Deschutes river trail

 Hiya Gang,
It's been a while since my last post but we've been busy for sure.  As you can see Cocoa is in charge of this hike and it's a good one.  

Blackberry trail is our choice today.  The Deschutes River is so pretty right here. 

Onward, there's more to explore. 

Wildflowers are nearing there end on this section of the trail but I have promised Navy and Cocoa more vibrant wildflowers - keep your paws crossed. 

A little break along the river.  Perhaps a snack?

This part of the state has such different terrain from the western part.  So pretty and vast.  There used to be a ranch here - 

Little Fox is off taking notes about the old ranch for Archeology 267 (Old Ranch Exploration - one of the toughest midterms LF says)  so Navy Beanie is taking a few pictures for a while. 

Time to pass the camera over to Cocoa. Do you see the Balsamroot in the background?

The early flowers are gone but the Lupine is going strong.  Do you see the Deschutes in the background? 

Little Fox found some old ranch artifacts.  Looks like an old rock wall from where there was a hay field at the ranch. 

I know to look for the trees in the desert as it's the area where the ranch house might have been. 

This could be promising.

Looks like some ranching equipment.  Phooey, my roommates did not bring my carbon testing kit - ugh, there goes my extra credit.

Oh, this could be very interesting, perhaps interesting enough to get my A back.

Bear BACK in charge blog, #14

What a day!

I'm at a state park in Oregon where the Deschutes river flows into the Columbia.  Lewis and Clark paddled by here many years ago.  Of course, the pioneers on the Oregon Trail probably stopped here too to let their oxen rest, drink water, and prepare for the end of their journey.

The river is pretty quiet here.  

A few rapids on the river.  It's a Sunday (post dated blog you know) and there are a few rafters coming down the river.  Probably took a nice weekend rafting trip. 

Are there any fish in the river?

Back in teh day two railroads were competing to get service to Bend, Oregon.  Bend was one of the big timber areas in the 1850s.  The two railroads were aggressively competing against each other to build the line to Bend.  Crews would steal dynamite, sabatoge the other crews food supply and intentionally mess with the other side.  Eventually, the railroads realized that if they work together they could create a line to Bend, Oregon to get the timber.

I am on an old road that was part of the railroad.

I was hoping for a spectactular wildflower show but I think I am too far east and too late in the year.

Cool old rock formations.  Is it time for lunch?

I just need to find the right picnic spot by the river. 

Bear still in charge. Blog 8

Hello Blog World,
Baxter here at the helm of the blog this week.  On my list of things to do while Little Fox was gone included many things:  Hike, day trips, eat ice cream, and take mini vacations.  Looks like another weekend trip has been planned. 

This trip I am off to Bend, Oregon.  A trendy (i.e. expensive) mountain town in Central Oregon.  Bend was named after the bend in the Deschutes (French, right Ben?) River that went through the area.  It's had a lively history.  During WWII the air force trained here.  It was cattle raising country for many many years, it's the Oregon High Desert so the temperatures are really hot or cold and now it's pretty much a retirement/ski/tourist town. I'm hanging out at the McMenamins Old St. Francis School, my lodging for the night.  In the meantime I figured I would get a drink.

Ah this is better.  A nice porter beer and a hard apple cider on the side.  This ought to be enough alcohol for one bear.  

I need a break.  All this drinking is tiring this little bear out.  As I was exploring town I came across this cool bird.  I like his scarf, don't you?

Ahh.  Some food.  I am enjoying an Australian meat pie and a beer for dinner.  Yum.  Meat, cheese, egg and pie crust.  It's almost like having dessert for dinner. 

Finally, time to relax back at the room.  A nice big bottle of water is needed and some hot coffee to keep this bear going.  

Rumor has it that there are some adventures planned for tomorrow.  Do you think a stop to an ice cream parlor might be in the plans?  Stay tuned...

Little Fox: Archeologist in search of the Oregon Trail.

I received an urgent message from the museum begging me to do some research to try and find remnants of the Oregon Trail.  Being an adventurous fox I was ready for the challenge.  I started my adventure at a state park on the Deschutes River near the Columbia River.  What a nice day for a trip.

I had to do some hiking before I was out of the populated area of the park to the area where I thought I could find some artifacts.  Too hot for my archeologist hat, whip, and satchel.

The USGS monitors the level of the Deschutes River and they have one of these thingy's.  Too bad, it's behind a fence so I won't be able to access it anytime soon.

