A quiet morning, not too early or late, the perfect time for photos with long shadows and sunlight. Feel how cold the Central Oregon air is and still enough to get wonderful reflections. It's about 22ยบ. The air is crisp and clean with the smell of pine in the air. We are on the east side of the Cascade Mountains, where the hills grow steeper. Off and on Mount Bachelor and other volcanic peaks can be seen.
The campground is closed for the winter but there have been others here before, not just 4-wheel drive vehicles but rabbits, ducks and some odd little animal with four legs and a tail it drags. Rat maybe?
Walking across the snow is crunchy, sometimes you'll fall through, but it's only about 8" so not a big deal. Under the pine trees are beds of needles. Where the pines have protected the ground, the going is easier.
Ice rims the edges of the Deschutes River. It and snow mask the true edge, but the river runs free. It'll take more than this to freeze across it. Time over here in the winter is precious. Why don't I want to do it more often?
