In order to get to and from the Oregon Coast, one must go over the Cascade Mountain Range. The stunning views, beautiful rivers and old growth forests were definitely some of our favorite days in our Oregon wander.
Our western journey was rerouted from Hart Mountain Hotsprings to Diamond Lake due to the Warner Peak wildfire. It appeared that we would be settling in for a smoky night but as the sun set, the air cleared and we enjoyed a warm fire at the edge of this beautiful lake
The scenic byway down the Umpqua River towards the ocean could have taken us weeks to explore. As an east coast girl, the remains of forest fires are still a bit unearthly. They can be so distructive!
And then a mile away, the trees are amazing 🌲 We got just a taste from the highway but we will be back for sure!
Our return over these mountains was about 125 north on US Rt20. (Same Rt 20 that runs through our region at home!)
This is the longest highway in the country connecting Boston to Newport, Oregon. Some of the most impressive miles we drove were known as the 'Over the rivers and through the woods' scenic byway that runs by the Santiam River and ascended to over 4,000 ft at Tombstone Pass. I love the names of all these places!
We pondered going to wine country in Oregon but it turns out that wine wine is produced all over that state!
Roseburg, OR is an up and coming wine country that we decided to explore in central Oregon. Not Willamette Valley Pinos but pretty good wine with amazing views.
Thanks to Rob for hosting us and sharing his wine at Whitetail Ridge.
Our last adventure crossing eastward over the Cascades was in Sisters, OR. We parked at the in town campground which allowed us to check out town. The pizza at the Barns was exactly what we were looking for and dinner at Open Door satisfied Eric's lasagna craving 😊
We also stopped into The Fly Fisher's Place. A quick conversation and a few flys later we are scouting up the Metolius River!
Nellie joined us for the excursion which toured river side campgrounds next to the clear pools of this spring fed river
We came back the next day to catch our trout and camp under the redwoods and ponderosa pines and listen to the rapids of the river. Allen Springs campground was the best of the trip!
You may have noticed there are no fish in the above pictures. As Eric told me, we released every fish we caught. 🎣
Maybe next time!
End note about the Metolius River (pronounced muh TOLL ee us). Neither of us had ever heard of this fly only fish stream
A tributary to the Deschutes, we went to the headwaters where is starts. Pretty cool to see the very beginning of a river
The spring is a constant 48degrees which made wading in this river very very cold even with the ambient temperature above 70. I ended up with hotpads in my feet to try to keep them warm!
The other interesting part of this place is the beautiful views of the three sister's mountains. Can't wait to come back to climb one of these!
Cascades are an amazing part of Oregon pristine with wilderness that we enjoyed very much!
See you over the river!
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