jstv – Page 12

December 3, 2023December 2, 2023

Layers of Color

It has been some time since we visited Painted Hills, so this week we spent a day walking trails and taking pictures, very touristy of us.

The Painted Hills Unit gets a lot of hype on the internet . . . heck, it’s listed as one of the 7 Wonders of Oregon.

We are regular visitors to all the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument ‘units’. But this is perhaps our most photographed.

The stratification that gives the “hills’ distinct layers presents differently depending on the season, as well as time of day.

Our afternoon visit was on a clear day, but there had been a week of rain.

These elements combined to offer some very photogenic views.

Even a quick swing into the Painted Hills is worth the time. As such, it gets worked into many different road trips. Frequent readers of the blog will recognize that.

Usually these excursions are short photo sorties to an overlook about a mile in from the junction of Burnt Ranch and Bear Creek roads.

We expanded that typical visit this week with some trail walks past other exibit areas.

Took a quick pass around a fenced off mound of leaf fossils.

We’re kind of leaf fossil snobs, you see we dug samples when you could still just park at Fossil High School and collect.

Spent a bit more time on the out and back trail at Red Hill.

Not as visually stunning as the overlook hills. It’s a lone mound of red capped with green.

There is a texture to the surface as well as color

It’s the surrounding landscape that gives the site an ancient look. Did manage to find a lot of photo ops.

We enjoyed ourselves to the point of skipping a trip to Tiger Brewing in Mitchell, so as to avoid night driving. Will be swinging back here again.

November 26, 2023November 25, 2023

Thanks Given

Those mild fall days have been overtaken by a more winter-like chill. We are still enjoying mostly cloudless skies, but afternoons rarely warm above the low forties. Snow is inevitable.

“Just get your picture and open the door already … “

This week we wandered back down to the Lower Deschutes. Thinking that Thursday would be a good day to avoid crowds.

That turned out to be wrong. But we did have a great picnic lunch along the river and an excellent turkey day outing.

Cooking a whole turkey makes no sense for the two of us, so Friday we put a pork roast in the oven. This paired nicely with a smattering of sides.

After all, it’s really the side dishes we look forward to anyway.

Hope you all enjoyed the holiday , , , Now get ready for the blur of time that precedes Christmas. We anticipate more cold weather jaunts and eventually breaking out the snow shovels.

November 19, 2023November 18, 2023

Foggy Start to a Perfect Fall Day

Our morning starts under a cover of low clouds

We continue to enjoy a perfect fall. The few days of rain are offset by clear skies. Morning temperatures start around freezing, but by afternoon we’re flannel shirt comfortable.

One never knows when the winter snows will slow travel, so we are living in the now.

Mornings, recently, have started with a shroud of fog. Pine trees are glazed in frost, but our morning drive is not hampered by black ice.

This week we were back on the Crooked River. There are a lot less people on the river as the weather gets colder. Our favorite picnic site is usually empty . . . the whole camp ground . . . the entire day!

Last year the Crooked was drawn down to dangerous levels and while it has taken nearly the entire season, good stream conditions have returned, as have the fish.

From here Tip can keep an eye on everyone

This time of year conditions are perfect for the Euro-nymph rig. With each progressive season, I get better at choosing the right patterns, as well as presentation. I had a very productive morning.

Afternoon sun on the river … perfect day

By noon the gray sky had shifted to blue and the sun offered a bit of warmth. Not camp chairs on the bank warm, but not mittens and down vest cold. A dram of spirits in a fresh cup of coffee pushed the rest of the chill from our bones.

Jacqueline prowled the riparian for photo ops, I broke down the rod, and we headed to Prineville to share a Tastee Treat Cheeseburger for dinner.

Perfect fall day!

November 12, 2023June 4, 2024

Fall Color

Before fall gets covered with snow, we figured it was a good time to locate some color.

The high desert isn’t devoid of deciduous trees. It’s forested hills put on a nice show of seasonal change. However, the journey down into the Willamette Valley offers broader strokes of color dotting the foothills.

A majority of ‘places to see fall color in Oregon‘ are on the Cascade Range’s west side. I think it’s an elevation difference. Regardless, the west side was drenched in warm tones.

On top of that our weather apps pointed out a high probability of rain, so it became a perfect time to do a road trip.

And by road trip, I mean we’re mostly going to be driving, not stopping to say, wet a line. This type of adventure is more a historical marker, regular dog walk and picture op stopping day.

We got going early to make it through Sisters and up Santiam Pass (Hwy 20). The plan was to loop back via Willamette Pass (Hwy 58).

In between these two mountian treks was a stop at the Willamette Valley Pie Company.

Slices needed tasting and the freezer needed a restock. It would also be a good excuse to swing through Silver Falls State Park. That is, if there’s not a downpour like we experienced.

Along I-5 from Millersburg to Goshen the reds from oak trees and maples gets mixed in with yellows of cottonwood and ash.

These blobs of color frame the edges of fields still green from an ample supply of McKenzie and Willamette River water. Not ones to choose freeway miles, this is a stretch we’ve driven often.