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September 17, 2023September 16, 2023

Mosquitoes in September?

This week we headed over to Summer Lake. It’s a trek we’ll make a couple of times over the next few weeks as the winter migration gets underway.

It bears repeating . . . Summer Lake Wildlife Refuge offers the best vantage point for birding. To start, it’s on the Pacific Flyway.

More importantly, the marshes and ponds are bordered with a loop road and numerous turnouts. These two elements mean we are within easy viewing distance of a multitude of bird species.

There is one other, not so great, aspect of this wetland sanctuary . . . mosquitoes. Clouds of the little buggers.

I was under the impression that one encountered this pest only in spring and early summer. I was wrong. Application of some trusty repellent and at least the biting was down to a minimum.

We’d come in the late afternoon to take advantage of the evening light and perhaps capture the sunset. It was too early in the season to have the wetlands teeming with waterfowl. With the exception of mosquito swarms, it was a pleasant evening to be birding.

Photographers refer to this time of day as golden hour. The sun casts long shadows and paints a warm hue to the light cast.

We found some nice images and have plans to return in a few weeks when the activity increases. Hopefully, without mosquitoes.

September 10, 2023October 11, 2023

Stone Fruit & Steelhead

Rest stop outside Warm Springs, under an ancient pear tree

Finally . . . a break from wildfire smoke. With that, we headed outside.

The Fruit Loop is a semi-regular daytrip for us and this seemed like a good time to check it out. With a not too early start, we head to orchard country above Hood River, the city.

The intent . . . pick up tree ripened stone fruit.

Apple harvest is getting close. As we drive through the orchards we pass rows of trees ladened with fruit. It is worth the trip just for this image.

The bonus, however, is fruit stand shelves with half a dozen peach varieties and easily twice that in plums.

Choices were made.

Heading out from Parkdale the road cuts at right angles back through the orchards to Highway 35. We merge onto I-84 and a short jaunt up the Columbia Gorge.

At the far edge of The Dalles we catch US197 and climb hills though cherry orchards and freshly combined wheat fields. Well past Dufer, we drop into the Tygh Valley, turn onto OR 216 and end in the Upper Deschutes Canyon at Sherars Falls.

We’re here to check on the the steelhead run. This fisherman saw no Steelhead, hooked no fish, but did enjoy the walk along the river.

Temperatures were pleasantly below August heat. Rafters had all but vanished from the river, along with most campers.

We set out chairs on river’s edge in the shade of our favorite Ash tree. Tip got some final swims and a cold beverage, or two, was consumed.

Blackbilled Magpie soars over the Deschutes

In all . . . a very pleasant way to spend a day

September 3, 2023October 11, 2023

Up close . . . another Wildfire

An unexpected hazard on our way to Cottonwood Canyon. Wind gusts of 47 mph tossed mounds of tumbleweeds across the road, making one lane impassable

fireweatheravalanche.org maps fires of all sizes

Let me bring you up to date in case you haven’t been reading the blog these past few weeks.

Large sections of the west are on fire. Smoke chokes the air of an even larger region. And, there’s not been much relief from Ma Nature.

This week, hoping to find a space with clean air, we drove up to Cottonwood Canyon.

Months ago we put a reservation on a cabin at that state park. Looking forward to lazy time on the veranda and smallmouth bass fishing, the car was loaded and headed north.

Upon arrival a flustered Park Ranger informed us that we had to leave. Cottonwood was under a Stage 3 Evacuation.

We did not even get unpacked. After a two-plus hour drive, this was not welcome news.

View of fire from Cottonwood Canyon State Park

But this news was not completely unexpected. There was a massive plume of smoke roiling over the crest of a hill on the eastside of the John Day River.

To the north, upstream, a hillside was completely blackened and smoldering.

View looking south from the park to scorched hillside.

Cottonwood Canyon State Park was firefighter’s base camp

As we looked on, fire swept across face of mountain within minutes

We had been looking forward to this two-day stay, now we were driving back down Highway 97.

By mid-week, past our reservation window, the park had reopened with little or no fire damage.

We have two days reserved in October which should be outside wildfire season.

Until then it seems smoke-filled skies will continue to disrupt our summer plans.

August 27, 2023August 26, 2023

Summer’s new Villain

Lowell Covered Bridge on Dexter Lake along Highway 58 . . . smoke from the Bedrock Fire near Fall Creek

A few more acres got added to the wildfire tally and the week was mostly about staying out of the heat and away from the plume. Eventually the heat subsided, but the opposite happened to the smoke cover.

Usually you can see the Cascade Range on the horizon

Every week it’s a game of guessing where the weather patterns are going to move the veil. The Crooked River might be sitting at 20 AQI (Air Quality Index) on Saturday and by mid-week have shifted to three times that number.

We’ve managed to re-direct travel plans, but with a tropical storm messing with the weather and 3 more major fires it’s not lookin’ good for outdoor activity.

There was a short trip over the Cascades to a favorite German Deli and some Willamette Valley fruit stands. But the rest of the week was spent avoiding smoke-ladened air.

This has become the new normal for Central Oregon . . . we’ll make it work.

August 20, 2023October 11, 2023

A Return to the River

Wildfires continue to foul Central Oregon’s air . . . and It continues to disrupt scheduled outings.

Last week the world got a lesson in the destructive power of wildland fire. It certainly adds prospective to any inconvenience we might suffer at a shift in air flow.

Taking advantage of how the wind blew, we spent a day on the Crooked River. Luck favored us and there was no one in the campground or on the water.

The river treated us to an excellent parade of flora and fauna.

Temperatures in the week ahead are supposed to push up near the hundred degree mark. However, for this trip there was ample sun without a searing heat.