Fresh snow near Moon Mountain and Broken Top

Tubing hill at SHARC in Sunriver Resort

There are tubing hills available at Mt. Bachelor, Hoodoo Ski Resort and a free hill and warming hut at Wanoga Snow Park between Mt. Bachelor and Bend.

Tubing Hill at Mt. Bachelor

Skiing on Mt. Bachelor, beautiful day and perfect snow!

You can enjoy three options of fabulous skiing at Mt. Bachelor, Hoodoo or Willamette Pass.  Mt. Bachelor is a half hour drive from Bend and is the largest in the Pacific Northwest.  You can enjoy night skiing at Hoodoo.  Willamette Pass provides awesome views of the Cascades from the south and nearby lakes.

Davis Lake with South Sisters, Broken Top and Bachelor in back ground.  Still evidence

The awesome views, the fun downtown shopping with old Western storefronts, the "Bonanza" feel, the cattle and horses, the annual outdoor quilt show, all make for a wonderful experience in the Sisters area.

The quilt show is always held the second Saturday in July.  Quilts are available for viewing and for sale.  Call 541-549-0989 for more information.

For the ski enthusiasts, Hoodoo Ski Area is located near the summit of Santiam Pass off Hwy 20 west of Sisters.  Hoodoo offers night skiing, a large tubing park, 34 runs, 5 lifts and over 800 acres of terrain.  Hoodoo is a 21.8 mile drive from Sisters.  

In 1865 came Camp Polk, a military camp located northeast of Sisters and originally created to protect the local

It's time to cozy up to the fireplace with a nice hot cup of cocoa, tea, apple cider, spiced wine or hot toddy and snack on popcorn while watching your favorite movie or read a book.

I think fall is my favorite season although I enjoy all seasons.  I love to drive around and enjoy the beautiful fall colors of reds, yellows and oranges.  Then I like to bake pumpkin bars topped with cream cheese frosting, make caramel popcorn and caramel apples.

I pull out my fall decorations of pumpkins and fall leaves.  I enjoy the aromas of my cinnamon candles and spiced apple cider simmering on the stove.

Here are a few things to do before settling in for the winter

• Have the fireplace and chimney professionally cleaned

• Order

Elk Lake Central Oregon

Elk Lake is a natural body of water with primary inflows from snow melt and seepage with a surface area of 405 acres, average depth of 12 feet, 62 feet maximum depth, 5.1 miles of shore length and surface elevation at 4,882 feet.  Elk Lake is approximately 6 miles west of Mt. Bachelor and accessable from the Cascade Lakes Highway.  

The US Forest Service manages the picnic sites, campgrounds and boat launches around the lake plus Elk Lake Resort is available year round.   Summer activities on the lake include camping, sailing, non-motorized watercraft rentals from the resort, windsurfing, motor boating and swimming.  Winter activities include snowmobiling, snowshoeing and cross country skiing.  Elk Lake Resort has

Central Oregon has an abundance of wildlife including ducks, rabbits, mule deer, elk, blue heron, crane, owls, raccoon, squirrels, river otter, coyote, bears, mountain lions, bobcats, chipmunk, osprey, hawk, bald eagle and hummingbirds are among the commonly seen in Deschutes County.  

 Mallard resting at Hosmer Lake in Central Oregon

December Elk herd near Little Deschutes River in Central Oregon with Mount Bachelor and South Sisters in background.

Same Elk herd in July in same location.   

Elk are also known as Wapiti which is Shawnee and Cree for "white rump".  The antlers are made of bone and develop a velvet covering for protection, which shed in the summer once they have fully developed.  The bulls shed and grow a new set of

Dogs and the heat

Leave your dog at home if it's going to be hot out.  Make sure they have plenty of shade and water or if possible, leave indoors if the building stays cool.  When walking, check the pavement, ground and sand to see if you can handle with your bare feet, if it's too hot for you, it's too hot for your pet.  Walk during the cool morning or evening hours, not during to highest heat time of the day.  When the temperature is 77 degrees out, asphalt is 125 degrees, at 87 degrees, asphalt is 143 degrees and at 95 degrees, asphalt is 149 degrees.  DO NOT leave your pet in a car when it's hot out, even with the windows down.

I love hiking with my dogs along Quinn Creek where they can cool off by swimming and chasing sticks.  The

Mt. Bachelor

Fresh powder on Mount Bachelor.  Mount Bachelor is a popular ski area in Central Oregon, guaranteed snow and skiing every winter!  The mountain is a stratovolcano atop a shield volcano located in the Cascade Range of Central Oregon.  As it is set apart from the Three Sisters it is rightly named Mount Bachelor.  It's last eruption was in 5800 BC and is not expected to erupt anytime in the near future.  In 1958 the ski area began it's operation and has 101 runs on 4,323 ski-able acres with a 3,365 feet vertical drop and the highest point is 9,065 feet.  The lowest elevation is 5,700 feet.

Snowblast Tubing at Mt. Bachelor

With up to 6 lanes, you can ride down a 800 foot drop and ride back up on your tube while being towed, no

Hosmer Lake

Hosmer Lake is a natural body of water located east/south east of Elk Lake off the Cascade Lakes Highway.  The lake will eventually turn into marsh land due to the encroaching vegetation.  

Hosmer Lake has a 5 mile shore length, has an average depth of 3 feet and maximum depth of 12 feet. South Sister, Broken Top and Mount Bachelor can be viewed from Hosmer Lake. Electric motorized and non-motorized boats are allowed.

The primary inflow is Quinn Creek which you can kayak into and ride up to the waterfalls and bridge from the north end of the lake and well worth the trip.

Mallard duck resting at Hosmer Lake.

South and Mallard Marsh Campgrounds are located near the SW end of Hosmer Lake.  

Crane Prairie

Crane Prairie is located off the Cascade Lakes Highway, SW of Bend, Oregon.  The lake is man made and has a 22 mile shore length.  The inflow and outflow is the Deschutes River which originates at Little Lava Lake which is north of Crane Prairie and feeds into Wickiup Reservoir to the south.

Crane Prairie is home to osprey and bald eagles, waterfowl and migrating birds.  Crane Prairie is a Wildlife Management Area and one of the top producing rainbow trout fisheries in Central Oregon.

Views of South Sister, Broken Top and Mount Bachelor can be seen while enjoying the peaceful waters.  Non-motorized and motorized boats are allowed with a 10 mile per hour speed limit for motorboats and motorboats with toilets are

Sparks Lake Central Oregon

Sparks Lake is a popular destination for non-motorized watercraft enthusiasts.  The lake is a natural lake and is mostly shallow at an average of 1 foot deep and will eventually turn into a meadow.  The south end has deeper areas of 7 feet deep.  

The views of South Sister (with elevation of 10,358'), Broken Top (with elevation of 9,175') and Mt. Bachelor (with elevation of 9,065') are breathtaking!  There are hiking trails and camping in the area, the campsites are boat-in or hike in and private.  There is a restroom and boat ramp at the parking lot.

Sparks Lake has 10 miles of shoreline and approximately 370 acres of lake wetland and is also surrounded by 360 acres of stream, meadows and wetlands.  The