Sparks Lake

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.

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.

South Sister Above Expanse of Arnica

Hairy Arnica, Arnica mollis

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.

Common Riparian Denizen
Red Elderberry, Sambucus racemosa 

Red Elderberry Detail

One of Many Lava Formations Along the Bank

Out in the Middle Looking Northeast:
South Sister (l), Broken Top (c), and Tumalo Mountain (r)

Female Junco Foraging at Water's Edge

More Lava Formations

Ann Exploring a Small Inlet

Male Ring Neck Duck and 17 Babies!

Same Goup; I Think I Count 18 Babies!

We paddled west out into the middle of the lake and turned south to keep exploring the deeper part of the lake. This brought our first views of Mt. Bachelor and the backside ski runs. After having paddled as far south as we could (and encountered perhaps too many noisy overnight campers), we did a 180 and headed back north in the direction of South Sister to explore the northern end of the lake.

Mt. Bachelor

Ski Runs (Sparks Lake Run, etc.) on the Northwest Flank of Mt. Bachelor

Headed Back Towards South Sister

Red Baneberries, Actaea rubra, Glowing in the Sun

Fireweed, Chamaenerion angustifolium, Growing on a Rock Island

Heading North, Views of Broken Top and Tumalo Mountain

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.

Reflections on the Shallow Bottom

Pewee Hawking Bugs from a High Perch

South Sister, More Lava

Firs on a Narrow Spit

Broken Top Behind More Lava

Bright Red Elderberries and Tall Pink Fireweed

Cow Parsnip, Heracleum maximum, Seed Heads

Goldenrod, Solidago perhaps canadensis, and More Fireweed

Fern in Cliff Face
Perhaps Brittle Bladderfern, Cystopteris fragilis  

After messing around back in the middle of the lake, I started heading in to the boat launch, having had enough paddling for one afternoon and having exhausted most novel sights. I thought Ann was with me and I thought she was coming in to the launch as well. In fact, I saw her over my shoulder as I stopped to talk with a man in a wooden canoe on my way into the finger that is home to the boat launch. I headed in to the ramp thinking Ann was following me.

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.

Parting Shot of South Sister on my Way to the Ramp

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.

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.