Sunrise

“Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.” — Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

Pike Creek Canyon Trail, Steens Mountain

In early September we made our first ever trip to Steens Mountain and the Alvord Desert, with a visit to the Malheur Wildlife Refuge, as well. This is such amazing country—so very different from western Oregon. We spent one day driving the Steens Mountain Loop, or at least most of it, as some was closed off due to a landslide. We saw the wild horses and took the short hike to the summit. Then we drove south to the little town of Fields—and stopped for their world famous milkshakes. (Yes, they are good!) Then around the eastern side of Steens Mountain to Alvord Hot Springs, where we parked our trailer for a couple of days.

Our first morning there we drove a short distance north to the Pike Creek Trailhead, on the west side of the gravel road. The hike starts on an old road, now rutted and decorated with balsamroot plants, blooming nicely this time of year. (There is another road that goes in partway, but you can only take it if you pay the Alvord Hot Springs people to camp there.) At the camping area (definitely not a developed campground) the start of the hike is marked by a huge rock with a tree growing out of it. Quite unique.

We crossed the small creek and began climbing above it. The trail was uphill all the way in, but not very steep. Neat rock formations rose above the trail, and we could look back for a nice view of the Alvord Desert. There were still a few flowers in bloom to brighten the area. And whenever we came close to the creek, plenty of greenery provided shade and beauty. We saw a rock wall on the other side of the creek with two holes that let the light through early in the hike. Most of the trail was in the sunlight, but morning shade still covered one stretch. And there were a couple of nice shady, treed areas by the creek, where we stopped to rest and snack.

We crossed back over the creek at the point the guidebook said would make a 3.4 mile round trip. There was supposed to be a short trail going along before the creek crossing, but we didn’t see it. We climbed the bank and continued a little ways, but the trail ahead looked to be out in the open. We were getting hot and we wanted to get back to the campsite for lunch, so we turned around. (In this area we were glad we brought our hiking poles, as it was a bit steep with loose rock in places.)

Going back was a nice easy downhill, so we made good time. We stopped at the wilderness marker, because the guidebook said there was a closed up mine and an old dynamite shed in the area. We found the dynamite shed, but never did see the mine. Maye it was behind bushes or rocks or something.

Hiking back down also gave us a nice view of the canyon and the Alvord Desert beyond it. Definitely a pretty hike worth taking!

Hiking the Koosah-Sahalie Falls Loop Trail

Sahalie Falls

August 12, 2023

A hike through tall trees along a roaring river and with not one, but two, major waterfalls. What’s not to like? A few days ago, my husband and I parked our little trailer at Ollalie Campground along Oregon’s McKenzie River, ready for some outdoor time. The campground itself is set among tall fir trees with the rushing sounds of both the McKenzie River and Ollalie Creek for background music. We couldn’t get a site on the lower loop, right along the river, but the upper loop is still nice and has roomy sites (but no water—that is only available via a hand pump on the lower loop). A peaceful place with cute little chipmunks scurrying about to keep us company.

Our campsite at Olallie Campground

The next morning we packed some PBJ sandwiches and snacks, along with plenty of water, and drove the few miles north to the Koosah Falls parking area to take the Waterfalls Loop Trail. Our truck was the first vehicle in the parking area. We hiked the loop counterclockwise, hitting the falls from the eastern side at the start of the hike. However, I would recommend clockwise—and perhaps starting at the southern end of the hike, as the western side of the river is more open and thus warmer, whereas the eastern side is shady (at least in the morning) and closer to the river, keeping it cooler.

The sunlight was hitting the spray around Koosah Falls just right when we got there, flashing a bright rainbow across the mossy rocks near the falls. The cool air from the river was refreshing and the view lovely. We enjoyed the view in solitude. That solitude did not last as we hiked toward Sahalie Falls. We saw more people the closer we came to the falls. Probably because the main parking lot for the falls, and the loop trail, is at Sahalie Falls.

Koosah Falls with rainbow

Several other people enjoyed the beautiful view at Sahalie Falls with us. After a few minutes of admiration, we moved on past the falls—and past the crowds. During the rest of the loop, we only met a few hikers. Most people, it seems, only wanted to see the falls and not hike the loop. Fine with us!

Sahalie Falls

Being August, there were few flowers in bloom, and the trail was dusty in places. The narrow, often rocky trail made us glad we brought our hiking poles, which also made us feel secure on the downhill parts. (Rough getting old!) Almost the entire time we had views of the McKenzie River, crashing wildly through the little valley. The closer to it the trail bent, the more we felt the coolness that poured off the icy water.

