Central Oregon Rambles

2007-08-15T22:38:00.000-07:00

I love this poem. It is so appropriate, especially in these times:

Friend, if perhaps in a year or ten

You may want to walk this path again,

Then fail not to remove the trace

Of synthetic foil, cans or waste,

Plastics that no living thing can flourish on

Or traps you will not want to step upon

Else in times which are soon to come

Instead of beauty you will find a slum

And, perhaps, you will come to understand

How the splendour of our land

Was spoilt by your hand

Author unknown

2007-08-14T13:06:00.000-07:00

Prineville, with the Crooked River in the foreground and the Ochoco Mountains in the distance, from Ochoco Viewpoint.

2007-08-12T12:09:00.000-07:00

The fruit of a wild currant growing along Ochoco Creek.

2007-08-11T12:49:00.000-07:00

My favorite river, the Crooked.

2007-08-11T12:48:00.000-07:00

The Crooked.

2007-08-11T12:45:00.000-07:00

An impenetrable forest of teasel (Dipsacus fullonum) along the banks of the Crooked.

2007-08-11T12:42:00.000-07:00

The Crooked River.

2007-08-09T20:45:00.000-07:00

From left to right: Broken Top; South, Middle, and North Sister, as viewed from the quaint little tourist town of Sisters.

2007-08-09T20:42:00.000-07:00

Ponderosa Pines near Big Summit Prairie, deep in the beautiful Ochocos.

2007-08-09T19:40:00.000-07:00

Ochoco Creek Park, on a cool, crisp, high-desert Summer morning.
Nighttime temperatures have been dipping into the 40's, typical for this area. (It makes for a comfortable night's sleep.)

2007-08-09T19:38:00.000-07:00

Rabbit-brush, Chrysothamnus nauseosus. A pretty, yet common, wildflower of Eastern Oregon.

2007-08-09T19:37:00.000-07:00

The Crooked River, above Prineville Reservoir.

2007-08-09T19:36:00.000-07:00

The Crooked River valley, along the highway to Post.

2007-08-09T19:34:00.000-07:00

A fence post and typical scenery near Post, the geographical center of Oregon.

2007-08-09T19:33:00.000-07:00

Ochoco Creek as it flows through town.

2007-08-09T19:32:00.000-07:00

A thistle along Ochoco Creek.

2007-08-09T19:31:00.000-07:00

Ochoco Creek Park.

2007-08-09T19:28:00.000-07:00

Wildland Firefighters Monument, Ochoco Creek Park.
Several local forefighters lost their lives during a wildfire in the mid-90's. This monument was erected to honor them, and all wildland firefighters.

2007-08-09T19:26:00.000-07:00

An Ochoco National Forest canopy.

2007-08-09T19:25:00.000-07:00

An irrigation ditch that flows through Prineville.

2007-08-09T19:22:00.000-07:00

Lake Billy Chinook, on a busy Summer weekend.
Round Butte Dam, out of sight, impounds the waters of the Deschutes, Crooked, and Metolius rivers to form this beautiful lake. In the distance is Mt Hood, which, at 11,239', is Oregon's highest peak.

2007-08-09T19:20:00.000-07:00

Lake Billy Chinook, from the rim.

2007-08-09T19:19:00.000-07:00

Lake Billy Chinook.

2007-08-09T19:18:00.000-07:00

Smith Rock State Park, with Mt. Jefferson (at 10,497', Oregon's second highest peak), in the distance.

2007-08-09T19:17:00.000-07:00

Prineville Reservoir.

2007-08-09T19:15:00.000-07:00

Ochoco Creek Park.

2007-08-09T19:14:00.000-07:00

A very pretty Clematis in a local garden.

2007-08-09T19:13:00.000-07:00

Walton Lake, Ochoco National Forest

2007-08-09T19:10:00.000-07:00

The Crooked River, near Prineville.

2007-08-05T12:46:00.000-07:00

The Crooked River as it winds through it's very scenic canyon south of Prineville. This portion of the river is designated as Wild & Scenic.

2007-08-05T12:44:00.000-07:00

Prineville Reservoir, south of town. The Crooked River fills this reservoir, the waters of which are used strictly for irrigation purposes.

2007-08-05T12:38:00.000-07:00

High in the Ochocos.
One early evening we took a drive up the McKay Creek road, which, after several miles, turned into FS Road #27. We followed this road as it twisted and turned through stunning basalt rock formations and beautiful forests to this viewpoint at about 5,000 feet elevation, deep in the heart of the Ochoco Mountains.

2007-08-05T12:32:00.000-07:00

About a 20-mile drive west of Prineville is the very scenic Smith Rock State Park, world-renowned for it's rock-climbing. This view includes the snow-capped peaks of the Cascades, from l to r, Mt. Bachelor, Broken Top, and South Sister.

2007-08-05T12:29:00.000-07:00

Stein's (pronounced Steens) Pillar just northeast of town in the beautiful Mill Creek valley.

2007-08-05T12:27:00.000-07:00

The Crooked River, as it winds it's way along the western edge of Prineville.