We never seem to get used to how quickly fall overtakes summer. In what seems like a couple of days, the hillside shifts from shades of green to ochre.
Morning walks now require a warm coat and hat. However, by noon we are back in shirt sleeves. Fall is without a doubt our favorite season.
I’ve renewed the pursuit of Steelhead in the Deschutes River. To that end, this week we made our third, but not final, trip to Maupin.
Seasonal runs of these ocean dwelling rainbow trout aren’t always open to anglers, so one needs to take advantage when opportunity knocks.
The Deschutes Canyon still holds summer green along river’s edge. Higher up the slope underbrush has started to take on the reddish hues of fall.
The real sign of seasonal change is the presence of mule deer moving through the canyon on their winter migration . . . their gray fur a perfect camouflage on the hillside.
We watched as a pair of does with two yearlings work their way along the slope. Cartoon-sized ears keeping track of our presence as they search out another river access point.
Numerous casts to deep pools came up empty, but then Steelhead are often described as the pursuit of a thousand casts.
Clouds moved in around mid-day and the rains came as we headed back upstream and out of the canyon.
We’ll return in a few weeks to increase that cast count and hopefully meet with success. Regardless, time on the Lower Deschutes is well spent.
The bonus, however, is fruit stand shelves with half a dozen peach varieties and easily twice that in plums.
Typically, BLM sites are in use by summer campers. So, we’ll pull into a day use spot.
JQ has been playing with macro photography for a couple of years now, using an adaptor on her iPhone. That small chunk of glass was replaced with a lens dedicated to the art of close up photography. Armed with this new optical marvel, you’ll be seeing a lot more of nature’s tiny wonders on this blog.