Yesterday was a glorious fall day. If you were not outside, I am sorry about that.
October went from fall to winter and back to fall. The girls and I got out on various walks, in various weather. It was all good.
We started with a walk up at the pass so the girls could play in the snow. Of course, Sky found a tennis ball. A dirty, partially rotten tennis ball. She was so proud. Another day we went to Big Valley right after a rain squall. The colors were magnified by the moisture. Shortly after that we went back to Big Valley after the first real snowfall in the valley. And salmon were spawning in the river this month. Circle of life.
Our last stop was in the Bitterroot Valley to visit some good friends. We enjoyed another really nice hike in the mountains and playing with their new puppy. Don’t ask me why I don’t have photos of the pup. I don’t know. That’s just not like me. You can see Mary’s photos from the hike here. It was hard to say goodbye and end the trip but it’s always good to be home.
The girls and I drove north and east from SE Oregon up to the tiny mountain town of Stanley Idaho and a different time zone. It is located high in the Sawtooth Mountains. We drove north out of Boise along some beautiful rivers and through some impressive mountains. Fall foliage was getting started as was deer season. We saw many hunters along the way. Our destination was Redfish Lake. It was named for the legendary sockeye salmon runs of the past. In the 1800’s it was estimated that 25,000 to 30,000 sockeye returned to spawn at Redfish Lake. Now, even with hatchery programs, the numbers of returning fish are only in the hundreds. One year there were only 17.
I knew there were quite a few campgrounds in the area but apparently they close most of them at the end of September. One campground was still open on the lakeshore so that’s where I set up camp. Sky was delighted to have a big lake and Luna was happy to have colder weather. The elevation was about 6500′ and towering mountains arose on the far side of the lake. I read that the highest one was over 12,000′. Snow had fallen the night before we arrived. We visited an old mining area near Stanley with its discarded equipment and dilapidated buildings. Sadly, all of the interpretive signs had been removed. We also enjoyed a hike up Fishhook Creek.
We camped at Page Springs campground, located at the south end of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) and on the road to Steens Mountain. At night I enjoyed listening to owls – Great Horned and also Western Screech Owls and the singing of coyotes. Ruby-crowned Kinglets positively dripped off of every shrub and tree. There were lots of raptors everyday wherever we went.
The girls and I ventured onto the Refuge a couple of times – more gravel roads. It is very dry as is much of the northwest this year. Hopefully recent rains have improved the situation. I did manage to see a few birds and a very beautiful coyote on the main road. The canid stayed on the road til an oncoming truck forced it to choose another pathway. American White Pelicans moved round and round a pond cooperatively fishing at the Malheur NWR headquarters.
My Everyday Photos 