News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 251 - 275 of 363
The Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration in Sisters is sponsoring a benefit concert performance by Oregon singer and songwriter Lindy Gravelle on Thursday, October 7. The benefit is for the Every Dollar Feeds Kids (EDFK) charity and focuses on a ministry to hungry children in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Gravelle brings her popular country-rooted music, with its unique blend of pop, rock, swing and blues. The concert is completely free. Since the costs of the event have already... Full story
Whychus Creek's largest irrigation diversion is getting an extreme makeover. As the end of this year's irrigation season draws near, the Three Sisters Irrigation District's (TSID) water conservation piping project is moving into its next phase. At the beginning of September, all of Whychus Creek was redirected around the irrigation diversion site, leaving a thousand feet of the main channel completely dry. The main stem's through-flow water is being redirected to a downstream... Full story
Iron Mountain is another one of those hikes that often gets short shrift because you're more likely to speed by it than stop to hike it. Tucked away beside Tombstone Pass, this hike offers a genuine mountaintop experience, even though it's somewhat removed from the Cascade crest and requires no mountaineering skills. There are four Iron Mountains listed in McArthur's book of Oregon Geographic Names, yet this isn't one of them. Further, this peak is higher than any of those... Full story
The Hackleman Creek Old-Growth Trail has a unique feature that is not shared by many trails in our area: it is wheelchair accessible. A significant portion of this trail system is hard-packed gravel and is specifically designed for wheelchairs. The trailhead parking area is paved and large enough to accommodate multiple recreational vehicles; it also has a restroom. If you know of someone who is wheelchair-bound and misses the opportunity to get out into the woods, this may be... Full story
Most local hikers seem to be familiar with Wasco Lake only by virtue of a trail sign pointing away from the much more popular Canyon Creek Meadows loop trail. In reality, Wasco Lake is a nice little destination itself. The trail takes off from the Jack Lake Trailhead; it's relatively easy and is less than a five-mile round trip. Instead of following the recommended clockwise loop to Canyon Creek Meadows, take the counterclockwise direction when the trail forks in the vicinity... Full story
Here is a great little hike just off Highway 20. Although I've frequently driven by this trailhead, I had never before stopped to check it out. In fact, on average, I pass it about 20 times a year on my way to the coast or OSU Beaver football games. This is the Echo Basin Trail between Santiam and Tombstone Passes. The Echo Basin Trail works its way up Echo Mountain to the headwaters of Echo Creek. A narrow, but good, gravel road trims two miles and several hundred vertical... Full story
You've probably heard the hackneyed old tale of the answer to a confused traveler's query for directions, "You can't get there from here." Actually, it usually sounds more like, "You cain't get they-ah from hee-yah," and is most often attributed to old codgers in Maine. Moraine Lake is nothing like that; there are lots of ways to get there. Moraine Lake can be reached from Devil's Lake, the Green Lakes Trailhead, the Mirror Lake Trailhead, the Wickiup Plain Trail, and - if you... Full story
Every now and then, I'm asked to recommend a hike for people who aren't hikers. Maybe the in-laws are visiting from Florida, or maybe it's your old high school friend whose idea of a hike is when you're stuck with a distant parking space at the shopping mall. In any event, there are places where you can share the Central Oregon outdoor experience without making your guests feel like they're on a Himalayan expedition. Two of my favorites are the trail to the Head of Jack Creek... Full story
Most of us travel over Santiam Pass on a fairly regular basis, and we've seen the devastation caused by the 2003 B&B Fire. However, it's now been seven years since nearly 100,000 acres were blackened in that fire, and the forest's recovery is interesting to observe. To fully appreciate what is happening in the burn, it's necessary to see it up close. A good way to do that is to hike from Santiam Pass to Square Lake. This is a relatively short hike, at less than 2.5 miles each... Full story
When friends asked if I wanted to hike up Maxwell Butte, I said, "Sure!" Then I asked, "Where's that?" It turns out that Maxwell Butte is just a couple of miles northwest of the Santiam "Y" on Highway 22. Having hiked it now, I know why it's been overlooked on most lists of local favorites. From the trailhead, it's 4.8 miles and 2,500 vertical feet to the summit of Maxwell Butte. For the first four miles, it's relentlessly uphill. And then it gets steep. Officials from the Willamette National Forest are uncertain of the origi... Full story
Fish Lake, just over the Santiam Pass, is poised to perform its annual vanishing act. At the beginning of this month, the lake was full to the brim and overflowing down Fish Lake Creek to Clear Lake and the McKenzie River. By summer's end, however, the lake will be replaced by a wildflower-filled meadow. The lake's peculiar geology causes this unusual annual phenomenon. Each year, the lake's basin fills with snowmelt; but the underlying lava and volcanic soils are so porous... Full story
Exploring the Lower Metolius River didn't turn out to be quite what I was expecting. In its entirety it is more of an expedition than I was willing to undertake in a day. There are two ways you can begin this adventure. You can hike the road, which is sometimes a fair distance from the river; or you can beat the brush along the river's edge. According to most maps, there is a distinct 12-mile trail all the way from Bridge 99 at Lower Bridge Campground to Monty Campground just... Full story
