Crooked River – Page 2

August 6, 2023October 11, 2023

Crooked River Day Trip

This week we headed up to the Crooked. Looked like a good place to avoid the Bedrock fire smoke plume, which has haunted us for weeks.

Typically, BLM sites are in use by summer campers. So, we’ll pull into a day use spot.

This day we got lucky and found a favorite spot empty. In fact, the whole campground was empty.

Summer is peak season for camping so we’ll pay the parking fee when we find a spot. Two reasons; old guys like me get half price deals and BLM uses these dollars to maintain these spots.

We set up camp chairs in the shade of some ancient juniper trees. Pull out the lunch boxes and while I rigged a couple of rods JQ points her camera at flowers, butterflies, birds and bees.

Might be because the smoke has been bad for days or it’s just a fluke . . . but there are very few people on the river. Amid this calm, we take photos, enjoy lunch with a cold beverage and catch a few fish.

In all . . . it was a great day and nice break from the smog.

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.

The Osprey caught fish . . . I did not.

We spotted an Oriole, which is actually pretty rare around here.

These song birds forage in riparian corridors and mainly eat insects, berries and nectar.

The canyon is painted with yellow balsamroot and wild iris. June is peak wildflower season in the high desert.

Mostly, we sat in camp chairs on the edge of the stream just enjoying being outside.

June 11, 2023June 16, 2023

Wildflowers

High Desert summers get hot, dry and eventually smokey. We try to take advantage of the days before the sun has beaten the green down to just the river’s edge. This year that seems to be extending into June.

This week’s excursion was full of blossoms and bird song as we were back on the Crooked River. Water levels are down to summer flows, fishing is getting better and the riparian was full of wild flowers and wild life.

There are always field guides for Bird, Wildflower and High Desert Plant identification in the car. We’ve found it’s better to have a printed copy than rely on an internet connection when you’re trying to figure out what that brownish bird is.

JQ discovered an excellent resource when you’re trying to find where the flowers might be blooming. NorthWest Wildflowers (duh!) . . . no, it’s actually a web site that has color coded dots on a map showing when and where flowers are in bloom. From this ‘bloom map’ you’ll see points in Washington, Oregon, Southern BC and Northern California where wildflowers are.

Click on a location and you’ll be presented with a set of directions, an Oregon hikers guide, and a link for plant identification tools starting with the most likely flowers at that spot. All from this one web page . . . very cool.

We don’t plan to leave the field guides at home, but when you’re looking for a spot to explore this is a great site. It takes the guess work out of planning where and when the blooms are. There are still a lot of “early bloom” locations to check out, so we’ve been updating the calendar.

May 14, 2023May 13, 2023

Runoff continues

Our weather lately has looked like this.

Haven’t seen the Crooked this full, ever.

Months of snow, in what normally would have been spring, have translated into an extended runoff.

Rivers and reservoirs are at capacity and that means fishing isn’t at its best.

While we wait for the flows to subside, it’s still interesting to witness all that water.

Someone has jury duty, and while she’s not happy about it, this week we’re sticking closer to home. Thus a return trip to the rushing Crooked River.