KRATZMC

Saturday, June 5th, 2010…….Redmond, Oregon to Clear Lake Resort, Oregon….53 Miles

We awoke this day to partly cloudy skies with threats of more rain moving in later in the day.  As we left Redmond on Hwy 126 and fell in amongst the holiday camping traffic, we slowly ascended towards the Deschutes National Forest. As we neared the village of Sisters, it became apparent why a friend an former Oregonian, Lorraine Kratz, recommended we see it. With magnificent pines lining the roadway, breaks in the tree line gave way to spectacular views of the Sisters to the south. At 10,000 ft plus in elevation, the three snow covered Mountains, the North, South and Middle Sister, provide the villagers with a spectacular back drop and the sense I was in a resort area on par with Aspen, Colorado.

Hwy 126 west of Sisters, Oregon.

The Three Sisters

As we continued to make our way our main goal for the day was to reach Bandon, along the Oregon coast. If you recall we had to abandon our coastal route and remained in Redmond for two nights, waiting out the bad weather that was hitting the coast.With the main weather threat passing, we were going to catch the remnants of the storm so we would be getting some light rain over the next two days.

As we motored on, little did I know that this day would be a rare gem, where I would find one of those destinations that I often fantasize about. One of the main reasons I ride. To use my machine for which it was designed, to get me to a place I covet and find Nirvana.

Moving west on Hwy 126 you will also see Mt. Washington to your left or south and as the highway curves, you will see it from many angles.

50 miles down the road, there was hardly any traffic as we moved further from any civilized towns. I was in the lead when I saw a pretty lake to the right of the Highway. Worrying about getting to the coast while the weather was still good, my last thoughts were about stopping but then I remembered why I was on this ride. I vowed that I would stop and look at the next lake and take time to enjoy the scenery. Just five miles further, I saw a sign that said Clear Lake. Something in my head said stop, so I signaled left and began braking hard to make the turn. I sure Merritt was thinking, “What the #$%^ is Zeke doing now?”.

After a mile of curvy roads, I could see the crystal blue water appearing through breaks in the trees and we ended up at the end of the road. The road terminated at a dock and small lodge building. I got off of my machine and said to Merritt, “What do you think? You wanna try some fishing?” Merritt said “Game on!”

Clear Lake, Hwy 126 in Linn County, Oregon. This is what you see at the end of the road.

Another view of the Lake from the Lodge.

Clear Lake Lodge has row boats to rent and had fishing gear in stock, along with one day fishing passes. I asked the rugged young Lodge Worker who name was appropriate for the location, Talon, if they had any cabins. As he checked, I started piling fishing poles and tackle on the counter. We rented an boat, bought the minimum in fishing gear with worms and put our stuff in our cabin. I had a good feeling about fishing here, so I couldn’t wait to get onto the lake. There are no motors here and the lake is a favorite haunt of scuba divers. Clear Lake is know for its clarity and divers take advantage of looking at the underwater formations of petrified trees and other thingies.

This photo I got from the Lodge. It gives a good example of the clarity of the lake at its best.

Our little home for the evening. The cabins are rustic, supplied with heat, light and furniture. Bathrooms and potable water is found outside. You have to bring your own linens or sleeping bags. The generators are shut off at 2200 hrs, preceded by a brief blackout for a warning.

Merritt has fantasies about living on a sail boat so I thought it only proper he steam us out of the harbor. No motors of any kind are allowed to prevent wakes from disturbing the shoreline and the clarity of the water. Fish are routinely planted and a schedule can be found on their website.

I am pretty confident of my fishing prowess for Mountain Lake Trout, having fished the Sierra Nevada Mountain Ranges since I was 9 years old. I have fished the Mountains every year since and have continued this tradition, even after moving to Texas. I will be back to Alaska in August, for Halibut fishing, so this would be a great precursor for things to come. I directed Merritt to a likely spot and armed with Python sized Night Crawlers, my thoughts began to center on how I was going to cook tonight’s catch.

