The Center of the Center

Dueling bronze elk

Occupying the center of the state in Central Oregon, Bend is an attractive destination for its year-round recreational opportunities, winter sunshine and summer dry heat. Just south of town is the High Desert Museum, a well-planned, interactive layout of dioramas, raptor demonstrations, animal art tucked in natural locations, live animal displays and, as the ads always say, much, much more!  Meeting at the gate at the opening hour, our group spent four hours touring the displays and multi-sensory dioramas about life on the high desert. We explored a pioneer cabin, chatting with its period-dressed mistress, attended school in a barn and marveled at the saw mill. The 135 acres provides ample room for kids to run and explore, touch some of the displays and soak up some education about pioneer life in this area, the animals that live here and how people can help to preserve the area for future generations. All of the animals in the exhibits have been acquired due to their inability to adapt to the wild because of injuries or captivity-induced behavior. The museum began through the experiences and efforts of a high school boy who raised a wolf cub for a biology class. His enthrallment with nature and the environment was the germination of the museum concept. Bring the kids and grandparents, pack a lunch and make a day of it at the museum! You'll be glad you did.

Brasada Ranch

Driving east of the city we arrived at our next destination: Brasada Ranch, a high end resort for the horse/golf/second home set with expansive facilities catering to those interests. The equestrian center is home to shows and competitions while the resort is booked by corporate reward parties and individual travelers. Three swimming pools, a spa pool, a water slide, a golf course, horse riding trails, golf cart trails, hiking trails and 1800 acres of residential and rental properties complete the resort offerings.

Checking in to the ranch house, we discovered luxury at its ranch best: king sized beds, lavish bathrooms, separate living rooms, big screen TV's in every room, gas fireplaces in each room, balconies and all the amenities that come with upscale resorts. On a scale of one to ten, this put car camping at a minus 5. What a great solution for the slipping fetal sleeping position and vault toilets.

Not wanting to waste a minute of our expensive time we waded into one of the pools and found an artificial current pulling us around the perimeter of its random shape. The raining umbrella of pool water was a portend of real weather to come, but more about that later. The bright yellow water slide made quick work of our adult modesty as we sluiced down its careening trough, screaming like youngsters and laughing at our swimsuit disarray. As we moved on to the nearby spa pools the real rain began, light at first but later falling in giant drops from the mottled grey clouds overhead.

The Game Room at the ranch house was a great way to while away the time as we satisfied our hungries with Happy Hour fare. Friendly, helpful cowboy-clad staffers were at our beck and call, only too happy to serve our every whim. Congregating into one of the suites we laid out our snacks, drinks and movies and made plans for the evening. A downpour nixed plans for exotic s'mores round the campfire so our imaginations turned to hilarious posing in resort-provided white terry robes in the shoji screened soaking tub. No pictures are available at this time. Movies, popcorn and adult beverages made for a fine evening by the fire as we closed out our first resort day.

After a delightful breakfast the following morning on the upper patio of one suite, we rented bicycles and took off for the equestrian center to explore the facilities. Following the golf cart trails we kept ending up at tees so we chugged up the hill to the residential properties, found an actual bike trail and headed for a tour of homes. The overriding architectural style was brown siding, cement shingles and sliding barn door appointments but each  home was individually landscaped and some appeared to be year-round residences. Higher and  higher we peddled, finally reaching the trailhead to Spirit Rock, one of the higher points on the resort property. Leaving our bikes on the dusty, sandy trail we hoofed it to the top where a rustic bench provided a
resting spot for viewing the expansive valley below. On a clear day you would be able to marvel at the snow-topped peaks of Three Sisters, Three Fingered Jack, Mt. Washington, Mt. Jefferson and Mt. Bachelor. This trip that view was kept hidden by a cloudy front that covered the entire central Oregon area. A light sprinkle of rain signaled time to head down the hill and get set for the closing evening activities. With good friends you don't need much formal entertainment because you bring your own in the form of laughter, silliness and great conversation. So it was with us.

Roger

Checking out on the third morning we determined to explore a bit of Bend before parting ways. We went to the Old Mill area, cruised the shops and had lunch at Anthony's on the Deschutes River. While wandering the mall I encountered Roger, a retired primary grade school teacher waiting for his wife and passing the time by forming string pictures. Drawn in by his amazing skills, I struck up a conversation with him which wasn't difficult to do as he quickly took charge and began to explain how he used string forms to teach kids of all ages, languages and cultures about life principles, mythology stories and anything else he could adapt to his art. His fingers, and occasionally teeth, rapidly formed and changed pictures as he talked teaching philosophy, methodology and general entertainment theories. He was an amazing man to his wife's patient "yup, he does this all the time" comment when she emerged from a store.

Rain was a serious threat all day and the appeal of returning to car camping was diminishing with each raindrop. I had plans to venture further south, camp at Diamond Lake and explore Crater Lake. A hiking friend spontaneously offered me a bedroom at her home in Sun River for the night and I didn't have to think very long before accepting her gracious hospitality. It was a wonderful opportunity to become better acquainted and to find a newish sleeping bag at a thrift store that would save my chilly hide soon enough.

