6B — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD
SATURDAY, MAY 15, 2021
MORELS
Mixed signals
frustrate friend
Continued from Page 1B
The magic formula for them pop-
ping out is for the soil to be moist and
have a warm night or two.
I’m sure if you did a scientifi c study,
you’d discover that their growth is
triggered at a certain soil tempera-
ture. I fi nd them up where I bear hunt
around May 10 at 5,200 feet elevation.
Of course I’m up there baiting from
April 15 to June so I keep checking
until the season hits.
It seems they jump out overnight.
I’ve always threatened — and maybe
I’ll do it this year — to fi nd a small one
and put a marker by it. Then come
back the next day and see if it’s grown
two to three inches.
You want to be checking for them
early and not be on the tail end of the
season. Nothing is more disheartening
than to fi nd a good mess and they’re
on the downhill side and deteriorated
and you can’t eat them. So, it’s better
to be early and barely fi nd any than to
be late and only fi nd rotten ones.
So where do you fi nd them? Ha,
that’s the million-dollar question. I’ve
hunted them for decades but still don’t
have it all fi gured out. Everyone will
tell you to look by old rotting logs. Well,
there are a million old rotting logs in
the forest and the majority of them
don’t have mushrooms. Some people
say to look under tamaracks. I seem
to fi nd them randomly. But there are
some likely spots.
They’re not in a bog hole but I have
a good spot that is a little bit of a hole
which caused it to be moist. Along
old logging roads. Especially on the
sidebank above the trail. Last year’s
DEAR ABBY: I’m a
lesbian. There’s a girl
DEAR ABBY
I have liked for a little
over a month. We are
like best friends. When I
told her I was attracted to
her, she basically friend-zoned me, which hurt. Then she told
a mutual friend she was considering being “friends with ben-
efi ts” with me, and I got excited. Well, she changed her mind
again because she was afraid it would be awkward.
I still have a crush on her, but I value our friendship. We
spend so much time together, and things are easy but also
challenging because I just want to grab her and kiss her. We
snuggle all the time, and she gives me hugs every day (we live
in the same dormitory). I want to make out with her. These
mixed signals are killing me. What do I do?
— DAZED & CONFUSED IN FLORIDA
DEAR DAZED: You’re right. This young woman is giving
you mixed signals. That’s why you should put her fi rmly
in YOUR friend zone. Stop the hugging and snuggling and
move on, so you can fi nd someone who reciprocates your
feelings. (Absence has been known to make the heart grow
fonder.) Perhaps when she realizes that you are capable of
moving on, her feelings for you will change. However, if they
don’t, you will have lost nothing but more heartache.
DEAR ABBY: Recently, my dear mother-in-law passed
away. While writing her obituary, it was a challenge to hunt
down accurate dates and family information. Many family
members chimed in with confl icting information. To prevent
this confusion in the future, would it be tactless to ask rela-
tives for some of this information ahead of time? If so, how
would you go about writing something on this topic without
offending someone?
Tom Claycomb/Contributed Photo
Stump holes, which hold moisture, are likely spots to fi nd morel mush-
rooms, especially in areas recently burned.
logging operations where the ground
is tore up. Check in old caterpillar
tracks (bulldozers, not the caterpillar
bug. Their tracks are too small!).
Over the years as you fi nd them
go back to those spots. Not that it’s a
hotspot every year but many times
they are. When you fi nd one on a
hillside look up and downhill. Spores
wash downhill and many times you’ll
fi nd more.
But now and then I fi nd them
in weird spots. Years ago I found a
bunch on a grassy hillside. I’ve looked
there every year since and never
found any more there.
But the absolute most magical spot
is in last year’s forest fi re areas. But
the second year the burn has lost its
touch. You can go to the Forest Ser-
vice and get maps of old burn areas
FISHING REPORT
— WONDERING IN MICHIGAN
DEAR WONDERING: What you have in mind is practi-
cal. If you have a relationship with these relatives, why not
bring some of these questions up in normal conversation?
(I assume you know where they were born.) To ask when
people graduated from high school or college isn’t intrusive.
What year someone was married isn’t classifi ed information
either. If you simply start talking, you may fi nd out much of
the information you are after.
P.S. If your relatives are willing to make the effort to write
down their own stories, it could be compiled into a precious
family history.
ing but with warmer weather bass are
likely biting well now.
OVERVIEW
Trout stocking is underway at sev-
eral area lakes and ponds. In addition,
many of these locations will have hold-
over trout from last year’s stocking.
These fi sh have been in the water long
enough to have put on some size, and
to key in on natural food sources. Se-
lecting fl ies or lures that mimic these
food sources can be effective.
Bass and panfi sh anglers should
start keeping an eye on water tempera-
tures. Once they reach 50 degrees, you
can expect these fi sh to become more
active. Look for them to start moving
into the shallows in anticipation of
spawning.
DEAR ABBY: Our family just got back from a perfect vaca-
tion, which included, in addition to my husband and me, my
three adult sons, their wives, two grandchildren and my mom.
My husband and I paid to rent a house, and we all chipped in
for food.
