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July 7, 2024July 6, 2024

A Week to Regroup

A wade in the stream is always Tip’s first move

As we brace for an upcoming heat wave, we have time to reflect on this past week.

The knee is improving and stitches have been removed, but not much activity occurred. For Jack, that means we didn’t go fishing.

However, we did set up some camp chairs by the Crooked River and watched the wildlife, while sharing a cheeseburger from the Tastee Treet.

So, I guess the week wasn’t a total failure..

Brown butterfly feeding on blooming yarrow

The weatherman is handing out “excessive heat” warnings in Central Oregon, and it looks like those alerts will carry through the week.

These type of temperatures are hard to escape even in the depths of a river canyon. Unfortunately, river wading is off the list for now, so I guess we’ll hide out in the AC comfort of home.

Summer heat has cast a brown hue to the grasses

Although we are thinking about venturing to higher elevations of the Upper Deschutes . . . we will just have to see.

June 30, 2024July 26, 2024

Where There’s Smoke . . .

View of the Darlene 3 fire from outside our front door.

Wildfire has always been a threat to western forest dwellers. Over the last few years there has been an increase in the number of major . . . as in thousands of acres . . . wildland fires.

To us, the off-shoot of most of these conflagrations has been smoke plumes that randomly blanket the spaces we inhabit. We have not had to deal with a direct threat

. . . until this week when we looked out our front door.

Dubbed Darlene 3; because there were two previous fires in the same area, La Pine’s first wildfire of 2024 was reported around noon on Tuesday the 25th.

By dinnertime it had grown to 500 acres and level 3 evacuation orders (“GO NOW”) had been issued to a large number of La Pine residents.

The fire kicked up several times due to wind gusts. Here you can see several new plumes.

Many of the fire fighting resources concentrated efforts on reinforcing containment away from neighborhoods, and in our case we were grateful they prevented the fire from jumping Hwy 97 (located just past the small forest in front of our home).

For the past couple of days the fire has been sitting at nearly four thousand acres burned, with 40% contained. Thankfully it continues to receive a lot of attention from a wide range of state and local agencies.

All it would take is a shift in wind direction and this wildfire would rise to disastrous levels.

Topping off our gas tank at Wickiup Station off of Hwy 97 before heading home.

Some area neighborhoods remain at level 3. Luckily, other areas have been downgraded to level 2 BE SET to evacuate.

Winds continue to push east-southeast away from La Pine and our neighborhood. But vigilance and constant monitoring is our best course.

Watch Duty, a free app for computers or smart phones, has been a great help tracking the fire’s progress. The app allows you to identify and track wildfire even really small local burns that other online sources ignore until they are at disaster level.

June 23, 2024June 29, 2024

Curses . . . foiled again!

This week we set off for Paisley, the Chewacan River, and eventually a swing through the Lower Klamath.

This is a loop we’d attempted a few weeks ago, but were forced to turn back when we ran into snow covered roads.

Since then, we have had a few weeks of warm weather, so we expected clear roads.

What we didn’t expect was Jack tripping on the rough terrain and cutting open his knee. While exploring a path to the river, he took a spill and jammed his knee on a rather pointed rock.

The MyMedic First Aid Kit was employed for the deep gash. But there was no doubt, we needed to head home to the nearest Urgent Care.

All ended well. The doctor praised our butterfly closure technique. However, the wound did require stitches. As a precaution, x-rays were taken, only to confirm the kneecap was not broken . . . which apparently IS a common injury.

JQ did manage to gather a few wild flower images before the excursion was cut short. Current circumstances may limit our adventures next week . . . stay tuned

June 16, 2024June 16, 2024

A Mountain Loop

Davis Lake with Mt. Washington in the background

We spent this week under a heat dome. Not as bad as the southwest, but still a snow-melting stretch of weather. So we toured the Cascade Lakes Highway.

The edge of a lava flow, Jack & Tip for scale

We do this loop a couple of times a year, that is, the whole route around Bachelor. Sunriver to Crescent.

In this case, the opposite direction is a great early summer drive with lots of places to stop, walk around, and take photos.

Davis, Wickiup, and Crane Prairie are full from runoff, which is better than it’s been the last few years.

Most of the snow has receded to the highest points. We’ve made this trip in late May and snow banks frequently line the highway . . . but not this time.

Near the head waters of the Deschutes River

The meadows and marshes are a vibrant green, but not yet filled with wildflowers. That will have to be another trip.

Typically one of the stops is just below Lava Lake, at the head waters of the Deschutes River. However, the stop was brief as the mosquitoes were thick and hungry.

The closer you get to Bachelor, the more cars are encountered, so we rarely venture past Lava Lake.

The summer fishing is good and the shade is cool along the Upper Deschutes, as summers heat comes on full roar.

June 9, 2024June 8, 2024

Now it’s Summer

Back on the Crooked River again this week. Fishing is getting good and the weather is perfect for a day of sitting along the stream.

American Kestrel (adult male), this small falcon is rusty above with slate-blue wings and two black slashes on the face.

In June the kestrals show up and we may have discovered a nest site,

Though it’s on the back side of an old snag . . . on the opposite side of the river . . . making it difficult to confirm.

Kestrels typically hunt ground prey like small mammals, lizards and large insects.

There was a lizard exchange that first drew our attention to the fact that this pair of kestrels might not be just using the tree as a feeding station.