Road Trip - Day8

Somebody today commented on how much they liked our matching shirts yesterday and wondered if I made them.


Today we went to one of Oregon State University's research and experimental stations. It was interesting to see how they set up testing for pest and disease resistance for trees and berries. We also went to the Oregon Garden in Silverton. The city needed a way to use their treated waste water before it went back into the environment (it is too warm to just dump it into the creek) and some garden organizers were looking for a place to grow a public garden that had a source of irrigation water. So the city pumps their treated water to the garden. The garden built a series of wetlands at the top of the property (all nicely landscaped). After the water moves through the wetlands, the water is stored and used for irrigation and other water features. By the time they use it in their sprinklers and catch it again at the bottom of the garden (80 acres of garden, eventually 240 acres) the water is at least 10 degrees cooler and a little less fertile and it runs out into the local creek. The garden gets good water year round and the city avoids daily fines for releasing warm water back into the creek.

We also went to Monrovia Nursery. The Oregon location is Monrovia's largest producer. Today they estimated about 22 million plants on site. It is huge and well-run.

We walked, walked, walked and walked. But had a very nice day. Funny thing, the Oregon gardens is just one block from the turn off to Silver Falls State Park, our next destination (Monday) after the trip.