Paddling Dorena

I love getting out in our canoe. The world looks and sounds different when you're out in the middle of a lake or gliding along a shore line. This summer, we have been fortunate to paddle in some amazing places. Sometimes, though, it is nice to stay closer to home: to get out, paddle, and get home in …

Six Great Walks in Cottage Grove

Does your New Years Resolution include getting more exercise? If so, I have great news -- Cottage Grove is full of great places to get outside and enjoy a good stroll, jog, or bike ride. Over the years, I have written about several of those places here on the blog. Recently, I was getting together …

Changes at Bake Stewart Park

Last spring I wrote numerous times about Bake Stewart Park and the glorious wildflowers growing there. For many years, we visited this park only occasionally, however since our wildflower discovery we've made a point to go out there more often. Over the past year we've watched as the Army Corps of Engineers worked to revitalize …

Calypso Flower

During our walk along the Schwarz Campground interpretive trail, I discovered that the Calypso flowers are currently in bloom. These are one of my favorite wild flowers (although, admittedly I have many favorites!). This delicate looking plant is a native orchid. And although it is depends on a specific fungus in the soil to grow, …

Schwarz Campground Interpretive Trail

Tucked into Schwarz Campground, just over 5 miles east of Cottage Grove, is a sweet little nature loop trail which I suspect few people know about. We discovered it ourselves quite by accident. Part of the trail is incorporated into the road system of the campground, it also follows along the base of Dorena Dam …

Sandhill Cranes

It  may have been cold today, but it was sunny, and I am so glad I was enticed to take a break this afternoon for a dog walk. We chose to stretch our legs at Dorena Reservoir. It was a good choice because we got to see -- and better yet, hear -- a small flock …

Wildflower habitat at Bake Stewart Park

Tucked along the Row River, just as it enters Dorena Reservoir, is Bake Stewart Park. In the past, we’ve visited Bake Stewart Park sporadically. It is a good place to launch a canoe, I often see people fishing there, and it is a quiet place to walk our dogs. During those unseasonable sunny days earlier …

Postcard from the Row River Trail

Finding Dorena

Imagine learning that your home, your school, and indeed your whole town needed to move or be covered by 100 feet of water. That is exactly what happened in the early 1940s to the town of Dorena. The construction of Dorena dam, which began in 1942, was intended to provide flood control for the towns …