Its been a while since Merritt had fished, so I showed him how to tie a Surgeons Knot. A knot I use for most occasions, especially when I am fly fishing. It’s a simple but strong knot and it has rarely failed me. I also showed Merritt how to properly threat the wriggling Pythons onto the hook, in what’s called a Texas Rig. This allows the worm to appear somewhat normal and helps it stay on the hook.Merritt was not use to the open bale spinner reels, so had a little trouble getting his line to cast.

In less than ten minutes, I had the first bite. I could feel a tug on my line and waited until the 3rd tug and then I set the hook. I could feel the resistance and the tip of my rod pointed towards the water. I loosened the drag on the line but knew that I didn’t have a monster but at least it would be a “Keeper”. I hammered in two more, one right after the other, when Merritt hooked his first. Unfortunately he lost it and it doesn’t count as a catch in my book unless you get it in the boat. There was little need to cast and all you had to do was let out about 60 feet of line and let the boat drift along with the current.

Merritt’s second fish and single catch of the day.

My first three fish all caught within the first 30 minutes.

This was the biggest catch of the day. I played him until he was tired before pulling him into the boat. He weighs about 2.5 lbs and 16 inches long. He hadn’t swallowed the hook so I let him go to be caught another day. We had plenty for our meal and I only keep what I can eat. I caught a total of 6 trout, letting two go.

I told Merritt that I would clean the fish, if he would head into town for the cooking supplies. I gave him a list of what we needed for our dinner. I told Merritt to do what he does best; Ride Hard, Ride Fast! Merritt remarked that the way I had said it, didn’t sound flattering. But it is true. Merritt likes to ride the corners hard, so  I let him lead in the twisties. I have had my thrills from years of Law Enforcement riding and prefer a more relaxing pace than he in the turns. My pace in the twisties is faster than most riders but I do not find the need to push my machine to the limits, leaving my performance envelope with some to spare.

Merritt returned after an hour and a half, after being directed down a dirt road by his GPS, which I often refer to as the “Bitch in the Box”. The woman’s voice is constantly telling you where to go and it often misdirects you. Thus my analogy. I did not use my GPS on this trip and have cut down on using them. I use my lap top and MS Streets and Trips to plan my route for the following day and just write the way points or road numbers on a piece of motel paper and put them in the window of my tank bag. I am an advocate of using paper maps but I often forget to bring them along.

Since the fish were too big to fry with our back packing mess gear, I showed Merritt my old stand by trout recipe. Using sliced lemons and fresh garlic I built a bed on which to lay the trout. Seasoning the inside of the trout with salt and pepper, I put slices of garlic inside too. Then I poured bottle Italian salad dressing over the trout and sealed the foil pouches. Merritt picked up a loaf of Garlic Bread and a can of beans. We did a short hike to the picnic area which afforded us with a beautiful view of the Lake as we prepared dinner.

Our view from out picnic table.

Before: Heating the coals and bread.

During: No pots to clean!

After: Restaurant quality trout!

I learned a lesson for that day, one that my Dad had taught me but I didn’t heed. “Never cut fishing line with your teeth!” I had earlier in the day and I literally cut my tooth.

You can see where I cut a chunk out of my left front upper tooth. I guess it will help me in my final transition to that of a “Billy Bob Texan”. I can’t remember if I have a retiree dental plan. I guess I have to wait until I get home to figure it out.

With bellies full, I puffed on a Cheroot and enjoyed a cup of instant Starbucks coffee to help settle my meal. For dessert I had a package of Oreo cookie cakes which satisfied my sweet (chipped) tooth. It was one of those “It don’t get no better than this days”. As we went to bed it started to rain and continued on into the morning. We would receive no break on Sunday but it would be our last day of bad weather. Weather forecasts showed that  on Monday we would have clear weather for at least the next five days as we made our way into California.

The route, Redmond, Oregon to Clear Lake Resort on Hwy 126. 53.7 miles.

Tags: Home page //