At the northern end of the loop we crossed a footbridge over the McKenzie and took a left to follow the river back down, just on the other side. We got repeat views of Sahalie and Koosah Falls, but this time with more brush around and no crowds. We ate our lunch at an unofficial viewpoint for Koosah Falls.

trail on the east side

rattlesnake plantain

The west side of the Waterfalls Loop Trail is part of the McKenzie River Trail. When we reached the southern end of the loop, we decided to continue on the River Trail a bit, just to see what it was like. The trail wound past Carmen Reservoir and away from the water. It also became dustier and was rather narrow in places. While we had seen no bicycle riders on the loop trail, we did meet them here—and at times there wasn’t a lot of room to get out of their way. So we returned to the loop trail and headed back around the southern section, walking north a short distance to where we had begun—with another couple of Koosah Falls viewpoints to enjoy along the way. When we reached our truck, the parking area was full, with more coming in.

Afternoon view of Koosah Falls on the return leg

This is a beautiful 2.8 mile loop trail. It has some ups and downs, but nothing very strenuous, and the gorgeous views—not just at the falls, but throughout the hike—make it well worth your while. I do recommend starting early, before the crowds, especially on warm summer days. Enjoy the crashing waterfalls and maybe you will also be rewarded with a rainbow.

Hiking Oregon’s Painted Hills

We recently travelled to an amazing and beautiful place—the Painted Hills of Oregon. Located far from any large towns (The closest town of Mitchell boasts about 135 residents.), the Painted Hills are rarely crowded. But they are definitely worth a visit.

We settled our trailer in at the little Ochoco Divide campground, situated—as the name suggests—near the top of the Ochoco Mountains. It is a forest camp with few amenities beyond water and outhouses. However, the camp host seems to do a good job keeping it clean. Spaces are spread out nicely, giving plenty of privacy. It is a very pretty, central Oregon kind of place. And not too far from our hiking destination.

We spent one day at the Painted Hills, walking every trail in the national monument. Not too difficult, since most are only a quarter of a mile long. We stopped at the picnic area first to visit the outhouse—the only facilities in the area. Then on to the fun stuff!

Carroll Rim

We started out with the only trail long enough to call a hike: Carroll Rim. A 1.6 mile roundtrip, this trail climbs to a lovely viewpoint where you can see in all directions. A couple of benches at the top give an opportunity to rest and enjoy the view. And take lots of photos, if you are like me. The trail itself is steepest at the start, but not at all bad, and there are views the entire way. A very enjoyable walk.

Overlook Trail

Across the road from Carroll Rim is the Overlook Trail, a half-mile roundtrip. This trail also provides amazing views of some of the best parts of the Painted Hills. On our early June visit, there were also lots of wildflowers to add additional color to the scene: Maximilian sunflower, desert globe mallow, purple prairie clover, and more. If you visit the Painted Hills, don’t miss this area.

Painted Cove

The Painted Cove trail is only a quarter-mile loop, but it is definitely a “can’t miss” for monument visitors. You wind through short, red hills of cracked dirt, barren as some alien landscape. And wonder why most plants refuse to grow on these few hills. A lovely place! Be sure to take some pictures.

Leaf Hill

Another quarter-mile loop, but much less impressive than the others. A short walk to a hill of rock flakes where numerous fossils of prehistoric leaves have been found. Interesting historically, but the least exciting of all the trails. We tried to see fossils among the remaining rock pieces, but couldn’t be sure of any. And I forgot to take a picture of the rock pile.

Red Scar Knoll

The last stroll of the monument, Red Scar Knoll is worth taking time to visit. A large red hill rises up among other less brightly colored mounds. This hike has more vegetation along the way than most of the others, including juniper trees and some lovely sulphurflower buckwheat, which I used my Picture This app to identify. A nice walk to cap off our visit to the amazing national monument.

If you want to take a longer trip, drive east from Mitchell and visit the other two units of the John Day Fossil Beds. We didn’t this time, but have in the past. Nice hikes, fascinating rock formations, and a look back into the earth’s past.

Pinnacle Peak Hike: Mt. Rainier

Mt. Rainier from Reflection Lakes

We got an early start, reaching the Pinnacle Peak trailhead across from Reflection Lakes by 8:30 a.m. (on September 9, 2022) It was sunny, but cool and breezy. Little reflection on Reflection Lakes, due to the wind. The trail was all uphill—gentle uphill the first mile and then a steeper climb, often through loose gravel or rocks. We took it slow and easy, enjoying the quiet of the woods and the frequent views of Mt. Rainier.

I was glad I brought my hiking poles. They were useful both on the uphill and on the pleasant downhill return trip, giving me added confidence as I walked on the slant.