When we returned, my sister called and said she was jeal-
ous, and she wants to be included next time. I love my sister,
but that would very much change the dynamics of our vaca-
tion. Is it selfi sh to not want to include her? Is there anything
I can say or do to ease the hurt? Due to COVID, we are no
longer hosting holidays or other celebrations as we normally
do.
DEAR BIG FAMILY: Your sister has a right to her feelings.
However, that does not obligate you to change your fam-
ily vacation plans to suit her. Because you appear to have
trouble saying no, tell her you will think about it, which is
true and doesn’t obligate you.
PILCHER CREEK RESERVOIR
The ice is gone and spring fi shing
will begin heating up here in the com-
ing weeks. Reports from ice fi shing
suggest good holdover of healthy
10- to 15-inch fi sh from last year’s
stockings.
weather
Astoria
WALLOWA LAKE
Wallowa Lake is open, and anglers
are starting to catch a few early
Longview
50/61
Vancouver
50/80
51/82
Baker City
SUN
39 82 42
Comfort Index™ 10
La Grande
53/88
8
Condon
54/88
53/80
47/83
42 81 45
Comfort Index™
WED
Showers
possible
83 44
79 44
59 36
Eugene
6
8
5
46/80
82 46
76 42
54 39
6
8
1
9
75 39
50 39
8
8
2
8
TEMPERATURES Baker City La Grande Elgin
NATION (for the 48 contiguous states)
High Thursday
Low Thursday
High: 111°
Low: 18°
Wettest: 1.75”
75°
35°
79°
39°
81°
35°
PRECIPITATION (inches)
0.00
0.03
0.56
1.69
3.61
0.00
0.02
0.83
5.86
6.64
0.00
0.05
0.92
13.76
10.61
AGRICULTURAL INFO.
HAY INFORMATION SUNDAY
Lowest relative humidity
Afternoon wind
Hours of sunshine
Evapotranspiration
25%
N at 6 to 12 mph
13.5
0.26
RESERVOIR STORAGE (through midnight Friday)
Phillips Reservoir
Unity Reservoir
Owyhee Reservoir
McKay Reservoir
Wallowa Lake
Thief Valley Reservoir
Elkton
48/73
19% of capacity
98% of capacity
53% of capacity
98% of capacity
62% of capacity
97% of capacity
STREAM FLOWS (through midnight Thursday)
Grande Ronde at Troy
5200 cfs
Thief Valley Reservoir near North Powder
99 cfs
Burnt River near Unity
119 cfs
Umatilla River near Gibbon
404 cfs
Minam River at Minam
1250 cfs
Powder River near Richland
32 cfs
Death Valley, Calif.
Dillon, Colo.
Tamiami, Fla.
OREGON
Medford
Meacham
Brookings
High: 88°
Low: 32°
Wettest: Trace
WEATHER HISTORY
A tornado on this date in 1968 cut a 65-
mile path through Iowa. Charles City was
hit the hardest with 13 deaths and $30
million in damage.
SUN & MOON
SAT.
Sunrise
Sunset
Moonrise
Moonset
SUN.
5:22 a.m. 5:21 a.m.
8:16 p.m. 8:17 p.m.
7:53 a.m. 8:46 a.m.
none 12:17 a.m.
MOON PHASES
First
Full
May 19 May 26
Last
Jun 2
New
Jun 10
50/84
Silver Lake
Jordan Valley
44/77
Paisley
44/80
41/79
Frenchglen
44/79
50/89
Klamath Falls
42/80
52/88
Lakeview
41/79
McDermitt
46/77
RECREATION FORECAST SUNDAY
REGIONAL CITIES
MON.
City
Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W
Astoria
61/49/c 60/45/c
Bend
84/47/s 82/44/s
Boise
85/54/s 87/54/s
Brookings
67/48/s 59/46/pc
Burns
83/44/s 83/44/s
Coos Bay
60/47/s 59/43/pc
Corvallis
81/47/s 75/45/pc
Council
85/46/s 85/49/s
Elgin
84/46/s 81/44/s
Eugene
80/47/s 76/45/pc
Hermiston
94/60/s 88/52/s
Hood River
88/57/s 78/53/pc
Imnaha
84/48/s 81/45/s
John Day
81/49/s 79/44/s
Joseph
80/47/s 80/46/s
Kennewick
95/54/s 91/52/s
Klamath Falls 80/41/s 79/41/s
Lakeview
79/40/s 80/41/s
Grand View
Arock
45/85
49/81
Shown is Sunday’s weather. Temperatures are Saturday night’s lows and Sunday’s highs.
SUN.
Diamond
40/79
Fields
Medford
Brookings
Boise
53/85
51/93
51/67
45/86
39/80
Chiloquin
Grants Pass
Juntura
41/83
40/78
Beaver Marsh
Ontario
55/90
Burns
Brothers
39/78
Roseburg
Huntington
41/78
48/80
Coos Bay
45/85
57/89
Seneca
47/84
Oakridge
Council
39/82
44/81
46/85
Bend
Powers
46/83
43/76
John Day
41/85
Sisters
Florence
48/60
Halfway
Granite
Baker City
Redmond
46/58
THURSDAY EXTREMES
ALMANAC
Monument
50/85
45/81
Newport
Enterprise
42/81
45/84
47/77
50/82
47/60
Comfort Index takes into account how the weather will feel based on a combination of factors. A rating of 10 feels
very comfortable while a rating of 0 feels very uncomfortable.
