Urban fast hiking Eugene in fog, smoke this morning was a treat. I left about 45 minutes before sunrise, headlamp on, right from my front door. Fog was thick on the ground, but the moon and stars visible. The plan included the north side of Willamette River, over to the University of Oregon (UO), back through town to REI, and then east on the south side of the river. On the north side the route followed Pre’s Trail or the river bike path.
Early fog on the river
The first milestone was footbridge over the Willamette River to UO.
On the bridge, darkness and fog covered the river to render my photos crap, but one.
I headed back around Pres Trail along the Mill Race to the pond. Birds were flapping in the water but invisible.
One tree near the mill race was covered in holes. Homes for some and food for others.
Sunrise
From the Mill Race, an open field showed the sunrise over the I-5 bridge.
The birds in the last photo were a surprise – couldn’t see them through my camera. Further on, from behind a tree the sunrise continued to burn orange-red.
Over the river
Crossing the campus footbridge this time, the river covered in fog or smoke turned the red sun opaque in the distance. A couple of lonely geese swam under a bizarre sunrise.
Once on UO campus, foggy river scenes became autumn leaves and color in a haze.
Heading home and a different sky
Back in an open field away from buildings, with the sun higher in the sky, smoke and fog changed to wispy clouds above the haze.
Urban fast hiking Eugene in fog, smoke summary
This urban fast hike took four hours covered 12 miles around the river, through the UO, around town and back along the river. Birds were few, bicycles several and other walking humans for the first 2 hours slim if any. A peaceful, quiet adventure in the fog and smoke around Eugene. The photos were again hugely influenced by Cedar Creek fire sky-art, beautiful but deadly. A great urban fast hike … but once home, all my clothes smelled like smoke.