Sparks Lake and Hosmer Lake, Oregon

1 08 2013

IMG_0659Just returned from a kayak camping trip to Sparks Lake and Hosmer Lake, Oregon with my friends Jessie and Laura! These two lakes are located right on the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway in Bend, Oregon. Wow! These are two of the most scenic lakes in the Pacific NW.

Bathed in fantastic clear blue skies and looked upon by 10,450 ft South Sister, Broken Top and Mount Bachelor, these crown jewels are worth paddling. Everyone visiting Oregon ought to come and ply these waters.

On the water you’ve got a 200-degree view of glaciated peaks above. The lakes are easy to explore, their waters typically calm and not too deep.

Sparks Lake and Hosmer Lake have different personalities. Sparks Lake is dominated by flows of a’a lava flows, so sharp they pierced one of my dry bags. These flows make for isolated channels and difficult boat landings. Yet, we found a beautiful camping site with a jaw-dropping view of South Sister!

Breakfast!

Breakfast!

Out on the lake I’m overwhelmed with the views before me. In every direction there is an otherworldly view – each one magnificent all in of itself, yet here there are THREE!

IMG_0640I feel justifiably spoiled.

We have perfect weather, impeccable views, and I have two women with me.

For dinner, we have fresh shrimp and veggie skewers, plus rice. After a laborious preparation involving ginger, garlic etc. the meal perks my taste buds!

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Mount Bachelor provides a backdrop…

Evening is quiet. I have to disclose Sparks Lake is a tourist hot spot. During the day kayaks, canoes, inflatable rafts, everything is out enjoying the view. But we put out on the lake with our camping gear and found a quiet spot, so once dusk came all became quiet. One bright light in the SW sky we determined was Saturn.

After dawn and a breakfast of oats, nuts and fruit, washed down with Sumatran coffee, we packed up the kayaks on the 2013 Ford Escape and headed 20 minutes down the Cascades Lakes Scenic Byway to Hosmer Lake.

Hosmer Lake is characterized by lakelets connected by lillypad clusters, rushes, and channels filled with rainbow and brook trout that would make a fly fisherman blush. It’s a different vibe than Sparks Lake. It’s just as busy though. So, on the channels connecting the lakelets, you have a parade of stand-up paddleboards, kayaks, canoes, etc., and oar powered fishing boats. Everyone is looking down at the fish! Although the whole time, you are surrounded by the mountains!

IMG_0646 It was another impeccable day, with different scenery as a backdrop.

IMG_0645With mountains above, lillies on the water’s surface, and beautiful trout below, it’s hard to beat Hosmer Lake.

IMG_0652Parts of the lake feature Caribbean Blue waters where your boat’s shadow can be seen underneath!

We follow a channel up one end of the lake in search of a waterfall everyone told us about. The water temperature drops precipitously, an indicator we’ve found the source. The width of paddle-able water narrows to two yards – in some places, two feet. Then we glimpse some beached kayaks.

Here, we haul out and make lunch. Just above, there is a to-die-for waterfall beautiful enough to make Laura cry!

That is enough for me. Such a perfect day. We head back to our camp at Sparks Lake for another fabulous meal. Tomorrow we head home, full of memories.


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John Day River Oregon: A Day Running the River!

9 07 2013

IMG_0587Fraternity brother Tully Alford and I spend some “bro time” every summer camping. This year, for our first camp-out we returned to the John Day River. It’s in dry central north Oregon, an area way below the radar of many outdoor enthusiasts, yet if offers tremendous opportunities for those venturing there! Imagine floating down a canyon-walled river. With every turn, a new world unfolds. Not a house or road to be seen. Eagles and hawks float above, bass swim below. Yet only two and a half hours from Portland!

This year we decided to float the river – camping and the using a river shuttle service to pick us up and deliver us to our car at the end of the run. The John Day River is famous for long, flat stretches of running river with rapids connecting them. And for beautiful canyons with layered rocks overhead.

IMG_0579We packed up my new 2013 Ford Escape with Jackson Kayaks Rogue 9 and Rogue 10 kayaks. These kayaks are perfect for this trip, because they are good for the whitewater stretches, but also have a rear hatch – good for storing gear and food – and a skeg for the flat sections so they can be paddled straight.

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Tully getting ready at the put in!

As Tully had no experience in whitewater I gave him a tutorial on entering and exiting the main current into eddies. And, I explained that in rapids there are these things called “holes,” though I couldn’t really explain what they do. So you know, a hole is a backwash behind a boulder. If your boat gets stuck in one, it can be difficult to get out. Your boat gets “sucked in” by the hole.

Running the John Day River is characterized by long stretches of flat water separated by rapids. The plan was for me to run the rapid ahead and Tully follow me through. This worked great until the very end of the day.

I was very impressed! Tully made it through everything and found it fun!

