In the Badlands

It is early in the morning at the airport in Portland, Oregon, and have some time between flights to post for Bend, Oregon, Daily Photo. As promised, I wanted to show some of the landscape of the recently established Badlands Wilderness Area which is 17 miles east of Bend, Oregon. One of several hiking trails lead to Flatiron Rock, a peculiar geologic formation of cooled molten lava piled high off the desert floor. Here I found many natural treasures. Along the path there are numerous caves and fissures to explore. I sought to find drawings from early natives but came up empty-handed. Instead I was treated to seeing unusual crystal formations created from dripping water, colorful green and orange lichen, and, of course, in the process disturbed lots of small scurrying things, primarily lizards and voles. In the above photo, I shot a picture of the many windows and arches that adorn this remarkable place. It is an easy flat walk of about an hour to this spot but, oddly enough, is sparsely visited. I have a new place to bring guests who love the outdoors. It is a place that will be remembered, I assure you.

Home on the range?

On several previous posts I have mentioned that Bend, Oregon, is located in Central Oregon on the high desert. The above photo, taken this weekend on a hike to the Badlands Wilderness area 17 miles East of Bend, gives a fairly good representation of the countryside lying in the rain shadow of the Cascade Mountain range. The trees that flourish in this semi-arid environment are junipers. They are generally short, with tough gnarly bark, rough light green needle-like or scale-like leaves and aromatic inedible blue berries. The soil is composed of pumice, lava and igneous rock and is the remnants of the huge explosion and fiery flow from the remains of Mt. Mazama 90 miles away, which is the site of present day Crater Lake.
There are many fascinating rock formations and caves in this location, which I hope to show in a subsequent post. I may be able to share one tomorrow, but if not, I will not be back in town until a week from Wednesday.

Fallen Leaves

Like so many coins at the bottom of a sacred fountain, these aspen leaves wink back alluringly to the viewer. They are woven together by brittle strands of pondorosa pine needles, creating a colorful mosaic carpet of geometric shapes, placed on an earthen background. On Wednesday, I posted a cool gray, solitary picture of a grove of the spindly, white and black- checkered parents of these leaves. These once verdant beauties, now barren, protruding from the ground like naked spears, have dropped their jewels to the floor and wait for the snow to fall and to hide their bounty within the cloak of Winter's grandeur.

Day is done, gone the....

This evening, as a friend and I left the college art building in Bend, Oregon, we were treated to this extraordinary view. We remarked how difficult it is to accurately photograph sunset colors especially the orange hue. Then our words fell away. It was time to simply take in the moment and feel its grandeur and not let thoughts get in the way.

Quiet moments in the forest

Every day this week I have managed to visit a favorite trail and experience it anew as it reflects seasonal change. Today I walked from Benham Falls to the Slough about 7 miles West of Bend, Oregon. This section is part of a longer trail which meanders along the Deschutes River, crosses a massive lava flow, and winds in and out of pine and aspen groves. The single-track path is popular with hikers, mountain bikers and folks on horseback, yet I saw no one on this cold, gray afternoon. I stopped at this stand of bare quaking aspens and felt its solitude. It was perfectly quiet, not even a breath of wind. I loved its peaceful feeling.
On Tuesday I travel to San Diego, then visit relatives over the weekend in Chicago, and next fly off for business in Pittsburgh. I guess I will be migrating from the lanai to the rumpus room, where I will experience a vastly different ambiance emanating from this amazing house.

Pilot Butte to Lava Butte

Bucking a stiff wind this afternoon I plodded my way up Pilot Butte, an odd looking cinder cone, protruding from the the east side of Bend, Oregon. In the distance, looking southwest, is Lava Butte which is a higher formation, but similar in shape. I took the trail alone and listened carefully to my breathing for a while until I became lost to my inner voice which is imprecisely called thought. I was quite surprised when I reached the summit, having barely noticed the landscape or distance I had walked. Then, a torrent of icy northern air swirling over this dramatic 360 degree vista caught my sails, so to speak, and brought me about. I was at the top with a world out there to see and pictures to take.

Standing proud

Yesterday I posted about the upcoming Winter season in Bend, Oregon and showed a picture of a somewhat naked Mt Bachelor. Early this morning a huge storm from the Gulf ofAlaska blasted our area and brought buckets of snow to the mountains, allegedly as much as 18 inches of white stuff. When the skies clear later in the week, I may get a peek at the mountain and create an updated post. In the meantime, the town has been pummeled by rain and freshets, clogging drains and covering lawns, streets and walks with prodigious quantities of leaves. On my way home this afternoon, I spied this proud fire hydrant wearing an epaulet on its bright red uniform. Doesn't it deserve respect?