Wolf Rock, located centrally in the Oregon Cascades, is recognized as Oregon’s largest monolith. This was the plug of an ancient volcano that has since eroded away. It’s also been called Oregon’s “big wall” and has about 20 established rock climbing routes including an early 70’s classic established by Wayne Arrington and Mike Seely in a multi-day effort.
On this particular excursion, we caught site of a few climbers close to the submit.
Not much has ever been written on Wolf Rock and I’ve yet to meet anyone who is familiar with this forest giant. Aside from rock climbing opportunities, there are view from every direction and an adventurous creek trail to the base.
Oregon’s own – Pendleton – has been crafting wool products for over 100 years! Avid thrifters, we’ve scored some awesome coats and hats over the years, worn them for a season and passed them on to friends and family or the nearest weary traveler.
Because of the wool, Pendleton coats kept the rain out and the warmth in as we traversed the #pnw throughout the year. The perfect outer layer for snow and rain our Pendleton coats almost never leave the Jeep;)
During the drizzling seasons, we put our hats to good use as well.
Let’s not forget those big Pendleton towels on our Mckenzie River adventures!
Or those cozy blankets!
From beach to forest these woolen delights have kept us warm and dry winter, spring, summer and fall💙
One of the great joys of owning a truck is the built-in bed you get to take with you where ever the road may wander;) But by diving a Jeep that’s ALSO a truck, outdoor camping takes on entirely new heights with off-roading now on the table. Last summer, we had the most magical mountain top camping trip in eastern Oregon in the Mojave.
Jeep Off Grid
It was such a mild evening, we decided to forgo the tent and air mattresses and, instead, spread the netting over the back of the Jeep and rollout the couple’s sleeping bag in the truck bed.
Over the Fire Cooking
One of our favorite parts of the camping experience is the outdoor cooking! We stopped at a small grocery store before heading up the mountain where we splurged on a T-bone for a delightful, over the fire dinner of creamy gnocchi, large prawns and steak. Special thanks to the bearded talents of Mr. McKenzie Castiron Cooking!
Eck Family Tradition
This gorgeous mountain top is actually part of a winter hunting camp tradition with generations of Ecks roaming these heights, hunting elk and stocking the family freezer each year. And on this magical night, we spent the evening telling stories of days gone by around the fire as the sunset.
Mountain Top Sunset
And speaking of sunsets, while there were magical landscapes in all directions with a panoramic view from the mountain top, like most summer sunsets, this one lasted forever!
We even managed to capture the moment from the back of the Jeep through the curtains for a beautiful time lapse video:)
We lost another one this week. Another sister lured and consumed by the streets. Lost to the ravages of addiction and the search for relief. Gone from this life too soon. Incomplete.
‘Damn you, Beast! Damn your teeth!’ We’ve lost so many To their drugs. To their spiraling anxiety, loneliness and grief.
But you, Ms. K? You, we knew and you knew us, too! We loved you and you felt it, so ‘Why? Why did you leave us too soon?
Why did you abandon the Three Amigos? Your sisters? Your family? Your support and your friends?’
It hurts, Your absence in this world. Last week, last month, and yes, even that fateful morning, I had no doubt that we’d see you again.
That you’d walk through our doors this coming Monday morn. The prodigal returned. Lessons learned. Loved. Welcomed. Celebrated. Restored
We called and we visited. We reasoned and begged. ‘Come back inside’ we pleaded. ‘The storm is too big and too strong for you to fight it alone.’
‘God grant me the serenity To accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference.’
But the reality is that not all prodigals make it back home. Sometimes the Darkness keeps them. Beyond our reach. And beyond all hope of joyous reunion.
But I think you’d be proud of us, Ms K. The six of us ladies. Your sisters. Your friends.
We geared up and we prayed up And we went into the Jungle. We went to find Number Two, That lost Amigo who followed you.
We found her beneath the water Drowning away the images of you carried away in the night. ‘It’s time to come home now, mama’ your Sister invited. We were there save her, but would she come?
But then she took our hand And allowed us to pull her from the Deep. Stumbling, she came and she wept. Exhausted and left empty by the battle, the fright.
She may stay. She may not, But that night she slept Warm and dry and safe and clean. Surrounded by Sisters, Love, and Hope.
‘God grant me the serenity To accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference.’
These oft’ spoken words are the Mantra of those in recovery. The acceptance of change. The hope for serenity. The acknowledgment of a power far greater than our pain.
But this addicts’ prayer for serenity? While it might help those still wrestling with the all-consuming Beast, It may be even more important for someone like me. For you see,
To love an addict is to daily throw your heart to the wind. There is only a tiny comfort to know, That though we just don’t see it yet, There is a plan beyond our grief or control.
But all that does not change the fact that you are gone. It hurts that the Three Amigos will be no more. That there will only will only ever be two, at most, Within those doors.
