Tag: adventure

Aqua Troll is back home from his adventure.

For those of you who read my post a couple weeks ago, and those of you who didn’t, this story is Aqua’s big adventure story. For some reason Aqua decided to jump off the bridge at lower bridge campground across the Metolius River. He very quickly floated down river and out of sight around the corner.

Now he is back safe and sound.

Nobody is happier to see him then Poppa T. Except maybe me.
And what an adventure story he has to tell.

It all started with a handwritten note.

and a delivery from Fed Ex.

Apparently Aqua is the sibling finder and Blew had come from Texas with a message…

On the day Blew arrived we had a trip planned for the Metolius and just before we left for our hiking trip, he whispered the message to Aqua. There were more siblings lost in Florida…. and they too were trying to come back home.
So Aqua dove into the river in hopes of finding them.

I don’t know how he thought he would make it to Florida from Oregon, but he did.

According to his story he hopped a ride on a swan, that took him down river to lake Billy Chinook. He was ever so grateful for the swan coming along because that water in the Metolius was freezing cold.

At Lake Billy Chinook he managed to catch a ride on the Canada Goose Express heading south. He said it was quite a ride across the United States and was glad that the geese had charted a course south through Texas and Louisiana.
They had heard that there were some lost trolls in Florida, it would be no problem to find them.

and there they were hiding in the ferns.

They were so glad to see Aqua that they came running out to surround him. He told them that his plan was to book them all on a one-way flight through Fed Ex and that they would all be back home with Poppa T soon.

So, Poppa T’s Tribe is growing and while he knows there are other kids out there, he can be patient because they will find their way home.
Meet our new cast of Troll kids

Aqua with formally introduced Blew (on the left.)

Pinky (Pinx twin) And Lime

Pumpkin or Kin for short and Gema.
Looking forward to what adventures we can all get into this next year.

A trip to the Metolius River area and Robins challenge.

Last week my Friend Robin asked me to go with her and another friend to collect greenery for wreaths. I did my last blog on that trip the with her and her husband. It inspired me to think about going out and picking some greenery for photographs. I don’t need much and don’t want to get too much because I would not be able to use it before it faded. Plus, I would not be able to go out again to another place and get something different. As life goes though thinking about an idea and going out and doing that idea, doesn’t always happen.
So Monday, Robin asked me if I liked challenges. I love photo challenges…. Her challenge was for me to go out with the dogs and take 5 photos. I modified it to taking the trolls and the dogs. Especially since the German Shepherds are too busy checking things out to be good photo subjects. Then she said “Oh and no Juniper.” Well Shoot…. I guess I have to go back to Camp Sherman / Metolius river Area. I decided that we would start as far out as we could go at Candle Ck Campground. Normally we cannot get there this time of year because of snow. This year no problem good dry road all the way…
I love worn out picnic tables in the national forest and this table had a lot of character.
So Robin…. Challenge photo #1


Poppa T, Pinx, Aqua and their little brother Blew brought several of their pet lizards to play in the forest. We wandered around the campground a bit then headed back towards the main road. Collecting nature and greenery on the way back.

We stopped at Abbot Ck bridge because the kids wanted to check things out.

And then we hear a squawk from the car…. Thomas Turkey thought this might be a good place to find some of his family

Challenge photo #2
We did a search but didn’t find anything not even a feather. So, we continued back to the main road and lower bridge campground Bridge 99. Where there was this beautiful reflection on the river.

The trolls wanted to get out and take photos of the river from the bridge

Challenge photo #3
It wasn’t long before they moved along the bridge railing to a better view

Challenge shot #4
Just after this shot was taken Aqua, (on the right) decided that he wanted to go swimming and dove off the bridge into the freezing Metolius river. I hoped that he would catch the swirl and end up against the shore at the campground but no he went for the rapids and around the bend. After that the photo session was over for the day. I do hope that if he decides to swim with the fishies he has a good time.
However we still have Poppa T, Pinx, and little Blew. I convinced them that we needed to set up the photo area and use the greenery and branches we collected.

Challenge shot #5

And so, another personal challenge begins, Making floral arrangements with Christmas in mind.
We love a good challenge….. and maybe Aqua will figure out how to join us again….

Shevlin park loop trail to Fremont meadow and back. Bend Parks and Recreation.

