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At the end of summer I try to break away for ONE LAST romp in the high country, kind of like topping up so I can make it through the long grey night to next season. This year I chose to scout the South Sister trailhead, then hike up Tam McArthur’s Rim.
The story soon, pictures now:
South Sister from Cascade Lakes Highway
Mt Bachelor from Cascade Lakes Hwy, looking east
Broken Top from the south
South Sister up close
Same location less zoom. This campground should be base camp for summit hike
Soda Creek base camp. Not elegant, just close
Panorama from Soda Creek CG. So Sister, Broken Top
It’s been a very long, very cold wet Spring. In the valley we’ve hardly seen any sun, and the rain has had no end. The weather has just started bordering on summer-like, so I get myself up to Sisters to scout hikes for the next couple months. Lo and behold, it looks like Spring was normal and thriving here in the highlands. Snow is melted, mud is rare. Note to self: keep an eye on the weather up here, its probably different than down below. I’ll bet I could have been here a month ago…
First on my list is Tam McArthur’s Rim. Some of the most dramatic photos I’ve seen of Three Sisters is taken from the top of this escarpment. Also, it seems like a perfect profile for my current hiking abilities: not too long, but fairly intense. Very steep up, a little flat, then very steep back down.
Turns out the road up to the trailhead is very easy to find, and a pleasant drive. Before you know it you’re cruising past the base of North & Middle Sister, partially obscured by the trees. This is Forest Service Road 16. Ends at Three Creeks Lake. A short drive that climbs 3,000ft, from civilization to high-country wilderness in about 15 minutes.
After exploring, I go back down to town to find a bed for the night. First stop is the Best Western, where rooms go for $120+, but come with hot tubs and other niceties. Since I have my sleeping bag & tent, niceties don’t matter. I’m looking for basic in-town before I go find a campsite. They send me across the street, to the Sister’s Inn. There I find a room for about $60 (“don’t tell anyone” the guy at the desk says) and I;m set. Sister’s Inn website. Next stop is food. Ty & Traci had told me about Three Creeks Brew Pub. It’s on the far (east) side of town, out of town, actually, just as you hit the road to Bend. Good food, but if you want beer, sit at the bar. I enjoy the patio, but the only beers I know about are the standards on the menu. After dinner I go inside, and find a pile of brews on the chalkboard. DOH! Three Creeks Brewing.
Next day I veer to the right on my way up to the pass, and look for the source of the Metolius River. Sounds like a major, mysterious adventure (like seeking the source of the Nile, or Amazon), but find that getting there takes about 20 minutes, including walking. Sho ’nuff, water shoots right out of the base of the mountain, and in no time is a rushing torrent of ice cold water. I drive up the Green Valley (?), a huge rift that formed ages ago, when the summit of the Cascades collapsed. Now partially re-filled and bordered by volcanic peaks, its a wonderful sheltered place. The hatchery at the north end is more interesting than I thought a hatchery could be. Connie & Nathan would like this place.
Last year’s two attempts on “the cones” were abysmal, then disappointing. Third time was truly a charm. Nathan came with me, we were successful and satisfied.
Blah Blah Blah to be filled in later, where are the photos?
Mt Jeff By 4
Backside of the four cones
Lonely Trail. Next Stop Timbuktu
No Stress Nathan
How Do You Feel? Damn good!
That mound above the trees is Yapoah Crater, next on my list. North Sister to the right
The Plastic Guns first public appearance. Maya Vagner, Nathan Adams, Tomer Vagner, Moth Tyler. At Eugene Saturday Market Oct 24, 2009. Youth Music Showcase.
This festival is the largest of its kind in the Northwest. Bands travel from Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Canada to compete. Expect 2,000 students to descend upon the Pleasant Hill campuses. This year’s Festival was on April 18, and the Spencer Butte Jazz Band won a 2nd Place trophy.
The band finds out they have made the finals, and get to play a second set. This was their first selection during the finals. They won 2nd Place out of 10 bands.
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This was their second selection during the finals. Shortly after they finished, they were awarded the 2nd Place trophy.
A chance for the various Bands at Spencer Butte to show their stuff. Here are three songs from the Jazz Band, as recorded by an audience member. (Click song title to play)
This festival is the largest of its kind in the Northwest. Bands travel from Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Canada to compete. Expect 2,000 students to descend upon the Pleasant Hill campuses. This year’s Festival was on April 17, and the Spencer Butte Jazz Band won a 2nd Place trophy.
Load-in & Warmup
They have the best warm-up tune.
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Rainy Day Blues
Written by Glen.
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Latin Latitude
Also written by Glen.
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It Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing + Adjudicator
Written by a pianist from the last century, Duke Ellington.
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FINALS – It Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing
A pair of rare spring-like days in the middle of February. I planned to drive all the way to Sisters for a cheeseburger and stare at the mountains, but half way there the lure of the trail got me. I pulled off at the Trail Bridge Reservoir, turned up Forest Service Rd 655, and caught the McKenzie River Trail for a short jaunt to Tamolitch Pool.
When I set out, my car was the only one at the trailhead. I met three guys at the pool who were hiking through to Clear Lake for an overnighter, and then a few more folks on the way back out. Never did see the creator of the bear prints.
Talented, original, pretty. The music and the musician both. One of my favorite artist’s, here are some examples of her work.
Let Go
Probably her most famous song, created when she was Frou Frou (teamed with producer Guy Sigsworth), it gained wide airplay as part of the Garden State soundtrack.
I take Connie on a tour of some of my favorite spots: the Dee Wright Volcano Observatory at McKenzie Pass; the short but spectacular hike to Hand Lake; and a short jaunt to Proxy Falls.
