Here we are again, yet another gray and gloomy Saturday. Are we gluttons for punishment? You sure betcha! Today we ambled past Granite Falls, heading to the Robe Valley area to check out Barlow Pass and see whether our beloved Mountain Loop Road was open yet. Our first stop was Gold Basin Mill Pond, site of a former wood mill. Last year the pond had been home to many ducks, but we came up empty this year. Still, it was very pretty.!
		Big Leaf Maple trees can be seen everywhere. Here, Tim kindly provides a size comparison. Our next stop was a small trail called Youth On Age. I'd often wondered about its strange name. It refers to old growth trees which have fallen down and become Nurse Logs to new trees growing out of them.
		As we set off along the short trail, we were lucky enough to see a Hairy Woodpecker. Gosh he was difficult to photograph though - most of our shots were blurred. This is taken by Tim.
		The woods were lovely, dark and deep and quiet except for bird songs. The burble of the creek and the splishing of a nearby waterfall could also be heard. And there were a zillion shades of green.
		Oooooh, I nearly stepped on this. Yes, it's a Pacific Banana Slug. I find these things very interesting and I watched him for a while. It was evident why slow-moving people are referred to as Slugs :D
		There were some HUGE trees on this trail. Here I am hugging one. Just about everything is covered with moss, so we tried to keep moving before it coated us as well.
		Uh-oh. What happened to the trail? It was washed out here, and we had to climb down a bank and walk along the edge of the river.
		Here, Tim picks his way along the shore. It was really pretty there, and very peaceful.
		Many of the stumps are very old, and play an important part in the life cycle of the insects, birds and plant life.
		I thought these fungi were very pretty and as I always say, I'm a sucker for a fun-gi ;-)
		We stopped at Big Four for a snack. The tops of the mountains were wreathed in clouds, and we could see the remains of the winter snows. Birds were singing and the grass was very lush and green.
		Steller's Jays enjoyed a snack too. Who'd have thought that jays would like Nature's Harvest Apple Crisp bars! One of then even spurned someone's bread crust for this tasty treat.
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