scenic drive – Exploring the Oregon Outback

Scenic Loop Lakeview

June 17, 2020June 17, 2020 by Appel Family Adventures, posted in Drives, Uncategorized

My parents were in town visiting recently and helping with some much needed and fairly urgent home repairs. During their visit we made sure to get out and take them exploring! We decided to take them on a loop drive starting from Lakeview going East on hwy 140 to Adel Oregon, then heading south over to Ft. Bidwell, and crossing over the beautiful Fandango Pass into Davis Creek and then back up hwy 395 through New Pine Creek and back into Lakeview.

The first part of the drive will be on pavement as you leave Lakeview going north on Hwy 395, you will then turn onto East hwy 140 heading towards Warner Canyon Ski area and the small town of Adel. There are some beautiful stops along that route if you have time to explore. Once you reach the turn for Adel you will want to turn right and begin heading south towards Ft. Bidwell California. The road will start out paved and then will transition into a dirt road, this road is not maintained in the winter making this a late spring/summer/early fall drive only.

We followed this road and enjoyed the views. We found lots of cows and some fun small roads to explore. One of our roads we explored we found a lot of interesting rocks including obsidian.

During the drive you will pass some old homesteads, and a lot of scenic views. I also recommend looking out for Bald Eagles and other birds of prey, we saw at least 4 Bald Eagles! Then you will come into the small town of Ft. Bidwell. If you have time be sure to stop in at the NFB Restaurant and have a bite to eat. The food is fantastic and the service very friendly. We were there on a Friday night and got to enjoy live music while we ate.

Make your way out of Ft. Bidwell and then turn onto the road for Fandango Pass. This will be another dirt road and is a nice drive over the mountains. There are some nice scenic stops and historical points of interest in addition to the amazing views of Surprise Valley.

When you come into Davis Creek at the end of Fandago Pass and you will turn right on Highway 395 to head North towards Lakeview.

This is a beautiful and nice scenic drive. It will take as little as 2 hours and 45 minutes, but make sure to plan extra time so you can stop and explore.

Happy Adventuring,

Stephanie

How We Adventure.. Part 2

June 11, 2020June 11, 2020 by Appel Family Adventures, posted in Hikes, Hiking, Uncategorized

A large part of our traveling and adventures is hiking! It is perhaps my favorite part. Many people feel that if you have kids and love to hike that you need to find a sitter and leave them at home. For some hikes that is true, but for many it is not necessary. I suppose, it just depends on what your ultimate goals are and why you are hiking.

I began hiking and fell in love with it for a multitude of reasons. The fresh air, open space, exercise, and ability to experience places not easily seen by everyone. Through the years more reasons have been added to my list. When I hike with my children they help me slow down and notice the little things. We pick up sticks, find cool rocks, and investigate the leaves. We talk A LOT and about anything and everything. We talk about hiking, how to be safe, how to take care of the trails and nature. We don’t make good time mileage wise, at least not yet, but we make memories that last. I would not trade them for anything.

We started hiking with our kids before they could walk. A quality child hiking pack is important at this stage. As they reached toddler years we started having them walk safe portions of the trails. We let them hold sticks and leaves (not always very pleasant for my head). The older they got, the more they walked and the slower we became. It was a necessary sacrifice to help build their comfort outside as well as their stamina.

Our two oldest children at ages 3 and 1 getting ready for a hike.

As they were growing and starting to get harder to hold we needed to help encourage them to push through and continue hiking. At this point we offered each of them a goal. We told them if they successfully hiked three 2+ mile hikes in a row without being carried they would earn their own hiking bag!! This was actually very motivational for them. It also allowed us to give them their own water bladder and to have them begin carrying their own snacks and small toys if they wanted them. Once they earned their bags then if they complained or wanted carried we could simply remind them that they have proven they CAN hike, even when it is hard or they are tired.

Our youngest earned her hiking pack after our Georgia trip! We picked it up at REI in Chattanooga, TN.

Our oldest is turning 10 this summer and is a very confident hiker, and our younger two are also well on their way. We are starting to be able to hike further and a bit faster these days. Speed to me is not the most important thing, I love that they enjoy hiking and nature. I hope this will be something that will carry us through their teen years and help us to continue to feel connected.

Our tips for hiking with kids:

Find a comfortable Child Carrier.
Bring lots of snacks. Space them out on the trail (they are great motovation for kids).
Choose a hike based on the abilities of all in your group, including the children.
Encourage the child/children to hike as much as possible on their own. This will sometimes feel frustrating but in the long run it is beneficial. They are learning to hike. Try to make it fun for them!
Familiarize yourself with first aid and other safety measures. Hiking with young kids often means first aid will be necessary.
Slow down and enjoy nature. Use the slower pace as an opportunity to teach and connect with your child.
When they are old enough get them a backpack sized correctly for them, and add a water bladder. We LOVE the child sized day packs by REI.

