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An Eastern Loop

With an outlook for sun and no snow storms, we headed northeast to take a couple of days and do some birding along the Columbia River flyway. There have been a lot of day trips to nearby hiking sites, but a bit of cabin fever and the prospect of seeing a wide variety of migratory birds drew us to Boardman and the Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge.  Fifteen hundred of the 23 thousand acre reserve is irrigated crop lands providing cover and food for the waterfowl and raptors.

Highway 97, north of Grass Valley and almost to Biggs, was covered in freezing fog that left a beautiful covering of rime frost on everything. The ODOT trucks had been through with de-icer so roads were drivable and we enjoyed the photo ops the eerie scenery offered.

We stopped off at a dog-friendly motel in Boardman and did a quick refuge scouting trip in the evening light. The skies were covered with a solid blanket of gray and temperatures hung just above freezing. There is permitted hunting on the refuge that would have closed on the 12th of January, except a government shutdown shortened that season even more. The area we wandered is dotted with trails and hunting blinds making access to viewing really easy.

What strikes you first is the cacophony of sound as you exit the car.  There aren’t any ducks or geese in sight, but you hear what must be hundreds of them. There are eagles and hawks in nearly all the bare trees that sit in groves throughout the area.  We returned at sunup to even greater numbers and a louder chorus. A longer (higher magnification) lens is on JQ’s wish list, but still we got some great images.

The trip home started by heading farther east to Pendleton and catching Highway 395 south along the eastern edge of the Blue Mountains.

A few miles out of Pendleton we drove into a bank of freezing fog and frost-covered scenery that lasted nearly to Battle Mountain Summit.

The highway winds southerly through forested valleys from Dale to Long Creek, finally turning west at Mt Vernon. Here you pick up Highway 26 and drive through the geologically rich Picture Gorge and John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.

Of course we sidetracked to the Painted Hills unit and here we got treated to stark evening sun that brought definition to the folds between painted mounds just for JQ’s camera.

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Better than boots

Tip has a set of ‘dog booties’ that were supposed to offer protection from sharp rocks along the stream. The trouble is, while he’ll tolerate wearing boots, it’s not easy getting them on. It’s more of a problem in the winter, where it’s difficult to find a dropped boot in snow if they fall off.

 

Not sure how we discovered Musher’s Secret. We were looking for a winter solution to paw protection and found it’s easily applied. A couple of times a week we gently rub it into his pads, letting the warmth of hand and paw effect the absorption. It is a ‘tolerated’ process, but goes on quickly and is trouble-free protection. Effective both winter and summer, I think we’ll still use booties when traversing lava and obsidian lined trails.
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Blue plate special

Meatloaf….classic diner fare and on our list of old-fashioned comfort foods. We searched for a recipe that packs flavor with pure comfort. Served with a side of diced potatoes and oven roasted veggies, this is a perfect warm meal after a day of winter hiking.

We figured the Instapot would make it an easy and relatively quick meal. Located among a plethora of online recipes, “Juicy Meatloaf” sounded tempting.  This recipe called for minced bacon, which is always a winner with us. We substituted ground pork for a portion of the ground meat, to help add even more flavor. I remember slathering ketchup on meatloaf in hopes of cutting the metallic tang of a baked beef dish.  In this version, the tomato sauce is cooked with the loaf, reduced, spread on top and is then oven-baked for a few additional minutes.   A bowl of extra sauce takes the place of that Heinz bottle.

That tomato zing really comes across when enjoyed in a meatloaf sandwich. This is our preferred way to enjoy meatloaf.  After dinner, the loaf left to cool, is then sliced and set in the freezer. The extra sauce is ladled into silicon ice-cube trays and frozen as well. Package up a couple of slices with cubes of sauce and you have a perfect frozen meal ready for the microwave.

Print Recipe

Juicy Meatloaf - InstaPot

A delicious meatloaf that cooks quickly and makes it's own sauce.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef lean
  • 1/2 lb ground pork
  • 7 strips bacon minced
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic chopped
  • 2 large eggs beaten
  • 1 ½ tsp oregano dried
  • 1 tsp Worchestershire sauce
  • 3/4 tsp salt kosher
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 3/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
  • ¼ cup milk
  • 3 oz grated cheese parmegan & mozzarella

- SAUCE The following ingredients are used for the sauce.

