ExplOregon, June 2016 edition, part two.

The first part of our FUNemployed vacation took us to Steens Mountain for a few days of gorgeous (and I do mean GORGE-ous) hikes. The second part took us to Thompson Reservoir, Hager Mountain, and five geologic wonders in Lake County, Oregon...

1. Christmas Valley Sand Dunes - the largest shifting sand dunes in Oregon. Formed from ash and pumice when Mount Mazama erupted 7,000 years ago, these dunes are popular with ATVers but we managed to find a few without too many tracks spoiling the view...

the clouds were amazing too

2. Crack In The Ground - as the name suggests, it's a crack. In the ground. A 2+ mile crack that's up to 70 feet deep in places, in fact. The crack was formed by a volcanic fissure just 1,000 years ago. The mosses and colors found on the rocks were quite beautiful and photos don't really do it justice...

not for the claustrophobic

3. Fort Rock - an old tuff ring that's nearly a full circle, where a sea used to live. OSP's web site claims that "sandals found in a nearby cave are the oldest ever discovered, dating back around 9,000-13,000 years." Pretty cool! A trail takes you around the ring if you're so inclined...

to the west

to the east

4. Derrick Cave - a 30' high lava tube that we didn't actually get to see, because the road from Fort Rock is now private for liability reasons and the alternate route would have cost us several hours. Patrick visited the cave years ago and he promises it's worth seeing!

5. Hole-In-The-Ground - again, as the name suggests, it's a hole. In the ground. A mile-wide, 300-foot-deep hole, in fact, that was formed by a volcanic eruption 13,000-100,000 years ago (depending on who you ask). We were short on time so we didn't venture down, but I've seen comments from others that walking the path is the best way to appreciate the vastness of the hole...

neither meteorite landing, nor hellmouth

Also, not a geologic wonder but a pretty special place: the Lost Forest near the Sand Dunes. Ancient ponderosa pine survive on half the water their forest counterparts require. The Lost Forest covers a remarkable 9,000 acres (~14 mi² for those of you who don't speak acreage), and is isolated from the nearest ponderosa pine forest by 40 miles, meaning it keeps itself alive just fine, thank you very much...

it also makes a great Subaru commerical

The rest of our trip was "W"-themed. For example, watchtowers! We braved thousands of ticks and mosquitoes to visit Hager Mountain's watchtower (okay, "lookout" if you must) and catch some nice panoramic views. The watchtower is one of just a handful still staffed during summer months for fire observation, and available to rent in winter months - as long as you're willing to snowshoe three miles up a mountain to get there. (Honestly, we'd probably have taken the snow over the ticks and mossies this time.)

and the wind began to howl

Another "W" on this trip - wildflowers! Most were observed on the Hager Mountain hike where the hills were alive with paintbrush, Oregon sunshine, and balsamroot.

kind of making up for all the ticks and mossies...

... kind of

Most interesting on this hike was the rare green-tinged paintbrush, native to Southern Oregon. According to a plaque at the top of the trail, 95 percent of this plant's population is found only in the Fremont National Forest! Very cool.

in bloom

And the final "W" was for wildlife. We passed through Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge, which gave us some up-close and personal views of some truly stunning animals...

seldom is heard a discouraging word

and the skies are not cloudy all day

(Originally established in 1936 to protect pronghorn antelopes, the refuge now hosts over 300 species of wildlife and - this is rare - no domesticated livestock. There are also hot springs in the refuge, available free to the public, so in between being in awe of amazing creatures, we partook in a quick soak in a different kind of hole in the ground.)

Anyway, back to wildlife... We were definitely still in ranchland, and cows count as wildlife to some people...

(and some cows, says Clarence)

And a very tenacious chipmunk spent the morning with us at Thompson Reservoir.

OH HAI

Not "W" related, here's a little on Thompson Reservoir's campground and camping in general... We drove through Thompson because it was close to things we wanted to explore. Reservoirs are not our favorite places to camp - only because they tend to attract boaters, and we don't like hearing boat engines all day/night - but we had a really good experience in Colorado last summer, and Thompson seemed like a quiet enough place so we thought we'd give it a shot.

Our first night, we had two neighbors who had settled on the other side of the spacious campground. We heard nothing but frogs, ducks, little brown birds, and water lapping at the shore all evening. The sunset over the reservoir was lovely and the stars came out in full force.

perfection

Our second night, an elderly couple parked their ginormous RV right next to our tent site (despite the fact that there were 16 other available sites in a 19-site campground). They took a while settling in, and then the dreaded generator started. The friendly gentleman wandered over and asked if the noise would bother us. Patrick asked how long it would be running. "Oh, all night long," the friendly gentleman replied, and then proceeded to chat Patrick up for ten more minutes while I got in the tent and banged my head on the thermarest. (Seriously.)

