These Birds Don't Look Injured, But They Are Cool

SO, there's this place called the Cascades Raptor Center, and it's pretty neat. If you catch bus 24 from Eugene Station, it's like a 10-20 minutes bus ride to the stop at Donald and Fox Hollow...in the rain it feels like an hour... but yeah.

Once off the bus, there is this hill directly next to the stop and there was like 4 million turkeys just waltzing around like they owned that hill. I did what all classy southern men would do upon seeing a turkey, I broke into a full sprint and chased them with waving arms and gobble noises. I would have caught one until the bus driver, WHO BY THE WAY, WAITED AT THE BUS STOP TO SEE WHAT WE WOULD DO, said that it was illegal to "disturb the habitat". There went my Thanksgiving Dinner.

 Then came the 3/4 mile trek uphill. I ain't a complainer, so this walk was actually a beautiful and peaceful walk. I may have taken TOO many pictures. The trees were green, LIKE REALLY GREEN, and I thought winter  started.

*TEXAS SIDE NOTE* -- When winter rolls around, all leaves go away, and grass turns brown.

Oregon continues to surprise me.

Upon arriving at the Raptor Center, I ran straight for freedom... I mean the bald eagle. However, I was stopped in my tracks by this Gyrfalcon named Finn... Like my name Finn... WeIrD rIgHt! This is the largest falcon in the world, and he was beautiful. The white feathers complimented his small head, and he looked like he could fly 100 miles per hour no problem and then mid dive he could rip an animal to shreds with his talons. Pure beauty.

 

Then I saw Hedwig... Archimedes rather, but he was definitely a fatter and lazier looking snowy owl than Harry Potter's trusty companion. Archimedes was pretty cool, but his sass was out of control. He was talking mess to me every time I lifted my camera to take a picture of him. He finally gave up when he realized that I was persistent, but he gave me the sassiest look ever.

Then I smelled America. Again, the bald eagle. I didn't even catch his name card becasue I was too busy singing the national anthem. I can't even use words to describe the eagle, he was just... just... FREEDOM!

Unfortunately, the trip was cut short because we had classes, and we needed to catch the bus back downhill before it left.

Check out this picture I took by the bus stop.

The Place Where Native Ameican Stuff Is.

The University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History has to be the smallest museum that I've ever been inside of. It was very cool, but dang it was small. The outdoor section was very cool though, I mean seriously look at this fish.... LOOK AT THAT GUY!

Anyway, Past is Present exhibit was actually quite beautiful. The mural on the back walls was bright and it made the rooms looks alive. Each picture I took I attempted to take the railing out so it would seem more real, so this is the scene of a still being built WikiUp... a strange and much more advanced teepee. Each individual reed of plants is tied togehter with a small straw knot. If you were to sleep in this and sneeze in the morning, this whole thing would collapse on top of you. Still, really cool to see this scene.

Fishing was the best way to get food for these guys. Not to be too obvious, but there are a few water ways in Oregon, and fish are far from eager to get caught. Seriously, these fish would get caught so easily it was like the gloomy gray Oregon weather made them all depressed and they were looking for the easy way out. This incredibly long net was used as a fishing net, and its elongated neck was helpful because the fish saw a branch of a tree instead of a large creature standing on the shore line. This allowed the fisherman to stand further back and not spook the fish. This next tool is a personal favorite. In modern times, us southerners call this puppy a GIG, we use her to kill frogs and snakes to eat. The fisherman used it for spearfishing. It's pretty neat.

 
   

 This is a snake.

The black and white bands classify this as a non-venomous California King-Snake...he's a nice guy.

THE COOLEST THING is definitely this house though. It was small, but it is definitely an easy to build shelter for Native Americans in this region. The roof was slanted for rain, and the wood was thick for wind, animal, and nature shelter. This also gave the Natives a sense of home, and this scene is quite beautiful. A small, wood-planked dwelling aside a large redwood. The redwood had plants of all kinds growing from its body, and it added to the shear bliss of a house like this. How cool.

That was pretty much the whole museum. My hunger took over, and I walked very fast after this room so I could make it to Mongolian Grill before I passed out.