After visiting Hosmer Lake twice (post one and post two), Sparks Lake was next on our list to paddle and we headed out of Bend just after 10am on Sunday, hoping to beat most of the traffic, which we did. Sparks is the first lake to the left of Cascade Lakes Highway just past Mt. Bachelor, situated in a position to offer great views of South Sister (north), Broken Top (northeast), Tumalo Mountain (east), and Mt. Bachelor (southeast).
As I slowed to make the left turn onto the gravel access road leading to the boat ramp, I could see a line of vehicles behind me, all sporting SUPs or kayaks, or like us, both. The rest of the line of traffic continued on to other lakes, leaving us to navigate the super bumpy dirt road by ourselves. This mile and a half road made our recent approach to Jack Lake, using its so-called "washboard" road, look like a picnic. The Sparks road was slow going, even in my 4x4.
We pulled right in to the boat launch and dropped our watercraft, before I went in search of a parking spot. Almost all of the parking was full, but I managed to make a spot along the entrance road about 200 yards from the ramp. Most of the cars in the lot belonged to people who had come earlier in the weekend and boated to dispersed camp sites along the lakeshore.
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| Our Greeter, Osprey in a Fir Tree |
Just as soon as we got on the water, we both heard an osprey calling from the top of a nearby fir tree, welcoming us to the lake. We watched as it flew circles overhead before flying elsewhere. At this point, we turned our attention to the vast expanse of Hairy Arnica covering the mudflats near the ramp. Beyond were stunning views of South Sister. Broken Top and Tumalo Mountain would come into view as we moved out of the very shallow water near the ramp out into the marginally deeper part of the lake.
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| South Sister Above Expanse of Arnica |
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| Hairy Arnica, Arnica mollis |
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| Close Up of Arnica Blooms |
As we moved west out of the little finger in which the boat launch is situated, we moved along a shore defined by lava formations. (And in fact, in my inflatable kayak, I had to keep an eye out for submerged lava rock, especially given the low water levels). I was surprised at all the wildflowers seemingly growing out of solid rock. The banks are home to Red Elderberries, Canadian Goldenrod, Hairy Arnica, Fireweed, Cow Parsnip, and Red Baneberries, among others.
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Common Riparian Denizen
Red Elderberry, Sambucus racemosa |
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| Mt. Bachelor |
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Ski Runs (Sparks Lake Run, etc.) on the Northwest Flank of Mt. Bachelor
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| Headed Back Towards South Sister |
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| Red Baneberries, Actaea rubra, Glowing in the Sun |
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| Fireweed, Chamaenerion angustifolium, Growing on a Rock Island |
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| Heading North, Views of Broken Top and Tumalo Mountain |
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| Ragged Top of Highly Eroded and Aptly Named Broken Top |
As we moved north, we got great views of the aptly name Broken Top, a stratovolcano in the Three Sisters Wilderness whose current shape was formed by glacial erosion. The further north we moved toward the extensive wetlands at the northern end of the lake along the highway, the shallower the water became. We went as far north as we could before our fins started dragging the bottom. In the photo below, I can just barely creep along as the water is only half my paddle blade deep. We gave up on the northern end and went back south to explore a bit more.
Unfortunately, I thought incorrectly and I waited on shore for an hour and twenty minutes for her to arrive at the launch, all the while new people were streaming in from town. Because of our mixed signals, Ann paddled back to the south end of the lake looking for me. Meanwhile, I had loaded up my kayak in the truck, reviewed all the photos on my camera, and finally resorted to halfheartedly playing solitaire on my phone with one eye on the water. As the afternoon wore on, dozens of campers landed and offloaded tons of gear, their weekend coming to a close.
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| Parting Shot of South Sister on my Way to the Ramp |
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| Female Ring Neck Duck and Young |
After tens of false alarms, a lone SUP came into view around the lava formations at the end of the finger leading to the boat launch. With the help of my camera, I saw Ann in the magnified image. Whew! That was a load off my mind. In another ten minutes, I was going to get dressed again for the water, haul my kayak back to the launch, and set out to find her. She arrived on the sand a bit frustrated and very tired. We were both frustrated at the miscommunication and agreed that we would set rendezvous points in the future to check in and avoid a similar situation.
We had planned to hike the short trail on the shore to see more of the sights, but after this experience, we were both starving (we planned to eat lunch at least an hour ago) and tired. We packed up and I squeezed out of my parking place: during the afternoon, cars had nearly wedged my truck in. The first part of the trip back in to town in search of a beer and a smashburger was uneventful.
However, by the time we hit Wanoga Sno-Park on the Bend side of Bachelor, we ended up in an ever-growing line of kayak- and SUP-toting vehicles. We were all behind a pickup with an untethered SUP in the bed. The driver was going slowly and frustrating all of us who had taken the time and effort to strap our gear down tightly.
I could deal with creeping back into town off the mountain at the speed limit (55, the usual pace is 65-70). What I could not deal with was the white Mercedes Sprinter van on my ass less than a van length behind me. As the line of traffic behind us grew ever longer, I gave the #vanlife moron driver several unmistakable back-the-fuck-off signals which worked, but only for a mile or two. The Sprinter dick was still on my bumper all the way onto Colorado Avenue back in town. We lost him as we headed east to Spider City for a beer and a burger.
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| Post-Paddle Beers at Spider City |
Too bad for us that I thought it was Saturday and the Americana truck (home of Bend's best burger) was closed. All damn day, I thought it was Saturday. After two beers, we ended up hopping in to Gross Out and getting some dried pasta to make at home. I ended up making fried tortellini with anchovy, caper, and sage butter. Dinner did not suck!
In reflecting on our experience at Sparks Lake and our as yet meager experience paddling the Cascade Lakes, I have to say that I much prefer Hosmer to Sparks. As beautiful as the mountain views are at Sparks, I feel like there is more to explore at Hosmer.
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