Look. I am sorry that his wife was on an oxygen tank and needed the generator to run all night. I am glad they were still able to enjoy the great outdoors and the world-famous all-you-can-eat soup/salad and 30 oz steak dinner just up the road from the reservoir (Friday through Sunday, $30 cash only, reservations recommended, no alcohol served... no, we didn't do it, despite the friendly gentleman's rave reviews). I appreciate him asking if the noise was going to bother us. But at that point, what could we say? "Yes, thanks for asking - could you please move immediately?"

In hindsight we should've just moved. But we are stubborn folk, and instead, we endured the hum of the generator All. Night. Long.

this was our view! would YOU have moved?

Fellow campers - especially you National Park campers! but also you local campers - please be polite and think about others. That's all I ask.

Anyway. The food was simple again this time...

remembering Vietnam with an egg noodle breakfast

the old breakfast standby, oatmeal with all the fixin's

(pretty view optional but recommended)

organic tomato soup from a box, 

fire-roasted cheese quesadillas,

and a side of cheese and crackers for good measure

Insensitive camp neighbors aside, it was very fun to check out this part of Oregon. Everything was entirely new to me and Patrick hadn't been to some of these places in 20 years. With so much variety from west to east and north to south, it really astounds me that more Oregonians don't venture out and explore...

ExplOregon, June 2016 edition, part one.

So yeah, that farm internship? It didn't work out.

Luckily for us, Patrick's family offered us a roof while we worked on Plan B.

Also luckily for us, after 3+ years on the road we were in a pretty good position to deal with just about anything thrown our way. (Dear 2016, not to complain, but would you please stop throwing things at us? Or at least wait for our bruises to heal? XO, J&P.)

Most luckily for us, with unexpected FUNemployment comes unlimited opportunity... such as finally crossing Steens Mountain off our list!

Steens Mountain in Oregon's high desert is known as some of the "wildest and most remote land left in Oregon." The area features four massive glacial gorges formed during the Ice Age; wildlife and wildflowers galore; and the highest road in Oregon.

It's a pretty far drive no matter where you live, and it seems that few Oregonians actually find the time to visit. Unexpected FUNemployment for the win!

About that far drive... Eugene to Frenchglen, the nearest town to Steens, is about 300 miles. The drive gets pretty boring once you get past Bend so we'd encourage anyone making the trek to load up on coffee, Mad Libs, podcasts - whatever gets you through.

We'd also encourage anyone making the trek to take their first stretch break at Koosah Falls and Sahalie Falls off Highway 126.

exhibit A

exhibit B

(Seriously, people. They're right off the road. Just stop the next time you're eastern-bound.)

From Bend, the road mostly wove through flat ranchland. The area's major town, Burns (population: ~3000), offered basic services and, according to TripAdvisor, something called the "Harney Valley Big Ol' Flat" (we didn't ask). The only things we saw from there were cows and an almost plague-worthy swarm of grasshoppers - it was truly impressive.

scenic byway #7

 

cow conference

(insect-splattered windshield optional)

As we got closer to Steens the scenery improved dramatically. Before hitting Frenchglen (population: 12) for supplies, we considered stopping by Malheur National Wildlife Refuge just to reverse all the recent negativity, but the clock won so we picked up ice and headed up to Fish Lake Campground in Steens Mountain. (We'll see you someday, Malheur NWR.)

home for two nights

Fish Lake

moonrise over the mountain

As usual, we did no planning and our timing was a bit off - it was mid-June and the Tour Route doesn't open until July 1. But as usual, we didn't let that stop us! Monday morning we drove to the gate near Jackman Park Campground and hiked seven miles to our first destination, Kiger Gorge. Yep, seven miles of gently sloped, exposed road in glaring sun and constant wind.

so worth it

This U-shaped glacial gorge was formed nearly a million years ago when snow compressed into ice a thousand feet thick. It was - wait for it - GORGE-ous.

From Kiger Gorge we walked another two miles along the road, stopping here and there for photo ops.

Little Blitzen Gorge and Little Jen

obligatory feet shot

Our second destination that day was the Alvord Desert overlook - definitely worth the extra two miles! The mountain still had snow, but the spring wildflowers were in bloom and the view of the desert and beyond was pretty amazing. Rumor has it that on a clear day you can see Idaho, Nevada and California. (And Russia too! Just kidding.)

