Category: Nature

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Getting Outside

Fishing buddies headed to the stream

The week offered a mixed bag of weather, starting with some warm sunny days and ending with overcast and even snow flurries.

We took advantage of any nice days with time on the river.

The snow has disappeared at lower elevations, but stream levels are still low and it’s possible to get in some fishing. We stopped at a favorite day use area to enjoy a relaxing afternoon.

 

Later in the week, clouds moved in and temperatures dropped, bringing a short-lived dusting of snow.

We retreated to the kitchen and turned some of last summer’s fruit into jelly.

The days are getting longer so we expect there will be way fewer impediments to our travels.

In the meantime. we’ll finish up the last of winter’s chores.

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Stream Time

Help with the waders?

This week marked the Vernal Equinox.

The official beginning of spring.  Equal parts day and night  .  .  .   and it actually began with some very spring-like days.

Though, we are under no illusion that this will last.

A perfect day in the Deschutes River Canyon

In the high desert there is this time between the end of winter and the beginning of spring.

The mountains are still capped with snow, but the days get shirt-sleeve warm. The lakes hold on to winter’s ice and streams have yet to swell with runoff. The conditions are ideal for a picnic in the canyon.

Wetting a line in the Crooked River

A couple trips to the rivers in late March, ahead of last minute ice storms are always in our plan. We set up the camp chairs along the stream and bask in spring sunshine.

Now that … is basking.

The melt is coming.  The mornings are still frosty and there will be some rainy days.

Couldn’t ask for a better day

For the next week or two we’ll take advantage of this typical Central Oregon start to spring.

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This Might be Spring

The sun feels good on your face

It’s only been a week, but what a difference that has made.

We enjoyed clear sky and spring-like weather for the first time in months. Well, it seems like months.

This season has started to shift, bringing on a typical Central Oregon spring  .  .  .  that is,  frigid mornings with warm afternoons.

It’s about time.

You don’t need to catch fish to enjoy fishing

We headed to the Crooked River, and while layers were still required attire, the camp chairs and picnic at river’s edge were a welcome change.

No fish were caught, but a good time was had by all.

Runoff has started. It will fill streams and hamper fishing, but the weather it seems will not interfere with our outings  .  .  .  at least for a while.

Off to the river

And with that we’ll get back out into the High Desert.

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Time Flies but Still It’s Winter

A critical component to snow removal

As I’m writing this post the snows have returned.

Not as deep as before, but there is still some shovel work required. We understand it’s winter and yet days under gray sky seem more numerous this year than any in the past.

Getting ready to hit the water

We don’t lament the inevitable and in fact look forward to a seasonal shift. It has been common in Central Oregon for snowy winter days to be followed by sun and blue sky. Usually in equal amounts.

Not this year.

The week didn’t start with snow on the ground. Mid-February started with a spring-like feel.

Snack time

It’s referred to as false spring, but regardless, we took advantage and headed to Maupin to spend the day on the Deschutes.

Rivers remain swollen from January’s melted snows so the fishing wasn’t great.

A mid-February day on the Deschutes

However, the day was sunny and temperatures pushed into the fifties. We sat up chairs on river’s edge, enjoyed the day and waited for winter to return.

Lets go this way

We didn’t have long to wait.

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A Summer Lake Afternoon

The weather really didn’t change much this week.

Nor does it look like it will next week. Lots of gray days meant we got house projects done. Luckily, we managed to work in a day trip over to Summer Lake.

We took advantage of a break in the weather and headed over to the wildlife refuge.

In the winter the highlight is swans, who typically spend the season at the refuge. We had a nice chat with the local Fish, & Wildlife ranger who pointed out that both Trumpeter and Tundra swans swim together.

The view southeast to Paisley and Abert Rim is crowned with an azure sky.

It was a “summer” like day with no one around.  We got lots of footage and watched the swans paddling around.