by Michael Allen McCormick

Created on: April 23, 2008   Last Updated: October 16, 2010

It was a chilly morning that I led our tour group on a hike in the Oregon Forest. I cautioned them, when going hiking we must wear layers. We made our eye opener coffee stop at Foster reservoir, I was glad that I brought a heavy shirt to wear over my overalls. It was an over overall shirt. We made our lunch stop, picnic style, at Clear Lake. Lots-o-fishing going on here. Not much catching, but a lot of fishing.

We enjoyed the view and the warmth of the sun at our picnic table. Clear lake is truly clear. You can see to the bottom. There is a forest of large trees that were submerged under the water before they dammed the area to make a lake. Kind of odd visiting an area that has been "dammed". The lake shimmers in many shades of blue. I guess if I was dammed, I would be blue too.

At the trail head for Koosah Falls, I did a double take when I read an interpretive sign that stated a geological event occurred 3,000 years BP (before present). Oh, that's 1,000 years before Christ. Maybe I am getting old and stubborn, but I still insist upon counting time from when Jesus walked on the earth. I guess the US Forest Service thinks it would be an infringement of "Church and State" rules that prohibit mentioning religion. Well, my dollar bill says "In God we trust". This great country was founded upon Christian principles.They cannot take God out of everything, or anything for that matter, because God is in everything.
For me, BP is a gas station and nothing more.

Satan must be working overtime on this petty stuff. Some people need to see a miracle to believe there is a God. You don't have to look far. Our mere existence is proof enough. We only need to look in the mirror, life is a miracle. The beautiful waterfall, just footsteps away from that public denial of God, is a miracle. How can they look at beauty, and think it wasn't created by a power more mighty and superior than man? Perhaps that is why clear lake is dammed.

We began our hike near Koosah Falls. It was my first time there. There are vantage points below and above the falls. There were flows of water coming out of what looked like solid rock in the cliff side. Must be some kind of underground caves there, not sure if they percolate year round. From Koosah Falls, it's up the Mackenzie River, and up hill (duh),to Sahalie Falls. The best way is to go up river from the parking area by way of the road, that way it's all down hill going back to the car.

Not far into the hike, I removed my over overall shirt and tied

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