Day 5: Bend to Fish Lake, OR

July 3, 2014

We were up at sun rise; city traffic started earlier than normal. I drove back into downtown and had a double cappuccino at a Starbucks while Sadie rested in the van. I enjoyed my drink, got on the internet with my tablet to search for a local hike, and admired the many bearded men. Even the barrista wore a long beard. I do appreciate well-groomed facial hair on men.

After a quick stroll through Drake Park, where, yes, several homeless men were sleeping with the Canadian geese, I opted to head west to hike Tumalo Falls, an eight-mile r/t hike to several water falls. Sadie would enjoy this hike more than any urban trail which restricts her to the leash. Trail head is off Skyliner Road, which turns into Tumalo Falls Road and then gravel road FS4603. Skyliner Road was just off Galveston Avenue in Bend, which I magically found myself on as I was driving west. Local write-ups gave this hike five stars, as it's only 12 miles west of town and easily accessible. There is a $5 USFS fee to hike this. I got a good parking spot and was on the trail by 9am. As expected, most of the hikers only hiked to the first falls; after that the trail became less crowded and I was able to take Sadie off her leash so she could relax. This is what we wanted!

Tumalo Falls was worth the drive. There was shade and water for Sadie all throughout this hike. At times the river was right next to us, at other times it was further down a steep, tree-studded slope. We never lost sound of the rushing water. Several small, icy snowbanks were still in the northern slopes. It was a gradual uphill all the way up to Happy Meadows, were the terrain flattened out over a widening creek, surrounded by many dead trees from the 1979 Bridge Creek Fire. This had to have been one intense fire for the trees near the creek to burn.

Many of the diehard hikers stopped here for a snack before either turning around or continuing on several other trails at this junction. A variety of nice wildflowers bloomed, but there were also many bugs (and huge ants!) in this meadow. I wanted Sadie to relax for a bit, but the bugs chased me away. I felt like I was on the John Muir Trail again, enjoying the solitude of rushing water, cool breezes, and tall trees. Mountain bikers have uphill access on the Tumalo Falls trail, but must descent via a loop trail that is mostly exposed to the sun, thanks to the old fire.

Uphill traffic seemed to increase as we were going downhill. It was a warm day and I was surprised to see so many people starting late in the morning for this hike. I stopped a few times to chat with hikers. One local woman, who again admired Sadie, hikes this trail on a regular basis. The crowds don't bother her, she said.

The parking lot was beyond capacity when I returned to the van at 1pm. Vehicles were now parked on the Forest Service road 1/4 mile down the road. I was glad to get out of the lot to make room for another group of hikers, and returned to Bend the way I came, but not before stopping in a secluded forest camp site to wash up. Dispersed camping is the way I prefer to camp, and not in dark hotel parking lots or on quiet residential streets.

I had all the van doors open to give Sadie a nice breeze, while she napped and I washed my hair. The 5-gallon solar shower bag is a godsend on my road trips, but most of the water had leaked out because the cap wasn't on tight enough. Perhaps the bag hit my cot and the pressure popped the cap loose. I had just enough water left to wash my hair and teeth.

The forest road I parked off of was popular with mountain bikers. Several white-breasted nuthatches were nearby, watching me closely as they chattered between themselves. No one else bothered us. This spot would have been an ideal spot to spend the rest of the day relaxing, reading, or just listening to nature.

I drove back up the forest road to another site closer to the creek. I had to refill my shower bag and soak my feet in the creek before driving back into town. I picked up the trash the previous camper had left behind.

I didn't want to leave Bend. There is so much to do in this town and I know I only got a taste of what the area has to offer. The streets were now busy with life and finding a parking spot in town in the shade would be difficult. I wanted to try the Deschutes Brewpub, whose pub in town was surprisingly small. I walked in and it was packed. Prices on the menu seemed high ($10 for a hamburger?!). A couple sitting across the street from the Deschutes Brew pub were enjoying their meal there with their two German Shepherd dogs, and suggested I try this place instead because food is better and prices are lower. They were right.

Bend is a town I could easily have spent a week in to explore more of the surrounding beauty. That also would have allowed me to try out all the beers. But eating out for every meal gets expensive, even if it's just for the craft beer. Before I left Bend on US20, I stopped at a grocery store to get more cheese and tortillas, beer to go, and snacks for Sadie. Getting out of town was trouble-free, but sad. I really liked my time in Bend.

We were now traveling west again, on US20, and entering the high Cascades with views of the Three Sisters, three volcanoes in close proximity to each other. This was a beautiful drive that cuts across the mountain range. I was astounded at how many dead/burned trees there were here, just north of Mount Washington. A Pacific Crest Trail sign off the main highway led me up north on a more narrow paved road to the PCT trail head. I was running out of daylight now, but imagined meeting Darlene here as she advances northward on her journey. There was no one around, although there were plenty of cars in this lot. It was a nice spot, albeit windy, to get out and walk some more. All the trees here were dead, and their tall remains cast an eerie sense across the landscape. For anyone hiking the PCT, this would be a good place to meet friends in the area and drive into Eugene or Corvallis to refuel.

My goal for tonight was to get as close to Eugene as possible. I had a hike planned along the McKenzie River in the morning, off OR126 east of Eugene. Once I got on OR126, the trees returned to a healthy state, but more lava flow was visible off either side of the highway. I found the McKenzie river trail head parking lot, drove up and down the highway some more to find dispersed camp sites, and ended up staying at Fish Lake, where many other campers were already hunkered down for the night. Despite the many people, it was again a very quiet night. Down a wide trail at Fish Lake we made it to the old cabins and barns that were constructed in the 1920s for the forest service. Dogs were to be on-leash here, but at dusk it was hard to enforce as no one else was out at this time. There was much croaking and squawking coming from the lake.