Oregon Field Guide

BEAUTIFUL OREGON JOURNAL

2023-06-27T12:16:24-07:00

  May 1st, 2021. View of Diamond Peak from south shore of Crescent Lake.  Today I was excited to finally make the hike around the circumference of Crescent Lake.  Although the 11.8 mile hike is perfectly level, its difficult nonetheless as you slog through a loose mix of pumice, mud [...]

BEAUTIFUL OREGON JOURNAL2023-06-27T12:16:24-07:00
  • Sauteing freshly collected California Mussels (Mytilus californianus) with butter, scallions and garlic over a camp stove on the Oregon Coast. Be sure to avoid collecting mussels found on rocks near sandy beaches as wave action will ensure that your delicacy is diminished by gritty sand when served. To avoid grit, find mussels that live on rocks that drop into deep water, where sand stirred up by powerful waves can't reach the mussel beds. As always keep one eye on the sea and work facing the ocean. Even on a perfectly calm day you can be surprised by wave which is far larger than you would expect ... its happened to me! You'll also need an Oregon recreational shellfish permit, and be respectful of limits, be careful to avoid marine reserves and tread lightly on the mussel beds so as not to unnecessarily damage or injure the diversity of intertidal creatures living there. Last but not least, before harvesting wild mussels be CERTAIN to check the ODFW hotline to ensure there isn't a shellfish closure due to excessive levels of domoic acid, also popularly known as a 'red tide'. Domoic acid can cause a severe condition known as Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning, which can result in severe injury or death within one hour of ingesting contaminated shellfish. Mussels are one of the great natural delicacies of our coast, and collecting and preparing them, reminds me of who I am, and grounds my connection to this beautiful place we call home. Along with the virtue of wild harvest comes responsibility and respect for these living resources, which can be diminished or lost in the blink of an eye. As they say, "Limit your kill, don't kill your limit".

Camp Cooking California Blue Mussels on the Oregon Coast

2023-06-27T12:16:47-07:00

Sauteing freshly collected California Mussels (Mytilus californianus) with butter, scallions and garlic over a camp stove on the Oregon Coast. Be sure to avoid collecting mussels found on rocks near sandy beaches as wave action will ensure your delicacy is diminished by gritty sand when served. To avoid grit, find [...]

Camp Cooking California Blue Mussels on the Oregon Coast2023-06-27T12:16:47-07:00
  • Middle Fork Willamette River with light snow. Willamette National Forest, Oregon West Cascades.

Middle Fork Willamette River

2023-06-27T14:16:02-07:00

With the heavy rains of winter in Oregon's Western Cascades comes the surface and subsurface movement of water through volcanic soil. This gathering of water begins to trickle into tiny forest rivulets and then creeks, until we see the raging torrent which has become the upper Middle Fork Willamette River. [...]

Middle Fork Willamette River2023-06-27T14:16:02-07:00
  • Fishing for Redtail Surf Perch (Amphistichus rhodoterus) with spin cast and natural bait.  Rocky Knoll, Lane County, Oregon Central Coast.

Surf Perch Fishing on the Oregon Coast

2023-06-27T12:16:28-07:00

  Oregon’s powerful waves churn up sand and make a variety of foods available for the surf perch who call this tumultuous, high-energy environment their home. The diet of surf perch species commonly includes: shrimp, small crustaceans, amphipods, algae, small crabs, mussels, marine worms and mole crabs. Surf fishing offers [...]

Surf Perch Fishing on the Oregon Coast2023-06-27T12:16:28-07:00

Davis Lake, a question of Native Rainbow Trout and the introduction of Large Mouth Bass.

2023-06-27T12:16:28-07:00

On a crisp morning in March, two fly fishermen work Davis Lake in the Oregon High Cascades. To the north, and rising through low clouds are the snowy peaks of Mount Bachelor and the South and Middle Sisters.  Before suffering a series of setbacks, Davis Lake was once a premier [...]

Davis Lake, a question of Native Rainbow Trout and the introduction of Large Mouth Bass.2023-06-27T12:16:28-07:00

Giant Horsetail (Equisetum telmatiea)

2023-06-27T12:16:29-07:00

A small patch of Giant Horsetail (Equisetum telmatiea) emerges from a moist gully alongside Salmon Creek in the Willamette National Forest.  The Giant Horsetail is a herbaceous perennial which reproduces both by spores and expansion of its rhizome. Often they are found growing in large dense colonies; with shoots growing [...]

Giant Horsetail (Equisetum telmatiea)2023-06-27T12:16:29-07:00

Wall Creek Warm Springs. Willamette National Forest, Oregon Cascades.

2023-06-27T12:16:30-07:00

The Wall Creek warm spring, with its blue mineral waters and bubbling sulfur gas from the Cascades underworld is beautifully nestled amidst maple leaves, dense forest and the rush of a soothing mountain stream. Aptly called the "Meditation Pool", what it lacks with its lukewarm temperatures of 96F, it more [...]

Wall Creek Warm Springs. Willamette National Forest, Oregon Cascades.2023-06-27T12:16:30-07:00

Oregon’s Beautiful Oneonta Gorge and Waterfall

2023-06-27T12:16:31-07:00

Oneonta Gorge is a spectacular moss, lichen and fern clad slot canyon located on the Oregon side of the Columbia Gorge. With cliff walls towering some 150 feet to the forest above, the lower gorge has been cut by Oneonta Creek through layers of basalt flows dating back 25 million [...]

Oregon’s Beautiful Oneonta Gorge and Waterfall2023-06-27T12:16:31-07:00

Fishing Odell Lake for Kokanee Salmon in the Oregon Cascades

2023-06-27T12:16:34-07:00

Odell Lake is a 3,582 acre natural lake which rests in a trough created by glacial action some 10 to 12,000 years ago during the Pleistocene Epoch.  At an elevation  of 4,787 feet, Odell is just south of Highway 58 in the Deschutes National Forest, and is close to Willamette [...]

Fishing Odell Lake for Kokanee Salmon in the Oregon Cascades2023-06-27T12:16:34-07:00

Coho Salmon Returns Home to Spawn in Eagle Creek, Oregon.

2023-06-27T12:16:34-07:00

A Fall run, male Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), has arrived at its natal stream and is making its way to the gravel spawning bed from which it was born.  After having spent between one and three years at sea, these anadromous fish begin their return journey to the clean-flowing freshwater [...]

Coho Salmon Returns Home to Spawn in Eagle Creek, Oregon.2023-06-27T12:16:34-07:00

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