Category: Nature

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Walking Circles

The initial frigid fall temps have moderated and we’re currently enjoying an “Indian Summer” of sorts.

Hiking is thirsty work. For every step we take, Tip takes four. He runs ahead, then runs back. We stop frequently to keep the little guy hydrated.

Taking advantage of these mild fall days we’ve re-started fall hiking trips that were put on hold when it seemed like winter was upon us.

In spring of last year we’d attempted to walk the Rim Rock Springs Loop trail but it was buried in snow. It’s not a summer hike destination as it’s way too exposed to high desert sun … but Fall is perfect.

It’s a relatively easy hike, taking off from a wayside East of Madras on Highway 26. There are a couple of observation points to get a look at migratory bird habitat and some great vistas of the Cascade Peaks. The first half of the trail is even paved.

The were no other hikers so we enjoyed the solitude, shot a bunch of photos and generally took in the scenery. Finished up with a picnic lunch for a perfect November day trip.

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A Peek from the Peak

Bend is surrounded by amazing sights. Perhaps one of the best places to take it all in is Pilot Butte, an extinct cinder cone located within Bend’s boundaries.

A lot of people choose to hike up, however our first trip was by car. The view is really spectacular.

In the center of the observation deck is a bronze disk aligning all the prominent points.

We got much better acquainted with our surroundings and had excellent views of the city of Bend.

It was well worth the short trip up it’s narrow road.

 

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Fall at Summer Lake

In Central Oregon Fall seems to have gotten skipped over and we’ve moved directly to winter or at least the cold part.  That said we took off for Summer Lake this morning hoping to catch some migrating waterfowl.

The weather was overcast with temperatures just above freezing as we drove south Fremont highway (US 31) past Fort Rock on to the high desert.

Took a brief side trip a few miles up USFS 2901, which would eventually take you to the rim of the cliffs that border the west side of Summer Lake. Snowy roads persuaded us to turn around before they got worse higher up.

The reserve at summer lake was packed with pre-wildfowl season RV’s, no people just their trailers.

The clouds broke up and we enjoyed some birding, highlighted by a trio of swans landing and paddling around just a few hundred feet away.

 

 

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Trip to the Moon

Explained in an earlier post, the expanse of land between home and western Montana is too much for a day’s drive and also a bit formidable in the blast of summer’s heat. Any route includes several hundred miles of desert driving through either  Idaho or Nevada and eastern Oregon.

At the end of a week long tour we’d found ourselves on the western edge of Wyoming and looking at a two day drive home which would include a trip to the moon, well nearly.

Few places on earth offer a more barren landscape than Craters of the Moon scenic monument. This expanse of lava flow, cinder cones and sage brush sits in the middle of southern Idaho. US 20 runs along the northern border so it was more or less on our way.

From our camp site in Wyoming’s Teton Mountains, we were half a day’s drive of the National Monument. The plan was to enjoy a visit before the heat of the day bore down on us. Then press on to the Oregon border and a hotel stay to avoid the nearly 100 degree temperature.

There is a loop drive through the park offering lots of different angles on the unique landscape.

On a cooler day we might have walked one of the trails or even stayed the night in the moonscape campground. Worth the effort as it is a strangely beautiful spot. But it doesn’t have much to offer in the way of shade from an August sun.

 

 

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Photo Ninja

20 years ago I read a book that focused on the roads less traveled. William Least Heat-Moon wrote Blue Highways in 1999 and we’re acolytes of his travel philosophy. The blue highways have become single red and black lines on current maps, but we seek them out just the same.

A recent road trip was meant, primarily, as a shakedown for the Eurovan and us as campers. To date our “vanlife’ has been overnight fishing trips. Now, we are going to be on the road for a week or more.

This type of excursion involves a great deal more drive time. The first two days were spent just getting to our major destination … Montana. In all that driving JQ developed a ninja-like prowess for snapping pictures from the van’s windows.

A wealth of images were found speeding along the highways from Oregon through Idaho, into Montana and Wyoming. Thats not to say we didn’t take advantage of scenic overlooks, historical markers and other roadside stops. But from the window of her camper, JQ gathered a rather nice collection of the sights along the red & black highways.