FIRE SEASON 2013

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SMOKED SALMON

Salmon Fishing 'Rail Hole'
Rogue River

Smoke rising from the newly ignited
Whiskey Complex Fire
July 27, 2013

As the final days of salmon season approached for those fishing the Upper Rogue River it wasn't just the heat and lack of fish that made the day frustrating.  A sudden dirty gray cloud appearing up river and the increase in air traffic was cause enough to stop and take notice.  Perhaps I should clarify the "air traffic".   I am not referring to airplanes but to the various birds, flocks actually, that decided it was time to fly down river.  In addition to the two Bald Eagles that live in the area there was a large number of geese and even one EXTREMELY large Golden Eagle.





 

By late Saturday afternoon the smoke was starting to make its way down river.
Fire was started at some point on Friday by lightning strikes.

Bald Eagle checking out the local fishing hole

With eight trips this summer to the Upper Rogue River I have been fortunate enough to see at least one if not both of the two Bald Eagles who nest in the area on every trip.  It has been amazing to watch the two of them, especially when they decide to toy with the many Osprey in the area.  Ospreys may talk the talk but when it comes to a mid-air dance the Baldies take the lead.  This past Sunday was especially facinating as four of us standing on the river bank were witness to the Golden Eagle that also decided it was time to head out of the area.  I have seen a handful of Goldens before but never one so close and definitely never one so large.  The Golden swooped down over the bank roughly 20-30 feet over our heads.  While I am not the best judge of distance I base this  on the fact I was standing at the edge of the river and he flew above me but below the highway guard rail. 

This year July 31st not only marked the end to another fishing season it sparked what has been a month long battle with numerous forest fires in our area as well as the surrounding states.  Fires are grouped into "Complexes" which represent certain areas or regions being affected.  Within each complex there are multiple fires burning.  At last count Southern Oregon had at least five different complexes with the total number of fires in excess of 30.  Fortunately they are all at least an hour away. And while that is reassuring from a danger perspective it really has ruined the month of August and the end of my summer plans.

















These first pictures are from the first full day of the fire on my drive home from the river.  Have to admit, the smoke creates some interesting sunsets.





Air quality in the valley is dramatically affected during fire season.  Last year for example we had a few weeks with mixed days of mild smoke.  The smoke was mostly from Northern California fires and a few in Southern Idaho.  This year it has been significantly worse with fires in those areas as well as so many in Southern Oregon.  One last picture on the trip home.  The sky behind me was quickly filling up with smoke.

It's simple really.

No rain = things dry out....really dry out.
Things dry out = good kindling  (trees, brush, grass, etc..)
Thunderstorms on the other side of the mountains = lightning
Lightning = good way to create sparks
Sparks + Kindling = Fires
Fires = Smoke
Three mountain ranges converging on each other (ie: The Rogue Valley) =
A good way to trap in smoke
Trapped Smoke = Might as well hold my head over a fire barrel!

yep, thar be mountains somewhere out there!

Fortunately, fire season is a lot like hurricane season.
You know it can happen,
you know the time of year,
you wait for it,
you hope it doesn't,
 it doesn't get bad all too often,
but when it does,
you take a deep breath (while still inside the house)
and just hold it for a few weeks.

The following pictures are from the last few weeks traveling to and from work and around town.

truck radio antena
mountains in the distance

the foothills just a quarter mile ahead.....
world famous pear orchards on each side of the road....
may daily drive home from work

None of these photos have been altered....simply my i-phone at work again.

With salmon season over, I had planned a rafting trip down the Rogue for August.  Needless to say that was rescheduled, twice....then just cancelled all together.  Maybe next year.  Last summer we went over 87 days without rain.  This year we've had just a few days of rain.  Seriously, just a few days.  And there in lies the problem.  A few days is just enough to spark lightning and create one heck of a mess.  

At the end of the day, I was a little frustrated to have not caught a salmon my last day.  It would have been nice to have had it already smoked by the time I drove home.

enjoy,

bkd

Two songs for your enjoyment.  Note:  I do NOT own any copywrites to the following songs or videos.  Simply borrowed them from YouTube.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4a40FjB_sM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLZm8Avo6iQ

It isn't necessary to imagine the world ending in fire or ice. There are two other possibilities: one is paperwork, and the other is nostalgia.
Frank Zappa 

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Sightseeing USA part 7 (or 6 or 8...?)

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Too Busy Seeing the Country to Write About It....

well, that ain't really a bad thing.

So I am either too busy or too lazy.....um, too busy sounds best.  In light of time restraints or the inability to put my thoughts into coherant words today I thought I would just share photos of a few recent trips and spare you most of the babble that I would normally include.  Enjoy.