  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 14 oz tomatoes 1 can (diced)
  • 1 tsp basil dried
  • 1 tsp oregano dried
  • 2/3 cup tomato paste

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, mix the ground meats by hand, then add in the bacon, onion, garlic, eggs (make sure they are beaten before adding) and milk. Follow with the Worcestershire sauce, spices, bread crumbs and cheese. Combine all these ingredients using your hands, try not to overmix.
  • Turn meat mixture out onto a foil covered board and form into a round loaf that is about 4 inches thick.  Use steamer ring to measure that it will fit into Instapot.
  • Add stock, diced tomatoes, seasoning and tomato paste to the Instapot. Stir until paste is incorporated into the stock.
  • Fold an 8 to 10 inch wide strip of aluminum foil into a strip about 3 inches wide. Place formed loaf on this strip, which will allow you to place and remove the loaf from the Instapot. Place steamer ring into pot (it may be covered by the sauce) and then carefully lower loaf onto the ring with the foil strip.
  • Lock the lid and cook at high pressure for 16 minutes.  Allow the pressure to release naturally for about 10 minutes. 
  • Preheat oven to 450 and line a rimmed baking sheet or appropiate sized oven proof dish with aluminum foil.
  • Carefully open pressure release lever. Once released, open pot and check to see that the internal temperature of the meat is 160 degrees (if not, you can re-seal lid, return to pressure and cook a few more minutes). Remove the meatloaf from the pot and transfer to a lined baking dish. Cover while you reduce stock.
  • On the Instapot, press sauté and adjust level to medium which should bring the sauce to a simmer. Simmer sauce, stirring often to avoid burning and reduce by about a 1/3 or until it is at a desired consistency, about 8 minutes.   
  • Transfer thickened sauce to bowl and with silicon brush spread sauce over the meatloaf.  Reserve extra sauce for serving.
  • Bake uncovered in oven for 10 minutes, slice and serve. 

Notes

*Note:  You will need to press the off button to switch to saute.  We found high heat required too much stirring, so we set it to medium.
A 6 oz can of tomato paste equals 3/4 of a cup.  We use a freeze dried tomato paste, so it is mixed to the recipe each time.  If you find you are pulling moldy cans of tomato paste out of the fridge, check out Freeze Dried Tomato Powder at Honeyville.  The price might seem high, but you have long term access to tomato paste or sauce at any measured amount. 
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Walking the Badlands

There are lots of options for hikes around us, but none of them transport you back in time like the Oregon Badlands Wilderness. High desert and Central Oregon landscape really don’t begin to explain the terrain you walk through on this complex of trails just 20 minutes east of Bend.

Weekends from May to September, the parking lots are packed from sunrise to sunset. The place is just that popular.  However, if you come out on a winter’s morning you’ll often find no one around.  Like we did on this day. For us the cold, today it was 17 degrees at 8am, is preferred to the heat of a summer day.

Gnarled ancient junipers, desert sand paths, and jutting igneous rock make for a very different view from our typical walks along streams and rivers. The place is very dog friendly and the trails are wide and not technically challenging.  We went out on the Flat Iron Loop looking for a good sunrise and thoroughly enjoyed the quiet morning.

 

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In search of a sunrise

Since moving to Central Oregon we’ve noticed there is an abundance of sky. The Cascade range is now to the west and the high desert’s sage brushed plains stretch out to the east. The weather moves from the southwest to the northeast. Unlike the rainy Willamette valley, fronts break free of the peaks and sprint out across the sage and juniper dotted landscape.

 

As winter takes over, trail and hiking options narrow. The camper is winterized and while there is winter fishing, most of our excursions are planned around photo ops. This week JQ was determined to find a good spot to shoot a sunrise. What does that mean?  We are going location scouting. The actual shoot will need careful weather related planning.

Scouting still requires early morning drives. But we are pushing out to the east for an obstruction free, or relatively obstruction free point to capture that Quinacridone Red moment. That moment just before the sun pushes over the eastern edge of the earth. The key here is obstruction free because as it turns out the barren landscapes of Oregon’s high desert are dotted with ugly transmission lines, polebarns, and assorted manmade intrusions to the perfect sunrise.

The first scouting was on Highway 20 about 18 miles east of Bend at the Badlands Wilderness area. Ancient juniper trees, jutting rock formations, and sandy trails are a great hiking spot and while there are some interesting image capture possibilities, it’s not perfect.

Next day and again a pre-dawn drive…this time on Highway 31 toward Silver Lake and the Christmas Valley. Where Badlands’ obstructions were trees and lack of elevation, this area proved difficult to find a space without gigantic hay barns or ugly transmission lines.  But there was a much more diverse cloud cover to offer interesting textures to the skyline.

In the end, we’ve got a couple of possibilities and now have to start watching the weather report for ideal conditions. As usual, we’ll share those travels here as well.