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About Baker City herald. (Baker City, Or.) 1990-current | View Entire Issue (June 13, 2020)
OUTDOORS & REC SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2020 THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD — 3B SNOWSHOE GIFTS Continued from Page 1B Continued from Page 1B We didn’t start hiking until just after 6 o’clock, a time when we’re usually sitting down for dinner, and it was a curious sen- sation to just be starting out into the woods when the sun is low in the western sky. But queer sensations aside, it was a glorious evening to be in the high mountains. The air had the crystalline quality unique to the alpine environment, the granitic bulk of Gunsight Butte and Lees Peak and the Lakes Lookout standing so sharply against the denim blue background that they seemed almost two-dimensional, like the scrolling mountains in a Road Runner cartoon. It was chilly — the dashboard thermometer showed 37 when we parked. But the wind was gentle and the slanting sunlight held a bit of warmth and there was something jolly about seeing our breath condense into fog, as though we were getting in some exercise before Thanksgiving din- ner, or searching for a Christmas tree. The lodgepole pines and sub- alpine fi rs had shed most of their snow burden from the previous day’s storm but their branches still dripped constantly, and the westering sun transformed Lisa Britton/For the EO Media Group thickets into a glittering light Snow still covers sections of the tributary of Antone Creek that fl ows from Black Lake. show, like waterfalls illuminated from within. Water, indeed, dominated the scene. who never truly settles in. Here the sizzling July afternoon feels Snowmelt freshets gurgled beneath the drifts in places that ephemeral and you can sense, even as the sweat beads on your come August will be dusty. forehead, that the frost-spangled grouse huckleberries is not The pocket meadows were inundated and even the granitic far in the future, that the descending clouds of the fi rst autumn boulders beside the trail sweated and dripped and in places storm are as likely to bring snow as rain. were festooned with icicles. We turned around at the northern shore of Black Lake. The I was reminded, as I frequently am, of how the mountains tarn occupies a glacial gouge at the eastern base of Gunsight are such monumental sponges, the inverted reservoirs without and here, behind one of the mountain’s craggy shoulders, the which our valleys, already quite arid in some cases, would be sun had already gone. ever closer to true desert. The temperature had dropped and a crust was beginning to There is ever a strangeness when seasons don’t so much form on the snow, clattering with each step of our plastic MSR overlap as collide. I have long since adjusted to the imminence of snowshoes. summer, have banished long pants to their drawers in favor of The sky was mainly clear. shorts. My down jacket has taken up its long residence hanging And with the moon only a few days into its waning, its cold from a post on our lodgepole bed frame. light would have brightened the forest considerably. And yet it occurred to me as we crunched through the snow, But we hustled back the mile or so to the parking lot to beat some as fresh as salmon from the sea and some having lingered the dusk, which felt more like a winter’s twilight with each pass- here since November, that this wintry scene is more common ing minute, the dark arriving with the suddenness that happens here than any other. only in the forest. Snow defi nes the Elkhorns as much as gray-white stone and I turned on the headlights and we chased their twin beams the dark green of the subalpine fi r and the softer shade of the through the gloaming back down the mountains, back toward whitebark pine. Here summer is the interloper, the brief guest the valley and back toward summer. Make sure you buy the size he wants and with the desired features. KNIVES (Whoa, this could be a whole list by itself since we use so many different knives) • Knives of Alaska Pronghorn, Elk Hunter, Cub Bear or Legacy. • Spyderco folding knives, Native Chief, Endura, Endela. • Stones, Smith’s Consumer Products makes the best. Fine Diamond stones, Tri-hone stone etc. They also offer a lot of folding knives and a boning knife. FISHING GEAR (You can buy a lot of small inexpensive items here) • Lures, fl ies, weights, fi shing line, jig heads, plastics, Pautzke Crappie Fireballs, Field & Stream fi shing rods. • Dip net • Fly vest • Polarized sunglasses CAMPING • Tents — I’ve got a few Alps Mountaineering tents. • Lodge Dutch oven • Camp Chef backpacking stove • Grizzly makes some great coolers. They’re durable, bear-rated and hold a lot of food. • Cook set. If you’re on a tight budget, go to Goodwill and put together a cooking set. Pots, pans, plates, silverware, glasses etc. and put in a large Tupperware container. • MyTopoMaps makes the best maps on the market. • For fun around camp get him a Daisy P51 slingshot or a