You may remember our grueling ascent to the top of Eugene's Spencer Butte last April. It was a fun climb, but sometimes we find ourselves in the mood for nice views without any of the the accompanying gruel. That's when we head for Eugene's other butte -- Skinner Butte -- just a couple miles to the north.
There are two ways to reach the top of Skinner. The first way involves climbing a sheer basalt cliff.
We generally don't take this way, because...um, I've grown really fond of staying alive. This route is well-suited for extreme sports fanatics who aren't the primary means of support for two (soon to be three) young children. I thought about telling these guys -- just as a courtesy -- about the paved road on the other side of the butte that leads all the way to the top. But then I considered the possibility that the climber dudes would get really excited by this revelation and end up losing their pinkie-finger hold on the rock face. Best case scenario: they fall to their deaths. Worst case: they fall to their deaths on me. My day would be ruined.
I said nothing and we continued our short drive to the top.
Here we are seated on a stone of some obscure historic significance near the butte's highest point. Apparently when Eugene Skinner was planning his new town in the late-1850's, this stone represented where main street would be. That sounds really cool, except there has never been any street up here, let alone a main street. Seriously, I read the inscription twice and I still can't figure out what our city's Founding Father was trying to do with this rock. I can only guess he intended to push the rock down the butte and leave it next to the real Main Street, but then got distracted by something else.
We let Karst' handle the camera for awhile. Taeg' was in charge of wardrobe.
Looking south from Skinner Butte Park, Taeg' got a wide-view perspective of downtown Eugene with Spencer Butte in the background.
