Alton Baker Park

Well, I can't seem to get anything done around the house so I may as well enjoy some old memories.   Another of my favorite places in Eugene (I have MANY) is Alton Baker Park.  This is Eugene's largest developed park and has walking/jogging trails, fishing, picnicking, canoe rentals (seasonally), and reservable shelters.  Here is a link to tell you everything about the park.

http://eugeneareaparks.com/park.php?id=1

Alton Baker has something I have never seen in any other park: It has a scale model of the solar system!  This is the sun:

When I was taking these photos back in 2004, they were simply snapshots for the family so excuse the personal touch!!

Venus is just a small speck on top of this spire.  All planets
are sized in relation to the sun. 

The idea for this display was to encourage people to walk from planet to planet.  Some of the planets are very far away along the bike path, clear out of the park.  It's really pretty cool.

Alton Baker is within walking distance to the University of Oregon's football venue, Autzen Stadium.  It is very close to the center of town.   Yet some of the paths within the park make you feel that you are a long way removed from civilization.  There are plenty of places to fish, either by yourself....

...or with a group...

The herons are usually pretty generous about sharing the best fishing holes.

When you are done fishing you can feed the ducks and pigeons.



  In the last couple of years the city has requested that the Canadian geese NOT be fed at
all as they have taken over the park.  They can be quite aggressive, and the city has
at times, hired herding dogs to chase the geese from the park.  This photo was in 2004
and we were feeding the ducks, not the geese.



Please NEVER feed white bread and such to the water fowl.  We ONLY feed cracked corn or chicken scratch.  Bread is very bad for water fowl and can cause their wings to develop improperly and inhibit their ability to fly.  Also, it's just plain not good for their digestion.  We probably shouldn't feed them at all but it is a good memory from my childhood and all kids love to feeds the ducks.

This is one of the invasive geese.  Quite a contortionist!

This is a totally weird photo!  This was at night in the park.  I left the shutter open
on the camera and fired the flash off camera as the heron began to walk away.  It
is not a multiple exposure, just multiple firings of the flash. 

This is a very small sample of things you would see at Alton Baker Park.  It is also the site of many community events throughout the summer.  The Cuthbert Amphitheatre is located within the park and is a popular venue for summer concerts.  All in all, a very interesting place to visit.  There is no campground here but Armitage Park is just about 5 miles away (I wrote about Artmitage in another post).  Armitage is a county park featuring full hookups and is open year round.  A small portion of the Alton Baker parking lot is designated city parking for homeless campers (vehicles only, no tents).  There is a Marriott Residence Inn just down the street and a La Quinta right at the entrance to the park.  This is a prime location if you are ever in town to see your favorite college football team play the Ducks at Autzen Stadium...or just to visit our fair city.