Snow Boots

Right after the holidays Central Oregon got a huge boost to the snow pack.  In the few years since moving here we’ve grown accustomed to these “foot in a day” dumps of snow. The scene outside our front door can change dramatically in a matter of hours.

Luckily the neighborhood gets a regular snow plowing and our Subaru has it’s winter boots on. We’re basically ready for winter’s inevitable challenges.

As pointed out numerous times in our blog, morning walks with Tip is how we start the day. The addition of a layer of snow means you need to add traction devices to boots and boots to paws.

The latter can be a bit of a challenge. Tip doesn’t mind wearing boots, however they do add to prep time. Then there is the occasional occurrence with boots coming off in deep snow.

Often the walk will start with boots on and end with them in pockets … we’ll get the hang of this eventually. For now we don’t let it interfere with the morning’s activities.

Stick Game

December’s snow melted away between Christmas and the first part of January. We took the opportunity to do some exploring along the upper Deschutes River.  It’s closed to fishing this time of year, meaning far fewer people and with only a hint of snow on the roads you can get nearly to Wickiup Reservoir via USFS roads.

At one spot we stopped to grab some pix of lichen and such with the macro lens.

Tip figured it was a good time to play a bit of fetch. He proceeded to pull a stick from the pine needles and insisted one of us throw it for him.

This game can last a few minutes or carry on for half an hour … today it was a brief game before we got back on the road and continued exploring.

A Game of Fetch

Before winter storms close the Cascade Highway, we try to make one final trip to Upper Deschutes River.

The three of us love this spot. Jack for the fishing, JQ for shooting video and photos. As for Tip … this is his favorite swimming hole. Fun is had by all.

In the Fall you can often catch the spawn as the big Rainbows move into the river from Crane Prairie. The river is very different during each of the seasons. not sure when is our favorite. But then, why choose?

 

Dog Toy Nirvana

Ruffwear is a premium dog gear company and they are located in Bend. Their headquarters recently completed a remodel and ‘re-opened’ the retail store.

This is one of the few stores where any dog is welcome, so we made a special trip to let Tip look around. He has a bunch of Ruffwear gear, but it is nice to see what is new.

What is really nice about Ruffwear’s store is there is no guess work in finding a harness or collar that fits. Lots of places sell this gear, but rarely do they carry a full line.

We found a tote to hold Tip’s stuff when we are on the road.

Also, we picked up a replacement for his well chewed fetch toy, the Lunker Floating Throw.

It works great in the water, and recently we discovered it floats quite nicely on top of snow … a perfect solution to the inevitable “ball sinking in the snow – never to be found again” problem.

Winter hiking

Chalk this up to cabin fever. Tired of walking neighborhood paths, we headed off to a “year around” trailhead. Rim Rock Springs wildlife area is listed as “open all season.” Because it is pretty much out in the open, there was hope the trail would be somewhat snow clear or at least passable. It wasn’t.

The trailhead is a few miles east of Madras on Highway 26 and the real draw for this mile plus loop trail is an abundance of wildlife.  Despite being located in basically a barren landscape, there is a marsh and with it lots of birds and critters in the area.  For now, we’ll move it to the ‘a bit later’ spring hiking list.

Heck…we’re in the car pointed east why not see if there is some snow cover on the Painted Hills? Forty minutes later we are in the John Day formation and yeah, there was a lot of snow.

The road had been plowed, so we did manage to get to the overlook and of course JQ shot a few frames.  We had a picnic lunch. Tip chased a ball and sniffed some sagebrush. The only thing we didn’t get in was some hiking mileage. Just have to double up on the neighborhood loop tomorrow.

Another sunny day road trip success!!!