I hope you feel inspired to get out and hike and explore with your children. If you don’t have kids of your own, hopefully this information will help if you ever join a family/friends with kids on a hike! Our children love encountering friendly hikers on the trail. Hikers who understand how kids hike and encourage them are immensely inspiring for our children.

Happy Adventuring,

Stephanie

Shirk Ranch

June 5, 2020June 6, 2020 by Appel Family Adventures, posted in Drives, Historical Landmark, Uncategorized

We had the pleasure of visiting Shirk Ranch this spring. Shirk Ranch is a historic ranch located in the Guano Valley near the small town of Adel, Oregon. The ranch was first Homesteaded in 1881 and was purchased by David L. Shirk in 1883.

David L. Shirk operated his ranch on the property until 1914. The property went through a few exchanges and was eventually acquired by the US Government in the year 1942. The ranch is now managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

We had fun walking through the abandoned house, barn, and all the other buildings. It was fun to imagine what it must have been like to homestead there 100 years ago. There are still a lot of items left to see on the property and beautiful views any direction you point your camera!

I highly recommend this visit. Please remember to be kind to this, and all other, pieces of living American history. It is a protected historic site, so remember to take only memories and pictures, and as always, tread lightly. Items on the property need to be left for others to enjoy (though we did remove some garbage left by other recent visitors). Also, keep in mind that this is not a developed recreation site so there are no restrooms or trash collection, so plan accordingly.

We headed out to explore the surrounding countryside and discovered that once things dry out a bit more, there would be a lot of roads to explore. There is a scenic reservoir, nature area, and you can even take some dirt roads into the back side of Hart Mountain. This would make for a wonderful trip, but it was too early in the season for us to make it very far. They were very muddy in sections and the snow level was still too low in elevation. We hope to go back this summer and make the loop.

We were reminded of a one of the most important rules of adventuring, especially in the Oregon Outback:

If at all possible you should make sure someone knows your plans and when to expect you back. This is a remote area with little to no cell service, which is absolutely a large part of the fun, but not somewhere you want to get stuck. Being prepared is always a priority in this area.

I hope you take some time and make a trip out to Shirk Ranch! Check out Doherty Slide while you’re there and eat at the historic restaurant in Adel. There is plenty to see in this area! If you are planning to visit and want more ideas feel free to comment or send us a message and we will be happy to share some ideas!

Happy Adventuring,

Stephanie

Check out wikipedia for more information about Shirk Ranch. Driving directions coming soon. We used Google Maps and made it safely but we had a clear idea of where we were heading and what to expect.

Surprise Valley Scenic Tour

April 14, 2019 by Appel Family Adventures, posted in Activities, Drives, Historical Landmark

We went Geo-cashing (post coming soon!) over the weekend and made a really nice scenic loop during our trip. We started out heading from Lakeview and we drove through New Pine Creek and headed into California, if you continue driving through California on Hwy 395 you will also pass Chimney Rock which is a great stop to check out. We stopped in Surprise Station for fuel and some snacks and then we went up CA 299 towards Cedarville California.

The drive down into Cedarville is beautiful! There is a ski area a couple miles off the road (not currently open), and some hiking trails as you drive through the mountains. Cedar Creek Trail looks like an incredibly nice 6 mile out and back trail, it is still currently covered in snow unfortunately.

View from Highway 299 heading towards Cedarville California on 4-12-2019

Cedarville turned out to be a very cute little town! We loved the historic houses and beautiful churches found in Cedarville. As we were driving through town we found the Cedarville Park. There is a nice play structure that the kids were happy to get out and play, also located at the park was the historic Gressler-Bonner Trading post. The trading post was built in 1865 by James Towsend who was killed about a year later in what is recorded as an Indian fight. It was purchased by William T. Cressler and John H. Bonner in 1867 and was used as a trading post for close to 10 years until a larger building was erected in the area. Bonner and Cressler played a major role in the settlement of Surprise Valley.

Gressler-Bonner Trading Post, Cedarville California, 4/12/2019

View inside the Gressler-Bonner Trading Post – 4/12/2019

Another view inside Gressler-Bonner Trading Post- 4/12/2019

We headed out from the park and down towards the main street of Cedarville and took Surprise Valley Road towards Historic Fort Bidwell. Surprise Valley is an immensely beautiful area! As we were driving on Surprise Valley Road we took a detour up the road to Fandango Pass. The views are spectacular! There are also so hiking trails and historic sites located on Fandango Pass but they were still covered in snow. The view is completely worth the trip up the road. It is a dirt road and is not maintained in the winter so drive with caution.

