Bob DenOuden's Pacific Northwesterner: June 2021

Greatest PNW heatwave in recorded history

112 in Eugene!

June 27-30 will go down as the hottest the PNW has ever seen in most places, particularly west of the Cascades. Eugene hit 111 Sunday, shattering the all time mark of 108 from 1981. I was there this time, missed the 1981 heatwave while backpacking in the Three Sisters Wilderness. Portland hit 116. Unreal. On the way to Eugene Sunday morning I stopped to hike Black Crater. I had not been there since the fires of three years ago. It was a hot burn, not much standing live timber until a few hundred feet from the summit. Still a lingering snow patch near the top - which I am guessing is mostly gone now, a few days later. The world around us is changing.

Looking north from Black Crater

Looking south from Black Crater

Bridge Creek, part of Bend's water supply

Mazama and the Olympic Peninusla

Lost River Gorge

Knowing that my days of fully remote work are likely waning, I set off for a week in the Methow Valley town of Mazama. I worked, hiked, biked, and generally enjoyed this amazing valley. Add in a trip to the Olympic Peninsula for good measure and it was a really good getaway. Hopefully not the last working remote opportunity, but we'll see.

The Upper Methow Valley from Spokane Gulch Trail

Lost River Valley

Cedar Creek Falls

At Washington Pass

Marymere Falls, Olympic National Park

The John Day Country

Globe Mallow in Blue Basin

Over Memorial Day weekend we met up with friends and camped along the South Fork John Day River in Dayville. It is a pleasant spot to hang out by (or in) the river under the shade of the riparian zone cottonwoods and willows. It is also a great launch spot for exploring the John Day Country, among my favorite Pacific Northwest landscapes. We enjoyed the John Day Fossil Beds Sheep Rock Unit as well as a trip into the Aldrich Mountains. An added bonus was the lack of holiday crowds - a rarity these days.