the second time. As the sun got low in the sky, I came across this gentle doe grazing on the hillside and the sight provided a little lift to my tired legs, at least until I got to the steep hike up to the top of the rock wall and my calves started remembering the first hike up.

Mule deer can be seen pretty easily in the early and late hours at the park, they tend to stay down by the Crooked River between the rock walls. A characteristic mule deer share with mules themselves are their large, twitchy ears. The ears can be moved independently as seen here.