short trip east of Bend

[Occidental]

We took a trip to the Ft. Rock side of the Bend Ft. Rock ranger district close to home. The Ft. Rock used to be its own district, but alas, consolidation. It seems as though there are less and less ties to the land as everyone moves to the big city and sits in an office. This side of the Deschutes has a lot less traffic than other areas, but still a lot of cool things to check out. We've only chipped away at the tip of the iceberg here, but a couple highlights include a stop at Oregon's largest juniper tree and also a stop at a cave. We ended the trip a bit early due to high winds, but all in all a good weekend.

You can find the report here: https://www.occidentalist.org/to-ft-rock-and-back/

We're headed out for another adventure, so thanks in advance for any comments or questions. I'll get back to you when we return.

 

[AWG_Pics]

Short trips can be very rewarding. We are off this weekend to SE Washington to meet up with my wife's nephew, a forester, who knowns some great chanterelle mushroom sites.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Thanks for posting.Yes short trips can be fun.
Frank

 

[Smokecreek1]

I have stopped many times at the Ft Rock turn off there on 31 to take a break or to pull out my map and decide where to go next. There are allot of places in the desert or forest nearby to go play, explore or camp for the night. One thing about that place is that everyone seems to stop there and I don't ever remember not seeing a parked rig or someone else stopping while I was there. I have not been there since Covid, so thanks for reminding me about that area and now that I just had my booster shot maybe it's for a return trip !

Smoke

 

[Occidental]

Smoke that does seem to be a popular spot to get out and stretch the legs. From there you can get into this area pretty easily by heading to Ft. Rock and the north on Cabin Lake Road. You'll be to the big tree in no time.

 

[Lighthawk]

Thanks for bringing us along. It's always fun to see how other's set up their camps.

 

[ski3pin]

Very nice, these short trips can be so much fun. Thanks!