This is my second visit to Shevlin park, Robin and I chose to hike the part of the park that heads up Tumalo creek southwest. I hadn’t been here and also wanted to explore that portion of the park. It was fun going with a guide who had hiked the park several times. Robin said that this park is always different every time you hike it no matter what the weather and season is. I can’t wait to see it in other weather situations. Monday was a nice clear crisp day. A good day to get out before the weather changes.

The trails are well used and free of tripping hazards, making them usable for anyone year around whether they are hiking, biking, or with mobility issues.

Since this was my first trip I really found myself photographing impressions. like the sunlight hitting the yellow leaves of the brush under the Ponderosa Pines

the silver bark of young aspen trees after all of their leaves have fallen.

The early afternoon light on Tumalo Creek from the bridge

the red stems of brush along the creek.

Rose petals tossed into the water, maybe to honor someone lost or to symbolize a happy event.

A tamarack / larch tree glowing against the darker pine trees.

We reached the southern most point of our hike at Fremont meadow then started back to the main parking area. I photographed more impressions on the way back.

A fallen bird’s nest captured by the brush along the trail.

Horse tail rushes glowing in a spot of sunlight.

A memorial for a loved family member.

White Snowberries and red Rose hips. Fruits of the brush along the trail and food for the critters who live here.
I also noticed the different light on Tumalo creek, at different times of the day.

Looking up stream and downstream from the bridge at about 12:30 in the early afternoon,

and from the same location at 2:15 in the afternoon.


The deep shadows along Tumalo creek as the sun is lowering for the day.

We ended our trip back at the parking area feeling a bit tired after a 4 mile hike but pleased with the photo opportunities.
Like our hiking trip to the east side of Shevlin Park My camera decided to go a bit rogue. However I did catch it pretty quickly and decided to keep the shots.

I am also thinking that I need to budget for another used camera, this next year.

Curiosity got the best of me I had to check out the work at Sage Ranch butte

Last week early in the morning I heard what sounded like off road motor bikes ripping through the BLM area I call Sage Ranch Butte and Canyon. I was Angry…. but have over time learned that trying to turn them in is pointless. I can’t get to the trailhead fast enough to find them, and BLM law enforcement can’t get here from Prineville. A good 45 minutes away or more. The next morning, I heard the sound of small engines again at the same time, and this time I realized that it was not motorbikes but chainsaws. My first thought was who is cutting firewood but just as quickly I remembered that I had found a plan by BLM to clear up this large area in the Cline Buttes BLM recreation area, make a new trail head on Fryrear and in general clean out the excess junipers and brush. Improve the trails and build more horse trails. Return the area to a more natural state. Mostly they have been working along Fryrear road. The Cline buttes recreation area is a huge area. The time to work in the sage ranch canyon and butte area has finally arrived.
About Damn Time ….. What took you all so long…… and then I did a little dance. But curiosity got to me and that afternoon I went out to my favorite parking area with my housemate Susan and the two German Shepherds. I also took photos, but I wasn’t really happy with them figuring I would go back another day. Saturday was my day. It was supposed to be nice; I had been talking to one of my pool /hiking pals arranging another hike and she said why don’t you go on a hike today. What a good idea, I gathered up my German Shepherds and the camera loaded everything in the car and headed out to my trail head parking area. My goal was to hike up to the top of Sage Ranch Butte, and see what they had cleared, hoping that they had not cut some of my favorite sacred trees…..

After 20+ years of hiking this whole area I had photographed many of these old snags and burned-out junipers. Some trees I just called my old friends. They had survived fire, wind, heat, drought, and snow, each has it’s own personality.
when I got to the parking area there were a couple vans for the cutting crew parked there so I chose to park along the road and just hike up the south and east side of the butte.
With a raven flying overhead we started out.

I was glad do see that there had been a lot of cutting around the base of the butte and most of the older snags had been left. The views were better than ever. looking east you could see the southernmost cline buttes

To the West you could see the 3 Sisters mountains

I was impressed that while a lot of the junipers had been cut it was not a clear-cut situation.

Finally after several minutes of hiking up the south side I reached the base of the final rocky summit. I was amazed because I had climbed around this but never saw it because of the heavy growth.

The view looking south towards Bend. Something you could not see before. and there on top was one of my favorite snags that I had photographed many times from the top looking south.

inspired I continued around the butte from the east approach. A lot of much needed work had been done along here.