Looking across the horizon from Fandango Pass in California- 4/12/2019

View of Upper Alkali Lake from Fandango Pass- 4/12/2019

After exploring Fandango pass we went back down to Surprise Valley Road and continued on towards Fort Bidwell.

We came into Fort Bidwell and found a quaint little town full of history! We stopped and had dinner at the NFB BBQ and Cafe located in Fort Bidwell hotel – which you can stay at for only $55 a night! They have 8 rooms with a shared bathroom in the historic hotel. The people were friendly and the food was AMAZING!

Ft. Bidwell Hotel and NFB Restaurant – 4/12/2019

We tried to take forest service road 20 back towards Lakeview but it was dusk and the road was still rather muddy, then we hit snow and decided it was best to turn around. We opted to drive back to Fandango Pass and took that route over the mountain and back to Lakeview.

All told, we spent nearly the whole day exploring, but were only driving for about three and a half hours. This was a beautiful day trip to take from Lakeview, Oregon with a few day hikes on the route as well as some great historical and geological sites!

Happy Adventuring,

Stephanie

A Southern Oregon Loop

March 20, 2019March 21, 2019 by Appel Family Adventures, posted in Activities, Drives, Geology, Uncategorized

On Sunday morning we took a drive from Lakeview out to the Crooked River Railroad Bridge about 30 minutes north of Bend and then South towards Lakeview along highway 20.

Heading north out of Lakeview on hwy 395 you will be on the Oregon Outback Scenic Byway. One of the first interesting geological features you will notice is Abert Rim which is one of the highest fault scarps in the United States. It towers over the valley rising to 2,490 ft above the valley floor and is definitely a site to be seen. Abert Rim is well known in the hang gliding communities because of how the thermals are created when the warm valley air rises up against the cliffs.

About halfway through your drive you will come to a rest stop in the town of Summer Lake. I recommend stopping here to take a rest, stretch your legs, and really take some time to appreciate the beauty in the area. My kids love the rest stop here because there is space to run and rocks to climb! As a bonus I have always found the bathrooms to be clean and well stocked.

Playing at the Summer Lake Rest Area March 2019

We continued our trek north after stopping in Summer Lake. We were on a tight schedule on this particular morning so we enjoyed the beautiful scenery from the car until we reached the Peter Skene Ogden State Scenic Viewpoint.

As you enter the viewpoint you will notice plenty of parking, nice fields with picnic tables, and some bathrooms. Also of note at this point are the warning signs. The canyon cliffs are steep and drop off almost immediately over the rock wall. Please keep kids close and plan on keeping pets in the car or in the designated pet area away from the bridges and cliffs.

We were pleasantly surprised to find the old highway bridge is open to visitors which provides amazing views of the canyon and the railroad bridge. While we were on the old highway bridge we even got to see a train cross over the railroad bridge. The kids all got a kick out of it, I posted the video below!

It was a beautiful day and we loved the effect the remaining snow had as you looked down in the canyon. The kids loved seeing a train bridge so closely and really thought the canyon was amazing. We also all really enjoyed watching the birds flying through the canyon, including a bald eagle! This spot is well worth the time to stop and learn a lot more about the area as you walk along the paths.

After we finished our picnic lunch we stopped and did some shopping at the factory outlet stores in Bend we then headed south on highway 20. We found the landscape of the highway 20 to be much different than the first part of our drive, as it goes through what is known as the Oregon Badlands. We passed may OHV/Dirtbike areas early on during this section of our trip, as well as some hiking trails. There is a lot to explore in this and we are excited to get out there on our motorcycles and quads to see what we can find once the weather warms up.

You will notice the landscape starts to change and the dirt turns to sand. Then you will pass some of the area sand dunes, which are open to exploration also.

There are two rest area along this route which was good because our kids needed both of them. The second rest area was in a beautiful part of the drive and had a lot of informational signs about the area landscape and rattlesnakes. We got to this rest area just as sunset was hitting and as you can see by the 2nd picture below the area is not heavily traveled at this point in the evening.

You will turn onto highway 395 not long after this and enter about 90 miles of open range so be sure to watch for cattle, deer, and long horn sheep as you get close to Abert Rim. We were amazed to see how large Lake Abert was as we went through. Lake Abert is an alkali lake and as such fish cannot live in the water, however because of its high salinity it does support Brine Shrimp which provides an excellent habitat for a wide variety of shore birds!

We made it back to Lakeview by about 8pm. The kids had a good time, although they said we needed to stop more to explore on our drive home. Lakeview has some great hotels, a hotsprings, and restaurants so it makes a great stopping and starting point. It also is a good area for a base camp if you enjoy hiking and mountain biking. If you decide to make this drive keep your eye out for animals, and birds of prey, and try to allow yourself time to stop and explore along the way.

Happy Adventuring,

~ Stephanie