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Tully chills out after a rapid…

Tully began the day in a wetsuit but as the temperature rose, he felt heat-distressed and at lunch took it off. The Jackson Rogue 9’s hatch took the wetsuit with lots of spare room. Lunch was sumptuous. We found a shaded peninsula and made sandwiches of mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, turkey, lettuce, cheddar cheese and tomato. Plus fresh oranges for dessert.IMG_0588

Back on the water. The river and canyons unfolded one after the other. We heard, but could not see, Bighorn Sheep in the hills above. We saw bald eagles. The occasional Smallmouth bass swam below.

The run was from Spray to Service Creek, about 17 river miles. We were told it would take all day. I never believed it, but it was true. We set off at 10:00 a.m. and took out at 4:00 and we were pretty tired. It was a great day. The John Day River took its prize in the last rapid, the hardest of the day. As we approached, I could only see the horizon line and nothing of the features below. We had agreed we did not want to bother scouting, because none of the other rapids were all that hard. As first paddler I went in. Immediately I noticed three holes and lined up my kayak to pass by each one. However, on the second hole, there turned out to be another right behind it, invisible from above. After scooting by the 2nd hole, I darted across and paddled hard past the surprise hole. Tully was not able to do that, and got stuck in that hole. I did not know this until I had made it completely past the rapid and into the pool beyond. Then I looked back and saw carnage! Tully holding on to his boat, but the paddle, spray skirt, his glasses, etc. were floating by and sinking. He looked pretty shaken up and I towed his boat to the shore and he grabbed on.

We kayaked the last stretch and hauled out. No matter, we had a GREAT day on the John Day River!

The evening meal was grilled salmon, salad and mashed potatoes. IMG_0581

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And lots and lots of beer! Tully caps it off with a rendition of The Grateful Dead’s “Ripple.” There’ll be some more campouts coming this summer!

 


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Head to Timothy Lake when Website Says “Closed 4 Season”!!

30 09 2011

Yes, my friends! There is gold to be had at the end of September at one of Mt Hood’s most trodden camping spots – Timothy Lake. THE time to go is after Labor Day, when the campgrounds start to close, the weather remains summer like, and it’s nice. This lake is to be avoided in mid-summer as K-Mart campers and RVs with noisy generators are everywhere.

This week I had a couple days off mid-week, and the weather forecast called for 80-degrees and summer up there. I checked the websites and they all reported “closed for the season” for the campgrounds.

I knew one can still camp in the closed campgrounds, but you have to walk your gear in past the gate. Still, I remembered one year I went at precisely when they were supposed to be “closed,” yet one remained open. That turned out to be the case this time! One, only one, campground, called Oak Fork, remained opened. And it only had one other camper!

I foraged for wood left behind by other campers and the effort paid off big time. That, plus setting up my hammock, and the wonderful weather made for a nice time. This treasure trove of wood made for a blazing inferno!

I also tried out my newly purchased Kokatat drysuit. Way freaking cool! It was 100% dry. Soooo much better than the NRS drysuit it replaced. I was really dry when I took it off.

The weather was superb, the stars bright, and what a night it was.

The picnic table, hammock and all the kitchen gear made for a sumtuous chicken sandwich cooked on the grill, plus a nice side salad!

The camp set up. Everything needed!


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Diamond Lake Oregon, neighbor to Crater Lake

24 08 2011

Had three days off in a row for the first time since June. This fell right in the midst of the annual Perseid meteor showers-I hoped to view. So rather than heading to one of my usual favorite overnight outdoor spots, I studied the map and decided to go somewhere new – Diamond Lake. But I didn’t realize I’d be a stone’s throw from Crater Lake National Park!

Diamond Lake is in south central Oregon, five hours distant from Portland. It lies beneath9,184 ft Mt. Thielsen to the east and 8,375 ft Mt. Bailey westward. To get there, head to Roseburg, Oregon, and then drive east on SR 138 all the way to Diamond Lake. It passes through the National Wild & Scenic North Umpqua River.

Along the way, you pass evidence of violent geologic events. SR 138 passes through layer after layer of ash fall, exposed when the road was cut. In many places, it’s 40 ft thick, and the forest above clings to its edge – falling away with each passing winter. So, my arrival was further delayed by numerous projects fixing the road. The area is in its infancy – in geologic terms. Even extinct Thielsen is less than 300,000 years old. Crater Lake was formed only 7,000 years ago.

Never having been to Diamond Lake, the campground named Thielsen View seemed tempting. But it was not to my liking at all. It was heavily forested, full of RVs, its campsites weren’t on the lake and worse, infested with biting mosquitoes! I decided to head for the main campground on the other side of the lake. Once there, at Diamond Lake Campground, I felt a bit better. Although large and a bit over provisioned for me, it offered lakeside sites, sun, and since it was more windy, only had a few biting bugs. I’m usually turned off by campgrounds with lots of facilities. But here, as it’s so busy, the place needed to be that way to handle the groups. Looking at my map, I realized it’s only 15 minutes from Crater Lake National Park.