Perhaps three to five million years ago, the rocks of Green Ridge were laid down. More recently (1.5 million years ago), the Cascade mountains formed. Ensuing pressure along north-south fault lines eventually lifted the older rocks of Green Ridge to form the magnificent miles-long hillside that cradles the Metolius River against the Cascade slopes. When Black Butte rose up, a mere half-million years ago, it plugged the south end of that trough, thereby ensuring that the... Full story
Way back in March, people began asking me if I'd hiked the Lower Whychus Creek trail yet. Even though it was on my to-do list last year, I had to confess that I still hadn't. I made up for that oversight last month. Perhaps because of the very public efforts to restore Whychus Creek and its historic salmon and steelhead runs, interest in the creek has been soaring. As a result, people are exploring it more - and that includes the lower reaches northeast of Sisters. The trail... Full story
It's not every day that we get a brand-new trail in the area; so, when I heard about the new Lake Creek Trail, a friend and I decided to try it out. Plus, this is in the snow-free zone, so it's a good early season hike that is easy and also suitable for trail bikes. We decided to take the downhill direction and started at the Suttle Lake trailhead, which starts at The Lodge at Suttle Lake. We parked at the public area just across the Lake Creek Bridge. Officially, the trail... Full story
In spite of a lackluster snow year, so far there is no early access to high country trails. In fact, cool temperatures and May precipitation have actually added to the snowpack at higher elevations. The mid-April snow line had retreated to an elevation of about 4,000 feet. Now, in early June, snow cover is reported to still be as low as 4,800 feet. In areas of heavy shade or northern exposure, it may be even lower. Conversely, ground may already be exposed higher up in the... Full story
The newly completed Scout Camp Trail takes off from Crooked River Ranch and is VERY difficult. If you don't like steep terrain, cliff edges, and heights, you would be well advised to stay away from this one. There is even a spot where it is necessary to climb a vertical rock wall about eight feet high. That said, this short three-mile hike offers some of the best river canyon scenery in Central Oregon. Naturally, we tend to associate Crooked River Ranch with, well, the... Full story
This time of year I'm always on the lookout for an interesting, snow-free hike in the lower elevations. I found one. I had planned to hike the Burma Road from Smith Rock State Park and loop around behind Smith Rock and come back on the river route. Instead, a buddy suggested that we come in from a trail that starts at the base of Gray Butte, about four miles to the east. We dropped my truck at the State Park and took my friend's rig on a series of left turns that lead to the S... Full story
An irrigation piping project currently underway by the Three Sisters Irrigation District (TSID) promises to be the final piece in a decades-old puzzle of how to restore salmon and steelhead runs to Whychus Creek. The project will transform nearly four miles of the open and leaky principal irrigation diversion into a sealed, watertight pipeline. Since the 19th century, local farms and ranches have diverted irrigation water from Whychus Creek (formerly Squaw Creek). At times,... Full story
"It's been a good journey," said Steve Rollins after closing a business that has been a part of the Sisters community for more than 35 years. "Times are hard," he said, "and I'm not getting any younger." The prospect of turning 60 soon seems to have also played a role in Rollins' decision to bring down the curtain on a career he began when he was in his 20s. Rollins started his car repair shop back in the 1970s where Sisters Feed & Supply is now and later in the old Texaco... Full story
Sisters Kiwanis is part of an international service organization committed to enhancing communities. Occasionally, Kiwanis has a guest speaker with information of such interest that the programs are thrown open to the community. Last week, one such presentation discussed the growing problem of modern piracy on the high seas. David Hiller is a local naval architect and marine engineer with personal experience in the field of piracy. No, he's not a pirate, himself; but he has been on board ships that were boarded by pirates.... Full story
After many years of planning, and more than a year of just waiting, the landmark Glaze Forest Restoration Project finally got underway last month - only to be halted last week by unfavorable weather conditions. The work suspension was not on account of severe winter weather. In fact, it was just the opposite. Temperatures were too warm to continue the delicate work in the forest. Because of the ecological sensitivity of important riparian lands and rare plants within the... Full story
Starting next week, the Sisters Chorale is set to begin a new season leading up to their annual spring concert, which will be held on an as- yet-to-be-determined date in May. The singers have been on break since performing Christmas concerts at Sisters Community Church last month. Irene Liden serves as director of the local community choir and has already put together a tentative list of selections for the new term. "The music will be a coupe of musical theater pieces," said... Full story
In spite of winter conditions, the U.S. Forest Service is continuing its proactive fire management program in the wildland forest interface near Sisters. Currently being targeted is a 600-foot-wide strip of forestland running nearly seven miles all the way from behind the Lazy Z Ranch to Gist Road. In all, the project encompasses approximately 500 acres. Last week, David Elpi, of Sisters Forest Products, and fellow contractor Keith Ross were operating brush mowers off... Full story
Last year there were two separate performing choirs in Sisters. This year, there is one really big one. The Sisters Community Choir, with a history going back nearly 20 years, has joined forces with the more recently established High Desert Chorale to become the Sisters Chorale. Under the direction of Irene Liden, the combined choir of 58 singers will present its inaugural performances on two different dates this coming weekend. The chorale will perform on Friday evening,... Full story