Not too far up, in a rocky area, two marmots popped up to look us over. We saw at least three more on the hike, and they weren’t too skittish—although we made no attempt to approach closely. We only saw one cute little pika, but he actually ran across the trail right in front of me. We read that pikas don’t hibernate, but collect plants in their dens to last them through the winter. That explained a couple of places where we saw piles of plants on the rocks, probably waiting to be carried underground.

I kept stopping to take photographs of Mt. Rainier. The views just kept getting better and better as we climbed higher. We could see Paradise Lodge and the cars parked there—which made us glad we chose the Pinnacle Peak trail instead of Paradise. We saw only a handful of people the entire time on this hike, unlike the crowded parking lots and trails of Paradise we had drive past the afternoon before.

Mt. Rainier with some smoky haze and Gary, my husband and faithful hiking partner

We reached the saddle between Pinnacle Peak and Plummer Peak. Looking back, we had an amazing view of Mt. Rainier. The other direction was supposed to be a view of Mt. Adams, but smoke from forest fires hid it from view. There were still nice views of the hills and of Pinnacle, Plummer, and Castle Peaks.

Pinnacle Peak from the backside

The Pinnacle Peak hike rates as one of our best-ever hikes. Only 3.5 miles round trip, peaceful and uncrowded, and with gorgeous views. It would have been even better in August—although likely more crowded—when the meadows were covered with wildflowers in bloom. Only a few scattered flowers remained in early September.

Sutton Creek Trail, a lovely coastal hike near Florence, Oregon

View from Holman Vista

For a serene hike through beach pines, shrubs, and the occasional dune, check out the Sutton Creek Trail just north of Florence, Oregon. Florence is known for its sand dunes, and part of this trail hits the edge of some dunes, but most of it remains in the woods, a woods that might do Middle-earth proud.

We camped at Sutton campground four miles north of Florence. It is a quiet campground set amid fir and alder trees along Sutton Creek. Ferns, salal, huckleberry, and what looked to be salmonberry surround the campsites and give a good degree of privacy. And Sutton Creek Trail, a loop (or rather, figure 8) trail begins right in the campground.

The part of the loop closest to the creek meandered through beach pines filled in with salal, huckleberry bushes, and tall rhododendrons (not blooming in August). At times the brush and trees became so dense it was like walking through green and gray tunnels. Moss hung from some of the trees and sprinkled across the ground with occasional lichens and a few large—and odd-looking—mushrooms. It seemed like a landscape suited to elves and hobbits.

We heard an occasional jay or crow and, towards the end, the high-pitched shriek of an osprey high above. The only birds I actually saw were crows trying to maneuver the blustery winds, a single robin, and four nondescript wrentits flitting through the bushes.

We enjoyed the view from Holman Vista, looking over Sutton Creek to the wooded dunes beyond. The ocean roared from beyond the dunes, but it wasn’t visible. We tried what used to be the Beach Trail, but found no reliable way to cross Sutton Creek to the dunes. Apparently there was once a bridge there, but now there were only random logs for those more intrepid than I.

We turned onto the Northern Sutton Creek Trail. While the first half of the loop was a hard dirt trail through the woods, much of the second half of the trail became sandier with brushy dunes rising up to the left. Parts of the trail went along the edge of the dunes, and we found slogging uphill through the sand slower going. The area was more open with nice views of the sandy hills. We saw a couple of garter snakes slither off the path as we approached.

The first half of the trail has occasional benches where we enjoyed taking a short break. There were fewer on the return half of the loop. We ate our lunch sitting on a log beside the trail. At the dune near the end of our return—less than half a mile from Sutton Campground—two rope swings hung from a large tree over the sand. My husband tried one out just for fun.

The total hike is about six miles. Some ups and downs, but nothing at all extreme. Weather was nice—high 60s to maybe 70. A cool hike through the woods with a little added warmth in the more open areas made it a lovely coastal hike.

And if you visit the area, be sure to take a short trip to the Darlingtonia Wayside, less than a mile north on Highway 101. Carnivorous plants in abundance.

A Quote for Summer

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.

—John Lubbock

Tiger swallowtail on a tiger lily

Cottonwood Canyon: The Pinnacles Trail

Lone Tree Campground in Cottonwood Canyon State Park

We camped two nights at Lone Tree Campground in Cottonwood Canyon State Park, a quiet little campground along the John Day River in central Oregon. This is a fairly recent addition to the state parks, which includes 21 nice flat campsites with fire pits and with windbreaks and/or sun-sheltered picnic tables, but no hookups or dump station for RVs. There are also four cabins and a number of walk-in tent sites. They are all located in a pretty valley surrounded by picturesque hills. At one end, an old barn remains from the cattle ranch that used to be here.

