River

Forks of the John Day, 2021, Part 3, Main John Day

Our last stop on our 2021 tour of the John Day started the morning after our last stop ended, with an early morning launch at Service Creek. Near as we could tell we were the first boat on the river, shoving of right at 8 a.m. just beating the crowd that was showing up as we were finishing up the last bit of loading. It was a beautiful sunny and calm morning. Weather perfect, the only question remaining was were the bass biting? The short answer – yes. Perfect weather was in the forecast, fish were biting, and the crowds were cut by the permit system, which was not in effect last time we were on the river. You can try it both ways, but I’m here to tell you, the river was immeasurably more enjoyable this time around. Could we ask for anything more? Maybe, but let’s not get greedy.

The scene as you slip away from it all down the John Day
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Forks of the John Day, 2021, Part 2, North Fork

After a short break following our trip to the South Fork our next stop on our John Day adventure was a float down the North Fork. This week was originally set aside to float the Owyhee, but with less than 200 CFS in the river and needing more than 1000 it was clear an alternative was needed, and the North Fork flows were looking good. Not great for this time of year, but plenty good for a few days floating through some of the prettiest country Oregon has to offer.

Getting excited to get on the water
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Macks Canyon, 2021

We continued searching for signs of spring. If you don’t recall, it was blackbirds on the John Day River that kicked off our spring search, followed by a trip to the coast that revealed daffodils in bloom, and then a weekend in the Columbia River Gorge for some spring wildflowers. Spring is all around, you just have to get out and find some signs. This time around we were bound for the lower Deschutes river. What signs of spring would we find?

Hills taking on a shade of green, a sure sign of spring on the Deschutes
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