Walking Among the Tall Pines (La Pine State Park, OR)

We only had a 3-night stay in the La Pine State Park.  We wish we had booked it for a couple of more days.  We had a very nice time there.  We stayed busy walking the scenic trails among tall Ponderosa Pines along two rivers:  the Deschutes and the Fall River.  The campground is filled with little critters running every where.  The cats preferred to be outdoors stalking the ground squirrels and chipmunks, but we never let them get too close.  Quite often they just had to settle for watching the little guys from the windows.  At least, they stayed entertained while we were out for our walks. 

On the Deschutes River trail, we walked through an area of a recovering burn area.  Even the burned Ponderosa gave a feeling of being grand.

Below are some photos of the Deschutes River.  The trail is a loop that circles three campgrounds and follows the river.  An easy 3 mile walk with hints of rain and earthy-aromas along the way.

This is my favorite view of the Deschutes with the mountain in the background.  This viewpoint is actually on the McGregor Trail at the viewpoint...and what a view!

That is one hairpin turn!  I used my wide-eye lens.  I kept the lens level with the horizon to keep out the distortion, but some of the closer trees are distorted.  It is the only way to get all of the river into one shot without using panorama settings.  Which would mean trying to paste the photos together.

Lots of different wild flowers blooming among the pine trees.

The next day, we walked to the Fall River.  This walk included parts of the Deschutes trail and the McGregor trail which connected to the Fall River trail.  Close to 9 miles of walking and it was worth the walk.  There were very few people on the trails.  So nice not to have loud people shouting to each other or playing music while we are trying to enjoy the silence of the woodland.  So peaceful.

Below is a photo of the Fall River's fall that is only about 10 feet tall, but has a good roar going.  

I can't get over how crystal clear the rivers are here and so blue!  Gorgeous!  I read somewhere that this river is a favorite among the fly fishermen.  I was hoping to see a few of them casting their lines...oh well, maybe another time.

One last photo of lupines growing near the river.

Red, White, and Blue Treasury
With the 4th of July coming up soon, I decided to put together a Treasury with one of my wall hangings.  I still have three left and a few Uncle Sam mug rugs as well.  I can easily make a few more treasury collections.  So many delightful ways to celebrate the 4th of July through Etsy!

Happy Trails!