Sometimes the one drowning doesn’t make it to the lifeboat. Hardly able to breathe, too wearied by the struggle to stay afloat, They’re going down. Swallowing mud just to feel land once again.
This is addiction, the Beast. The Monster in the Deep. The Darkness that seeks to kill, steal, and destroy. To take our very lives, our souls, and our joy, so . . .
‘God grant me the serenity To accept the things I cannot change Courage to change the things I can And wisdom to know the difference.
But then, Lord, grant me the boldness to change the unacceptable. And may I always remember this day, The day we said ‘No more, Beast. You cannot have her’ and pulled this one from His teeth.
A well-known tourist trek through rural Oregon communities will often include a scenic view of one of our many covered bridges.
One of the most photographed covered bridges in the state, theGoodpasture Bridge near Vida, Oregon spans the McKenzie River.
For those of us living along the McKenzie River, we are treated to the ever-changing faces and seasons of Oregon’s second largest covered bridge.
Spring Growth
At their height the early 1900’s, Oregon had about 600 covered bridges in operation. To this day we still have over 50 – one of the largest collection in the nation – with as many as 20 in Lane County alone.
Sunsets & Moonlight
Though the historical structure of this covered bridge makes for amazing photographs, Oregon’s own McKenzie River with its reflections and the beautiful sunsets throughout the year are quite striking as well.
Adventures
Fishing, boating and swimming adventures are easy to find near Oregon covered bridges! Just down the way from the Goodpasture Bridge is a boat ramp and Leaburg Reservoir not to mention the fact that the bridge spans the iconic McKenzie River itself!
Winter Wonderland
Spring, summer and fall are all wonderful, but some of the best pictures of Oregon’s Covered Bridges happen in the winter with a dusting of snow to set the mood.
**Side note: In pulling together this gallery of Goodpasture Bridge views, I found the snowy pictures above that pre-date the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire. I was struck by the reality that many of us in the McKenzie River Valley share the experience of stumbling across images we’ve captured of ‘before.’ It was an unexpectedly intense trip down memory lane resulting in the gallery you’re viewing now containing a striking array of photos before-and-after the flames and heat dramatically changed the landscape❤️❤️
Christmas Lights
The Goodpasture Bridge is one of a few Oregon Covered Bridges that changes into holiday colors come December. Be careful not to block traffic, but the red and green lights are amazing from every angle.
The Heceta Head is one of the most iconic lighthouse views along the Oregon Coast. If you’re traveling from Eugene to Florence, THIS is the view that assures a visitor that ‘you’ve arrived’ and will soon be feeling the sand between your toes. The entrance to Devil’s Elbow (i.e. Heceta Head beach) is the second tunnel on the journey along HWY 126. Once you get through the tunnel (and after honking your horn a few times!) you’ll see an immediate entrance to this Oregon Coast location on your left.
This was the beach that I walked on in my youth. I spent years trekking all over beach, the trails, the lighthouse, and the near-by Hobbit Beach finding agates and checking out the tide pools at low tide.
Despite my long-standing realtionship with this particular wedge of the Oregon Coast, I’d never actually captured a sunrise view of this Oregon Beach. But this year, from an empty pullout just up the highway, we caught an amazing rainbow of a morning of Heceta Head Lighthouse.
In my youth, I remember my long-pasted grandfather painting this lighthouse decades ago from a perch somewhere near Heceta Head Bed & Breakfast (pictured and glowing below and to the right).
Not to be surpassed, the views just kept coming on this particular morning. To our left, we caught sight of the moon rising along the horizon . . .
On mornings like this, it amazes me that even after a lifetime of looking at Heceta Head Lighthouse and playing on her beaches, I had yet to see her in all her glory. But on this morning . . . I saw it all:)
If you’re spending the night in Florence, Oregon, be sure to make it to the beach before the sun rises for these views.
Fern Ridge is a wide, shallow reservoir just west of Eugene and hosts all sorts of water activities during the summer. Since this body of water is also used for flood control as part of the Long Tom Watershed, it is drained by the US Army Corp of Engineers in the colder months to absorb seasonal rain. During these months, the low water levels allow for a unique trek across a mostly empty reservoir.
Now, be careful! You have time these treks. They’ll be easiest following a dry spell (a challenge during any Oregon winter). If you trek too soon after a rain, you’ll soon find yourself sliding or sinking into heavy, caked mud.
Long before the dams were built in the mid-1900s to create Fern Ridge Reservoir, this area was a large swampy flat and the seasonal home to natives with access to an array of hunting and birding opportunities. To this day, an extraordinary number of animal species call this area home with more than 250 species of birds visiting the neighboring wildlife areas each year.
On this particular winter day, we had sun on our side and we took quite a trek across the exposed mud flat. Yeti – always keeping it chill and cozy;)
To top it off, this evening we caught a sunset that just seemed to go on forever!