Valley of Cottonwood Canyon State Park–with old barn

There are several hikes in the area, short ones around the campground and a longer trail on each side of the river. The Pinnacles Trail heads out from the end of the campground, while the Lost Corral Trail requires a short drive across a bridge to the trailhead parking lot. We took the easy way, walking from our campsite. At the Pinnacles trailhead we noted cautions about ticks, rattlesnakes, and cougars, all possible dangers here. Fortunately, we saw none of them during our visit. A reminder to pack plenty of water was also posted, definitely an important suggestion in this dry and warm area.

The weather forecast was for sunshine and a high of 75 (F). I wore a jacket to begin with, as the cliffs along the first part of the hike provided morning shade. The John Day River flowed along at full strength, with occasional ducks and Canada geese along its edges, red-winged blackbirds calling from the bushes, and swallows dipping and gliding above. We saw one cliff swallow carrying straw to build a nest on the edge of the towering cliff.

John Day River

The trail itself was pretty wide and smooth, mostly level and easy. After we passed the cliffs, the views opened up and the sun warmed us—time to remove jackets and roll up sleeves. (And wish I had remembered to pack a hat!) The scenery was gorgeous in a barren kind of way. I kept looking for mountain goats, but never saw any. But we did see plenty of butterflies and lizards. Some even held still long enough for me to get pictures.

According to my app, these are a common side-blotched lizard and anise swallowtails

After about three miles, the trail was blocked by a sign restricting access to protect the nesting areas of golden eagles. We saw one eagle soaring above the hills. Soon a couple of crows went after it, attacking it in flight until it left the area. We rested a bit on a bench nearby, then hiked slowly back, as the sun beating down on us was beginning to take a toll. We took plenty of water breaks and ate peanut butter and jam sandwiches in the shade of a large walnut tree on the appropriately-named Lower Walnut Trail, a short loop off the main trail. After a nice rest break, we headed on back to camp. The Pinnacles trail was our longest hike so far this year—and definitely worth the effort. We plan to return to Cottonwood Canyon State Park, a lovely desert oasis.

along the Pinnacles hike

Magical Moment with a Nuthatch

Red-breasted nuthatch

It’s always fun to feed the birds. I first fill the feeders–two seed feeders and one suet feeder–and then scatter larger seeds and peanuts on the ground for the jays and squirrels. As soon as I leave, the Steller’s jays will swoop in, followed by the scrub jays. They gobble down the peanuts, one at a time, flying off to eat one, then back in for another. Sometimes they try to jam two in their beak at a time, which seldom works. The jays are quickly followed by the smaller birds–and usually a squirrel or two.

But today, the fun began before I even reached the feeders. When I was about six feet away, a little downy woodpecker–a male–alit in the tree. There was still a small chunk of suet left in the feeder, so I froze in place and watched. Mr. Downy approached the feeder one branch at a time. Then he landed on the feeder and started eating. I held as still as I could. I love the little downies. But then I made a small movement, and the little woodpecker was gone.

I replaced the suet, then turned toward the seed feeders. And who should flit in but the sweet red-breasted nuthatch. “Hello, little guy,” I whispered. “I’ll have your feeder filled soon.” But he (she?) wasn’t feeling shy today. He landed on a branch a mere two feet from my head and sat there, studying me as I studied him. I could see all the details of his body–the rusty breast feathers, the white strip on his head, the sparkling black eye. It felt magical. After a couple of minutes, the nuthatch flew off, and I finished putting out the seed. But the feeling of magic remained.

Great Backyard Bird Count 2022

Scrub jay and Steller’s jay

The Great Backyard Bird Count has been fun. Birds have so much character. The Steller’s jays sweep in when I toss out peanuts. I hear them calling from the trees, alerting their friends and relatives. They swoop in to grab a peanut or two, then swoop away to a tree to eat, then back again. Most days they start coming in before I even leave the feeder area. However, my camera apparently freaks them out, because they wouldn’t come near when I was trying to take their picture. (The above was taken through the window.)

Red-breasted nuthatch

The chickadees and nuthatches flit in to the seed feeder, grab a sunflower seed, and retreat somewhere to eat it. But the house finches, house sparrows, and pine siskins sit at the feeder, gobbling down seed after seed. The towhees, juncos, and other sparrows hop about on the ground, eating what I’ve thrown down there and what the other birds knock out of the feeders. The juncos are the most active, darting from ground to tree to bush and chasing each other around from time to time.

White-crowned sparrow

The woodpeckers go for the suet, although the little downy woodpeckers will also eat from the seed feeder. And this year three yellow-rumped warblers (Yes, they do have yellow rumps!) visited the suet. I’ve never seen them at the feeder before, so that was an exciting surprise.

Yellow-rumped warbler coming in for a landing

God must have had fun making birds, because they are such delightful critters. They make me wish I could fly.