My quest continued to the top hoping to see the leaning juniper still there. It was

And it was easier to photograph because some of the blocking trees had been removed. From here it was just a few steps to the top

and the view from the top of the 3,300 ft butte always good but now even better

I had planned on going down on the west side of the butte but found there was another hiker coming up that side so I chose to go back down on the southeast side. Photographing along the way.
I particularly like these old burned snags. They have survived many years of weather . 30? 40? 50 years…..

It was a really good hike for myself and both of my German Shepherds.
My plan was to have this posted on my blog page, but it took all afternoon to go through the photos, so I decided to post it Sunday morning, but… As I was working on which photos to use for the blog I got to thinking about hiking down into the canyon, knowing that the workers would not be there …. I went hiking and took more photos for another blog instead ….

Hiking from Reily Ranch nature preserve park to Tumalo State Park

I had wanted to hike the trail from Tumalo State Park upriver to the Reily Ranch park. So when Robin asked me where did I want to hike? I said ” Uh… that park above the Shevlin park trail… You know that uh… Ranch….” Ok a little bit of brain fog there. Lucky for me she knew where I wanted to go. So, the plan was we would meet at Tumalo St. park leave my car there, she would drive us up to the Reily Ranch Park and we would start the trail there, hiking along the Deschutes River down to Tumalo St. Park.

It was a beautiful sunny morning with no wind and Reily Ranch Nature Preserve Park is beautiful. The mountains were playing hide and seek in the clouds. We started on the juniper loop then went on the Sage flat loop, where we stopped and checked out the Canyon Overlook

Moving on we walked to the Robins Run trail head and went down towards the river

It is a bit steep compared to the rest of the trail but not unreasonable.

the views of the river were incredible

Robin and I took our time and enjoyed the conversations, the views and the weather.
We came to the confluence of the Tumalo Creek with the Deschutes River and commented on how beautiful it was.

Soon we came to a bridge that went over the boulders along the bank of the river allowing hikers to continue on easily

Robin and I both wondered what it took to build this bridge so that it held. against possible floods or shifting boulders….
After the bridge we stopped and had a lunch, the pace was easy and I had been stopping a lot along the way to take photos.

The one thing about this trail is it does cross private properties, and they have allowed hikers to cross as long as they stay on the trail. So, when hiking along the trails be respectful of their property. Because these views are just too beautiful to miss.

Too soon we ended our hike at Tumalo St park and when we were done, we had hiked 3.1 miles. I had taken 175 photos, and we did it in a little over 2 hours.

Robin asked if I wanted to do it again only maybe hike from Tumelo St. park back up to Richardson Ranch Park?
Absolutely!!!
Because every view changes when you look at them from a different direction…. and hopefully we can pick a time when the other two members of the hiking group won’t have prior appointments.

Morning light, Tumalo State Park Bend Oregon

Tumalo St. park is only 25 minutes from my home but again it is one of those places that I have not taken the time to explore. I even bought a state park pass so I could park there and other parks in the state but never used it until now.
Robin, one of the pool/ hiking pals said “where do you want to hike this week, Tuesday?” I said I have never hiked Reily Ranch preserve or Tumalo St Park. So the plan was put together. Unfortunately, only 2 of the 4 of us could make it Tuesday, but it was the best day for the upcoming weather forecast. The plan was we would meet at Tumalo St. Park, leave my car and then continue up to Reily Ranch Preserve where we would start the hike. I went a little early because I didn’t want to be late and I knew that I could spend the time taking photos. There is something about the morning sunlight on the rocks along the Deschutes river.

And this morning was fantastic. Now that we are in fall there was the red willow branches, the yellow of the dried grasses, the green of the junipers and ponderosa pines, the deep blue of the river water against the pink pumice rocks, and the reflections of the rocks on the water.

No matter which way you looked. Down river or upriver.

Those of you who have followed me on Facebook know that over the years I have spent a lot of time photographing the rocks in the canyon I call Sage Ranch rd. Canyon. I see a lot of similarities between these rocks and those except that the river that probably shaped them is gone. The Deschutes is still here.

To me there is a timelessness about the rocks…. They have withstood a lot from weather, winds, and water for thousands of years. Yes, parts of them crumble and land in the river but still they stand a show of earth’s history.

