Places – Smith Rock, Central Oregon

Peterson, Meader and I went to Smith Rock today (see the pictures below). We hiked about 5 miles further than our old bodies were prepared to go.

Here’s a little background from wikipedia.org:

Smith Rock State Park is a state park located in central Oregon’s high desert near the town of Terrebonne. Its sheer cliffs of tuff and basalt are ideal for rock climbing of all difficulty levels. Smith Rock is generally considered the birthplace of modern American sport climbing, and is host to many climbing routes that are considered cutting-edge even by today’s standards.

In addition to the world-famous rock climbing, Smith Rock State Park is host to many miles of hiking trails, the meandering Crooked River and views of the volcanic peaks of Oregon’s Cascade Range. Partial filming for the 1997 feature The Postman took place on location, while it additionally appeared in Swordfish in following years. Several westerns have been filmed here, including the John Wayne and Katharine Hepburn film Rooster Cogburn. The Rockhard / Smith Rock Climbing Guides building at the park entrance was built as a movie set for this film, portrayed as “Kates Saloon.”