This morning's trip to the Bend Wastewater Treatment Plant was very rewarding. We stood quite still for a long time, overlooking a pond with hundreds of ducks. With little ambient noise, I was able to hear the sound of wind whistling through duck feathers as they swooped into a landing at high speed. I spotted a Merlin, which we later decided is a male Tiega variant. As we were packing everything into the car, Steve spotted a raptor way up high that we decided must be an immature bald eagle. Fantastic.

This afternoon I did the McKenzie pass scenic route. The pass itself was otherworldly. Shrouded in fog, the snow covered trees stood watch over the barren, hulking mass of lava boulders. The spindliness of the trees, the absence of other humans, the fog drifting over the terrain and the utter quiet made me feel like the last person on earth. I didn't see a single mountain peek through the fog (and there should have been many), but I loved it. I hope the pictures might come out. I also stopped by some waterfalls and greeted them. The Tick rolls bravely toward it's 100,000 mile mark, currently at 99907!