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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.

We never grow tired of the view.

November 5, 2023November 5, 2023

Fall on the Deschutes

Days are growing shorter and mornings colder. Leaves have shifted from green to gold and paint the ground amber around our picnic spot.

Fall in Central Oregon is a very short season . . . a brief few weeks between ‘Indian summer’ and first snow.

I’m still looking for Steelhead, so we’re making the trek to the Lower Deschutes.

This week we scouted different access spots, a task acknowledging Tip’s desire to wade, as well as the need to access good holding water.

Just upstream from where the White River empties turbid waters into the Deschutes was a nice stretch. Still no luck catching Steelhead.

However, the sun tempered a morning chill and we found a nice spot to brew a cup of coffee and enjoy our lunch.

Winter looms and we wake to a dusting of snow on the ground more than once.

The week ahead promises wet but mild weather. We’ll pack rain gear, break out the beanies and generally prepare for colder days.

However, this day was a perfect Fall day on the Lower Deschutes and we took advantage of that.

October 29, 2023October 27, 2023

A Game of Cards on the John Day

There are folks that aspire to primitive methods when camping . . that is not us.

We booked a cabin at Cottonwood Canyon State Park, roasted german sausages on a gas grill, and turned up the electric heater as the fall winds turned cold.

There are rock formations and sage, but very few trees.

Trails were hiked. Lines were wet and books were read.

However, every evening tables were pushed together and six of us engaged in a semi-friendly game of Contract Rummy. I never got all.

It’s interesting to me how many variations of rules there can be for such a simple rummy game. Our family has always played card games.

While this particular variation on rummy is ‘optimum’ for 4 people we’ve dealt hands to more than a dozen players after a large family meal.

The rules are simple enough for children to pick up. However, around the Schommer family table there might be rough language thrown about.

All in good humor, usually. And so it was this week when we met the Wilcox and Yecnys for a two day stay beside the John Day River.

Cottonwood Canyon and the John Day River

We’ve mentioned Cottonwood Canyon State Park before in this blog, but as with all good places there are frequent return visits.

The site is on a lower stretch of Oregon’s only un-dammed river, sitting on a flat between a couple of rock, sage and prairie grass covered hills.

The camp sites are spacious, so RV’s aren’t stacked like parking slips at Walmart. We always choose the cabins, they offer amenities like electric lights, heat and air conditioning.

I think this would be considered Glamping, and we love it.