I started getting away from the river and higher up in the country.   Possible Oregon Trail remnants ahead.  If I find anything the museum is going to be very happy with me and probably extend my archeology contract another year.

The flowers are out in full swing.  I am look smashing next to this Lupine don't I?

Acres of Balsamroot were out too.  Although,  I am a little late in the season for the full bloom of Balsamroot it's still showing well today. 

Back to the job at hand.  I am hoping to find some ruts from wagons coming this way on the Oregon Trail.  Looks like Sequoia found something.  Let's see. 

Ah, leave it to a dog to find a comfy place for a fellow canine to rest. 

I better follow the middle trail - seems like a good idea doesn't it?

Trains!  Jerry and Ben this post if for you. Trains and I believe the word Deschutes is from the French Trappers from years ago. 

Looks like Sequoia found something.

It's an old trail, not the Oregon Trail but apparently this area was a stagecoach route during the 1860s (after the Oregon Trail craze).  Not what I was hoping for but probably enough to keep me on as resident canine archeologist at the museum.  

Spring Wildflowers are out!

We have been lucky to have a few days of sun in a row and I have a good feeling that some wildflowers are going to be out in bloom.  Let's go see.

I think I will take a little break at this table while my roommates get Sequoia set up with his leash, harness, and some dog chow.

Enough with the break, I better check the map as well.  I learned from Ajdin's stuffy tours it's always good to check maps before any trip.  This map looks easier to understand than the DC Metro Subway so that's good for me.

The Deschutes River is fed by melting snow - in this part of Oregon we only get 11 inches of rain per year - compared to where I live in the state where we get about 40 inches per year.  This river looks pretty calm right now. 

I left my wildflower guide at home but I know this is a tree so it's name would not be in it anyway.  Who cares?  The blooms are wonderful.

One of my favorite wild flowers - Lupine.  

Sequoia seems to be enjoying himself.  So many different smells are out here - it's like a buffet of smells for this dog. 

Could it be?  I better get closer to examine but it looks like it might be one of my favorite flowers.

Yes! Yes!  Yes!!!!!! 

The Balsamroots are out.  Balsamroot is a part of the daisy family and is closely related to the sunflower (go figure).  It's a perfect sized flower for this little fox to pose next to. The vibrant yellow is a nice contrast for a little fox who lives in a cloudy region of the country. 

I like this picture a lot.  First, this rock is perfect for holding me up while I pose and you can see the balsamroot and a couple of lupine in the same shot.  

No lunch on this hike but my roommates promised we would enjoy lunch elsewhere.  Apparently we are headed to "Big Jim's" drive in, I hope they have chicken!!!

Memorial Day parts two and three

Let’s see, oh yes I left off talking about lunch.  We did get a nice lunch of pork nachos and Sequoia got a little jealous of all of us eating and had to get this picture taken at the restaurant.

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After the hike we went to work on our brewery passport program.  We visited another brewery, got our stamps and our prizes (t-shirts this time).  Also saw this interesting animal and this cool painting of a wolf sharing a campfire.  My roommate thought the guy on the right looked like a young and thinner Kenny Rogers.  What do you think blog pals?

...Day Two...

Day two was just as busy as day one.  Again, we started with a river hike (you can thank the fishing bear for the suggestion).

Off we went back to the Deschutes River.  Our goal was Dillon Falls about five miles downstream.  

If you look hard toward the back you can see Lava Is

 Lava Island was our first big landmark.  It was an island of lava (creative naming eh?). 

The water was rushing in some places and calm in others.  

 The river trail eventually led us to Dillon Falls.  All along the river we saw kayakers and white water rafters but interestingly we didn’t see anyone try navigating the falls. 

Dillon Falls was our destination and also our lunch spot.   What?  Only a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?  What no chips?  No trail mix? No cheese?  I am going to have a serious talk with the chef of the house and make sure this injustice gets fixed.

Day three was just as busy as day one and two.  Sadly, we had to leave and start heading back home.  On the positive side we had a nice waterfall hike planned for midway home.  This hike, Shelburg Falls, is a new one for us.  I have to admit I am a sucker for foxglove (go figure?) and the foxglove is starting to bloom.  As you can see the invasive scotch broom is blooming too.

 

After a short jaunt up a hill through an open range we reached Shelburg Falls.  I decided to relax a little and enjoy the view.

We reached the falls pretty early in the hike and since it was sunny my roommates decided to continue on with the hike.  As you can see the sun is shining through the trail.  Aah what a relaxing weekend although I must admit I am tired and need a good nights rest.  Happy Memorial Day!