Bend - Mt Bachelor and the Deschutes River

Deschutes River, just upstream of Bend

We spent the past weekend in Bend. Skied Mt Bachelor, hiked along the Deschutes River, and enjoyed Bend's downtown. For much of the time the city and surrounding areas were ensconced in a freezing fog, while just out of town it was 20 degrees warmer and brilliant sunshine. The PNW has been stuck in a pattern of persistent high pressure, keeping Pacific storms out for the last few weeks. As a result, air is stagnant, fog builds, heavy snow pack settles and sublimates away, and we all enjoy a string of dry days (when the fog burns off). Some time in the next week or two the pattern will break down and the storms will return. I almost miss the rain ... almost.

From the summit of Mt Bachelor, looking east to the fog and a distant Newberry Crater

A winter road trip east of the mountains

Morrow County, North-Central Oregon

A friend and I headed east for the three-day MLK weekend. Being mid-January it was cold. We slept in the back of a pickup truck. Temperatures were down to -10F. Spent a night on the John Day River at Cottonwood Canyon, a favorite stopover. Wandered back roads through the wheat lands of Sherman, Gilliam, and Morrow Counties. Not many folks out - very quiet and beautiful. Condon, Heppner, Pendleton are all fairly unchanged. Walla Walla, Milton Freewater, and Hermiston have grown - the first two from an influx of wineries and associated activities, the latter from growth in agriculture and an influx of migrants. We spent a night at Palouse Falls - amazing ice formations around the falls. Watched as a coyote defied gravity as he nonchalantly trotted along game trails half way up the icy basalt cliffs adjacent to the falls.

Our journey took us to Clarkston, on the Snake River, and down SR 3 through the Grand Ronde Canyon to Enterprise, Joseph, and Wallowa Lake. Joseph Canyon views were stunning and the Wallowas as enticing as ever. Deer, elk, coyotes, and bald eagles were numerous. Our road trip then swung west again, up and over Blue Mountain Summit and back into the Columbia Basin wheat lands. Spent a night at Crow Butte Park on the Columbia (slack water Lake Umatilla) before heading north through acres of Washington vineyards to Mabton and Toppenish. An Interstate 90 run took us over Snoqualmie Pass and on to Seattle where I met back up with my family and we headed home to Eugene. 1,415 miles in total. As always, good to get out.

Back roads of Umatilla County

Wind farm near Condon, Oregon - a sign of change in the wheat lands

Joseph Canyon, near Flora, Oregon - in the extreme NE corner of the state.

McMinnville

Pioneer Hall on the Linfield College (image from Oregon State Archives)

We spent part of the last weekend of 2006 in McMinnville, in the heart of the Willamette Valley wine country. It had been a while since I last visited the town (30,000 people) and it appears that wine money has been good to McMinnville (at least in the thriving main street downtown). We also took in the Evergreen Aviation Museum - an eclectic mix of aircraft on display including the Spruce Goose (ironically it is the fact that nearly everything in the museum is in flight-ready state - except the Goose - that makes this museum interesting.) The countryside between Corvallis and McMinnville along Hwy 99W is wonderful. North the east of town, Portland metro area sprawl takes over. Nice town though.