July, 2000
The July 4 road-trip begins with a visit to Smith Rock State Park near Central Oregon, just North of Bend. It is hard to imagine that you can spend a couple hours from Portland driving through dense forests, by Mt Hood, only to end up in a near desert like area such as this. And from the freeway, this does not look like much. What a shame to think of how many people must just drive by without stopping. Not me though...
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One of the early views of the area. Basically a small valley with a stream at the base in a horseshoe shape, low ridges on one side, and a towering plateau in the middle surrounded by the arc of the stream. |
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This turned out to be the trail back by the river. Turns out this stream is home to a LOT of fish, so take your gear with you. |
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Views like this make me think I am back in Texas again...until I see that it is not so flat. However, this is some degree of similarity to this area and Texas. |
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A view from a little higher up of the stream as it runs through the valley. Notice how in such a bare area, there are still a lot of trees and green grass by the water. |
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Called "Monkey Face" rock, this is very popular among rock climbers. Don't bother looking for the Monkey Face though, it is on the other side. |
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At the top, Ally and I stop for a brief look around. |
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Ok, this stop would not be complete without a solo shot of Ally teetering on a ledge overlooking a several hundred foot drop. |
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Down in the valley on the other side, we are now following the stream to get back to the truck. |
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The stream is shallow, but the fishing is great! 6 fish caught in about 1 hour. Not the biggest fish in the world (too hot for them), but hey, better than nothing! |
| All around those rocks is where they hid...unfortunately for them they were hungry, fortunately for me I had my fly rod and gear. |
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And now, on to our next stop of the trip, Crater Lake,
Or....
