Happy Holidays everyone! As many of you know, Mt. Ashland opened last week which is great news for snow lovers. I escaped the holiday happenings here in town last wednesday (the day before the mountain opened) and headed to the backside of Mt. A for some snowshoeing and a little cross country skiing. Conditions were great and I was the first one up there so I had the (mis)fortune of cutting trail...quite a workout. My intention was to make it out to Grouse Gap Shelter but unfortunately my broken toe(s) are slowing me down a bit right now so it was a pretty short outing. The good news is that they seem to be healing and it shouldn't be long before my boots are comfy enough to get out for a longer trek.

More good news for winter sports enthusiasts, the forcast is calling for more of the white stuff so get out there and enjoy.

Until the next adventure...

Valley of the Rogue State Park... more Steelie Fishing

I was pretty sure last night before I turned in that I was going to wake up and try my hand at some fishing today... supposedly the steelhead fishing on the Rogue is still pretty good, though my last trip out yielded no fish. I hadn't really decided where to go but I had a dream last night...no joke. In that dream I was landing fish after fish at Valley of the Rogue State Park, just north of Gold Hill, so I awoke with the urge to get there as soon as I could this morning.

From Ashland it's about a 25 minute drive and right off I-5. There's a really nice rest area as well as an RV park, yurts you can rent, boat ramp, and camping. I spent a fair amount of time there this fall while doing the Salmon Watch Program and had scouted out (and have since fished) a few nice riffles there at the park. One is behind the restrooms and the other is downstream from there a few hundred yards. There's not a lot of great water back there to hold fish but I figured in what little there is, I could bring my dream to fruition and be landing fish all morning... unfortunately, that wasn't the case. However, it was a beautifully eerie morning with the heavy fog and very relaxing. After 3 hours without a bite, I decided I'd call it a morning and find some coffee somewhere... wading the Rogue this time of year is a pretty chilly endeavor!

It's getting to be that time of year where I think more and more about switching gears and going to play in the snow... one nice thing about living here is that you never really have to decide between one or the other... with winter steelhead continuing to run and rumors of Mt. Ashland opening soon (snow permitting...we only need another foot or so) it's all a matter of what you want to do.

Until the next adventure...

Steelhead fishing the Rogue

With temperatures on friday in the 30's and occational rain, sleet, and snow showers, some might argue the merits of spending a day floating the Rogue River in search of steelhead right now. The fish numbers haven't been that remarkable this year (5417 fish as of 10/31) and local fishing reports are not overly enthusiastic either. Still, my good friend Neil Selbicky and I thought it the opportune time to get on the river.

We put on a few miles upstream from TouVelle State Park and fished that section pretty extensively, both from the boat and wading at times. We tried some plugs, but mainly drifted flies. Things were pretty slow until later in the afternoon when I changed my fly over to a large black Muddy Buddy... honestly I thought it was going to be a bit over the top. With water temperatures already a few degrees below 50, as a general rule, single egg patters and more traditional flies (golden stones, hares ears, copper johns, etc) are a better bet than a giant leech pattern. However, over the next hour I hooked three fish, one of which we managed to land... a nice hatchery male measuring about 22''. I guess it goes to show it never hurts to tie on something different once in a while.

If you're interested in getting out on the Rogue to chase some steelhead and need a capable and friendly guide Neil Selbicky's services are for hire and I'd highly recommend him. He's a hell of a fisherman and can usually provide a picture for every fish story he tells. We're planning another trip for this week, and I'm greatly looking forward to it.

Until the next adventure...

Lassen Volcanic NP: Kings Creek Falls

Another short hike from the road (3 miles round trip), is Kings Creek Falls. It's another one of those places well worth stopping if you don't have much time in the park. The hike itself was pretty mellow, by the time the trail gets steep, you're distracted by the beauty of the falls and don't really notice it.

Like most of the places we were in the park, we pretty much had it to ourselves. We did see a couple of folks taking photos and it was easy to see why... photographers in particular will enjoy this location and the fall season seemed an excellent time to take it all in.

Until the next adventure...

Lassen Volcanic NP: Summit Lake Loop Hike

Sunday was our one full day to spend in the park and it seemed to us like a longer hike was in order. Beginning from our campsite at Summit Lake South, we made the 11 mile lake loop hike.

