News nuggets Snippets and tidbits from Sisters Country

•?Sisters named one of 12 best small towns in Oregon. In the November issue of Travel & Leisure Magazine, an international publication some consider the gold standard in travel publications, Sisters was one of the 12 small towns in Oregon the magazine recommended to its 4.8 million readers.

•?New airline debuts at Redmond. Aha — an acronym and brand name for air, hotel, adventure — began service last week with thrice weekly round trips from Redmond to Reno/Lake Tahoe. Promotional fares are $49 one way, but expect to pay $61 to $86 for most flights plus checked bags. Service is aboard a 50-seat Embraer 145 regional jet.

•?Home prices down on average. October saw another 30 homes close in Sisters Country, six more than in September but five less than August. While the number of homes transacting remains torrid, the median price dropped from $750,000 to $680,000.

The average home sale was $803,006 a big drop from September’s $887,572. Seven homes fetched more than $1 million compared to 10 the prior month. Land prices do not appear to be easing, with a lot in Pine Meadows closing at $850,000.

•?Laird Superfood (NYSE: LSF) quarterly sales increased to $10.87 million. For the second fiscal year quarter ending September 30, the Sisters packaged foods processor saw a 45-percent increase from the same quarter in 2020 when posting $7.49 million. The company beat Zack’s Consensus Estimate for a loss of -$.64/share coming in at -$.59 EPS.

•?Metolius fish popping. Anglers in Sisters’ next-door stream are all smiles. The river is closed just above Allingham and right below that point bull trout are splendid. BWO’s were all over the bugs, reports say. The kokanee are finished spawning with large numbers washed up or collecting at log jams. Best nymphs: Glo Bug 14-18 or Unreal Egg 14-16. For dries, Purple Haze and Olive Haze are what are being talked about.

•?COVID cases drop dramatically in Deschutes County. Just one month ago today, there were 309 new cases of COVID-19 and a seven-day rolling average of 104. That dropped to 83 Saturday for a seven-day average of 62, mirroring a nationwide trend. Three percent of County cases result in hospitalization.

At St. Charles Monday morning there were 53 COVID-19 patients, 12 of those bedded in ICU and all 12 on a ventilator. There are 36 ICU beds in the St. Charles system; 46 patients reported as unvaccinated and seven fully vaccinated, 15 percent of the total.

•?Rain swells Whychus Creek. Last Friday, the mean daily flow on the Whychus rocketed from 15.2 CFS (cubic feet per second) two days earlier to 170 CFS, an 11-fold increase. Minor flooding occurred upstream from Sisters.

•?Chush Falls no easy trek. If you haven’t hiked Chush Falls Trail recently, there are a few things to consider. One, no big deal, is the sign at the trailhead saying “2 Miles.” It’s 2.5 to 2.6 most trekkers report. Two, at the end of the outbound walk stands a sign: “TRAIL ENDS HERE” where you’d expect to see a fairly impressive fall. Not.

The maturing trees block about 90 percent of the view. To see the falls in full glory means scrambling up or down (and then back up). This is a rigorous and potentially dangerous undertaking with a good amount of butt scooting.

Before endeavoring to get that picture-perfect view, know your skill level and strength. It is a steep descent and ascent. To say that it is an earned view is a bit of an understatement.

•?Before you call 911 about smoke in the forest. Favorable weather is allowing fire managers on the Deschutes National Forest to ignite prescribed burns and pile (slash) burns around Sisters. If you wonder why, it’s a cost-effective way to reduce hazardous fuels and decrease wildfire intensity, increasing the ability of firefighters to protect homes and lives.

Burning can maintain and improve the forest’s ecosystem health while improving wildlife habitat by increasing native grasses, forbs, and shrubs.

•?Wells running dry? Reports of water wells drying up in Sisters Country are increasing. If your well, or a neighbor’s, has petered out, let us know so we can report effectively on the seriousness of the issue

([email protected]).