At times these past few weeks, it seemed that all of Oregon was burning. So this week we attempted to see if that was true.
It’s not. At least not the entire state.
However, here in the high desert we are regularly covered in a plume of smoke.
We began our trip before dawn . . . an early start to a long loop route.
First stop, Cottonwood Canyon Day Use with enough time for some small mouth bass fishing.
This is one of our favorite spots,. Set in a canyon on the last few miles of the John Day, the river meanders across the northern third of the state.
The morning was mostly smoke-free with cool morning temperatures.
The day use space at Cottonwood was empty and offered plenty of shade. We set up chairs and took in the quiet.
The next leg was east toward Service Creek, another point along the river.
This brought us to the western edge of a group of active wildfires, Lone Rock (137k acres), Monkey Creek (176k acres), and Courtrock (20k acres).
The turn south at Service Creek was literally the last piece of Highway 19 east still open.
It was as far as we intended to go, but we did cross our fingers that we’d be able to get on State 207 and find a route to Mitchell.
By the time we’d pass Waldron Schoolhouse , the smoke had cleared and the traffic was light. We enjoyed the drive down to the Twickenham Road and the eastern border of Sutton Mountain.
At Mitchell we connected with Highway 26, and then took a short detour to visit the Painted Hills Unit.
We’ve been there numerous times, but this is a stop that is always worth the effort.
From there it’s back onto 26 over Ochoco Pass and dinner at the Tastee Treet.
A burger dinner on the Crooked River seemed a good way to end our day.