As an armchair geologist who reads every book she can find on Oregon geology, I know the violent forces that created this scene and am at peace with it though I still have questions that no one can answer. Mother nature does not give up her secrets easily, and she is not going to write a book for me to read.

So I turn my camera away from the rocks and the river and look for other delights to photograph.

Thank you, Mother nature, for giving me the morning sun shining through an oak leaf. You are always giving me the hint that there is more to come in this life. Nothing is finite always changing.
Robin is here now, and it is time to explore more of your beauty.

Shevlin Park and Tumalo Creek. A beautiful place to hike

I first learned about Shevlin park more than 30 years ago when I would go to Bend on the back roads. But I never stopped. I always meant to. It was the site of a major fire the year we were building our log house here, and always on my radar to go. However, like many close destinations I will go later. Now being a member of the Bend Parks and Rec. system, I am looking at these parks close to home and saying why not? They are close, they are easy to get to, and I have friends through the park system who also like to hike. We all need a little exercise in nature that doesn’t require a major hiking plan with permits and large backpacks filled with food, bedding. and tents. A simple way to enjoy what Mother Nature has given us and the parks and rec. has preserved.

I had shared a post about Shevlin park on Facebook and said I wanted to go hike there one day… Thank You Robin for saying ” Why not Friday or Saturday?”
Saturday dawned bright and sunny a perfect day for a little hike. Three of the four of us met at the parking lot where the Aspen Hall is, and we started out. I admit I kind of forgot to take my camera out of the backpack, I as enjoying it so much. but the sight of the yellow Tamarack /Larch tree against the green evergreens and the red willow stems was too much to pass by without the photos. I let my hiking partners get ahead and sure enough they walked through the photo (in the center of the top photo). Then I concentrated on that bright yellow tamarack.

Because I dawdled on this shot, I had to hustle to catch up with both Robin and Susan. Not that difficult for me, but unusual since I usually am ahead.
I found them both waiting for me and checking the maps downloaded on their phones.

I couldn’t resist this shot. The hiker in the back actually stopped and asked if we needed any help. We were ok they were just trying to figure out where we were in relation to the end of the trail and a couple other parks that are adjacent to Shevlin but on the other side of Tumalo ck.

A few feet further down we came to this little bridge and Robin said “Photo time” we continued on to the weir.

there was a lot of interesting things to photograph along the way

looking upstream from the dam. There is a nice picnic area there to stop and eat. We sat and rested then decided to continue on to see where the trail ends.

At about this point we were about a mile and a half out and should be thinking about the return trip. This portion of the trail was a bit rougher than the trail below the weir, and we knew that the trail ended a few more feet ahead of us so we turned around.

Susan took this shot of Robin and me, because we all know the photographer never gets in the photos and wasn’t really there….


we crossed several of these little bridges along the trail

I so loved the bright yellow colors against the darker evergreen trees.

As we were coming around the corner towards the weir I spotted this bank of yellow Aspens, I didn’t notice it as we were going up the trail


We stopped and had a little lunch/ snack, chatted and just enjoyed the sun along the creek. then headed back to the Aspen Hall and parking area.

As usual I was stopping and taking photos so got behind a bit.
I soon caught up to Susan and Robin who were sitting at one of the picnic tables outside the hall chatting and watching the families fishing on the small pond.

we sat, chatted some more and enjoyed the nice sunny day. All the while making more plans for hiking the parks of Bend Parks and Recreation.
I am ready to go again… any time.

Hiking Discovery Park Bend parks and rec.

Yesterdays hike was at Discovery Park. It was just three of us gals this time.


We hiked the Outback trail and then the Manzanita trail. This shot of the park is from the manzanita trail slightly above the park. In total we hiked a bit over 3 miles. Then we stopped off at the covered picnic area and had a lunch.
I admit I didn’t really do this park any photographic justice. To me it seemed separate from the hike we were looking at doing. But it really wasn’t and I think I realized that later when I processed the photos.

And you know when you are the photographer you have to come up with some creative ways to be in the picture.

We were enthralled with this sculpture about the coyote and the crow legend.

and this time Susan offered to take a photo so I could be in the shot.
A lot of the Outback trail is within several new and emerging neighborhoods, so I didn’t think to take photos. The hike is really about getting out and walking so not always do we have great views.
The part of the hike that I feel I really didn’t do justice to, was the mural about Women of Discovery. I tried to capture it with this collage but… Well I have to go back and try again.

