A day-use fee requirement sign at the Santiam Flats Campground in the Willamette National Forest.

The National Forest Service is wondering why less people are visiting forest lands but they are not why (Story at KATU.com).

There are three possible reasons why, based on my personal experiences: fees, atmosphere and technology.

Fees: People are likely not going to fork over some dough to hike on a trail on public, tax-payer paid lands. Some campground fees are a bit high during summer season.

Atmosphere: Not many people like a crowded campground. Much less, a crowded campground with a bunch of rowdy beer-chugging, gun shooting party goers. Add in noisy ATVs and motorcycles too.

Technology: I would go insane if I had to stay connected 24 hours a day by some electronic means, but some people feel the need they need to stay connected. Some campers are showing up with satellite dishes and watching their favorite shows in their tents.

Isn’t the point of camping is to get away from civilization and the urban life?

Wind turbines near Arlington, Ore.

I remember a time when I returned home from a Snake River rafting trip late at night. We would cruise along Interstate 84 through the arid desert between Boardman and The Dalles. With the exception of some small towns and the river dams, only the smallest of light from a utility shack or a river navigation beacon would twinkle in the vast darkness.

Two decades later I travel the same stretch of highway, but this time the hilltops are several dozen red lights blinking in unison. As more wind turbines are erected, more red lamps appear to dot the night landscape. The rotating turbine blade sometimes blocks the lamp, thus giving it the twinkling appearance from the distance.

Owen and Henry romp around in the fall snow at Timberline Lodge. Oct. 20, 2008.

After spending the day over at the Ochoco National Forest where the weather is much warmer, I thought I’d swing by Timberline Lodge on my way home. Instead of enjoying the warm, partly sunny conditions that I had enjoyed at the Ochoco, I found myself caught in a blizzard.

Did I shoot many photos? Apparently not. The reason for it was I wasn’t dressed for the occasion. I was wearing a t-shirt and shorts, which was suitable for the 60-degree temperatures I had in the Ochoco. This was not really the appropriate attire for the 25-degree plus wind chill, snow and ice pellets.

When I drove up Timberline Road, the “Snow Zone” sign was blank. Many other people attempted to drive up the road without traction tires or devices, failed. I began losing traction at the “Y” near the lodge, but I kicked my rig into 4-wheel drive and finished my way to the parking lot.

There is no doubt that my two Labradors, Owen and Henry, love the snow.

Mt. Adams.

I am relieved to learn the news of the missing Mt. Adams hiker who had been found alive but injured five days later yesterday. Oregonian hiker Derek Mamoyac, 27, injured his ankle that he could only crawl or scoot his way back down the mountain, according to the media stories.

It was one week ago the news turned tragic in the Columbia River Gorge with two incidents involving other hikers. I cannot tell you how relieved I am that this guy was found alive and the outcome is positive.

However, given that Mamoyac is an avid outdoorsman, it wouldn’t surprise me that he survived five days feasting on insects, drinking from streams alone. The amazing thing was he had the apparent willpower to stay strong and survive five days of primitive conditions.

As I always say when I venture out onto the trails, “Be prepared for anything. Be prepared to go primitive.”

Do not leave your valuables visible in your car!

It annoys me to see shattered glass piled on the parking space at some recreational trailhead. Part of the problem is that some people are inviting thieves and car clouters to smash and grab goods from cars.

As I found the other day at a trailhead (which I will remain nameless), I parked next to one car with an MP3 player laying on the front seat. This car had an all-around clear glass windows so anything inside was visible as daylight. That is as I walked to the back of my car, I pinpointed in the back of this car that they had a car stereo box clearly visible at the top of a shopping bag. This was not one of those cupping your hands on the window and peek inside deal. This was one of those things, thanks to the clear glass, these items were visible from even inside my own car.

Whatever the case may be, it is best to take your valuables with you. I hear this from time to time from a police officer who attends our neighborhood association, the best defense is to keep your car looking sterile (meaning get all those valuables out of there).

Upper Horsetail Falls.

Friday was a tragic day in the Columbia River Gorge. Two separate incidents occurred within close proximity of each other. A rock slide along a trail near Horsetail Falls struck a family of five hiking, causing serious injuries to some of the hikers, but all survived. In a separate incident about the same time, a hiker reportedly died after plummeting 40 feet off a cliff near Triple Falls and Oneonta Trail #424.

I don’t know yet the full details of what caused these incidents. I am not going to speculate anything. These incidents, however, are a reminder that you should always be careful out in the Columbia River Gorge or anywhere else out in the wilderness. Always be prepared for anything to happen. Always stay alert to your surroundings.

Triple Falls.

A litter pile on a former bridge at the Walla Walla River delta, part of the McNary National Wildlife Refuge.

During my day road trip yesterday I stopped at the Walla Walla River delta at US 730 and US 12, which is part of the McNary National Wildlife Refuge near Pasco, Washington. I thought this would be a great place to shoot some photos. I saw several fishermen fishing from along the rail of a decommissioned highway bridge, constructed in 1931.

Everything was going so positive until I spotted a massive pile of aluminum and plastic beverage containers and broken glass at the cap of the bridge’s southern half. This was the most repugnant sight that I had come across of any public park, especially for one being in a wildlife refuge. My dogs instantly spotted a two-liter bottle floating down the Walla Walla River below and they were eager to dive from the bridge and retrieve it. Unfortunately I failed to find a trash can on the southern half of the refuge. I guess for the few who use this park, so instead of packing out the trash, the ground will have to just do? It’s downright criminal.

I will allow the photo above speak for itself the magnitude of this filth. If there are no trash cans available at the site, then you must pack out your trash. Leave no trace, except for footprints.

My mother and my aunt brave riding the problematic Seattle Monorail on July 11, 2008. (Photo by Bryan Dorr).

Once again the Seattle Monorail had another malfunction, leaving 150 passengers stranded high above the Seattle city streets Saturday afternoon. The fire rescue crews were able to evacuate all passengers safely with ladders. It is just another black mark on the 46-year old monorail’s list of recent mechanical failures.

Really, this thing should be taken out of service until improvements are made to its evacuation procedures and equipment. The evacuation equipment should be self-sustainable and not need the assistance of fire truck ladders. No incident could emphasize the importance of this than the fire that broke out in the blue train in 2004, which sent several passengers and a firefighter to the hospital for smoke inhalation.