throwing knife or hatchet. • SneakyHunter BootLamps for hikers. These are like headlamps for your feet. HUNTING • Get him a Umarex air rifl e. He’d have a blast plinking. • Ruger 10/22. I love these little rifl es. They are the most popular .22 on the market. • Brick of Federal or some CCI .22 ammo. • Riton Optics scopes and binoculars • Swab-Its makes some cool gun cleaning swabs. • NRA magazine subscription • SneakyHunter BootLamps. They have three light options, one of which is a blood tracking light. • Targets. He’d love the Birchwood Casey Shoot- NC targets. SIMPLE GIFTS • Tell him you don’t have much but you’ll go fi shing/hiking/camping/hunting with him. I love it when my wife or daughters go with me. That means more to me than any gift in the world. That way I’m doing what I love and with the people I love the most! Some state parks on the Oregon coast to remain closed (south coast) • Arizona Beach State Park group Though state parks and camp- camp (south coast) grounds on the Oregon coast have • Cape Blanco State Park (south started to reopen, some will remain coast) closed through summer. • Carl G. Washburne Memorial The Oregon Parks and Recre- State Park campground (central ation Department announced the coast) long-term closure of all or part of six • Devils Lake State Park camp- state park sites on the Oregon coast ground (central coast) Thursday, most of which will remain Closed through July 31 closed through Labor Day: • Beachside State Recreation Site Closed through Labor Day (central coast) • Alfred A. Loeb State Park The parks department said the By Jamie Hale The Oregonian/OregonLive news “will disappoint many visi- tors and campers and we sincerely understand how this decision affects you,” in its announcement on Twit- ter. “We apologize for the disruption and will continue to evaluate our situation throughout the summer.” All campground reservations made for dates during the extended closure will be automatically can- celed. The parks department will issue full refunds within 10 days of notifying people of the cancellations, offi cials said. Social distance, sanitizer and surfers at reopened Oregon coast parks The continued closures are the result of an estimated $22 million budget shortfall at the state parks department, caused by the corona- virus pandemic that resulted in an economic crisis and forced the parks department to shut down all park sites March 23. The department is not funded by taxpayers, but by Oregon Lottery proceeds, camping and day use fees, and RV registra- tion fees. On June 2, the department announced that it will lay off 47 full-time employees by the end of the month, in addition to the 338 seasonal staff that will not be rehired this year. Park offi cials have warned that some reopened parks will have limited facilities, and that visitors should not rely on having drink- ing water, clean restrooms or trash service. The six coastal parks are the only places where extended closures have been announced. C LASSIFIEDS Published by The Observer & Baker City Herald - Serving Wallowa, Union and Baker Counties PLACING YOUR AD IS EASY...Union, Wallowa, and Baker Counties Phone La Grande - 541-963-3161 Baker City - 541-523-3673 On-Line: www.lagrandeobserver.com www.bakercityherald.com Email: Classifieds@lagrandeobserver.com Classifieds@bakercityherald.com 110 Announcements PULL TABS ACCEPTED AT THE FOLLOWING BAKER CITY LOCATIONS ࢹBaker City Herald ࢹDollar Tree ࢹBlack’s Distributing ࢹRyder Bros ࢹVFW ࢹBaker Elk’s Lodge ࢹMain Event ࢹLefty’s Tap House ࢹLittle Bagel Shop ࢹBaker City Fire Dept. ࢹHaines Sell-Rite ࢹIdle Hour ࢹSalvation Army Fax: La Grande - 541-963-3674 Baker City - 541-523-6426 110 Announcements You too can use this ATTENTION GETTER! Ask how you can get your ad to stand out like this! Call 541-963-3161 or 541-523-3673 to place your ad. When the search is serious – go to the classified ads. There's a variety to choose from in our paper. 110 Announcements CHECK YOUR AD ON THE FIRST DAY OF PUBLICATION We make every effort to avoid errors, however mistakes do slip through. PLEASE check your ad(s) the first day of publication and call us immediately if you find an error. Northeast Oregon Classifieds will cheerfully make your correction & extend your ad 1 day DEADLINES: LINE ADS: Monday: noon Friday Wednesday: noon Tuesday Friday: noon Thursday DISPLAY ADS: 2 Days Prior to Publication Date 114 Self-Help Group Meetings AA HOTLINE Questions: Call 541-624-5117 www.oregonaadistrict29.org AL-ANON, Cove. Keep coming back. Mondays, 7-8pm. Calvary Baptist Church. 707 Main, Cove. EVERYONE READS CLASSIFIED ADS – you're reading one now. THE DEADLINE for placing a CLASSIFIED AD is 11:00 A.M. ONE BUSINESS DAY BEFORE PUBLICATION Publication Days: Tuesdays Thursdays Saturdays AA MEETINGS Wednesday Nights, 7-8:15pm. Fort Union Grange Hall, corner of McAlister & Gekeler Lanes. For more info, call 541-786-1222 AL-ANON Attitude of Gratitude. Wednesdays, 12:15-1:30pm. Faith Lutheran Church. 12th & Gekeler, La Grande. 541-786- 2051 Classifieds get results.