All in all, an amazing seasonal adventure . . . if you time it right;)
Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall walks along this shore are both beautiful and therapeutic. We’ve caught both sunrises and sunsets here and the landscapes are truly breath-taking. Along the way, we’ve found lovely stones scattered everywhere just waiting to be picked up by the handfuls including a number of agates.
Picnics & Campfires
For day trips, the Yeti Hopper Flip is our go-to travel cooler so one chilly winter trip, we picked up all the makings for beach-side charcuterie board from Provisions Market complete with a bottle of port to enjoy around the campfire.
Sunsets
Because of the long flat beach in every direction, the sunsets are truly breathtaking from every angle . . . we just couldn’t stop taking pictures!
On the northeastern shore of Blue River Reservoir just across Tidbits Creek, you’ll find Mona Campground and a forest access road that will take you around the to the ‘other’ side of the reservoir. While the gate may be closed to vehicles in the winter, that doesn’t have to stop an intrepid adventurer from taking a gorgeous trek:) The path continues well past the large, accessible campground and is a worthy walk any time of the year.
Clear Waters
Blue River Reservoir is fed by ice melt and mountain springs so – as you can imagine! – it is shockingly cold in the winter. Even then, on sunny January days, you’ll be tempted to at least dip your toes in the refreshing waters. No matter the time of year, the clear waters make a picturesque backdrop. Typically Blue River Reservoir will reflect the surroundings and, on particularly clam days, the water will take on the greens of the forest. Other days, the waters will live up to their colorful name and seem quite blue reflecting the mood of the skies above.
River Banks
With the seasonally low water levels in the winter, you’ll find all sorts of lost and found treasures along the reservoir banks.
Reflections
Creek Beds
The 2020 Holiday Farm Fire left stripes of burnt forest riddled through the mountains around Blue River creating a unique landscape to wander and mycelium growing everywhere! Come spring, we will be tromping around in these forests looking for morels😉
The End of the Road
And if you make it to the end of the forest access road, just keep going and you’ll soon be looking for a way to get to this unique, aerial view of the reservoir (this one captured in the summer)! From here you’ll see how the crystal clears waters alternatively take on the colors of the sky and trees depending on your line of sight;)
Along Highway 126 in Oregon between Eugene and Three Sisters are incalculable views to take in and trails to explore. If you have time this summer, take a slight detour along the ‘scenic’ route – the Old McKenzie Highway (Hwy 242). The original route through the Cascade Range is closed to cars during the winter, but bicyclists can take advantage of this picturesque trek long before it’s open to motorist.
The Path Well Traveled
Long before the settlers arrived, what eventually became the Old Mckenzie Highway was the regular route through the McKenzie and Santiam passes for Native Americans. Initially, the settlers’ wagons struggled to make it through the lava flows which spread out over 65 square miles. This and the steep terrain resulted in a ‘Lost Wagon Train’ or two over the years before the routes were improved. One trailhead – Scott Trail – follows a potion of the path of the first wagon train to actually make it through the passes.
Stop and . . .
Even with the many trails and view pullouts available to travelers along the Old McKenzie Highway, you simply must stop at the Dee Wright Observatory located amongst the basaltic lava fields. From the top, you have a 360 degree of pure gorgeousness in every direction while the interior provides various windows and peepholes aimed at the mountainous landscape!
Take a moment and appreciate this unique structure built by hand in the 1930s from the native lava rock.
Look Around
The panoramic view of the surrounding mountains can be enjoyed with the popular peak finder atop the observatory which points out the various geographical landmarks in the distance.
On a clear day, you can take in SIX Cascade peaks – The Three Sisters, Mt. Washington, Mt. Jefferson, and Mt. Hood – as well as various crater remnants of a volcano or to. All of these peaks are identified on the view finder up top as well as at each windowsill or peephole within the observatory.
And don’t forget the glaciers! If the snow has melted, check out one of Oregon’s biggest glacier – Collier – on the west side of the North Sister.
Fire & Ice
As you meander through lava beds, lush Oregon forests and crystal clear rivers and lakes of the Old McKenzie Highway, you’ll view one of the highest concentrations of snowcapped volcanoes in the lower 48 states. Along the Old McKenzie Highway volcanoes are quite young by geological standards with activity as recent as 1500 years ago.
And somewhere between fire and ice of volcanoes and glaciers, lies Oregon marsh land! Literally adjacent to lava fields you will find this lush ecosystem complete wild blueberries and ponds galore!
Don’t Miss it
All in all, with so many amazing stops along Highway 126 such as Clear Lake, Blue Pool, or Koosh/Sahalie Falls, choosing the scenic alternative between Eugene and Three Sisters may sounds like landscape overkill. That being said, IT’S WORTH IT!
Next summer, enjoy a unique bit of Oregon and a take a trek up the Old McKenzie Highway.
Tabitha Crystal Eck 