{Day Off} Toketee Falls

Alternate post title: The day I went crazy and drove for 9 hours to get a puppy with a mouth full of dagger teeth.

I have been meaning to write this up for a couple months now, since I took this trip back in October but... life gets in the way sometimes you know?? The route that Sammy and I took to get to Roseburg from Bend took us past Crater Lake, Oregon's only National Park, and along the North Umpqua River. I've only been to the North Umpqua once before, to ride bikes with James on the North Umpqua Trail, more specifically the section known as Dread and Terror. Yep. You can imagine what it was like.


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As you can see, the route took us straight through the Umpqua National Forest. The scenery of the area is absolutely spectacular, and in my humble opinion, is the most beautiful and scenic river in Oregon.

So on this day, on our way to Roseburg, Sammy and I decided to stop at the legendary Toketee Falls. Since getting engaged, I've been trying to get my fitness on regularly, so I figured we could run the trail.

It was a spectacular Fall day, we enjoyed the scenery immensely. Double bonus, only one other car was there, so Sammy got to  be off leash. He loves that.

 

The trail is probably 2/3rds of a mile, so it was pretty short and sweet, but the falls at the end is so rewarding!! 

The river plunges over a sheer basalt cliff (those rock columns are a distinctive feature of basalt), before continuing on merrily downstream. If you look closely, in the bottom left of the photo you will see a sweet riverside dwelling...

Here is a closer look.

 

I don't know how someone got down there to build the hut from driftwood, but its sweet for sure!! The river is in a basin surrounded by sheer cliffs here, the viewing platform is actually suspended from trees!! That's a real piece of work. 

The light was spectacular filtering through the trees on this afternoon, and the moss covered trees and rocks reminded me of why I love Oregon so much. The natural wonders in this state and the opportunities to get outside are endless. It is truly magical.

Now, back to your regularly scheduled Christmas Mania!!

Want to see what else I've done on my days off? Explore Tumalo Falls and Mt. Hood with us!

{Day Off} Tumalo Falls

With the way this series is going, you people are going to start thinking I have tons of days off. This is NOT true. I work my tail off, so I like adventures in my free time.
This weeks adventure took Sammy and I to Tumalo Falls, the biggest waterfall in Central Oregon.
About a 20 minute drive from Bend, the dramatic cliffs indicate that you are almost at the falls.

Tumalo Falls

Tumalo Falls is visible from the parking lot, and the North Fork trail follows the creek up into Deschutes National Forest for about 3 1/2 miles before running into Happy Valley trail.  Dogs are required to be on leash in the immediate vicinity of Tumalo Falls, but about 40 yards past the last viewing deck, there are very few people on the trail, so Sammy gets his freedom. We are watchful and respectful of other hikers and their dogs though, don't worry. 

 

 

The trail climbs steadily uphill, through old growth Douglas Fir and some Ponderosa Pines as well. The different micro-climates in Central Oregon always surprise me. This trail makes me feel transported back to my old Mt. Hood stomping grounds.
About 15 minutes hike from the top of Tumalo Falls, the trail widens out, and the sound of freezing glacial water crashing can be heard.

Waterfall #2 can be seen from atop a cliff. It makes me sad all the tourists that flock to Tumalo Falls, and probably less than 5% hike any higher than the overlooks. They don't know what they're missing!

Another 5 minutes along the trail, and we arrive at this!

 

Waterfall #3!! Stunning!! 

The trail levels out here, and continues on for two more miles before running into Happy Valley. Sam and I did some exploring and found several gorgeous pools in the creek. 

 

Tumalo Creek is very cold, and very clear and clean. It is also the watershed for Bend City Water, and ask any local, our tap water is some of the best around! Blessed people we are here in Oregon. 

I started hearing thunder rumbling in the distance, and storms build quickly here at this time of year, so we began heading back to the car at this point. 

We did take one more creekside stop for splashing, and found this fun tower.

This is looking Southwest from above Tumalo Falls, the canyon to the right is South Fork.

The rain started falling just as we arrived back at the car. But we had one more quick stop before our trip was done. 

 These are the same cliffs we saw coming in, and the storm that chased us away!!!

A few years back, James and I came out here for a hike and decided to carve our initials in an Aspen. We hadn't visited the spot since.

That little blob the in upper right says '08. I would have stayed longer, but the thunder was really crashing and lightning was snapping all around, so we had to leave in a hurry!!

Any cool spots near your town that you frequent? How about crazy storms brewing? Or initials carved in a tree? Don't get mad at me for doing it, it was an act of love. And I love trees. Tell me all about it!

And check out our other day trips to Mt. Hood and Sparks Lake! 

Sharing this post at Centsational Girl's Favorite Things in my Town Link Party!

{Day Off} Mt. Hood

Hi friends! Oh my gosh, summer kicks my boo-tay! Between working and working more enjoying my free time, the time is just flying by! But on the flip side,  our Whistler trip is just a few weeks away! {Grins} Its going to be amazing.

James and I managed to get a day off together last week, and we decided to take a day trip to Mt. Hood Skibowl with a couple friends for some downhill mountain biking.

Mt. Hood from Hwy 26, headed west

Getting closer! Hood from the SE side

Over several rivers and through a lot of woods, and we arrived at our destination, Mt. Hood Skibowl. Ski Bowl is the smallest resort on Mt. Hood, but features killer night skiing in the winter, and lots of thrilling adventures in the summer months! They have a half-mile long alpine slide which is hella fun, as well as lots of other activities. We chose the $30 all day mountain biking pass. Its pretty simple, you ride a chairlift up, a lift tech loads/unloads your bike for you, and you rally downhill as fast as possible!

Looking at the hill from the parking lot. Alpine slide is under the lift on the left.

Our bikes

Chairlift silly time

The Alpine slide riders get off at a mid-point, us downhillers ride to the top.

Mt. Hood, and Skibowl's historic warming hut

The boy crew rolling down the road

We made as many laps as our bodies could handle, on the three downhill trails Ski Bowl offers. The group fave was called 'Fire Hydrant' and is a steep, and technical descent. Near the bottom there are several freeride areas, one with lots of man-made ladders, and another with gap jumps and table tops. Sorry for the lack of riding pics, we were having too much fun to stop and take photos.

I did stop mid-ride to lay down in the flowers and snap this shot of Mt. Hood. The wildflowers are EVERYWHERE on Hood right now, and I love this mountain so much I had to stop and capture the beauty.

We had an awesome day of riding, and capped it off with some brews and snacks at Mt. Hood Brewing Co.,  in Government Camp. I didn't take any pics here either, but enjoyed a pint of Cloud Cap Amber on nitro, and Cascadia Pale Ale.

Even though James and I haven't been having many days off together lately, its nice that we can get outta dodge for just a day, and have a great time regardless.

Any fun day trips you've taken lately? Downhill extreme mountain biking? Let's hear all about it!
Check out what else we've done on our day's off.

{Day Off} Sparks Lake

James and I had a day off together finally.
We taught 'beer class' at work this morning and took a nice nap, then drove up the Cascade Lakes Highway with Sammy and our canoe, destination: Sparks Lake. I'll let the pictures do the talking today.

En route