"the driest place in Oregon"

spring in the snow

The historic Alvord Ranch and several hot springs can be found a mile below. We didn't have time to take those in... We also didn't have time to hike all the way up to the Steens Mountain summit. (Okay, we did have time but after nine miles we didn't have interest.) Next time!

About two miles into our return hike, we ran into a BLM employee doing some road maintenance, and he kindly offered us a ride back to our car. We'd been mentally prepared for the full nine-mile walk but I can't say that we were sad about getting a ride instead...Thanks, karma. We owe you one.

The next day we moved to South Steens campground and spent our saved energy from the day before on an easy 8-mile return walk in Big Indian Gorge. A flat, shaded trail and three bitterly cold barefoot stream crossings led us to a stunning view of "the wall." The day before, we'd seen this bright green foliage from above at Kiger Gorge. Being up close with the trees and brush in Big Indian Gorge put a whole new perspective on things.

hello, headwall

hello, new friend

hello, wildflowers

Enthusiastic (read: crazy) hikers can follow the trail four more miles and actually climb the wall.

we opted to do this instead

For us, three days on the mountain was the perfect amount of time but avid hikers, backpackers, and fishers should probably plan a week. Of the two campgrounds, we preferred Fish Lake for its peacefulness, tucked-in campsites, and lake views - South Steens was much more crowded and open, which meant that we heard our Trump-fanatic neighbors All. Night. Long.

And since everyone seems to enjoy hearing about what we eat for dinner when we camp, I'll just say that this time we had limited cooler space and even more limited ice rations so I kept it simple.

Sunday night: salad with a view

Monday night: simple tofu stir fry

Tuesday night: perhaps a little TOO simple

More pictures start here... Until recently, I hadn't even heard of Steens Mountain. If you fall into that category too, please put it on your list. I know I keep saying that it's a long, mostly boring drive from wherever you live, but the payoff is well worth the pain of getting there!

Coming up in part two: antelopes, hot springs, Hager Mountain, and some truly crazy Oregonian geology!

ExplOregon: waterfalls!

Some of you may know that 2016 has been a pretty challenging year for us. After three fairly easy years traipsing around the world, I suppose we were due for a dose of reality at some point... (Granted, our challenges don't exactly rival those of many others these days, but they are challenges none the less.)

More than once over the past few months we've turned to nature to regroup. Oceans, big starry skies, and mountains formed millions of years ago have definitely helped to remind us that we are mere blips in the universe (this universe, which doesn't even begin to encapsulate all the other universes, which is a rabbit hole my feeble little brain can't even go down for fear of imploding). These natural places remind us that 10, or 50, or 100 years from now, our 2016 troubles won't matter.

"I'm sorry, what?"

- the Pacific ocean

Waterfalls have a slightly different effect. I can't speak for Patrick on this, but waterfalls remind me that I am not in control. Of anything, ever. There's nothing like standing at the base of a waterfall - or even better, the mouth, if you can get to it - and actually feeling the power of the water as it tumbles over the edge.

Oregon has no shortage of beautiful waterfalls, as I've mentioned here. And here. (Oh, and here, here, here, here, and here.) After all our time in Oregon and our many recent road trips around the state, there were a few waterfalls nearby that we still hadn’t visited so when June's dose of reality hit, we got in the car and headed to these:

• Upper and Lower Kentucky Falls and North Fork Falls, just off Highway 126 heading toward the coast. A moderate 0.8-mile descent from the trailhead took us to Upper Kentucky Falls;  weaving through gorgeous old-growth Douglas fir for another 1.4 miles we found ourselves at the twin falls of Lower Kentucky and North Fork.

"you are not in control"

- upper Kentucky Falls

"you are still not in control"

- lower Kentucky Falls

"la la la I can't hear you"

- lower Kentucky Falls and North Fork Falls

• Koosah Falls and Sahalie Falls, also off Highway 126 right along the McKenzie Pass-Santiam Pass/West Cascades National Scenic Byways and the mighty McKenzie River. It was only an hour and a half out of our way, after all (which, to some, might be a deterrent – but to us, well, it’s kinda what we do).

"let it go"

- Sahalie Falls

"seriously, let it go already"

- Koosah Falls

Spring and early summer are definitely the time to hit all of these places. During our June visits, the roar of the water was absolutely deafening and the moss and lush vegetation were simply stunning. In fact the rest of the Koosah/Sahalie Falls road trip would be spent in the high desert (more on that later), so that afternoon we took ample time at both waterfall sites to admire the gorgeous green scenery that we wouldn’t be seeing again for a while...

Whenever life hands YOU lemons, we highly recommend regrouping however that manifests itself to you. Nature, music, art, community - it's all good. Just be sure to take your freshly-squeezed lemonade (and maybe your old friend, Mr. Flask) along!

