Daisy May discovered a super power recently at Marys River Park and Natural Area.
Earlier this month, Jill Pauls and her little pooch, Daisy May, were walking in the park with Holly Sullivan. The dog’s super power? She finds discs (as in disc golf) that have been lost in blackberry brambles near the course.
Well, I’ll let Holly tell the story:
“We started her at one patch where it looked as though someone had been trying unsuccessfully to get to a disc lost deep in the underbrush,” Holly said. “Jill asked Daisy May to get the disc, and Daisy emerged two minutes later with disc in hand (so to speak).”
That opened up a whole new world.
“Once she caught on to what we wanted, Daisy was unstoppable. In less than an hour, she had found eight lost discs.”
If you were not aware, Marys River Park and Natural Area is home to a nine-hole (basket) disc golf course.
Holly said an effort would be made to return all discs to their owners.
“We usually walk Daisy and her friend, Gwennie, at Marys River Park once a week, so anyone who loses a disc can hope that Daisy will find it,” Holly added. “People who have their discs returned and would like to give Daisy a little reward may do so in the form of a dog biscuit.”
2. Marys Peak on TV
For TV news viewers, specifically KEZI, you may be familiar with meteorologist Holden LeCroy. This weather guy obviously enjoys more than putting together your forecast — he’s also big on getting out into nature as seen in his Holden’s Hikes series.
Available for viewing on YouTube, Holden’s Hikes last month went to Marys Peak. The focus of his piece was on the mountain’s geology and ecology.
“Its geological history dates back thousands of years,” LeCroy said. “Gradual erosion of sandstone and shell have made the perfect spot for meadows and towering spruce to thrive.”
LeCroy takes you up the mountain and provides a geology lesson. “This place is truly an ecological and geological heaven.”
A comparison to Mount Hood, which can be seen in the distance, follows.
“From one side of I-5 to the other, it’s hard to believe these are two separate types of mountains but connected, both formed by the subduction of the Juan de Fuca Plate under the North American Plate. But west of I-5 is a wedge of rock that was scraped and pushed up forming the Coast Range. Mount Hood on the other side is completely different — volcanic.”
LeCroy and his companion hiked three-fourths of a mile to the top before heading back.
“On your way back down, take advantage of the 360-degree views admiring both nature and the power of geology surrounding you,” he said.
The only thing that irked me a little was that in the intro to the Holden Hike’s segment, the location was shown on the screen as “Marys Peak, Corvallis” (although he does mention Philomath in the opening seconds of his commentary and Marys Peak is shown with a Philomath location in the YouTube video description).
3. Return to kindergarten
A couple of Philomath valedictorians did a pretty cool thing on Thursday afternoon — they put on their caps and gowns and paid a visit to Brittney Kampfer’s classroom.
Andrew Leonard, who was one of five Philomath High School valedictorians, and Allessandra Bakker, Philomath Academy’s valedictorian, surprised the kindergarten teacher with their visit. You see, both Ally and Andrew had Kampfer as their own kindergarten teacher clear back when they were beginning their Philomath educational journey.
The pair felt it was important to go back to where it all started to say hi and offer a thank you.
Ally and Andrew gave her flowers and interacted with the children in her classroom — a handful of kids in the Class of 2036.
(Brad Fuqua is publisher/editor of the Philomath News. He can be reached at News@PhilomathNews.com).
