Home already! Friday, 7/28/17

Two weeks isn't a long time, but it's a perfect mini-vacation, if you want to call it that, for retired people. Jimmy and I didn't venture far in Tergel, just to Central Oregon from Northern California, but that's about right for a two-week jaunt. Plus, seeing friends in OR tipped the scales into the "best" category.

We put in a long day on Thursday, traveling from Summer Lake in Central Oregon, south on Hwy 97 and into California via Hwy 395. At least it seemed long, maybe because we didn't get an early start as we weren't in a hurry; we also didn't know where we'd quit for the night. Possibly somewhere around Alturas (nope) or maybe Susanville (nope).

Again, possibilities existed for routes home. Or, we could've put in an overly long day and simply driven home. But we'd be driving down mountain roads in the dark. Nope. We chose Hwys 49/89, knowing a couple of Forest Service campgrounds along the way. Lucky us, Upper Little Truckee River C/G was open and had the perfect spot next to the river for our Tergel. Just what we wanted and needed. It was late, 7ish, past quittin' time, and we'd have a short run home in the morning. Of course, Forest Service camps have no services, but we didn't need any. They don't charge much, either, for Old Farts.

Our last night out ... on the water.  Our entire two weeks seemed to revolve around water, and this night wrapped it up.  Isn't this a beautiful place to camp?

Here's Tergel, from the river's edge.

While we were drinking coffee Friday morning, Jimmy saw two does scamper up the bank on the opposite side of the river.  Then they eased on down to the water.  Pretty sure one was Mom and the other was big baby girl.

Mama sort of squatted down and peed in the water, and then they both leaped up the bank and disappeared into the woods.  Nice morning's diversion for us.  I'd been eyeballing little birds flitting around in the underbrush, Mountain Chickadees and Yellow Warblers ... flying around like trying to win a game of tag!

After breakfast, we went for a stroll along the river.  I'm looking thru the binocs at something.  Notice a sweatshirt thrown over my T-shirt?  We enjoyed (and I truly mean it) morning temps of 53 degrees here on the Sierras at 6,000'.  The windows were open all night and I loved the coolness.  That sweatshirt didn't stay on long.  Sorry to say we're going home to 90–100-degree temps.

The last of the Mules Ears (Wyethia mollis) ... all the rest had dried up.

Walking north on the Little Truckee River, we noticed strange looking rocks near the water (above).  Look for yourself!

If this doesn't look like a woman's coifed head, I don't know what does.

A woolly mammoth or some such comes to mind.

Jimmy picked up a small one and peeled away the "tresses."  It's a kind of water weed (sea weed) that's firmly attached to the rocks at this section of the river.

So danged bizarre.  Never saw the likes of it before.

We spotted several bouquets of Sierra Sulfur Buckwheat, and that was about it for wildflowers.  A few tiny Lupines hung on, but NorCal has been blasted by heat ... deadly for wildflowers!  I ain't too keen on being scorched by heat, either!  But, we're home and glad to be here, never mind those Dog Days of Summer.

Home for a while ....

Oregon Outback, Scenic Byway Thursday, 7/27/17

Thursday:  Travel day.  Time for us to begin our trip home.  We left Bend, after gassing up at an Arco, buying a couple of grocery items at a store, and checking our map ... which showed several options to get to Nevada City.  After some debate, we decided to head south via Hwy 97, which turns into Hwy 395 in California.  (395 is the major highway on California's eastern perimeter, although it's usually only two lanes.)  This would be new territory for us, oh boy!

Just south of Bend, we tried to get in to see Lava Land's lava crusts, but the ranger dudette at the entrance gave a scornful glance at Tergel and said, "You wouldn't be able to get THAT in there."  I smiled, said, thanks, and pulled out.  We skipped Lava Lands completely. 

And in the process, we had more time to explore Oregon's fascinating outback.  Heck, we didn't even know Oregon had an outback, but we were here, let's explore!  We stopped to eat our sandwiches at a wide parking area, corner of Hwy 97 and the Fort Rock Road, with the above kiosk.  OK, we turned off the highway -- we'd take a peek at Fort Rock.  

Within a few minutes, we spotted this Uluru-looking anomaly in the middle of the high desert, like a desert mirage.  We pointed in wonder; what is it?  Turns out Fort Rock is NOT a fort, but it is, in fact, the rock you see.  The closer we got, the bigger it got.

From the other side, it's caved in.  We continued on to the park entrance.

This is Fort Rock State Monument.  In simple terms, it's an old "tuff ring" set in what was a shallow sea in prehistoric times. Sagebrush bark sandals found in a nearby cave are the oldest ever discovered, dating back around 9,000-13,000 years.  From Wikipedia: The ring is about 4,460 feet in diameter and stands about 200 feet high above the surrounding plain.  Its name is derived from the tall, straight sides that resemble the palisades of a fort. It used to be several hundred feet higher, but has eroded over the millennia.  Gosh, you never know what amazing sights are around the corner unless you get on the road less traveled.  Jimmy and I are very fortunate that we have the opportunity and time to explore America.

