July 17, 2007: Marvin and I were on a field trip, headed for the Alvord Desert and on the hunt for Calochortus sp. The forecast was for temperatures in the nineties, a drop of about ten degrees from the previous week. Forest fires have been raging in the area of Burns but no road closures had been announced.
We left Gresham on US 26, crossed over the Cascades and continued toward Prineville. Out of Madras a few miles we began to see Calochortus macrocarpus blooming roadside. Its beautiful lilac colored blooms are always a treat.
At Prineville we turned toward Post and Paulina. Calochortus macrocarpus can be found roadside along this route as well.
Mimulus cusickii Paulina Izee 7/17/2007
We found Mimulus cusickii, an old friend, blooming roadside.
Our families had a deer hunting camp out of Seneca, up Camp Creek, so we took some time to visit the old stomping grounds. We were delighted to find a “butterfly bush”… loaded with at least fifty fritillaries… (Speyeria sp.)
Our plan was to overnight in Burns, top off the fuel tanks and head for the Alvord Desert early the next morning. Motel rooms were hard to find and we didn’t make reservations so we were nearly out of luck. We managed to get the last room in town, even though it was still early in the day. Apparently bird watching is popular at this time of year and the nearest motels can be found in Burns.
July 13, 2007: It was Friday the thirteenth, hot, and the zoo was crowded with kids on field trips. The parking lot was full, there were long lines at the ticket booth and it was only 10:30 A.M. Mothers were lathering children with sunscreen and the kids were shrieking with excitement. I could tell it was going to be a fun day.
I was confused. The zoo is in Washington Park. City fathers decided they should call the zoo the Oregon Zoo so people wouldn’t be confused by calling it the Washington Park Zoo, perhaps thinking it was in Washington or somehow belonged to Washington. Maybe they should have called it the Portland Zoo.
The zoo has changed since I brought grand-daughter Ashley here about ten years ago. The entrance fee is closer to ten bucks a person, they charge a dollar for parking, and they also charge for entry into some exhibits in the zoo. Evidently poor people don’t go to the zoo. (I read that both fees are much higher now, since I initially wrote this article, so be sure to check if financing a trip to the zoo might be a problem.)
Take a map of the zoo (free) because otherwise you can get lost in the twists and turns and may miss some of the exhibits.
Butterfly Western Tiger Swallowtail on Echinacea at the Oregon Zoo
I spent about two hours sauntering about and decided to call it a day. I’ll be back when the weather is cooler and the kids are in school.
July 6, 2007: We have been having a heat wave with the temperatures in the high nineties but today the weather guesser promised cooler temperatures so Lucy and I decided to try the Iron Mountain Trail. I have been waiting for a plant to bloom so I could figure out what the species might be. Keys usually require watching a plant through its entire life cycle. Today might be the day I identify it.
We thought we could avoid the weekend crowd and have the place to ourselves. Wrong. The parking lot at Tombstone Pass was full and overflowing. We might have avoided the weekender’s but there were plenty of folks out on vacation Friday.
Lucy is a conversation starter so we chatted with nearly everyone on the trail. (What a cute little dog… what kind is it?) One large group from Eugene was on a guided tour led by NPSO. Another family group was here on vacation from Massachusetts. Their three children were full of pep and ambition but I wondered how their day would finish. The loop trail is about six miles and the last I saw of them they were headed up the Iron Mountain Lookout trail. The view from the top is spectacular but children don’t always appreciate what we adults see. (I wish I could still see what the children see.)
Butterflies were numerous… in fact it is a bit embarrassing, driving down the highway, to have so many come to an untimely end smashed against the windshield. California tortoiseshells were in the majority but there were many others as well. I wonder if anyone has conducted a study to estimate how many road kills occur during swarms.
The flowers were beautiful. I suspect next week and the week after might present different species but the flowers would still be beautiful. Lucy makes photography difficult because she will tug on the leash just about the time I press the shutter button. We have a routine figured out… I set up the tripod and focus the camera… I tell her to sit and if I am quick enough I might get the picture.