1)  Pictures from a few recent trips to the Upper Rogue River, above Shady Cove, Oregon.  I haven't quite mastered the art of local salmon fishing but I am sure I will long before what the locals call the "first year".

 Now while I won't admit how many times I have gone salmon fishing here on the Rogue I will say that three things, 1) trips are usually between 2 to 6 hours of fishing....not all that long.  2)  I am going at this alone with no local master to follow.  3)  THE BEST PART....I have seen one (and even two) Bald Eagles on EVERY fishing trip thus far.  I may not have caught a salmon yet but then the bald eagles aren't catching them either!

The "Large" Full Moon rising over The Rogue River
June 2013

Most recent fishing spot on The Rogue River

You may notice that it appears these pictures are taken "from above".  Well they were.  This little section of the Upper Rogue is called "Slip Hole".  Appropriately named as the few trails from the highway down are just that, Down!  Straight Down.  There is another spot named "Rail Hole", so named because that is where the highway railing starts at the corner of the road/bend in the river.  I should point out that the distance between Slip Hole and Rail Hole is about a whopping two - three hundred feet.  Yep, to the untrained fisherman this parking area appears to be for just one fishing spot but NO, it's two......the entire area is probably less than the length of a football field.

Rogue River

Rafting The Rogue

Rogue River

A favorite fishing (salmon) hole among the locals.....also a favorite rafting path among the locals.....

Fishermen and Rafters alike, The Rogue River has a lot to offer.  The big challenge is just keeping the peace between each group and within each group respectfully.

"Hey!  That's My Rock!"

"On the river looking down"

"On the river, looking up"

Life's Good

America's Greatest Fisherman

As I said earlier, I have seen America's National Bird, the North American Bald Eagle on every trip thus far.  Truly a special treat.  I am disappointed sometimes though by those who fail to see the majesty in seeing one of these creatures up close and personally, AND in the wild.  Be sure to click and enlarge the picture, then zoom in on the bird itself.  You have to remember I am still taking these photos with an i-phone, and it is an i-phone 3 at that!

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2)  Pictures from a recent business trip to South Lake Tahoe, Nevada.  Not a bad drive, just over six hours. I have always enjoyed my pictures taken "while on the trip", translated to "while driving".  In my first road trip across country, see earlier column(s), I took numerous photos with my old Cannon sitting on the dash of the Dodge pickup.  Today, I just hold the i-phone for pictures and/or videos.  Finding the right song on the radio is always a toss up, though I have had some great luck with a video and just the right song.  These were somewhat planned out, as in "hey wait!  Put on that CD."  

These two videos are about thirty minutes into the trip.  Ascending the Siskyou Summit just south of Ashland, Oregon you begin the decent into Northern California.

Just north of South Lake Tahoe, NV is a short tunnel.  Interesting drive as to to east there is a mountain going straight up....and to the west, well there is a pretty darn big lake.

Lake Tahoe, NV
and some drivers wondering what just what I am doing.....

Lake Tahoe, NV

Heavenly's Ski Lift

Lassen Peak, CA

Mt. Shasta, California

Lassen Peak, CA

There is NO easy way to get from Southern Oregon to Nevada.  I had originally planned to explain the trip in detail with a little history behind the over 380 some odd pictures I took along the way.  After some consideration I figured anyone who really wants to know about this drive could either ask me if they wanted a fact filled long winded explanation.....or they could just Google Map directions for themselves!

Tunnels, not something you drive through a lot of growing up in middle Georgia.  

Lake Tahoe, NV

Mt. Shasta, CA

So there you have it, few of my recent local sightseeing adventure trips.  

America:  Whether you are on the way to a favortite fishing hole or on the road for a business trip, there is so much to see and enjoy.  Thank you Lord for having the imagination to create such a beautiful place; and for the foresight to allow me to be born and raised here.

as always,
bkd


"We are better than anyone, ain't we? Except for the Eagles, the Eagles are better than us."
Sid Vicious 

ps....I'm not sure this quote is about Bald Eagles as much as it is about the band The Eagles, either way I found it quite interesting.

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Simple Point and Shoot vs. Photo Shop

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One Picture, Multiple Views

ICW, Savannah, GA
circa 2010

The first sunset picture I ever took with my i-phone was about three years ago while boating on the ICW in Savannah, GA.  I have always been in favor of the point and shoot style of photography vs. using filters and of course today the ever popular photo shop.  I will admit that photo shop can be fun and it can definitely eat up an evening playing with the different options.  

The following pictures have been altered via Windows Photo Gallery "Fix It" option.

 This first one could almost pass as an original based on the colors and lighting.

I think a few of them are rather interesting but I still favor the original.  The altered photos have an interesting look, the original sparks a fond memory of a time I loved......cocktail hour(s) on my boat!

Obviously photo shopped.

