Crooked River – Page 4

June 25, 2023July 1, 2023

Being Outside

This week we are back on the Crooked River.

We do this a lot . . . visit a location repeatedly throughout the year. For us, it is often the destination, not necessarily the journey.

There are times when exploring a space, looking for something unique, new or just different is the mission.

But that is not this week. This week we’re trying to just get outside.

There are few places as relaxing as a spot next to moving water. It’s still early summer and the days are warm and the camp sites are still relatively empty. Neither of those will be true in a couple of weeks.

The Osprey caught fish . . . I did not.

We spotted an Oriole, which is actually pretty rare around here.

These song birds forage in riparian corridors and mainly eat insects, berries and nectar.

The canyon is painted with yellow balsamroot and wild iris. June is peak wildflower season in the high desert.

Mostly, we sat in camp chairs on the edge of the stream just enjoying being outside.

June 11, 2023June 16, 2023

Wildflowers

High Desert summers get hot, dry and eventually smokey. We try to take advantage of the days before the sun has beaten the green down to just the river’s edge. This year that seems to be extending into June.

This week’s excursion was full of blossoms and bird song as we were back on the Crooked River. Water levels are down to summer flows, fishing is getting better and the riparian was full of wild flowers and wild life.

There are always field guides for Bird, Wildflower and High Desert Plant identification in the car. We’ve found it’s better to have a printed copy than rely on an internet connection when you’re trying to figure out what that brownish bird is.

JQ discovered an excellent resource when you’re trying to find where the flowers might be blooming. NorthWest Wildflowers (duh!) . . . no, it’s actually a web site that has color coded dots on a map showing when and where flowers are in bloom. From this ‘bloom map’ you’ll see points in Washington, Oregon, Southern BC and Northern California where wildflowers are.

Click on a location and you’ll be presented with a set of directions, an Oregon hikers guide, and a link for plant identification tools starting with the most likely flowers at that spot. All from this one web page . . . very cool.

We don’t plan to leave the field guides at home, but when you’re looking for a spot to explore this is a great site. It takes the guess work out of planning where and when the blooms are. There are still a lot of “early bloom” locations to check out, so we’ve been updating the calendar.

May 14, 2023May 13, 2023

Runoff continues

Our weather lately has looked like this.

Haven’t seen the Crooked this full, ever.

Months of snow, in what normally would have been spring, have translated into an extended runoff.

Rivers and reservoirs are at capacity and that means fishing isn’t at its best.

While we wait for the flows to subside, it’s still interesting to witness all that water.

Someone has jury duty, and while she’s not happy about it, this week we’re sticking closer to home. Thus a return trip to the rushing Crooked River.

May 7, 2023May 6, 2023

Spring Thaw

One more summer-like day was forecast this week, so we headed up to the Crooked River. It was mostly to check on spring run off. This winter, as we’ve noted many times in posts, we saw a lot of snow days.

The Crooked River canyon has come into it’s spring colors and the water levels pushed up on the banks.

I think the saying . . . feast or famine, accurately describes Central Oregon’s water issues. Last year, even after runoff, reservoirs sat at about twenty percent full.

When we visited the river it was running at 1340 cfs and the Prineville Reservoir was at 85 percent capacity. The late winter snows have improved drought conditions and hopefully will help avoid last fall’s disastrous 10 cfs levels in the Crooked River.

Years of drought conditions are not easily fixed. There are still severe and extreme drought conditions across most of the east side.

These little guys blend into their surroundings

The Crooked River’s flow has dropped to fishable levels but the mountains are still snow covered.

Oregon rivers are showing the signs of heavy runoff, filling reservoirs, as well as irrigation ditches.

It’s good news for farmers and fisherman, at least for this year.

March 12, 2023March 11, 2023

A Favored Spot

One of our regular stops, a BLM site on the river.

Again this week we found ourselves parked next to a picnic table on the east bank of the Crooked River. If we’re not at home this would be the next place to look.

Some days all that’s required is time on the river. This works best if you’ve established a regular destination. With each relocation, a new favorite had to be researched . . . it’s always been like that.

Ancient lava flows make up the canyon walls

Growing up my family went fishing nearly every Summer Sunday. Depending on which sibling you ask, those outings were either fishing trips or picnics. Regardless . . . you get lunch and often cake for dessert.

Upper Big Creek CG, which actually closed before I left in the 70’s, was a common destination. We parked in second growth Larch overlooking the North Fork of the Flathead River.

Crooked River fishing means navigating over lots of rocks

Rock Creek served us well during time spent doing television in Missoula. When we moved to Troutdale, the fishing trips thinned because the Lower Deschutes was a much longer drive.

There are more than a handful of fishable streams within an hour of the place we’re currently occupying. While we do visit all at least once a season, the Crooked River, upstream of Prineville, holds the record number of visits.