ExplOregon: the Eastern Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway.

In early June we took a much-needed weekend away from the farm. Our official mission was Toketee Falls, but we'd soon learn that there was no shortage of beauty along the eastern portion of the Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway! (Patrick's parents lived nearby when they were young and he grew up in Eugene, but he'd never visited this area of Oregon... Boy, did I hear about that the whole weekend - "I can't believe my parents never brought me here when I was little!" was uttered at Every. Single. Stop. along the byway.)

Every. Single. Stop.

Our first priority was a campsite for that beautiful, sunny weekend. Early Friday afternoon we made our way to Natural Bridge's first-come campground where we hoped to land the coveted #16 site by the river. Alas, that site was taken - actually, most sites were already taken - so we quickly secured a spot and set up while other hopeful campers searched in vain for available sites.

#13 for the win

From the campground you can walk to an interpretive trail to the Natural Bridge, so we did. The “bridge” isn’t terribly photogenic, but it is pretty awesome – an ancient lava tube formed a natural land bridge through which the mighty and majestic Upper Rogue River runs.

natural bridge #1 of 1

We still had some daylight after this brief walk, but instead of continuing a few miles along the Rogue Gorge Trail up to aptly named Rogue Gorge, we hopped in the car and headed north to grab firewood in Union Creek. To save time the next day, we decided to hit National Creek Falls while we were in the area. It was an excellent 40-foot introduction for what was to come…

waterfall #1 of 5

Back at camp we scarfed down a salad in the car to avoid the hoards of mosquitoes - I didn't even take a picture, that's how distracted I was - and enjoyed an otherwise quiet evening of a quick fire and bug-free reading from the safety of our tent.

Saturday morning we scarfed down breakfast in the car to avoid the hoards of mosquitoes - dear lord, they were awful! - and then headed north toward Toketee Falls. We attempted a few short walks in the Diamond Lake area to break up the drive but the trails weren't quite ready for prime time...

cleanup on aisle 12

... so we stopped at the lake and admired Mt Thielsen for about an hour.

stunning (and bug-free!) lunch spot

Continuing up the road, we stumbled upon Clearwater Falls...

#2 of 5

… which was also mosquito-riddled, but otherwise 29 feet of beautiful mossy cascades!

And then we stumbled upon Whitehorse Falls. At just 14 feet, it was simple, quiet, and serene.

#3 of 5

(At this point I actually read the map to make sure we didn’t just "stumble upon" - read: miss -  anything else coming up.)

Watson Falls was next on the route. Referred to by the Northwest Waterfall Survey as “arguably the best waterfall in the North Umpqua River basin," I can’t say I disagree – of the five we saw that weekend, this 293-foot cascade tumbling off a giant wall of basalt rock was by far the most spectacular to me.

#4 of 5

And finally, the long-awaited Toketee Falls, a two-tiered beauty totaling 113 feet…

#5 of 5

Photos simply don’t do it justice. It was the picturesque tropical paradise of solitude, even with the crowds at the viewpoint and the yahoos at the base attempting to climb the wet rock and dive into the pool. (But Watson Falls was still my favorite.)

There were a handful of folks at each of the stops before Toketee, and quite a few hiking the trail at Toketee, but the traffic didn't distract from the beauty at any of the stops.

On the other hand, Rogue Gorge, which we did finally get to, was packed. But still very pretty.

gorge #1 of 1

Back at the campsite that evening, the mosquitoes were just as bad as the prior night.Thanks to some DEET-free bug spray we found at Diamond Lake Resort, we toughed it out and enjoyed our first attempt at campfire-grilled cheese sandwiches with (pre-made) tomato soup.

much more of this in our future, please!

And then four sheriff cars rolled through the campground. A very nice officer came over to inform us that earlier that night, a transient barefoot man had attempted to assault a woman over at the Natural Bridge interpretive trail, and if we saw him we should call "someone." (He seriously said that. Never mind that our phones got no service in the hills - we'd certainly get right on calling "someone" if we saw the assaulter.)

So that was pretty awesome. But instead of constantly scanning our surroundings and worrying every time we hit the outhouse, we chose to think about pretty rhododendron flowers along the waterfall trails instead.

in bloom

Luckily for us, that seemed to ward off the barefoot assaulter; we didn't run into him all night.

Along the way back to the farm the next day, we stopped by Crater Lake National Park's visitor center to use the cleanest bathrooms ever, and were told by the surly cashier that there was no wi-fi available - she suggested it was "Mother Nature's way of saying we should unplug and enjoy the scenery."

Oh, lady, if only you knew...