October 8 Every year since infancy I have taken a trip to the mountains in the fall. Most years it involves a backpacking adventure. This year between the puppies' extended stays and forest fires blocking all the trails on the western slopes, the annual excursion was reduced to a drive across the Santiam Pass with multiple stops for short hikes and pictures of the fall colors. (My fall trip usually travels over the McKenzie pass but it still had active forest fires burning and was blocked). My long-time Camp Fire Group co-leader and fall outdoor mountain trip partner Nonna joined Koyuk, Ullr and me. As it turned out, after months of unseasonable heat and dry weather, this was the last day of sunny weather before the Oregon rain and mountain snow moved in.
First stop: Paradise on the McKenzie River...
swift and cold and in my opinion the most beautiful river in the world. My first Chinook McKenzie was named after the McKenzie river and all subsequent BrownStone pack Chinooks named after rivers Chinook Salmon swim in.
Koyuk did go swimming but I could not hold the leash and take a picture without risk of joining her. The one good thing about loosing almost all of her fur to the pregnancy and care and feeding of the puppies is that there was nothing for the water to stick to...
one shake and she was instantly dry.
It takes a LOT of treats and patience to pose a puppy in such an exciting environment.
Ullr had a blast exploring.
Snow on the distant peaks, brilliant fall leaves, deep blue sky, black lava, evergreen firs and pines - a vision created by Ma Nature to fill winter's dreams.
Both dogs were anxious to explore the old Pengra Pass wagon road over the Cascades.
Road to Fish Lake Toll Station on the Old Santiam Pass road.
Walking with two dogs is always a challenge. Guess which leash leads to puppy Ullr?
Older HooDoo forest fire with Mount Three Fingered Jack in the distance.
Recently burned hillside. The fires were so fast they left a lot of the undergrowth.
Mount Washington behind this summer and older forest fire devastation.
Mt. Washington from beyond the fire border.
The Sanitam pass does not afford easy views of the Three Sisters Mountains. In the town of Sisters, we backtracked onto the closed McKenzie pass road to see the mountains we normally would have packed into. The lower brownish haze is forest fire smoke. The clouds are the first incoming winter storm bearing much needed rain and snow to finally put out the forest fires.
The weather had definitely changed by the time we made it to our favorite restaurant in Sisters. The Two Rivers Brewery not only has the best food and beer around, they provided bowls for the dogs to dine with us.
The mountains, burnt forests and colorful foliage became shrouded as we drove home back over the pass. Another glimpse of Mother Natures brilliant pallet will have to wait until next fall. I feel so fortunate to have experienced it, however briefly, this year.
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