Bronze deer and fawn at the museum

Model T at the museum

School marm with a fleeting audience

Not period but fire prevention necessary

Pioneer woman in her 20x20' home

Barbed wire art: mare with foal

Brasada entrance display

Brasada pasture

Brasada sunset

Bicyclists on the run

Wild hare

Dog walking - and it did!

Old iron furnace doors

Mill pictures inside

Deschutes River floaters

Flagged bridge over the river

Drifting Through Central Oregon

Travelers have a choice. Take a lot or take a little. I anxiously fell for the "what if?" scenario, caved to taking a lot and tossed it all in my car. Literally. Time to hit the road! The plan was to meet friends at the High Desert Museum near Bend, Oregon. In the morning. After a long drive over the Cascades. Option B appealed to me as a more prudent plan: drive to Madras, car camp the night and arrive refreshed in the morning.

The drive out Highway 26 is more scenic, lonely and challenging than taking the freeway south and connecting to Highway 22 east. Leaving the city behind, Sandy is the last significant town on the route. Climbing up and around the southern flanks of Mt. Hood, the snow-speckled mountain provides grand beauty as it watches travelers navigate the little ribbon of cement snaking around its feet. 1.1 million acres of timber coat the rolling foothills in dark green, consisting predominantly of Douglas fir. Once the Highway divides and the southern Highway 97 is taken, a subtle mix and transition takes place. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, the firs thin out and begin to be replaced by Ponderosa pine and then western Juniper. These species fare better in the drier climate of central and eastern Oregon while the firs prefer the moisture of the western side of the Cascades. The understory also thins and eventually clears out completely the farther east and south you travel. It has a beauty all its own, one of simplicity and economy.

Sweet smelling sagebrush 

The high plain just south of Mt. Hood, level in all direction for miles, suddenly begins to drop into the basin of the Deschutes River taking the traveler on a winding descent through the canyons carved eons ago by receding glaciers and periodic flooding. Sediment layers display colors and textures era by era, showcasing the years of deposits and erosion that have occurred. Sunsets in this area can be spectacular and the highway designers have made provisions for motorists by adding pull-out spaces along the way where views are particularly spectacular. On one trip I was over an hour late because I stopped so often to catch the setting sun through a screen of forest fire smoke.

Campsite

The Warm Springs Indian Reservation, comprised of the Wasco, Tenino and Paiute tribes, maintains the Kah-Nee-Ta Resort and Spa on the western side of the river. Rising out of the popular rafting center of Maupin, the road takes you up to the eastern plain of cattle country and into Madras. Cove Palisades State Park on the west side of Highway 97, is a heavily used area of boating and recreation on Lake Billy Chinook. But on the east side, away from the frills and thrills of the Cove lies the quiet, unassuming Haystack Reservoir. It is a man-made reservoir stocked with bass and several varieties of trout. Appealing primarily to fishermen, those quiet, early rising, contemplative types, it was the ideal place to spend the night before breezing into Bend. And the price was right: $7 with a National Park Pass/Senior.

Long-awaited sunrise!

As the sun set behind Three Fingered Jack, the last of the water fowl tucked in for the  night, the coyotes chatted from the hills and the smell of damp sage drifted through the cooling night air as raindrops pattered on the car roof. Solitude is good for the soul but car camping can be less than restful when the quick level check of the fold-down seats turns out to be less than anticipated. Tossing all that "what if?" stuff into the front seats, I inflated my trusty air mattress to find that is was longer than the allowed space and only served to exaggerate the less than level sleeping area. Feet to the back hatch, I valiantly tried to find a comfortable position that would allow my tall body its full extension. Alas, the fetal position kept winning as I slipped repeatedly down the incline, tossing and turning in a futile attempt to sleep. Watching the diamond-like stars course the velvet black night sky I increasingly anticipated dawn, then pre-dawn and was rewarded with a slight lightening of the sky. Five o'clock found me bounding out of the car, tossing the "what if's?" back into the bed area and entertaining thoughts of hot coffee at McDonald's.

I was nicely compensated in Redmond as my coffee joined some cooler treats for an impromptu parking lot breakfast. So much for car camping and the romance of a smokey fire pit and French press coffee on the lake. I forgot the coffee pot. With nothing to lose now, I sloshed water on my face in the bathroom, hauled out the girl-important make-up equipment and prepared to look my sleepless best when I met my compadres at the Museum. Arriving an hour early to an empty parking lot, I found a shady spot for the morning's tour and began to slowly feel the pull of heavy eyelids making up for lost time. Snoozing amid the warming pines I determined to catch just a few winks before posing at the entrance for my friends' arrival. Knock, knock. The window tapping announced their arrival at my car instead. There has to be a solution to this car camping dilemma. Stay tuned for it.