Thursday
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Normal year to date
Corvallis
47/81
80 45
Elgin
44/84
La Grande
50/80
50/90
Idanha
Salem
TUE
6
54/86
Pendleton
The Dalles
Portland
Newberg
Lewiston
53/88
Hood River
52/89
Increasing
cloudiness
8
45 84 47
Comfort Index™
Enterprise
MON
Forecasts and graphics provided
by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2021
Walla Walla
52/95
Maupin
Sunny and very
Sunny and
warm
remaining warm
Source: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Kennewick
49/78
St. Helens
TIllamook
Clear
IMNAHA RIVER
High fl ows during the spring will
make fi shing diffi cult, though some
trout can be found when river condi-
tions allow. Look for conditions to
improve toward the end of June and
early July. Anglers should be aware
that some construction/utility work is
occurring on the lower Imnaha, and
trucks will be on the road hauling
equipment and materials.
AROUND OREGON AND THE REGION
45/66
TONIGHT
GRANDE RONDE RIVER
The fl ows on the Grande Ronde
have jumped with the beginning of
snowmelt. This will make fi shing dif-
fi cult but some trout may be found.
WALLOWA COUNTY PONDS
The early trout stocking for Marr
Pond has been canceled through mid-
May to accommodate improvements
to accessibility. Other ponds in the area
will begin to receive their fi rst batch of
stocked fi sh in the next few weeks. For-
est ponds continue to be inaccessible
because of snow.
OWYHEE RESERVOIR
Fishing has been great for black
crappie in the upper reservoir near
Leslie Gulch. No reports on bass fi sh-
| Go to AccuWeather.com
kokanee. As spring progresses, fi sh-
ing for trout that held over from the
previous year’s stocking can pick up.
Catching these fi sh may take some
time, but they are often much larger.
Fish natural baits as stocked fi sh have
typically learned to eat natural food by
this time.
Spring is a good time to fi sh for
lake trout as they’re active and can
sometimes be found in the shallow
areas. Methods typically involve good
electronics, downriggers, and some-
times jigging.
THIEF VALLEY RESERVOIR
Trolling lures or fl ies will do a great
job catching fi sh in this reservoir. Bait
fi shing with PowerBait or worms is
also a proven method for putting fi sh
on a stringer. This reservoir might be
stocked again in May if there is enough
water to keep stocking.
MALHEUR RESERVOIR
Fishing is great for rainbow trout
from 10 to 20+ inches. This reservoir
was recently stocked with tagged
trophy trout, some are marked with
reward tags. If you catch a tagged trout
please report it here: MyODFW.com/
tagteam.
— BIG FAMILY UP NORTH
or pay attention to fi res this summer
and go back next spring.
I’m not sure if the fi res need to
reach a certain temperature or what
but a couple of years ago, I was up
bear hunting and found where a
random fi re had run through the
forest. It was a spotty little fi re and
I thought, great! Nobody knows
about this spot. But I didn’t fi nd one
mushroom in the burn. Weird.
Some years, though, you’ll fi nd
clumps big as a cow pie. I remem-
ber at one fi re years ago two of us
couples picked two 5-gallon buckets
each in no time at all and had to
step over a million on the way out.
It about killed me passing clumps of
8-12 nice healthy morels.
Ugh, we are out of room. I’ll try to
do a mushroom cooking article soon.
City
Lewiston
Longview
Meacham
Medford
Newport
Olympia
Ontario
Pasco
Pendleton
Portland
Powers
Redmond
Roseburg
Salem
Spokane
The Dalles
Ukiah
Walla Walla
SUN.
MON.
Hi/Lo/W
88/54/s
78/50/s
82/44/s
89/52/s
58/45/pc
74/48/s
90/54/s
93/53/s
89/56/s
80/53/s
73/49/s
85/44/s
84/51/s
82/50/s
84/53/s
88/57/s
80/45/s
86/59/s
Hi/Lo/W
88/54/s
73/47/pc
80/42/s
86/51/s
56/45/c
68/45/pc
92/57/s
91/51/s
84/52/s
75/52/pc
72/45/pc
82/42/s
79/49/pc
77/49/pc
81/50/s
81/54/s
81/41/s
83/54/s
Weather(W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain,
sf-snow fl urries, sn-snow, i-ice
ANTHONY LAKES
PHILLIPS LAKE
Plenty of sunshine
Sunny and warm
56
39
77
44
MT. EMILY REC.
BROWNLEE RES.
Sunny and mild
Mostly sunny
69
47
85
47
EAGLE CAP WILD.
EMIGRANT ST. PARK
Mostly sunny
Sunny and warm
63
37
76
42
WALLOWA LAKE
MCKAY RESERVOIR
Mostly sunny; warm
Sunny and warm
80
47
88
57
THIEF VALLEY RES.
RED BRIDGE ST. PARK
Sunny and warm
Sunny and warm
82
42
84
47