The slide that has kept Quartzville road closed since mid December has been cleared now, as of last week. The slide closed the road at mile 14. We were trapping the cats at mile 15. Today was the first day I could get up there. I know I'll not find that poor young gray tux whom had not yet been caught when the slide happened. It's haunted me to think about her. I saw her on my game cam, two nights before I caught Tickle, who is likely her sister. Although five more cats were caught after I caught Tickle, the gray tux on my game cam photo was never caught before that slide closed down the road. Had to go look, and leave out food, just in case.
So I did.
I got up there just after 9:00 a.m. Fog had cleared just about the time I hit Sweet Home.
I was surprised to see that Green Peter Reservoir has quite a lot of water. I'd already passed Foster Reservoir on the way up and Foster is its usual icky self for this time of year--very low and ugly.
I passed 15 or more cars and trucks pulled off along the road, most below the dam. They fish the river. Farther up, past Green Peter dam, there were still quite a few cars on the road, that is, for that road.
Rocky Top group camp, at mile 15, where we caught so many cats, was quiet and still closed. I went in anyhow. I picked up a lot of trash too. People had been there and been messy. I removed the shelter another lady put last November in the back side of the vault toilet covered area. Someone had peed on it. There were tampon pieces and also dirty wet toilet paper in the covered entry. The vault toilet is closed and locked so I guess people decide to use the covered entry anyhow. It was disgusting.
I put out food multiple places, called and called, just to let any cat nearby know I was there, just in case you know. Finally I left. Some people in pickups had pulled up and were putting on farmer john wet suits. I asked if they were fishing or? They were rock hounding and go right into Whiskey Creek there. So they need wet suits to do that. The water is cold. Rock hounding is big in this area.
I gave them my phone number and asked if they'd keep an eye out for the cat. I'd already told them the story. They said they would.
I moseyed back home then, driving across Green Peter dam, to take a couple photos. Stopped on the far side of Foster Reservoir too, at the boat ramp. Foster is not pretty this time of year.
I'm not surprised I didn't see the cat. Those cats were only out after dark anyhow. It was a trip I had to make, just to get some food up there and maybe I'll be out there soon all night, just to see.
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| Here's where the slide was I think. Looks like it could easily do some more sliding. |
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| Some of the Rocky Top Trash. I picked all of it up around the parking lot too. |
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| Whiskey Creek as it cascades beneath Quartzville road down to the Quartzville creek arm of Green Peter Reservoir. |
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| Rocky Top bridge |
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| Green Peter Reservoir is way fuller than it was last I was up there in December. |
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| On the way back home I stopped here in a boat ramp parking lot on Foster Reservoir. The parking lot was littered in debris. The lake was far away due to low water level and the boat ramp closed. |
You amaze me with your constant endeavors and dedication. ~hugs~ Thank you for the amazing photographs.
ReplyDeleteI needed a day out of town anyhow. It was my birthday and I had no plans. I have some wonderful friends, but all live far away, who made me feel very warm. My brothers---ha, didn't even call me. I was a little lonely yesterday, so I knew I better get out of the house, to avoid the blues. Today, well there's been rain already, so it was the perfect day yesterday to go up into a beautiful and wild area. I did find some fur up there, no bones with it, and it wasn't the right color for the gray tux. It was fine enough to be cat fur however.
DeleteThank you for caring about the cats so much!
ReplyDeleteIt will be interesting to see if you catch any cats up there. Thanks for trying. Great pictures to go with your trip.
ReplyDeleteI had to look up rock hounding. It wasn't what I imagined.
ReplyDeleteWere there bins for the rubbish you picked up? Our state parks don't have bins and people generally don't leave rubbish behind...generally.
What is the purpose of the orange thing across the water? Is it called a barge line?
Great photos of nature, and some not so nature.
The orange float line is supposed to help keep debris out of the dam turbines and spillways. And in the summer---boats. Mix a little alcohol into boating and people do dumb things. No bins, but Rocky Top is a Linn county group camp and currently closed. They remove bins from closed areas because they won't be emptied, and lock the vault toilets. Waterloo county park has seen incredible vandalism to vault toilets. There must be maybe three restrooms permanently closed due to being basically destroyed, not only through vandalism but lack of regular maintenance too. People don't just dump cats up Quartzville road, they dump trash too. It's a continual issue everywhere, of people using forest service and blm roads to dump their trash. I try to always have a trash bag and gloves in my car, for when I run across what I deem sacrilege--descretion of wildlands. I disposed of the Rocky Top trash at a bin at a public parking lot.
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