Central Oregon 2013
by Mike Thompson, 9/2/2013
On Saturday morning, August 3rd, Jane and I put the canoe on the car and headed down I-5 toward Portland. Our intention was to spend a week or so exploring the lakes of central Oregon, in particular the Cascade Lakes area southwest of Bend and Mt. Bachelor. We hadn't nailed down an itenerary, nor had we made any reservations. The map above shows where we ended up paddling during the trip.
Kim was there when we arrived at Bev's house in Tigard, nearing the end of her three-day visit from SoCal. The four of us drove out to Elk Cove vineyards for some wine tasting that afternoon. Sunday morning Kim and I put in at Willamette Park and paddled across the river to Ross Island and up into Portland as far as the Ross Island Bridge. Then Kim headed for the airport to catch her afternoon flight, and Jane and I drove into Portland to hit Powell's Bookstore (I got a copy of Programming Perl autographed by Larry Wall!) before leaving town.
We then drove east toward The Gorge, following the old highway up to Crown Point. We crossed over the Columbia River at Bridge of the Gods, crossing back to the Oregon side at Hood River. There we spent the night at a neat old hotel on the main street, walked around town a bit, and checked out the sand spit at the mouth of the Hood River where the windsurfers and kite boarders launch.
Monday morning we drove south from Hood River on Highway 35 toward Mt. Hood. Checked out the ski area on its southeast side, stopped at Government Camp to get some sandwiches, and drove to Trillium Lake for a paddle with a beautiful view of Mt. Hood to the north. From there we headed southeast on Highway 26, then east on Highway 216 through the Warm Springs Indian Reservation to Maupin on the Deschutes River. Maupin is a tiny town with a booming whitewater rafting business - we saw two outfitters on our way through town, and lots of people putting in or taking out at the park on the river.
I've heard people talk about the Deschutes River, but never paid much attention to it. Looking closely at maps of where we plan to go, I see why it's a big deal down here. The river runs from south to north right through central Oregon, starting down near Crater Lake, with one arm that wraps around behind Mt. Bachelor, then finally flows into the Columbia River east of The Dalles. We're probably going to be seeing a lot of the Deschutes River on this trip.
From Maupin we drove toward Bend, catching a glimpse of Smith Rocks and stopping to gawk at the big, vertical drop into the Crooker River Gorge at Peter Ogden Park. We drove into Bend, went looking for a muffler shop (it was rattling), got lost, and stumbled upon a slow-moving stretch of the Deschutes River that runs through the old part of town. We stopped, took the Wenonah off the top of car, and paddled upstream to a weir, playing around in the little eddies behind rocks and bridge pilings. Bend runs a free shuttle on this stretch of the river so that families and kids can float down with in their canoes or kayaks or on inner tubes. On this paddle we had lots of company, and it was fun to chat with the locals as we floated along.
Tuesday morning we headed east on the Cascade Lakes Highway. Paddled at Sparks Lake, which is nestled between Mt. Bachelor and the South Sister, just south of Broken Top, then at little, emerald-green Devils Lake. We ate at the lodge at Elk Lake, and then found a campsite right next to Little Lava Lake. Went for a paddle on the lake at sunset, with the water as smooth as glass and bats darting close around us, feasting on the bugs flying just above the water. Slept under the stars with out tent nestled between the trees in a nice little spot covered with pine needles.
Wednesday morning we were heading out of the campground intending to drive south, when an interesting-looking wooden canoe caught my eye. Stopped and talked to its owner/builder, who said that we absolutely had to go back and paddle on Hosmer Lake first. It was good advice - Hosmer is as pretty a place as we have ever paddled. It's bordered by meadows and its shoreline is mostly reeds and grasses, all full of life. We watched dozens of trout and Atlantic salmon cruising right under our canoe, many well over a foot in length, ducks with their broods of yellow ducklings, heron, and osprey. We wound our way up to the top of the lake, and then up the creek that feeds it as far as a small waterfall. There we ate lunch and watched some horses ford the stream. Wow! What a gorgeous, peaceful place!
Found a campsite at (Big) Lava Lake so that we could stay and paddle Hosmer Lake one more time. Got a shower at the Lava Lake Grocery/Boat Rental/RV Park. It's a neat place and a real throwback to 1950s-style camping: very low key, and run by some older folks that keep the place as neat as a pin.
Paddled Hosmer again on Thursday morning and it was just as pretty as the day before. Backtracked to Bend, then drove northwest to Sisters, then on to Suttle Lake near Santiam Pass where we hoped to find a campsite. We stopped by the lodge, which is made of logs with lots of wood carvings and cathedral ceilings, and decided to splurge and stay there instead. Up early the next morning and got in a great paddle around Suttle Lake. Jane's paddling has really improved on this trip and she's now gotten the hang of sprint canoe technique, with its early, quick paddle exit and the pause at the front (not the back) of the stroke. We both got a solid paddling workout.
Back in the car, we backtracked to Sisters where I found and ate the Mother of all Apple Fritters at the bakery (Jane had something only marginally healthier). Next we drove southwest over Mackenzie Pass, stopping at the summit to gaze over the lava flows and chat with two bicycle riders from Holland who were about to finish their cross-country trip from Washington D.C.
Spent Friday night with Bev in Portland. Saturday we drove out to Cannon Beach, then north across the Astoria Bridge into Washington. Reached the Willapa Bay Wildlife Refuge around high tide and paddled across to Long Island and along its south shoreline. Finally we packed up and headed back home after our ninth paddle of a wonderful canoeing vacation.