Nature – Page 32

January 31, 2021January 31, 2021

Morning at Smith Rock

We arrived before dawn and pretty much had the place to ourselves. Despite the low light conditions, we easily navigated the trails.

Central Oregon winters can deliver deep snow and sub-freezing temps … but there are also periods of nearly spring-like conditions. On one of those snowless days we headed off for Terrabonne and a hike at Smith Rock State Park.

The park and it’s web of trails center around a canyon with shear rock faces lining the north bank of the Crooked River. Most people come here to climb those rocks and on weekends the parking lot is literally filled to capacity.

Arrive on a weekday morning, especially in the winter, and you might have the park to yourself. We’re here because the gnarled juniper trees and rock outcroppings make for interesting landscape photos.

There was no dramatic sunrise. That said, we scouted the area for future shoots. This is a destination (much like Painted Hills) that we will definitely visit again.

However, we chose a more moderate route. By following the south rim of the Crooked River Canyon we were treated to great views, excellent photo ops and an easy hike.

December 13, 2020December 13, 2020

Glad It’s over … nearly

This is the 60th time this year we’ve shared our week.

The blog serves as a reference point in our lives. What we did last week gets translated into words, images, and an occasional video.

Smoke from Oregon’s forest fires inundated the area making it impossible to do anything outside.

As the year comes to a close it would be easy to focus on the dumpster fire that was 2020 … maybe naively think 2021 is going to be any better.

But a blog allows us a look back at directions we took and points we hit.

Last January started with a typical Central Oregon mid-winter thaw. This presented an opportunity to explore where just a few weeks before the roads were snowed in and would be again the following week.

By April we were in the clutches of “first wave” quarantine and social distancing. We discovered that fewer people working meant crowds in the forests and on river banks. Thus we had to look for alternatives.

Time was blocked out visiting via Zoom, experimenting with recipes and creating new rituals. Cocktail hour became a new favorite. We spent time sipping and testing different whiskeys.

As Spring shifted into summer we discovered new spots to spend a day. Explorations of different roads around Summer Lake, Fort Rock and the high desert forested edges occupied our day trips.

We upgraded our camera kit this year, adding a lens sized for wildlife photography.

The summer and fall got filled with days stalking feathered critters in addition to the usual finned variety.

A blog by design is retrospective, focused on what happened.

We actually got in quite a few great adventures while perfecting our social distancing skills. That said it will be nice to see the end of this year.

November 22, 2020November 21, 2020

At the Tying Bench

Winter’s cold arrived this week. Coupled with the Governor’s “stay at home” request, our activities cooled as well.

We don’t stop fishing in the winter, just shift tactics. Some streams open all year, and of course fish don’t hibernate.

One thing that does pick up is activity at the tying bench.

Flyfishing, like most hobbies, offers lots of distractions to occupy time and resources, Some more essential than others. Fly tying is one of these side ventures.

Winter, or off season, at the bench serves two functions. First it replenishes boxes depleted by summer’s excursions . There are also some very different types of flies used in the cold months.

The art of dry dropper, wet fly, or Euro nymphing techniques is, for us, just in the formative stage, as are any patterns used in those tactics. It’s helpful to be able to sit down at the bench, work out different artificial based on what we see on the river.

There is also a cathartic and meditative side of attaching bits of feather, fur and tinsel to bends of wire.

Like standing in the middle of a stream … fly tying has its own sort of Zen.

With shortened days … that’s a good thing.

November 8, 2020November 7, 2020

A Quiet Day

This week, with constant din on social media and political static on email we thought it would be good to take a break. Phones were turned off and we headed to a favorite stream bank.

The days are cooler but not cold and there is the threat of ‘first snow’ in the forecast. But the Crooked River offered a quiet pause before dropping back into the media storm.