Nature – Page 34

September 6, 2020September 28, 2020

A Pine Tree Maze

A favorite day trip spot is the Upper Deschutes river. This point is too far upstream for sea run or any of the huge fish the Deschutes River is famous for. However, the stream IS full of 8 to 10 inch Rainbow and Brook Trout.

There are about eight miles of stream from Lava Lake, the headwaters to Crane Prairie Reservoir. Along that stretch of highway are pullouts and parking spots, as well as a day use area on the northern end. We usually find a great picnic spot along the bank and not see another person all day. It is also a favorite river for Tip to fetch sticks and floatie toys.

Unlike the lower river, this stretch of water meanders through flat pine forest and grassy marsh land. There are lots of open meadows, but there is also a hatchwork of deadfall. The paths that lie either bank are an obstacle course of weathered logs. In places the downfall resembles jacksticks. This makes it a bit more difficult for old legs to navigate, but only to the point of slowing us down a bit … Tip finds the steeple chase an extra bit of fun.

August 16, 2020August 22, 2020

Still Waters

The cascade range between Crater Lake and Mount Washington holds hundreds of natural lakes. Most of them small alpine bodies of water a few acres in size, many of which require walking on mountain trails to reach.

We’re more likely to spend time on rivers or streams, preferring moving water. But this week we explored some of the road accessible lakes near home.

Waldo Lake sits on the west side of Willamette Pass, about an hours drive from us. At 39,000 acres it’s one of the largest natural lakes in Oregon and second deepest, next to Crater lake. Bordered on three sides by wilderness the pristine waters of Waldo Lake are off limits to power boats. Once there you can choose from three different camp grounds, each with a boat launch, but none with day use picnic sites.We quickly discovered the area is a huge draw for paddle craft. While the large parking areas were lightly populated it was impossible to find an open spot to picnic on the bank. This did renew our interest in acquiring a canoe and / or trying some of the wilderness hikes north of the lake.

Princess Creek day use site on Odell Lake is a great spot for a picnic.

South of Waldo, along Highway 58, is Odell and Crescent Lakes. In the fall Trapper Creek, running into Odell’s western edge, teams with spawning salmon. The day use site at Princess Creek CG on Odell offered a quiet spot to have some lunch.

Crescent Lake, a few minutes southeast of Odell, offered sandy beaches and excellent fetch and swim time for Tip.

We finished off the trip with a drive north on the Cascade Lakes Highway, past Davis Lake, Wickiup and Crane Prairie Reservoirs. If we hadn’t turned east for La Pine there are another half dozen lakes along that highway as you swing around the base of Mt Bachelor and drop down into Bend.

August 9, 2020August 8, 2020

Good Fortune at the River

Not sure what happened.

Time of day, day of the week, or maybe just heat of summer … regardless, there was no one at our favorite picnic site on the Crooked River!

And then we were visited by an osprey and treated to aerial acrobatics and maneuvers …, good luck indeed.

Monday we got going early to avoid afternoon heat. We were ready for what had become typically packed campgrounds and had riparian picnic gear at hand.

As has become custom, we start with a fetch/swim at the reservoir, which has been drawn down quite a bit.

Wet and happy dog back in the car we head down into the canyon and search out a parking spot on the river.

Over the past few months the river has been unusually crowded, however today Post Pile CG was completely empty. It stayed that way until we left about 3 pm.

The other thing that stayed away was August heat. These last few weeks have seen temperatures hit near ninety by noon. Shade trees aided with a light breeze up the canyon offered pleasant reading sites all day.

August 2, 2020August 1, 2020

A Summer Morning Walk

Summer with all it’s heat has decended on Central Oregon.

What this means is we’ve shifted our outdoor activities to the morning hours, and if we are out in the afternoon heat its near a stream with plenty of shade.

While it might approach 100 degrees by midday, it has dropped to a refreshing 45 by the next morning.

This week we decided to explore a spot on the western edge of Crane Prairie Reservoir. There is a short hike to a birding spot on the reservoir’s banks that typically we drive by on our way to favorite fishing haunts on the upper Deschutes. This morning we started there.

Osprey Point is an interpretive trail, no camping and only one picnic table. This day there were no cars in the parking area, but the path is well worn so it’s not always so private.

The trail winds through lodgepole pine forest with twists of blowdown that would make off trail walking difficult.

At the end you breakout onto the southern reach of a broad marsh. There is a crescent shaped area with willows, grasses and lots of snags for nesting that runs for half a mile of shore line and is about 500 feet deep.

There are osprey, as well as other raptors and a variety of shore birds. The middle of summer isn’t the best time to observe nesting birds. Plus, we weren’t equipped to slog across wetlands to the shore to get a closer look at a flock of pelicans. That said it was a beautiful morning and JQ did manage to find some subject material for her camera.

July 19, 2020October 31, 2020

A Day on the D

This week we returned to a favorite fishing site, the Upper Deschutes River.

Proximity to our house makes for a perfect day or even half day jaunt.

Numerous pull-offs and side roads offer access to grassy banks, perfectly suited for a camp chair.

The Deschutes River is divided into three zones, Upper, Middle and Lower. There is a striking difference between these separate stretches of river. It’s entire length is bank fishable, with lots of access points for picnicking as well as camping.

This day we tried a new spot just downstream from the head waters and Little Lava Lake. From here the river flows south into the Crane Prairie Reservoir, eventually turning north out of Wickiup Reservoir and onto the Columbia River. This close to the head waters means the stream is more wadeable but holds smaller fish.