B
Friday, August 30, 2019
The Observer & Baker City Herald
RECREATION
REPORT
Grouse hunting
starts Sept. 1
Forest grouse
and mourning dove
seasons all open
this Sunday, Sept 1.
Remember to buy
your Upland Game
Bird Validation, which
is valid from July 1 to
June 30, and to check
for fi re restrictions
before you go.
Free youth
pheasant hunt
Sept. 14-15 at
Ladd Marsh
Hunters 17 and
younger can hunt
pheasants for free
on Sept. 14 and 15 at
Ladd Marsh Wildlife
Area. Check-in both
days is at 7 a.m. at
59116 Pierce Road,
with hunting from
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Each hunter must
be accompanied by
an adult 21 or older;
adults are not al-
lowed to hunt.
Each youth hunter
must have a hunter
education certifi cate
or hunting license.
Hunters 12 or older
need an upland game
bird validation. All
participants, adults
and youth, must
wear a blaze orange
hat and vest, as well
as eye protection.
Registration
deadline is Sept. 9. To
register go to odfw.
huntfi shoregon.
com. More informa-
tion is available by
calling organizer Kyle
Martin at 541-963-
4954 or by email at
kyle.w.martin@state.
or.us
FISHING
FORECAST
ANTHONY LAKE
Has been stocked
with trophy-size rain-
bow trout. Fishing
has been good with
fi shing from fl oating
devices most produc-
tive.
MALHEUR
RESERVOIR
Anglers are report-
ing poor fi shing. A
fi sh die-off occurred
in 2018; however,
anglers still reported
good success that
year. Ice fi shing suc-
cess this past winter
was good as well, but
anglers began report-
ing poor fi shing
when the ice came
off the reservoir this
spring. Biologists
now suspect that
the fi sh die-off was
larger than originally
thought. Biologists
plan to stock larger
fi sh (12-inch) this fall
when water tem-
peratures cool and
fi sh survival can be
assured. There were
65,400 fi ngerings (3
to 4 inches) stocked
this spring that have
grown to 8 to 11
inches.
WALLOWA LAKE
Kokanee fi shing
is picking up for
anglers. While most
are fi nding moder-
ate catch rates, the
quality of fi sh is very
good with kokanee to
4 pounds. Trout fi sh-
ing has been good
for holdover and
recently stocked fi sh.
Photo by Mavis Hartz
Volcanic ash is exposed in a roadcut along the Blue Mountain Scenic Byway near Ukiah.
Pedaling
through
the pines
■ A 43-mile ride through the Blue Mountains from Camas
Creek to the North Fork John Day River features firs, too
The Herculean
Camping Loop is a
seven-day, 292-mile
road cycling adven-
ture through a wide
range of ecosystems
and summits. Each day
covers between 16 and 58
miles of isolated pavement
and concludes at a seasonal
campground suitable for tent
camping. There are streams
and water sources along the
route but to truly tour in com-
fort carrying a water fi lter is
imperative.
This article encompasses
day four, traveling 43 miles
through some of the most iso-
lated and picturesque sections
of the circlet starting at the
Camas Creek Campground
on the Ukiah-Dale Forest
State Scenic Corridor and ter-
minating at North Fork John
Day River Campground.
Exit the delightful Camas
Creek Campground and
roll north on Highway 395.
Enjoy the rough grass and
wildlife of Camas Prairie and
Camas Creek as you turn to
travel east on Highway 244 to
Ukiah.
Ukiah has been the host of
hunting and gathering popu-
lations since before European
immigrants began settling
the area in the late 1860s.
Popular harvests over time
have included camas root,
huckleberries, mushrooms,
chokecherries, fi sh, elk and
deer. Currently the harvest-
ing of wild animals is one of
the main economic drivers
of the region. This results in
highways that are very infre-
quently traveled, except dur-
ing the fall when elk, deer and
bear hunters visit in droves.
Upon entering Ukiah,
make a quick stop at the
THE NEXT RIDE
MAVIS HARTZ
Forest Service compound to
pick up the Ukiah-to-Granite
Geology Field Trip Guide. The
guide, compiled for motorists,
outlines the different rocks
and local geological wonders
found on this ride. Appreciate
the small town of Ukiah with
its history of settlers’ woes,
ranching and rodeos, real-
izing that it is the last place
to purchase anything for the
next couple of days. Follow the
signs south toward Granite on
Camas Street.
Camas Street pulls away
from the marshy valley and
becomes Soap Hill Road with
a grade reaching 8% as it
winds through majestic pine
stands, then opens up on top
of the world with basalt fl ats
and rangeland. Soap Hill
Road turns into National
Forest Service Road 52 and
is embraced by the Umatilla
National Forest and is the
only paved path for miles. The
road, part of the Blue Moun-
tains Scenic Byway, levels off
just after mile 15 at 5,530 feet
of elevation with an amazing
view into the Oregon Depart-
ment of Fish and Wildlife’s
Bridge Creek Wildlife Area.
Bridge Creek Wildlife Area
originated in 1961 and con-
tains approximately 15,206
acres dedicated to re-estab-
lishing and supporting a vari-
ety of fl ora and fauna. Recent
history refl ects large herds of
sheep and cattle grazing as
well as timber sales, farming
and wildfi res. The current
management plan calls for
a wide range of owners, both
public and private, to focus
on wildlife management,
most specifi cally that of the
Rocky Mountain elk and
mule deer in the winter.
Despite the focus group,
the largest recorded faction
of inhabitants are the birds,
with 115 documented avian
species.
The majority of the climb-
A stream and meadow near Ukiah.
ing for the day, 3,241 feet of
elevation, was accomplished
in the fi rst 15 miles and
the following 28 miles only
gained 134 feet. Neverthe-
less, the undulating miles
pass without ever reaching
a point that can be described
as fl at. Grassy meadows and
stunning vistas greet the
cyclist at every turn. The
majestic landscape has been
shaped mostly through fi re.
On a huge timeline scale,
the presence of igneous
rocks such as basalt, tuff
and obsidian capture the
imagination. Around mile 19
you can look north and see
the remnants of the Tower
Mountain Caldera, the cen-
ter circular formation or neck
from a burned-out volcano.
This landmark was formed
prior to, and fi lled in a little
by, the great Colombia River
fl ood basalt fl ows. The bright
white cut banks around mile
22 are white ash fl ow tuff
residual from huge erup-
tions of the like that created
Crater Lake about 7,700
years ago. Large deposits of
mineral left from volcanic ac-
tivity, water and time often
congregate precious metals.
The closer the journey gets
to Granite the more mining
activity is in evidence.
Photo by Mavis Hartz
Photo by Mavis Hartz
See Pedal/Page 2B An overlook of the Bridge Creek Wildlife Area in the Blue
Mountains southeast of Ukiah.