It wasn’t really my focus, I thought it was pretty cool and loved the artwork. It wasn’t until we sat down in the covered picnic area and had our lunches, just talking about hiking, walking, getting out together, talking about health issues related to a sedentary lifestyle and aging. How we have overcome some of those issues because of the pool class we take, changing our diet or modifying how much we eat…. You know Women Stuff…. Aging Stuff… Social Stuff… Inclusion Stuff…. People Stuff…
At this point I kind of had an idea of how I thought I should take this blog as I started looking at the photos. Realizing that my mind set included this mural and I had not been able to do justice to it the way I felt is should have been photographed. I was all ready to hop back into the car and try and photograph it again, I had to stop and say Not today it is too late in the afternoon… Stop rushing around, do it tomorrow after the current pool class….

Fall colors along the Deschutes River Bend Oregon

I have lived in Central Oregon for just over 30 years and for some reason I have not taken the time to photograph the parks along the Deschutes river. There is an incredible series of parks along the river that are all connected by easy to moderate walking trails. Fall is probably the best time to enjoy those trails with the fall colors reflecting in the water. I figured that this Sunday would be the best day to hike along the trails in town. Bend Parks and Rec and the city of Bend have spent the last several years working on the trails that runs along the river and through the city of Bend. It is a series of trails that run from South Bend down river to north Bend running about 25 miles. I wanted to walk and photograph the Drake park area and along the river going down river with no set stopping point. Of the 4 pool pals, two were unavailable and that left just Robin and myself. Since Robin lived a couple blocks away from Drake Park, she was an excellent guide, and I would not have seen as much beautiful scenery as we did. I admit I would have simply done a quick photo shoot around Drake Park and then walked as far down stream as the Newport bridge then turned around.

We did a loop around Drake Park, and I took photographs and more photographs gathering impressions as I went.

I looked up, I looked forward, I looked down.

There were reflections everywhere along the river


We made our way down river towards the Newport bridge on the new trail

towards the first street area and on to pioneer park.

We continued till we ran out of pavement and turned around, the trail continued on north but we really didn’t need to go further. Save that for another day.
I was fascinated by the kayakers navigating under the bridge and thought of my niece Sarah, wondering if she had kayaked this section of the river, thinking yes, she would have.

on our way back to Drake Park we went through the old down neighborhood and enjoyed even more vibrant colored foliage.


Along the way there were always places to stop and reflect, places to sit and even a bit of whimsy with cookies for your pooch

I am so glad that Robin and I took this hike and hope that we can share it with the other two gals in a different season. I also hope that you enjoyed my impressions of this hike.

In search of Fall colors along the Metolius River

I love tracking down the reds and yellows of the fall leaves, one of my favorite places to go is the Metolius River. I found a spot down river from Camp Sherman that never disappoints.

Candle Creek Campground is at the end of a dirt and gravel forest service road. It is a quiet campground and this time of year not usually filled with campers.

I really love to concentrate on the leaves and plants on the ground

My other goal was to find the trail I had spotted the last time I was at this campground I wanted to know if it went to Bridge 99/ Lower bridge campground. However, the best color was the opposite way…. So I concentrated on that, then worked my way upriver finding the trail head. My house mate Susan and I had decided that it would be a good idea to move the car closer to the trailhead. We found a spot that was a boat ramp and parked there. The trail I was looking for was the West Metolius River Trail 4018 and the furthest down river leading up to the bridge.

The goal was to see how good the trail was and to see if there was good color.


The trail was good where we hiked, a few logs that had fallen and were chopped away but easy to navigate. Soon we came to a small log bridge crossing a creek

I have to admit I had no issues with the bridge. Susan was not as agile as I am, so she came across much slower than I did.

We went a few feet further and then decided to turn around and head back to the car. Neither of us have been doing much hiking lately and there was no need to go to the end of the trail. I had an idea where it was at the bridge.

This is the look you get from your hiking partner when you continue to dawdle taking photos on the way back to the car ….

back at the lower bridge campground and bridge we stopped to take more photos.

I also did find the bridge end of the trailhead. Planning on trying it another time.

It was a good and beautiful day and I enjoyed it immensely