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June 2, 2024June 5, 2024

A Different Road Taken

Looking south from refuge toward Summer Lake

The Fremont Highway will take you right by Summer Lake, so we drive that route frequently. Usually only as far as the refuge, but this week we kept on going.

Past the southern end of Summer Lake sits the tiny town of Paisley. If you stay on Highway 31 for another 30 miles you’ll run into 395 and that eventually gets you to Reno, Nevada.

Instead, we took a hard right in the middle of Paisley, heading up into the Fremont Forest along the Chewaucan River.

The initial plan was to run up the back side of Winter Ridge and come out at Silver Lake.

The Chewaucan is a beautiful little stream, we’ll definitely be back to fish. We’d explored the northern portion out to Fremont Point and got a spectacular view of Summer Lake Valley

The Chewaucan River cuts through a meadow

The canyon cut by the Chewaucan winds south through pine forests, past numerous camp sites and side creeks, eventually running into USFS 28. This road traverses the top of Winter Ridge and would, in theory, lead to Silver Lake.

I say in theory because we didn’t calculate snow pack and got turned back by blocked roadways.

Plans changed and we headed south to Dairy Creek and around Quartz Mountain intent on meeting up with State 140, Klamath Falls Highway. Foiled again by snow covered roadways, we retraced our route.

Undaunted, we’ll return to this area and complete the loop once the snowy grip of winter has been removed.

May 26, 2024June 5, 2024

Get the Picture

Cinnamon Teal, small dabbling ducks who feed mostly on the surface

All our journeys include an element of photography. However, some places we go, we go to take pictures.

Summer Lake is one of those places.

Each visit offers a unique experience. Seasons bring shifts in habitat and inhabitants. The wildlife refuge empties and fills over the course of the year with a variety of bird populations.

Some birds are resident, but most of the species we encounter at Summer Lake are only there for a short period.

Resting, feeding, and for some, raising young, before moving on to summer or winter nesting sites.

One of many nesting boxes for long term residents

In addition to wildlife, the refuge sits amid an incredible landscape. Framing the western edge is Winter Rim, a 3000 foot escarpment jutting out of the valley floor. The top can have a cap of snow ,even when it’s shirt sleeve weather at Summer Lake.

To the south is Summer Lake, a marshy flat plain that stretches for miles. Eventually, this runs up against Abert Rim a fault scarp that rises 2500 feet from the valley floor . . . the last 800 a basalt cap.

Yellow-headed Blackbird singing his little heart out

This landscape is equally as photogenic as the wildlife, and both are the reason we keep coming back here.

We end this week with a toast to OJ . . .

May 19, 2024May 19, 2024

From River to Market . . .

The Lower Deschutes is open to fishing year-round. However, as winter turns to spring, fishing improves. Run-off hasn’t started, but water temps rising triggers the metamorphosis in aquatic insects.

By the middle of the month insect activity has come full swing. Most anglers await the big stoneflies to crawl on to riverside bushes. This week we’re content to chase Blue Wing Olives and the Baetis hatch.

Salmon flies, a giant variety of stonefly, attracts more fishers than fish. It also marks a point when the rafters start to flood the stream and camp sites.

We try to get at least one trip to the Lower Deschutes during the big stonefly emergence, before heading to less crowded water.

At a favorite parking spot on the Lower Deschutes

This week was that trip. We had a blast. There could still be a trip to fish over salmon flies, but river spots are already getting a bit too crowded for us.

The real highlight of this week’s travels was a trip to a grocery store. Just half an hour north of Maupin, in the town of Dufur is a unique market.

Years back, while researching whole grain suppliers, JQ came across Azure Standard. At the time they offered local delivery of a limited variety of bulk grains. We ended up getting our wheat berries from Bob’s Red Mill, as it was easier and closer.

Jump ahead a dozen years, our lives have changed, but not a need for organic, clean products.

In that time Azure’s offerings have expanded and are being trucked nationally. Turns out one of a growing number of ‘local drop sites’ is a five minute drive from our house. We’ve become Azure Standard regulars.

A wide variety of grains and beans fill shelves in the market

This last week, JQ discovered the company operates a brick and mortar store in Dufur, Oregon . . . The Dufur Market. The Azure Standard catalogue is quite extensive, with some items we’d love to try, but on a smaller scale than the delivery order.

Mt. Hood as backdrop to a winter wheat field

Thus the trip to Dufur.

In case you’re ever in that part of Oregon, it’s worth a stop. And the sprouted corn tortillas were as good as the reviews said.

May 12, 2024May 16, 2024

A Rare Sight

Usually our excursions start early morning, but this weekend we left the house after sunset.

There is a chance to see the northern lights and we were headed to a better viewing point.

The place we had in mind was a side road just south of Fort Rock.

If this works we could have an ancient rock formation in the foreground of a natural phenomena.

Aurora Borealis layering color on the horizon

Only hitch is there’s an active wildfire on the eastside of the Fremont Highway above Horse Ranch Canyon, only 10 minutes from Fort Rock.

We will not be deterred.

We are surrounded by waves of color and stars

Coffee in the thermos, paper bags stuffed with popcorn and the camera batteries all charged up.

The photo expedition ends and we head home in Saturday evening traffic

Was well worth the effort . . . though it should be noted that your phone is the best viewer for aurora watching.

May 5, 2024May 4, 2024

Face to the Sky

Weather has taken a toll on this fence post.

It seems that weather, or the discussion of weather takes up disproportionate space on this blog. Perhaps not on par with fishing, but close.

This can be attributed to a couple of things, really. When you’re going outside the weather is part of the process. However, when that outside is on the high desert, the weather becomes the view.

Layers of storm clouds fill our view east

Since moving to Central Oregon, we’ve noticed that you can literally watch the weather. Not just the weather you’re in, but all those storm cells moving about you.

Winter still has a hold on the high country, but winter wheat has turned fields green

Get up on a butte and it’s 360 degrees of weather. We were used to small openings through groves of Doug Fir. Doesn’t really matter because that weather was typically hitting against your hat.

Drove ’97 North this week. As you finish the grade to the Cow Canyon Rest Area, just past South Junction Road, the horizon line drops to a constant lower third. The other two thirds is sky and this trip we got lucky with the weather filling all that space.

John Day River Canyon walls are covered with fresh spring growth

Half a dozen storm systems were scattered about. Directly above us white streaks of Cirrus filtered the sunshine. Blackish thunder heads trailing gray curtains of rain bumped against the Cascades.

To the East, less ominous but more abundant fronts hung behind projections of windmills and grain elevators.

After the sun sets there are additional perks to being on this side of the Cascades. It’s our impression that Central Oregon experiences more cloudless days than the place we moved from.

Regardless, the vista is wider, even at the bottom of a river canyon.

This particular April evening offered excellent star gazing. You just had to scoot chairs off the cabin porch. Constellations I’m familiar with got lost in a night sky filled with the stars not visible in an urban settling.

Constellations I’m familiar with got lost in a night sky filled with the stars not visible in an urban settling.

Looking east . . . the constellation Hercules might be there on the left.

Much like birding, identification isn’t critical to enjoying the moment. We regularly cast an eye to the night, or early morning sky. On this trip JQ braved the early morning cold and got some excellent images.

If the weather is right you can turn your face to the sky and see all kinds of wondrous views.