Because I Would Walk Among You...

[Meg]

I had heard of this from afar, but what I didn't realize was that the Northern Spotted Owl controversy was referring to one of the most spectacular places I had ever had the privilege of experiencing... The Cascade Range of Oregon... Call me a "liberal" if you must, but when I think of God this is one of two places I think of first when I think of Creation and the Holy Artistry of the Lord our God. I have camped in these mountains back in 1978, when it was still mostly pristine. These photos both brought back memories that still haven't faded all these decades later, and which wrench my heart.

Flickriver: umpquawild's most interesting photos

[mattfivefour]

Sis, there is nothing "liberal" about admiring the grandeur of God's Creation!

[LivnForChrist]

awww that is just beautiful. I would love to visit there.

[ShilohRose]

I always hated clearcutting. I grew up in a rural area, where there was a lot of clearcutting done, and while I understand logging was one of the main sources of employment, I never understood why it had to be done that way. I know, more efficient and cheaper, but it's so devastating, and then they plant trees that don't support wildlife. I hate it. I'm not a treehugger, but there has to be a better way to do this. I hate it every time I see an old tree come down.

I was in Oregon for a short while back in the seventies, and it was a gorgeous place.

[IamPJ]

Gorgeous pictures Meg, thanks for sharing. They do alot of clear cutting down here where I live.

[Meg]

Yea, they refuse to recognize the science that demonstrates that trees are a critical element in the balance of the atmosphere, then they wonder why we are having epic droughts... I looked up what exactly they are doing with those huge irreplaceable trees, and it would seem they're making plywood and hamster bedding out of all that timber. In other words, fast cheap profits. I had honestly thought wood like that was worth quite a bit more than that for fine furniture or something, when in fact it all boiled down to raw greed.

[Joseph The Carpenter]

While I agree clear cutting is not necessary I think it is more complicated than just do it or do not do it. Trees have a life span and why not use them before they rot. A lighting fire will wipe the forest clean too. Different trees are used for different things, Douglas fir for framing lumber, ash for furniture and baseball bats, oak for flooring, cedar for outside decking and so on. Today we use a great deal of man made lumber for framing and sheathing, actually man made two by four and two by six's are straighter than natural trees and oriented strand board (plywood) is about twenty five percent the cost of real wood. Most of the man made lumber is made from what I call weed trees like popular, trees that grow quickly.
I can't wait for JESUS to return and set up HIS kingdom so we can find out how we are supposed live. Will we have electricity and computers or will we live on a farm with horses and cows. Until than I will just try not to waste anything.
PS I don't have an IPhone,Ipad, Flat screen, xbox, I heat my home with wood I cut and split, my cell phone costs seven dollars a month.

[Meg]

Glad you're still hanging on, Joseph. How are the pups?

[nails in his hands]

Being a Oregon resident.I have enjoyed the forest here all my life ,as a kid my dad worked in the logging industry,They did selective logging and piled all there brush for Fall or Winter burning, Made a good place to go mushroom hunting in the spring,, His employer asked the same question about clear cuts to the Forest Service,They said the clear cut's make a feeding place for the wildlife after planting grass to stop erosion,My freinds on the west side of the state hunt these clear cuts ,for a few years, then the trees start to return ,after a few years the trees are 10 to 15 feet high and thick , Clear CUTS are UGLY but they do serve a purpose ,Logging is a good thing to protect the forest's ,,from fire and bugs ,,The real shame is the wilderness area's when they catch fire ,they have to be put out by hand ..no motorized machines ,,so lots of trees are lost to the forest fire ,,, if harvested right after the fire are still useable just like a tree that has been logged ,yes they are black and dirty but they are still green under the bark .,,,, Come fall the wife and I take our camp trailer up to a spot where we can leave it until snow ,we really enjoy our times up there ,we live 25 miles from where we camp but it isnt the same driving back & forth ,,, Thank you Lord for your mercies and LOVE,,,,

[Joseph The Carpenter]

Glad you're still hanging on, Joseph. How are the pups?

Only by GODS grace we are still here. I am just about at the end of the maze of HARP, HAMP and any other refinance sham the government has tried. I am looking for a good home for them because if I loose the house I will go over the road trucking.
I hope you and Robert are well.

[Meg]

Only by GODS grace we are still here. I am just about at the end of the maze of HARP, HAMP and any other refinance sham the government has tried. I am looking for a good home for them because if I loose the house I will go over the road trucking.
I hope you and Robert are well.

We will hold you and your dogs up in prayer! Robert and I are doing well enough, although our financial future is still unresolved. I am disabled from arthritis in my hip, so I am learning to paint, as Robert is launching his art career. May the Lord provide for you, dear brother!

[anath]

Thanks Meg, Mike and I ooed and ahed. I want to go there.

[Meg]

Thanks Meg, Mike and I ooed and ahed. I want to go there.

You may as well wait for Heaven, those mountains are never going to be the same. Oh glory! Back in the day... The forests were barely touched outside Roseburg going east into the national forest area. The stream water was utterly pure, the trees huge and the grasses in open meadows over 3 feet high. Anywhere you camped, it was safe to drink the water flowing from a stream or bubbling from a rock -- but boy the stuff was FREEZING!!! I used to love to wander through those wild places when I was a kid. I still miss it out west, but I know in my heart the places I miss now are changed for the worse forever.

Meanwhile, I've heard the architecture, some of the old stuff, in New Orleans is really stunning as well. How's your town these days? Is the storm damage mostly resolved now? Did the best survive?