Falls Creek Falls

The Columbia River bisects the topography of the western reaches of the Pacific Northwest, delineating Oregon from Washington. The Gifford Pinchot National Forest, home to Mt. Adams and Mt. St. Helens territories on the Washington side, encompasses over 1.3 million acres. It offers many spectacular hikes. A favorite within an hour of Portland is the Falls Creek Falls hike. It is a fairly easy hike with a more challenging scramble option just north of the falls. The drive to the trailhead is rewarded at the end of the hike, so plan on enjoying the trip east on Washington's Highway 14 to Carson and Forest Road 3062.

Weather-wise, this July 3 trip was suitably comfortable in the low 70's after a spate of hot days. A group of nine set out at the trailhead chatting up a storm by way of updating each other on various travels and projects. The only other trail companions were just completing their hike as we entered the forest so we had the trees, trail and creatures to ourselves. This hike begins with an easy elevation gain on a wide, well-packed dirt path, following the Falls Creek in its quiet section. Here the creek runs wide and slow over rocks and logs, patterns of sunlight playing through the trees over the water's surface in the early morning. The fresh smell of a slightly damp forest is so refreshing, the cool air flushing away urban stresses.

A 30-foot suspension bridge takes you across the creek and further on the winding, undulating trail that traverses tree roots, rocks, downed tree trunks and large boulders. Due to the high volume of hikers, this tail is well maintained although worn into the rocky bed in places. The forest understory is carpeted in tones of green by Oregon grape, salal, ferns, vine maple, oxalis and various mosses. A large airspace exists between the lower plants and the upper story of hemlock and Douglas fir, whose branches begin high above our reach. Remnants of the ancient forest are seen in decaying stumps and downed trees whose end came in bygone storms or landslides and early lumber harvesting. Logs lie where they tumbled, resembling the children's game of "pick up sticks".

The trail climbs above the creek level, the soothing sound of bubbling waters our perpetual companion. The elevation gain of 650 feet in approximately 2 miles makes for a bit of huffing and puffing if you are not used to this work but it is not difficult to keep a steady pace. Mountain bikers hauling their wheels up the trail say it is a fun ride down. We'll take their word for it! Crossing a dry creek ravine, the moss-covered boulders appear as a river of moss with the image completed by accompanying sounds of falling water from the nearby but invisible Falls Creek. Massive basalt walls, a typical rock structure in the area, appear near the falls. Mosses and ferns cling tenaciously to the damp surfaces, softening the sharp angles of rock and giving it an ancient appearance.

A teasing peek of the falls appears through a screen of cedar and hemlock branches, announcing the nearness of our reward. The bubbling water sounds gradually become a crashing, pounding roar as we make the final approach to the falls. Huge boulders lie scattered about as if left by giants in the middle of a game of marbles. Hugging the basalt wall we emerge at a view point level with the lower tier of the two-section falls. The immediate impression is of a combination of Ramona Falls and the Punch Bowl. Mist rises all around the noisy waterfall, continually soaking the surrounding mosses, ferns and stalwart trees that cling to tiny cracks and crags.

Soaking in our reward, we pause for lunch, conversation and meditation. As with all water features, Falls Creek Falls draws you into a mesmerized state of just being in the moment. The sunlight changes every few minutes so that the reflections and patterns on the water are a constant attraction. The pounding waters drown out all other sounds. As other hikers begin to populate the viewing area, the mood is broken and we pack up for our return leg. The trip can be extended in length and elevation gain by taking an unmarked and barely worn scramble above the trail to the Upper Trail and a mile trek to the top of the falls. Unfortunately, once there you cannot see the falls. This option adds 500 feet and a couple of extra miles. Be sure to consult a good map before leaving the main trail. You don't want to make the six o'clock news.

Salal berries forming to an eventual blue

Returning through the picturesque woods, we see salal and huckleberries blossoming and berrying out, to coin a term. Salal berries are edible and some people make a jelly from them. Bears are the competitors for huckleberries, so when you go to pick them, keep an eye out for the big furry guys.  All sorts of hikers seem to prefer the afternoon time slot to make this trek with their kids and dogs and so if you wish for a sense of private forest, start your trip in the early morning hours. Whenever and wherever you travel in the state and national forests, there is a great experience of refreshment and restoration awaiting you. Don't miss a moment of our national treasures.

8/9ths of our group

Shades and textures of green

Pick-up-sticks

Bent in a storm

Tiny hemlock sprouts at base of an ancient

River of mossy rocks

Towering basalt walls

Tree roots on the trail

Lower section of the falls

Ramona + Punch Bowl

Upper Falls section

Delicate plants amid crashing waters

Time for meditation

Clinging plant life

Giants' marbles?

Understory greens

Trail

Mountain bikers on their way up

Random logs over the creek

Centuries old hemlock

Guardian

Salal blossoms

Trough trunk smooth as silk

Falls Creek Falls trail