Every autumn I try to get out to Oregon’s Steens Mountain to shoot its aspen color. Steens’ groves display a beautiful spectrum of red (at highest elevations), orange, yellow, and still-green colored trees. This is unlike the aspens that I have seen elsewhere in the western states, in which most or all of a grove turns a uniform golden yellow. The trick is picking the right time to go and see the best color. To read about this year’s trip, and see its resulting images, go to: Steens Mountain Fall Color, 2025 photo gallery.
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Lake O’Hara 2025
During our incredibly fortuitous and fantastic stay at Lake O’Hara Lodge in the Canadian Rockies last Fall (click for details), we requested a return stay anytime this year. And we were notified last December that a 5 night stay in a lake cabin in mid-August was available for us. We accepted even though August is a very busy month at home in Bend – once we landed a spot on this merry-go-round, we’re staying on it as long as we can!
So, we headed north by car on August 14th, spending a lovely night in Bonner’s Ferry, ID, and the next night at the wonderful Lodge at Bow Lake. We then rode Lake O’Hara Lodge’s bus over the 12 kilometer gated fire road to the lake, and settled into our lakeside cabin. Over the next four days, we hiked within three of the four surrounding mountainous basins. The area had experienced rain for the preceding 5+ weeks, but we had dry days. Probably due to that wetness, the wildflowers were not abundant and the teal-color of the upper lakes and streams was lighter than last year. Of course, we were also too early for golden larches, but all the vegetation was a lovely fresh green.
Overall, we had an utterly fantastic time and, even though the area wasn’t as photogenic as last year, it was still an “11 on scale of 10”!😊 Fingers crossed, we are looking forward to a return visit next year.
See the trip’s images here: Lake O’Hara 2025 Image Gallery.
Rafting the Grand Canyon & Other SW Adventures
My friend, Andy, the Starr Van and I spent a month in the Southwest in April & May. The trip’s impetus was a ten day photography workshop we signed up for last year to raft the Grand Canyon’s Colorado River. And we added 10 more days on both sides to explore other locales in the region. In chronological order, we visited:
* The eastern rim of the Little Colorado River Gorge;
* The South Rim of the Grand Canyon;
* New Mexico’s Bisti and Valley of Dreams badlands;
* The monumental Chaco Canyon pueblo ruins;
* The Zuni Pueblo, including a ceremonial dance;
* Arizona’s Painted Desert;
* The Grand Canyon, via a raft;
* Backcountry roads around Escalante, Utah;
* Badlands around Hanksville, Utah.
Learn more about the trip, and see its images, here: Grand Canyon Rafting & Other SW Adventures Image Galleries.
Lake O’Hara, Canadian Rockies
Martha and I took a 3 week adventure in the Starr van up the Olympic Peninsula and around the Canadian Rockies. The impetus was to escape Central Oregon’s wildfire smoke and we succeeded. The trip’s high point was miraculously securing a 4 day stay at Lake O’Hara Lodge in the Rockies after years of trying — we serendipitously learned of a last minute cancellation when we were less than an hour away from the lodge. And to cap it all off: the larch trees above the lake were just a day or two past their peak color, and there was a new dusting of snow on the peaks. Up to this point in the trip, my camera hadn’t seen the light of day because I’d previously photographed most of the trip’s stops under better conditions. But my new Canon R5 Mark II camera came out for Lake O’Hara.
Learn more about the trip, and see its images, in the Lake O’Hara Image Gallery.
Spring Road Trip
I spent the last 2 weeks of April on yet another road trip exploring the Southwestern U.S. and SE Oregon. I had the vague goal of visiting past favorite areas in more depth, while having my eyes & ears peeled for any significant flower blooms. Serendipity and the elements resulted in the following itinerary:
* A few days in the Factory Butte area between Utah’s Hanksville and Capitol Reef NP;
* A rough-but-scenic drive down Utah’s Burr Trail and Smoky Mountain roads;
* Visits to Lake Powell’s Alstrom Point and nearby Studhorse Point;
* A stay in Kanab to perform some van repairs and visit the nearby Great Chamber;
* A multi-day visit to northern Arizona’s fantastical White Pocket;
* A drive back north toward northern Capitol Reef’s Cathedral Valley, which was thwarted by wide-spread rain & snow;
* A few days exploring the back roads of Oregon’s Owyhee River Canyonlands.
It was a great trip, all-in-all. Although the photographic results were a little lean, I thoroughly enjoyed having the time and capable vehicle to explore a myriad of very sparsely traveled backroads to remote locations.
Learn more about the trip, and see its images, in the Spring Road Trip Image Galleries.
