Back to Business Back up Quartzville

 Long day yesterday.   

After not as much sleep as I should have gotten, I drove early up Quartzville road, hoping to see how many are left up there and maybe even catch them.

Ha!

I saw nothing, stayed about two hours is all, walked around, talked to a man at the Thistle Creek parking lot, about the trap stolen there.   I gave him my card, after he asked who he should call if he saw the kitten seen a quarter mile from there.   I was unsure if I's just talked to the man who stole my trap or someone willing to help if he can.  Doesn't matter.   Was nice he even asked about the kitten.

I put some food out again where I'd seen that kitten.

Wet sloppy food, because birds won't eat that.  And I would be able to tell then if something else might still be there.  

I took photos of the chaos being caused once again, by the drawdown of Green Peter dam.   I took two photos at Foster Reservoir, where the two rivers run into it at its east end.  The south Santiam has no dam above it and looks pretty clean.   The Middle fork of the Santiam comes from Green Peter dam and is muddy as hell as it dumps into Foster Reservoir.  Same old.

Looking up the middle fork of the Santiam, that comes down from Green Peter Dam, from Foster Reservoir

And this is looking up the other river that empties into Foster Reservoir, the south Santiam, not the muddy mess the Middle Fork is, due to the Green Peter draw down.

Here is what Green Peter Dam and Reservoir look like currently, with most of the water drained out.

this is the downriver side of Green Peter dam, through the trees, from the pullout at the dam.

This is the reservoir side of the dam.  Ordinarily, the water level would be up to those trees and that green grass area.

That orange snake line, that's the debris float linee, to block debris and boats from the dam, when its full.  See where they're snaking from?  Way up top?  That's the usual  level.

I took these from a pullout.  It's disgusting.

Down to a shallow muddy river that local wildlife can't even access, cause that mud would suck them down.

Looking down from the first bridge overlook, can make you a little dizzy.  Long long way down, to trickle river.

Anyhow.....

Foster Reservoir is mile one on Quartzville road.  Green Peter Dam is at mile 5.   The large group of cats dumped is at mile 15.   The kitten was seen at mile 10.  

I returned last night, alone, and set a trap and fell asleep very quickly.  The kitten five miles closer to the dam, had eaten the food I left a few hours before.  Or something had.  I left a weather proof set up and dry food, but longed to leave the group dump and go after that kitten.    I saw one cat about 6:30 p.m. and remembered I forgot to set out the game cam, so when that cat did not go in the trap I set out the game cam.   I fell asleep again.  Woke an hour later and the rain had finally stopped.

The full moon came out beautiful, but very briefly.

Periodically I'd shine a flashlight around, to check for cat eyes.   I left at 11:00, having seen only the one cat, the gray and white short hair.  My game cam batteries had died and did so shortly after 7:00 I saw on time stamp where the last photo on the cam was black.   But....there was a second cat on the game cam before the batteries died.  So there are at least two very trap shy cats left out there.  One lady had initially caught two cats and tried to transfer them to a carrier while there, and they got out.  These may be those two.

I drive like a grandma back down Quartzville road, flicking my lights from high to low beam, not wanting to hit a deer again, thinking that might help for some reason.

Lastly, saw this beautiful double rainbow on the drive up.

Today, is hang out day with my own cats.