As seen from the air.

I hiked up a bit to look into the bowl, blown away by the size of it.  Way down there is Tergel with little Smartie, parked dead center, pretty much by itself, aside from the camp host (honest).  You can see there's not much else around.  I expect the host might get lonesome in the outback.  Can you find Jimmy in his aqua-blue shirt? 

Don't know if you can see white spotting on the rocks (not the square plaque).  It took us a few minutes before the light came on -- guano.  We asked the camp host, who was a friendly, helpful fella, if crows or ravens were responsible.  Nope, nesting Peregrine Falcons.  And he's been listening for weeks to the babies calling for their dinner.  He also figured they'd be fledging soon.  We didn't see any flying, darn it.

We wandered the outback, me driving Tergel, dawdling along like I had all day, which I did. The speedometer rarely got above 50, but I didn't want to miss anything.  We had the roads to ourselves, anyway, our favorite way to drive.  The heady scent of sage kept us company along this stretch.  That cloud mass looked ominous and I remarked to Jimmy that I didn't want to get caught in that thing.

At Summer Lake, we pulled in to Ana Reservoir RV Park and set up camp.  The lake is on one side, with a long, tall ridge on the other, Winter Ridge, a thousand feet up.  Summer lake is bordered with green grasses and sages, and the whole picture is quite scenic.  It seemed like a good place to stop for the night, and it was early enough that we could scout around.  Not sure if the photo above is a former church or school, but I liked the way it looked.  This is John C Fremont country ... he was exploring here in Dec. 1843.

Then there's this, looking even more ominous.

I couldn't get a good picture, although I tried.  Etched onto the black rock was this white rock (I guess) high on the ridge.  It looked like a village had been carved on the rock, in the fashion of Mesa Verde or Canyon de Chelly.  Or painted.  Eventually, we gave up trying to figure it out.  Strange, but can you almost feature a white village?  

Ahh, Out and About and on the reservoir.  Beautiful.

Ospreys had nests nearby.

This guy seemed to be using the power pole as a lookout.

That big, bad storm moved off to the northeast and spared us.  After dinner, however, Jimmy looked out the window and saw what looked like rain sheeting down and closing in. A reasonable assumption given the clouds.  No rain fell.  Nothing happened.  The weird cloud seemed stationary and then sort of evaporated.  A short time later, I noticed a really fine dust, like grit, on my keyboard, then the table, etc.  Too bad I had all the windows open.  This cloud was not rain, but dust stirred up by winds.  Another guess, but probably correct.  Never saw anything like it.

The next morning we continued rolling along south on Hwy 97, between ridges and mountains.  Lots of alfalfa fields in these parts.  With the windows open, the scent of freshly-mown alfalfa sailed into our noses ... kind of pleasant.  Bucolic.  Above, two young bucks were helping themselves to the alfalfa!

Somewhere along the way, in a depression between mountains, was an acre or three of gorgeous Black-eyed Susans.  We'd seen the massive clouds, so we knew rain was falling somewhere in the Outback.  Looks like enough fell here to spark a mega bloom. Just my luck!  I stopped Tergel in the highway (nobody coming, either direction) to snap a pic. Wheeee -- made my day!

If you have the chance to drive along Oregon's Outback, I hope you'll do it.  It was great fun.  We could easily return to see more.

Tomorrow, I'll wrap it up.

Tumalo Falls, Part II, Monday, 7/25/17

In yesterday's post, I talked about all the waterfalls we saw, the many cascades on Tumalo Falls hike.  You have to know that each picture I posted was of a different falls ... I wasn't recycling the same picture from different angles!  We could get right next to some of them, as in, one false step and you could end up at the bottom!

The falls above were below us and we couldn't get close.

The falls below tumbled and splashed at my feet!

People love to build rock cairns, as you can see.  One person can start the pile and others will come along to add their two cents worth.  That's what Jimmy is doing.  We've never before seen so many piles in one place, many with intricate designs.  Fun to check 'em out.

I saw tiny golden Pinedrops emerging beside the trail.

This is called Double Falls.

One incredible view after another!

I spied several of these, um, puffball-looking thingees just off the trail, apparently some kind of rock-hard fungus.  It looked like a biological soil crust alongside the trail, the kind you shouldn't tread on or it's ruined for years.  The path itself is nothing but light brown powder.  Every foot step sent powdered soil onto our shoes and sox and ankles.  On the downhill, we spread apart by ten-to-fifteen feet to avoid "eating" each other's dust.

We climbed through fir, spruce and pine forest.  At some points, we could inhale the fresh piney fragrance, and it smelled wonderful.  Following the North Fork and Middle Fork of Tumalo Creek was especially nice for many reasons, not the least of which was the "instant air conditioning" the closer we were to each.

After our four-mile climb, we made it to our destination -- Happy Valley.  We sprayed with Deet (not my favorite thing to do) because skeeters were bothersome.  Otherwise, the valley was serene, alive with hundreds of California Tortiseshell butterflies, and wildflowers.  Not sure if it was mating season for the butterflies.  When I approached the creek, a mass of them rose and flew about me, which was very cool.  They'd been "puddling." 

