I haven't done much exploring along the Deschutes on the north side of Bend, which makes some sense as we live on the south side of town. I was going to walk from Sunriver to Bend, but that's a point-to-point walk requiring a ride and, unfortunately, Ann had come down with a June cold and wasn't up to driving me. So, I decided to tick Riley Ranch off my list and while I was at it, walk to the town of Tumalo and back. Riley Ranch sits on the east bank of the Deschutes just at the northern end of Awbrey Butte.
Bend Parks and Recreation acquired the 184-acre Riley Ranch Nature Reserve in 2017. Once known as Gopher Gulch, it was renamed Riley Ranch Nature Reserve in honor of O.B. Riley, who made an original homestead claim on a portion of the property and after whom nearby O.B. Riley road is named. As a nature reserve, the park is largely undeveloped saved for a few improved paths. Unlike most Bend parks, dogs are not allowed here to protect the local wildlife.
While I did not see any wildlife, a few birds excepted, parts of the river trail were littered with big mule deer tracks. The canyon wrens were singing up a storm and I did see a jay harassing the hell out of a Red Tail Hawk, but that's about it. To be fair, I did not arrive until 8:30am, so I am sure that there is more wildlife to be seen closer to sun-up. It's light enough to see outside this time of year from 4:30am on.
From the parking lot, I walked the park clockwise by staying left at each path, ultimately descending into the Deschutes River canyon. I followed the river north through the park, across private property, into Tumalo State Park, and then across O.B. Riley Road to Oregon Route 20 at the town of Tumalo where I turned around. On the way back, I continued to stay left once in Riley Ranch and so I walked almost all of the trails in the park, save for one short connector trail. All in all, I walked around 10 miles.
Based on my experience, I would not walk beyond the southern edge of the developed part of Tumalo Park. The park itself was wall-to-wall screaming kids at summer camp and there is really nothing much of interest from the park to Tumalo. I just wanted to experience that section of river for myself once, but I would not do it again.
The following photos are roughly in the order that I shot them. Unfortunately, I was trying out a new photography technique that resulted in super-grainy photos, but they serve their purpose in documenting this stretch of the river.
Just off the parking lot, you find yourself in pretty typical terrain, a large flat ringed by both junipers and pines, populated mainly by silvery sagebrush with a smattering of bright green rabbitbrush thrown in for seasoning. Working west to the river canyon, you find yourself about 100 feet above the river for a ways before descending into the canyon and circling to the far south of the property before heading north again along the river.
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| First View: Mt. Bachelor |
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A Non-Native Weed, Spiny Sow Thistle, Sonchus asper
But Handsome Nonetheless |
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| Moon and Juniper |
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| Cones at the Base of a Large Ponderosa |
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| Broken Top and the Three Sisters Over Sagebrush Flat |
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| Juniper Snag Atop Basalt Lava Flow |
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| Oregon Sunshine, Eriophyllum lanatum |
Once halfway down the canyon to the river, I started seeing lots of campions. In fact, in one section of trail, I saw more campions in a single field of view than I have seen in all my life put together. Thousands upon thousands of these pretty white flowers graced both sides of the trail. Our local campion is commonly called Douglas' Catchfly.
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| Douglas' Catchfly, Silene douglasii |
Unlike elsewhere along the river that I have visited in recent weeks, the balsamroots are still in bloom, though getting near to their end. Generally they do not grow so close to water as you see in the photo below.
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| Carey's Balsamroot, Balsamorhiza careyana |
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| Close Up of Carey's Balsamroot |
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| First Ripening Wax Currants of the Year, Ribes cereum |
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The Deschutes Here is More Like a Creek
After Irrigation Diversions |
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| Cushion Wild Buckwheat, Eriogonum ovalifolium |
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| Bird's-foot Trefoil, Lotus corniculatus |
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| More Trefoil and Domestic Clover |
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| Lewis' Mock-Orange, Philadelphus lewisii |
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| Douglas' Dustymaiden, Chaenactis douglasii |
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| First Scarlet Gilia of the Year, Ipomopsis aggregata |
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One of My Favorite Summer Wildflowers
Large-Flowered Collomia, Collomia grandiflora |
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| Stunning Woods' Rose, Rosa woodsii |
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| Unusual Flower Form, a Packera or Senecio |
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| First Blooming Ocean Spray of the Summer, Holodiscus discolor |
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Around Here, Ocean Spray Likes Rocky Areas
Such as This Talus Slope and Lava Fields |
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| Steel "Boardwalk" in Tumalo State Park |
Starting in Tumalo State Park, I started seeing yellow ray flowers with highly serrated leaves, a type of flower that I did not know before this hike. While the leaves are similar to the ultra-common Spearleaf Agoseris, Agoseris retrorsa, the bloom habit is highly variable and very different to the agoserises. In some plants, the blooms somewhat resemble the rabbitbrushes.
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| Tapertip Hawksbeard, Crepis acuminata |
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| Another Tapertip Hawksbeard |
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| First Western Spirea Blooms of the Year, Spirea douglasii |
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| Odd to Find Multiflora Roses Along the Deschutes |
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| Nearly Blue Western Blue Flag, Iris missouriensis |
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| Western Swallowtail on a More Typically Colored Iris |
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| Hawkweeds, Hieracium sp., Are Everywhere |
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| Dramatic Common Mullein Foliage and Buds, Verbascum thapsus |
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Bushy Blazing-Star, Mentzelia dispersa
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| Female Black-Headed Grosbeak |
As the calendar moves on towards July, the lavender ray flowers start to open, the asters, the Erigerons, and the Townsendias. I saw plenty on the day, but I have a hard time telling one from another.
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