The trail started off with quite a steep elevation gain, eventually leveling off and providing great views of Lassen peak, before dropping down to Echo Lake, the whole while passing through amazing forests of pine and fir. Next were two of the larger lakes, Upper & Lower Twin Lakes. It was amazing to see the differences of the lake shores and lakes themselves. Some Were surrounded by vegetation, others by volcanic beaches of sand and basalt. Some of the lakes were shallow and crystal clear, while others were murky.

After a sandwich at Silver Lake, roughly the half way mark, we saw our only wildlife of particular note. A mink ran across a downed log right off the trail and bobbed his head out a few times before darting off. Naturally I did not have time to get a good picture of him. There were a lot of birds and squirrels to see but the mink was definitely the sighting of the day.

Following this, we passed Big and Little Bear Lakes and the trail headed upwards for a good distance, eventually leveling off again, and providing great views of Lassen Peak. We were back in camp by early afternoon, and after going on a brief mission to find fire wood for the evening, were back in camp with time to relax before dinner.

If you're looking for a more lengthy hike, and enjoy being in forests and looking at lakes you'll probably enjoy your time spent on this hike.

Until the next adventure...

Lassen Volcanic NP: Bumpass Hell

This is by far one of the "must see" attractions of the park. A short (3 miles round trip) hike with amazing scenery delivers you to Bumpass Hell, the parks most concentrated area of hydrothermal activity. The cooler weather made it all the steamier as the fumeroles and mud pots hissed and bubbled. It's much like what you'd expect to see in Yellowstone, minus Old Faithful of course.

One of my favorite features is toward the end of the walkway. It's a large bubbling pond of mud with iron pyrite swirling on top... it reminded me of the backdrop of an Allman Brothers show.

If you only have a short amount of time in the park make sure you check out Bumpass Hell, it's worth the $10 park admission by itself.

Until the next adventure...

McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park, CA

On our way to Lassen, we decided to stop by Burney Falls State Park. Although initially skeptical of the $8 entrance fee "just to see the falls" we ended up doing some hiking, as well as having lunch at the lake so it was worth it.

The Falls Trail Loop was partially closed but we were able to hike most of it by backtracking (one bridge was under construction). It offered great views of the falls as well as Burney Creek. Over 1 million gallons of water flow over the 129ft falls everyday... pretty impressive.

Much like Lassen proved to be, the park was pretty quiet. There were just few people camping, or so it seemed (the campground is huge), and things at the lake were relaxing as well. I can't say enough about visiting places like this once things have quieted down for the summer. That said, I think we got our $8 worth.

Until the next adventure

Lassen Volcanic National Park, CA

Heather and I just returned from a great long weekend at Lassen Volcanic NP. The weather was perfect... though the forcast for the beginning of the week called for up to 7ft of snow above 6000 ft. and road closures were scheduled. As a result, the park was very quiet... the perfect time to explore.

We started our adventure with a short hike around Manzanita Lake. It offered great views of Lassen Peak and was an opportunity to see some wildlife (as well as to stretch the legs after the drive there). There were many ducks, a close encounter with a muskrat, and trout could be seen swimming and rising. One of the rangers said that the fly fishing (catch and release) was excellent here, the lake having populations of brook, brown, and rainbow trout.

We also took in a short ranger program on the predatory birds of the park, discussing primarily osprey and bald eagles. I did not know that the bottom of their feet have spicules (tiny barbs) which help them hold on to their catch... I figured it was simply their talons that did that. The program was worthwhile and the ranger also directed us to a nice campsite and suggested some great hikes.

Until the next adventure...

Special Weather Statement...Fall is Here

Well, from the look of things outside today, it's official, fall is here. The weather for Ashland today is wet and windy (possible wind gusts of near 50mph). If anyone wants to keep an eye on the forcast for Ashland you can click this link for the NOAA National Weather Forcast.

You can also check what's happening on the Siskiyou Pass on I-5 via the ODOT TripCheck Cams. Too warm for snow (as of 7:30 AM) but I'm sure everyone has their fingers crossed for a little Snow on the mountain.

The Mt. A snow report calls for a mixed bag today... guess we'll wait and see. This link also provides a lot of information about the ski area.

All in all, it sounds like a great day to clean up from a great weekend at Lassen and maybe work on a few new posts.

Until the next adventure...