Wildflowers galore.  Some of these I'd never seen and can't identify.

Red Indian Paintbrush and Elephant's Head flowers added color.

The prevalent flower in Happy Valley's meadow was white Cow Parsley.

I thought the meadow was beautiful

I think this might be Gray's Lovage ....

We crossed log bridges over wetland areas in a few places.  Jimmy and Sheila are heading down to the trailhead.  At each of these low spots we saw different wildflowers and slapped at skeeters.  Much of the trail is shaded, a terrific feature on a hot summer's day.  Another reason the trail is so popular.  

As we made our way down, I stopped to look at Tumalo Creek below and the cars lined up far beyond the parking lot.  Many people only come to see the grand Tumalo Falls and leave; that falls is worth a glimpse.  Throw in all the other falls, and it was an awesome experience.

The three of us were hot and tired and pooped when we got to the car.  Even Sheila!  Four miles up, four miles down.  With hugs and many thanks, we left Sheila.  Back at Tergel, we couldn't wait to shower off trail dust.  After showering, Jimmy plopped on the bed with ice on his knee, and was asleep in seconds!  (He's less than three months post-op on his knee replacement.)  I joined him not long afterward.  We earned a nap!

We packed up Tergel and made ready to leave Bend in the morning.  How fortunate for us that we got to see and spend time with three groups of Oregon friends.  It's been a grand trip so far.

Tour de Waterfalls ... Monday, 7/25/17

Sheila proposed the header for this post, knowing that I would be writing about our fabulous hike.  I suppose I could also say Tour de Chutes or Cascades, as either would apply. She wanted to take us hiking while we were in Bend, and we were all for it.  She suggested both the hike and the day and, Boy Howdy, she did well!

I looked it up:  The exact origin of the word Tumalo isn't known.  It may have been Tumallowa, which is said to mean icy water -- a fitting adjective considering Tumalo Creek is fed by glacial melt.  Jimmy and I both stuck our fingers in the creek and we concur. Presumably the falls were named after the creek.

Located roughly 20 miles west of the City of Bend, we drove up into picturesque national forest territory.  Right from the parking lot was a terrific view (below) of Tumalo Falls ... and this was the first of many outstanding viewpoints.  Jimmy is the picture-picker for each post, and he was hard pressed to pick the best of the best this time, because the entire hike was one picture postcard.

This grande falls plunges 89 feet,

the tallest and most impressive fall on Tumalo Creek.

Here's a plein air painter, attempting his interpretation of the falls.

We got to the park early -- 9am/ish, beating the crowd and the heat.  Good thing, as it's one of the most popular outdoor destinations in the Bend area.  Trailhead elevation is 5,000', and we would trek to Happy Valley at 6,050', with an elevation gain of over a thousand feet.  I'll give you the real stat:  Four miles up, four miles down -- 8 miles round trip.  The beauty of it was the water.  We followed both the North Fork and the Middle Fork of Tumalo Creek, meaning we listened to cascading water almost 100% of the time.

Yes, it was LOUD. 

  

We stumbled across this impressive rock cairn wonderland.  I accidentally knocked a rock off that big dude I'm standing next to and I was terrified the dang thing would fall apart at or on top my feet.  It didn't, so I added a new one (wiping brow!).  On our return, lots of kids and adults were at the same spot, making new or adding to, like I did.

I didn't get the straight skinny on exactly how many waterfalls there are.  Some said six, others say seven, one I read reported nine.  The roaring cascade alerted us to a falls before we saw it, and each one was as superb as the next.  Many of them have names, but I gave up trying to figure out which was which.  No matter -- just enjoy.

Me, Jimmy, and Sheila.  We met a few hardy trekkers at this point; later on, we met a slew of people Out and About on the trail.  By the time we returned to the parking lot around 2pm, cars were parked on the dirt road for a half mile!

The path was easy and very, very dusty.

We'd rate the hike as moderate because of the elevation gain.  

The log footbridge crossing of Middle Fork.  We're still going uphill.

Looking up the creek (so to speak) from the footbridge.

Tree hugger!

We're not the type of people who are blasé around waterfalls.  As we look back at our ten days on the road, we're amazed that much of it involved water:  Headwaters, white water, and waterfalls.  Every day on or near the water has been a real delight.  These falls, tho, really are icing on an already fancy cake.  Such beauty!

California Tortoiseshell butterflies were EVERYWHERE!

Our destination was Happy Valley, and we made it.  We stopped a lot to take in the views, and take pictures (mainly just to catch our breath, huff-puff) on our way, but we were mighty happy to see this valley.  It was time to rest, get off our feet for a minute or two, eat our sandwiches.  Listening to the creek near our feet, of course.  Jimmy and Sheila chillin', above, while I wander in the meadow.

I'll leave the hike at this point, and publish Part II tomorrow.

Believe it or not, there's more!