General – Page 2

September 29, 2024September 28, 2024

Kind of a Sad Week

This week we had to say goodbye to Lewis, an 18 year old, long hair, black cat. He was sick first of the week, and then by mid-week he wasn’t eating or drinking.

He’s had some kidney issues, but this was not a good sign.

By Thursday we knew what had to be done.

He was kind of a pain in the butt. He liked to jump up on the counter and chomp fresh herbs (chives being his favorite). But he was the best ‘in your lap while reading cat’ we’ve ever had. Now, we have just one cat left.

The excursions we did make this week were up to the Crooked River. We really needed the peace of a sit-along-the-stream.

The fishing wasn’t very good, clouds and wind took over one of the days . . . but a bad day on the river is still a good day.

Thursday was much better. We had the place to our selves and while the fishing didn’t improve, the weather did.

Fall is definitely here.

Day temps are down and there is a crispness to the air. Plus, the migration is starting up so bird activity is increasing.

We’ll likely make a trip out to Summer Lake this coming week, and maybe have another try at Summer Steelhead. The weatherman suggests we’ll have good days ahead.

July 30, 2023July 29, 2023

Wildfire Season has Arrived

Leaving the smoke behind, if just for a day.

On Monday the AQI (Air Quality Index) for Bend reached 300. That sits in the hazardous range.

Most of the week the AQI for La Pine hovered around 150, which is on the unhealthy scale.

Smoke from the Bedrock Fire has burned over eight thousand acres, fifteen hundred of those in just the last two days, which is the source of all the smoke.

This has become a regular summer condition to the point where we have links to fire and AQI maps on our phones.

Don’t get me wrong, we enjoyed a delayed fire season this year and took advantage of it. But that is over for the foreseeable future. So now plans need to be altered to fit the conditions on the ground.

Cascade forests zip by on our drive to the Willamette Valley

This week we drove west, to the valley and some berry farms. This hot dry summer shortened the season and we wanted to get some Logan and Triple Crown berries.

For lunch we stopped at Princess Creek Day Use and enjoyed the shade of old growth on the banks of Odell lake . . . one of us even did some swimming.

With an eye on the smoke plume forecasts, we are looking for potential spots to escape . . . hopefully there will be some clear skies over a river close by.

July 23, 2023July 22, 2023

Just A Hot Week in July

We spent this week trying to stay out of the heat. A wildland fire burning in the southwestern corner of Oregon finally managed to drift some smoke over our way. The drop in air quality on top of hundred degree daytime temps wasn’t very conducive to outdoor activities.

However, we did manage to fit in a trip to the Upper Deschutes. There are some well shaded nooks along the stream to set up a chair, cast a fly and throw a stick.

The weather man promises a moderation to record setting heat ahead , , , we’ll see. But there are plans being made to locate other shaded spots.

July 2, 2023July 1, 2023

Summer Time

We’ve officially moved into summer and Central Oregon weather outlook is sunny and warm. This week we were back on the Crooked River.

Found a nice patch of shade to set up chairs and enjoy the day. The Osprey paid a brief visit, but didn’t pull any fish out of the river.

A Kingfisher dropped by for a bit. Again, obviously hunting, but moved on before pulling any prey out of the water.

American Kestrel, one of the smallest falcons in North America

The highlight of our day was watching American Kestrels soar against the canyon walls . . . occasionally stopping in the tree directly across from us.

Even with all those predators in the sky, I still managed to catch a few fish . . . between malt beverages.

June 25, 2023July 1, 2023

Being Outside

This week we are back on the Crooked River.

We do this a lot . . . visit a location repeatedly throughout the year. For us, it is often the destination, not necessarily the journey.

There are times when exploring a space, looking for something unique, new or just different is the mission.

But that is not this week. This week we’re trying to just get outside.

There are few places as relaxing as a spot next to moving water. It’s still early summer and the days are warm and the camp sites are still relatively empty. Neither of those will be true in a couple of weeks.