McGregor Park, Rogue River

Yesterday was my first day teaching with Salmon Watch... it was a great experience and I'm looking forward to the rest of the season! It's an educational program through The Freshwater Trust and locally, The Jefferson Nature Center.

Yesterday the program was being taught at McGregor Park, on the Rogue River. but I arrived early to do some exploring. I drove past the turn off for McGregor and the fish hatchery and continued over the bridge and took the next right which follows Butte Creek. A short distance up the road was another bridge crossing the creek. From the bridge I saw salmon building redds and swimming upstream...pretty cool. Unfortunately, photographing this was difficult. I then went up to the Hatchery for a look around.

The Cole M. Rivers Hatchery is located at the base of Lost Creek Dam on the Rogue River. The hatchery is 153 river miles from the ocean and consists of 87 raceways, 26 circular ponds, six adult holding ponds and two rainbow brood ponds. Cole Rivers is the largest hatchery on the west coast, annually rearing 3.7 million spring Chinook, Coho, steelhead and rainbow trout. Visitors are welcome to tour the hatchery daily from 7:30 a.m. until dusk. Dusk is also a great time to fish the "Holy Water", that being the section of river from the Hatchery upstream to the Dam. I've caught some very nice trout there over the years but make sure to dress warm...the water comes off the bottom of the dam and it's cold even when it's 100 degrees in the shade.

Until the next adventure...

Caldera Brewery, Ashland, OR

Just a shout out to my favorite brewery, Caldera Brewing Company. I have long enjoyed the decks, great beer, staff, and good food here. (The IPA, Ginger Beer, and Dry Hop Red being my current favorites). In these last days of summer, it's nice to enjoy a beer and burger outside before daylight savings time is upon us. Cheers!

Until the next adventure...

Bogus Valley, CA

As many of you know, my knack for "finding things" is uncanny. Rock collecting has been one of my favorite distractions since first moving to Oregon. Southern Oregon and Northern California is very geologically rich and with a little help from some published resources, the web, or just meeting and talking with folks (yard sales are a favorite place of mine to do this) one can be finding great specimens in no time. Semi precious stones, including amazing agates, and petrified wood can readily be found.

For years now, I've driven shuttle during raft season and my frequent trips to the Klamath River have taken me through the Bogus Valley. Located near Hornbrook, CA, the valley displays geothermic activity, mineral springs, and happens to be full of petrified wood. The nicest pieces I've collected over the years have been located in this area. Public access to this area is limited but some of the locals (though not all!) will grant you permission to poke around their property. A friendly hello and a wave goes a long way.

The mineral springs, located across from the pond (they're hard to miss) are fun to explore as well. Historically, the Native Americans of this area (primarily Shasta) believed the springs to have healthful benefits. However, given the fact that there are cattle in the area currently, I would not drink from them. If you're lucky you may also spot obsidian flakes, or even an arrow point. Of course, these items should be left so others might enjoy them.

Until the next adventure...

Oregon Caves

Sunday found Heather and I at the Oregon Caves National Monument. Located near Cave Junction, OR, the caves make for a great day trip from Ashland. Despite the temperatures which hovered around freezing and the early season snow, it was the perfect time to visit the Oregon Caves. The temperature inside the caves averages 44 degrees and of course you're protected from the elements which makes this a great destination on a hot summer day or cold rainy/snowy one. I prefer off peak season visits as they are very quiet and relaxing and generally insure a smaller tour group size which is very nice as compared to visits at the height of the tourist season. We had a very enthusiastic tour guide and a reasonable tour group size. While I have had the luxury of a private tour in the past, this shouldn't be expected. The tours leave every hour and last about a hour and a half. Again, our guide was great... lots of information about how the caves were formed and the animal and insect life which resides inside the caves. We did see one bat. Those with a fear of bats need not worry, there are no swarms of bats or crawling around in guano. From what I could gather, bat sightings are something of a rarity and the caves are clean (quite different than some of the lava caves I've explored in Central Oregon). The lodge is also fun to explore (especially when it's freezing outside). It has a similar feel to the Grand Lodges like those at Yellowstone, etc.

Of course, no trip through Cave Junction is complete without a trip to Wild River Brewing. A funky, family style pizza joint, WRB has a great selection of their own beers and great affordable pizza. I had a glass of the IPA, which was on par with my favorites, and the pizza was delicious.

Until the next adventure...