The BulleTin • Friday, FeBruary 19, 2021 B9
birds bathing in whatever
pools of water they can find
to raptors scouting their next
meal, or bobcats and jackrab-
bits bounding through the
sagebrush, fescue and other
desert ground covers. Keep
your binoculars or camera
ready.
As we explored further,
minding the rocky road and
deep ruts of deep sand and
mud, the trees gave way to a
sudden rocky butte.
A ponderosa pine stands near a fenced-off section of the Lost Forest.
Lost Forest
Continued from B1
Makenzie Whittle/Bulletin photos
The side of Sand Rock has been eroded by westwardly winds.
The stand of mostly pine
and juniper trees is 40 miles
southeast from the nearest
similar forest, and the pines
here receive about half of the
average water needed to grow
and thrive. Nevertheless,
they persist.
There isn’t much signage
once you’re in the Lost For-
est, so make sure an area
map is downloaded to your
phone or you have a paper
one handy. And if you want
to explore longer, there are
six designated campsites
within the Lost Forest and
three more out in the sand
dunes area. Only camp in
designated areas and do not
collect wood from the Lost
Forest.
On a recent trip, the wind
howled across the dunes,
kicking up a sandstorm that
this Oregon girl had never
seen before.
After trying (and failing
due in part to the sandstorm)
to find Fossil Lake, my sister
Heather and I made our way
east toward the Lost Forest,
which remained under clear
blue skies.
The tops of the ponderosa
pines bent heavily under the
westward gusts as we made
our way deeper into the for-
est.
Even driving on a windy
day can bring unexpected
sightings. Wildlife here can
range from mountain blue-
Sand
Sand Rock is about 3 miles
into the forest, but it seems
longer given the slow, careful
speed necessary to get here.
Knowing nothing about
the rock but its name, we
edged closer, deciding to
make our way there when a
side road appeared leading
to it.
Sand Rock seems aptly
named as deep cuts running
north-south in the rock have
been eroded by and filled
with the coarse sand that
covers the landscape here.
The exposed areas of the
large basalt formation have
been sandblasted for centu-
ries as the wind kicks up the
sand left behind from ancient
lakes here mixed with ash
from the eruption at Mt. Ma-
zama 7,700 years ago, creat-
ing a rock face that resembles
Swiss cheese.
It, like Lost Forest as a
whole, is a specimen of resil-
iency. Against the wind, low
rainfall and creeping sand
dunes, both still stand.
Out there
The drive out to Lost For-
est takes some time — about
an hour and a half from Bend
— but along the way, geologic
sites like Hole-in-the-Ground,
Fort Rock State Park and
Crack-in-the-Ground offer
places to stop and stretch your
legs. Otherwise, follow the
signs along the Christmas Val-
ley Highway to the Christmas
Valley Sand Dunes, turning
left on Fossil Lake Road.
At the T-junction, turn right
onto Lost Forest Lake and
continue along the well-main-
tained gravel road until you
reach the end then turn left.
The Lost Forest is closed to
all motor vehicles except for
the designated roads, many of
which are bordered by fences
and packed with red “Closed”
signs.
These designated roads
are rough and depending
on the time of year, can be
thick with mud or sand. A
4x4, high-clearance vehicle is
highly recommended. If you
get stuck, there is spotty cell
service, and it’s a long walk
back to Christmas Valley.
e e
Reporter: 541-383-0304,
mwhittle@bendbulletin.com
TOP PICKS
WHERE TO EXPLORE
Top picks east of Bend
Bandit Springs sno-park — Located off U.S. Highway 26 between Prineville and Mitchell, the sno-park
hosts the most varied network of Nordic ski and snowshoe trails in the Ochoco National Forest. With trails
zig-zagging through tall ponderosa pine stands, sno-bunnies of all skill levels can find a section of powder to
call their own.
Mad Max Drive Trail — The easy mountain biking trail is in good shape right now. Located just off U.S. High-
way 20 near Horse Ridge, the 2.3 mile one-way trail follows an old, cracked section of highway gently up the
hill. If you’re up for more of a challenge, Mad Max Drive connects to Has No Horse on the easterly terminus,
which continues up the hill then back toward horse ridge.
Tumulus Trail — Tucked away on the backside of the Oregon Badlands Wilderness area with the trailhead
located off of Dodds Road, the Tumulus Trail hugs the an irrigation canal for about a half-mile before turn-
ing southward into the Badlands area. Here it connects to many other trails including the Black Lava and
Dry River trails. With many sections more exposed, this is a great section to do during the winter when the
ground is less sandy and the temperatures cooler.
Camera
Continued from B1
In the mornings before
the sun came up, Laakmann
would put on his fishing wad-
ers to capture ice mushrooms
that formed over rocks in
Tumalo Creek near Tum-
alo Falls. When out at Smith
Rock, climbing it is a great op-
portunity to capture the area’s
formations and climbers scal-
ing the rocks.
“I’m not up to his (climb-
ing) level,” Zatz said of Laak-
mann. “So when we go climb-
ing, I take pictures of him.”
Whenever they are back-
country skiing at Black Cra-
ter north of the Three Sisters,
they make sure to take time
to snap photos to remember
their experiences.
“It is pretty cool to create
stuff,” Zatz said. “It is cool to
capture things you think are
cool and then show it to other
people.”
The two have leaned on Eli’s
father Daniel Zatz, a profes-
sional photographer, as well
reading through books and
tutorials on YouTube to learn
the technical side of their
Rebel T6 and Canon EOS 5D
cameras.
“I’ve been around cameras
my whole life, so I’m used to
taking photos,” said Zatz. “I
would say I began taking it
more seriously when the pan-
demic hit.”
Most of their improvements
came from tinkering daily
until they figured out bet-
ter techniques for getting the
camera to do what they want
it to do.
“It took a couple months
of going out every night be-
hind our house taking night
photos,” Laakmann said.
“Through that, and guess and
check, I’ve been able to find
out how to use them.”
The two high schoolers
found a new hobby, creative
outlet and new ways of en-
hancing the outdoor activities
they already enjoy.
“I just like the creativity you
get from it and the technical
part,” Laakmann said. Exper-
imenting with different com-
positions, going to different
places — just being out there
is so much fun.”
Zatz shares a similar sen-
timent that the addition of
photography makes looking
back at the fun they had more
enjoyable.
“I love doing the (outdoor)
sports,” he said. “But taking
photos of other people doing
the sport, and taking photos of
the beautiful scenery just gives
you something to remember
the trip by a little bit more.”
e e
2021
SHOP LOCAL CHALLENGE
Reporter: 541-383-0307,
brathbone@bendbulletin.com
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