And, it offered lakeside views of Mount Bailey, nice paddling, full-blooming wildflowers, and generously-sized campsites.

Mt. Thielson

With perfect weather, wonderful views and a lovely lake I didn’t have much to complain about! Only to figure out what to do the following day.

Having realized that I was so close to Crater Lake, I figured I just had to get down there tomorrow. But now, time to enjoy the late summer afternoon paddling around on Diamond Lake!

I headed up the north shore past myriad of campsites nestled along the lakeside. What a sight, to have two beautiful peaks in view! Little mentioned is that this lake is a no-wake zone. So although motorboats abound, there’s no noisy water skiing or wave runners to denigrate the peaceful setting. It’s a decent paddling spot.

Around a bend, I encountered Diamond Lake Resort. It reminded me a little bit of Old Forge, NY, a town in Adirondack State Park, where I first paddled a canoe.

Like the 1950’s

 

The resort has a hotel, restaurant, beach, cabins, and a marina filled with rental boats and sailboats. Kiddos played along the beach, building sand castles.

Along the outside of the marina, sea gulls gathered on a floating log boom.

Everything seemed so peaceful…all playing, enjoying the scenery.

 

 

With the sun setting behind Mount Bailey, I headed back.

I settled down to a campfire and feasted on fresh salad of mixed greens, plus garlic mashed potatoes, and grilled bratwurst. Much to my disappointment, it was a full moon evening, meaning the meteor showers were utterly bleached out by the moonlight!

I looked forward to checking out Crater Lake National Park in the morning!


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Metolius and Big Lake, Oregon

27 06 2011

I returned to the Metolius River area because the weather there was forecast to be 70 degrees and sunny. I’d planned to check out some areas near Yale Lake, WA, but the weather up there was due to be poor – drizzly and 55 degrees.

Clouds breaking up at the crest of the Cascades

I don’t know if it’s because I like to spend time outside, or if it’s because I’m living in Portland, Oregon, where it is dismally cloudy each spring, but in the summer I get a salmon-like cabin fever drive to get out of town and enjoy the beautiful weather in the summer. I really feel like any free time spent in town is wasting opportunities to squeeze in as much outdoors time as possible!

So I chose to go where the weather looked great. And that meant Metolius. Metolius sits in a valley, and just to the west lie Oregon’s Mt. Washington, Three Fingered Jack, and Mt. Jefferson.

Nice yard view.

There are a few homes in the valley with backyard views of these peaks. In this early summer, with so much green in the valleys and the white of the mountains, the view is eye-popping.

On my way to Metolius, the highway passed Hoodoo Ski Area, and just behind Hoodoo sits a recreation area I’d seen on my map called Big Lake. Not in any hurry, I stopped in to Big Lake. The elevation is 4,650 feet, since it’s right on the high Cascades pass.

The road to Big Lake led through 6 – 8ft tall snow drifts on either side. The road led to a campground on the lake, which had spectacular views of Mount Washington.

Much to my surprise, the campground was completely empty. My guess was that the snow had just melted enough to allow vehicles in.

It was lovely and warm. So I took my kayak out for a paddle, exploring its back marshes and coves. There were no bugs – but as there were a lot of snow melt pools nearby, in two weeks the mosquitoes will be unbearable. But on this day, it was bug-free and all mine!

I could see that Big Lake might not be a good choice in mid-summer. It’s got a lot of ATV trails nearby…I could imagine lots of RVs pulling noisy ATVs and the campground full of noisy RVs and their generators…but today, it was quiet and lovely!


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Metolius River Never Disappoints!

22 06 2011

Right now, I’m working at Alder Creek Kayak and Canoe, and that means weekends working. Sooo, to get away during Oregon’s dry season, I gotta just take off midweek. Sometimes it’s alone.

At home at the walk-in sites at Allen Springs Campground

A reliable choice is the Metolius River area – and this time it turned out perfect.

Weatherwise, that is. However, my favorite spot, Allen Springs Campground, had been taken over by the RV crowd. Nevertheless, thankfully it’s got walk-in campsites away from that scene. I found peace and was invisible from the other sites.

I had a sunny, warm spot to hang out and read!

My Keen Targhee II shoes, ready for anything!Ahh, nice, warm crackling campfire!And a windy paddle on Suttle Lake to round things out!

It was so pretty and comfy.

And simple. I just read some overdue reading material, and had a nice time with the campfire and then was lulled to sleep by the sounds of the river.

 

Recommended! Get a hand-crafted sandwich at Camp Sherman Store! I had a turkey sandwich piled HIGH with 2″ of turkey! WOW! And they cooked the bacon for it right then and there!

After a perfect night under the stars, I enjoyed a morning campfire.

Took a walk along the river in my Keen Targhee II shoes!

Following that, packed up and headed to Suttle Lake, off Oregon’s Hwy 20 with its Cascade views.

The highlight was the 30 mph winds, which were a lot of fun to play in!

The burbling Metolius is a perfect place for quality time with the kiddos!


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