I see a lot of interesting pictures posted on Facebook and various emails that appear to be incredible shots.  Most recently a water spout combined with a lightning strike.  Definitely cool and yes quite possible, but I have my doubts.  

as always,

bkd

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Sight Seeing America Part Six

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WHERE EAGLES DARE....

Klamath Basin/Tulelake 

A little late as usual, but then sometimes living life is more important than trying to write about it.  

February 2013, Anniversary number 7.  A four day weekend at Running Y Ranch in Klamath Falls, Oregon sounded like a lot of fun.  Although this year's snow levels ended on the low end, we did start the season out pretty strong.  With that in mind I had great ideas of snow shoeing around Crater Lake or cross country skiing at Lake of the Woods.  Either would have made for a great get away.  Unfortunately the missus was still recovering from a severe bout of the flu.  There would be no extreme snow sports this weekend.

As I worked to stifle my disappointment, something I am apparently not very good at, an amazing experience was in the process of unfolding.  It has come to my attention that I might have an unusual obsession with the North American Bald Eagle.  I personally don't see it but recent events would imply that my family may have a point.

We headed out the morning of our anniversary not really sure where exactly we were headed.  We had seen a flyer advertising a week long bird watching festival in an area known as Tule Lake.  The festival wasn't to officially start until the following week but we figured birds didn't use the same calendar so started in that direction.  Now I already knew the Klamath Falls area was home to multiple bald eagles but I had know idea what I was about to encounter.

One should take note:  

When riding as a passenger during a 

"let's get lost sight seeing" adventure 

you should always be prepared to stop for photos 

every few hundred feet.  

This day was no exception. 

Turns out that between December and February Tule Lake Wild Life Refuge is a major stopping point for all species of birds.  Canadian Geese, Mallards, the White Pelican, all sorts of water fowl.

Then there are the birds of prey....THE RAPTORS!  Golden Eagles, Coopers Hawks, Red Tail Hawks, Ospre, numerous others.....and of course The North American Bald Eagle.

During these months Tule Lake is the home to a multitude of bird species.  The National Parks estimate there to be over 500 Bald Eagles in the area between December and February.

Our first sighting was a lone Baldie perched on a telephone pole.  As I approached the eagle took off.  Toby was quite quick with her i-phone and was able to snap this picture.  I admit it wasn't my photo, and with that I admit my envy.  About this time I was getting really upset with Santa for not bringing me the digital camera I asked for just a few months earlier.
















Be sure to click on the photos to see them a little larger.  Helps put it in perspective......well just a little.









Over the next few hours we witnessed several baldies soaring over head, but the really interesting ones seemed to like hanging out on the edge of the ice.  An amazing view to see such large birds walking on the ice at the waters edge.

Tule Lake, Northern California

yeah it's not clear but I am after all just using an i-phone  (number 3 that is)

As we left the Tule Lake area we headed into Lower Klamath and yet another set of surprises.

What first appeared to be a large gathering of numerous species of water birds we soon realized we were smack in the middle of what can only be described as Alfred Hitchcock's original inspiration for his movie "The Birds"!  I can't even begin to estimate the total number.....100,000 or a million plus....I just know there was a BUNCH!

Mt. Mcloughlin in the background......Well I think it is.  I was facing north so it should be.....

Apparently raptors are not the only birds who like the area this time of year.  A number of species of migratory birds literally poured in.  The photos do not do justice to the magnitude of this experience.  Our poor little i-phones were just no match for the enormous number of birds.





However, I will credit the video for still picking up the sounds of the birds as they took off and began circling over head.

Just a short quarter to half mile down the road past the migratory birds we spied the "clump of trees" the park services employee had told us to look for to find some bald eagles.  I was already feeling as though we had seen what was probably there, in low teens at this point.  But that number was about to grow, substantially.

Sharing a Perch
Bald Eagle (L) and Golden Eagle (R)

The following are unfortunately made difficult to clearly see due to the setting sun, however if you look close enough you will see multiple raptors sharing the trees.  Bald Eagles and Golden Eagles abound!













There are actually two baldies in the next few pictures (same nest).  I tried multiple angles hoping to catch both at the same time.  Ironically the eagle in the nest is only really visible in the photo with the sun blaring through and blocking out the other one.





















At the end of the day we had counted over 35 Bald Eagles!  I lost count of the Goldens and don't know the other raptor species well enough to have kept an accurate count but there were a lot.  An amazing day that started out with the disappointment of not be able to go skiing or hiking.  But an adventure does not need planning.  Some of the most memorable start out with a simple "Let's go for a drive".

Klamath Lake, Klamath Falls, Oregon
Frozen February 2013

as always,
bkd


and to my family;  I am not the only person who sees that the eagle represents great things......

"Houston, uh, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed."

– Neil Armstrong

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