Cascade Penstemon (Penstemon serrulatus) Iron Mountain 7/6/2007
Lucy was glad to get back to the car and immediately laid down in her bed. Usually she has her nose pressed against the window but after the hike today she was exhausted. We had walked about six human miles but dog miles were at least twice that distance. The outside air gauge read 88 degrees so it did get warm but it wasn’t unbearable… with plenty of water to stay hydrated and plenty of shade we thoroughly enjoyed the day, visiting with the folks on the trail.
June 26, 2007: Marvin and I planned to continue the search for Calochortus longebarbatus. But first we headed up Mill Creek east of Prineville to take a look at Stein’s Pillar. Also I hoped to find a hunting camp on Wildcat Mountain my family used many years ago but we discovered the road has vanished. Apparently when Mill Creek Wilderness Area was formed the road was erased.
It was on Mill Creek many years ago that I first found the delicate Clarkia pulchella. It is in bloom now.
We wandered forest service roads and circled the Mill Creek Wilderness ending back on US 26 at the Ochoco Summit. From there we drove to the Big Summit Prairie where we were successful in finding two species of Calochortus. It turned out to be a three calochortus day… C. eurycarpus, C. longebarbados and C. macrocarpus… life is good.
We spent the night in Prineville at the EconoLodge. The beds were comfortable and it was quiet. You can’t ask for much more.
June 27, 2007: We awoke to rain, an unusual event for this part of Oregon. We decided to do some sight seeing. We headed for Sisters, drove up to Three Creek Lake and the Tam Macarthur Rim some 20 miles south, drove to Camp Sherman on the Metolius and then headed west on US 20. It was raining heavily now and we were content to head for home.
June 24, 2007: Several goals brought us over to the east side of the mountains. Chris wanted to go fishing and I thought it was a good opportunity to look for Calochortus longebarbatus (and other wildflowers) in the Ochoco mountains and the Maury mountains. The weatherman promised sunshine and gusty winds on the east side but otherwise it would be suitable for camping.
In spite of our best intentions to get on the way early last minute details held us up until after nine o’clock.
We stopped for lunch at the Black Bear restaurant in Madras. Our favorite is the Southern Scramble but it is just about twice the size necessary for gastronomical comfort. It is a meal that will last you for the day. Sausage gravy smothers a large biscuit split in half and layered with two large sausage patties and two eggs. The rest of the platter is filled with a generous helping of country potatoes. Bring your best appetite and don’t worry about the cholesterol.
East of Madras we stopped roadside to photograph Calochortus macrocarpus (Mariposa Lily). Most of our favorite patch has been removed by a roadside project but a few flowers escaped the scraper.
Calochortus macrocarpus Madras 6/26/2007
We decided to visit the Forest Service office in Prineville, collect some brochures and road information and then head for the Big Summit Prairie located high in the Ochocos. Michelle (receptionist) was very helpful and suggested several locations where we might find wildflowers.
We were a little late for the spring bloom but it is interesting territory. We followed forest service roads (FSR 42) to Paulina and ended up at Antelope Flats Reservoir in time to get some fishing in before dark.
We spent 30 minutes cleaning up our favorite camping site. The pigs that used the spot before us left behind their bottles and cans plus a generous supply of other garbage. It might help if the campground had garbage cans but no doubt vandalism limits the value of leaving anything unattended. We brought along a generous supply of garbage bags so we bagged the junk and hauled it out when we left.
The lake was a muddy chocolate brown so fishing was a waste of time. We spent most of the night in the quiet solitude we were looking for… but early (very early, much before daylight) the loggers started arriving. The camp area had been previously “thinned” and the trucks and loaders came to haul away the accumulated logs.
June 25, 2007: We spent the morning hours road running roads in the Maurys, watching for blooms. Iris missouriensis was plentiful and butterflies were numerous.
Iris missouriensis Maury Mountains 6/27/2007
Logging operations were in progress and we were forced to play dodge with logging trucks. The big fellows have the right of way no matter which side of the road they take and they waste no time heading for the sawmill.
We stopped at the Black Bear in Madras for one more helping of the Southern Scramble before heading back over the mountain toward home.
