We have hiked to Three Finger Jack's base several times through the NE access to it from Jack Lake via Canyon Meadow in the Mount Jefferson Wilderness.  Last Saturday, July 3, 2021, we decided to hike to Three Finger Jack from the South from Santiam Pass along the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT).  The route from Santiam Pass takes hikers through part of the 90,000 acres which burned in the 2003 B&B complex fire. 18 years later, the area still has many burned trees, but new growth is abundant with wildflowers, young trees and mosquitos. And the views toward Mt. Washington and the Three Sisters are evident through the burned trees, many of which have fallen across the trail and need to be either walked around or stepped over.

We had planned on hiking 5 miles in to what was described as a "viewpoint" in one of our hiking books. This hike would be roughly 10 miles round trip with 1500 feet elevation gain. However, as we proceeded along the hike and left the burn scars and entered areas of old growth forest, it became obvious that the trail app we were following was different than that which we read about in our local hiking book. The app led us to a "viewpoint" which was located just below the South Pillar of Three Finger Jack. As we climbed toward this extremely difficult location, we were half way before we recognized we had taken a wrong turn, but since we were half way, we became determined to complete the trek.  The rewarding views were worth the difficulty, mosquito bites, and sore muscles.  Plus we accomplished a "bucket list" item which we never had in the bucket to begin with. According to our app, we actually covered over 2300 feet of elevation gain and 12 miles round trip. We would not recommend this mistake to many, having determined that this unofficial trail is what is used by those few who rock climb the mountain, most of whom are much younger than us. 

In the recent weeks, we have been driving on Galveston and noticing a random sign over The Dough Nut shop. The sign only seemed to appear after The Dough Nut had closed, so we simply had to know more. Walking by, the delectable smell of pizza filled the air and our curiosity grew even more. The pop up sign read "Fratelli" and we knew we had a new underground pizza place to try. 

Fratelli Pies features artisan Neapolitan black market pies made with simple ingredients and in-house cured & smoked meats. The simplicity of these pies only enhances the flavors and makes the pizza a delight to the taste buds. Ordering these pizzas was very simple. We simply found their webpage or Facebook page, clicked the order button, selected what we wanted, paid online, and it was ready exactly when we wanted for pickup. I hear they will deliver too!

We...

Click Here to Read More...

Iron Mountain Wildflower Hike is Always Special

According to the US Department of Agriculture and the US Forest Service, nearly every wildflower found in the Western Cascades - over 300 species - can be found along the Iron Mountain Trail. There are five main factors which create the specific habitats for wildflowers: soil depth and type, moisture, amount of sunlight, daytime temperature ranges and elevation. These factors combine beautifully to create one of the most spectacular wildflower habitats in Oregon at Iron Mountain. Late June/early July is the best time to view the Iron Mountain wildflowers - and when you add in the extended 6.9 mile loop hike from Tombstone Summit through the Cone Peak Trail, up Iron Mountain, the 1900 feet of elevation gain provides many opportunities to see the multiple species of flowers.

Compared with our hike from 2020, the weather was about perfect with very few clouds and no smoke from wildfires. Once we climbed from our parking lot at Tombstone Pass through the old growth forest up to Cone Peak, we could see acres of wildflowers, although not as full as last year. The ground was drier than in 2020 and we believe our drought conditions and smaller winter snowpack impacted the early flowers. In addition, there were several downed trees which haven't yet been removed which created some hiking challenges, although nothing like what we have experienced in other hikes over the past year! 

Upon reaching the summit (the former fire lookout), the views were spectacular with Cascade Mountains from Diamond Peak to Mt. Adams in Washington clearly visible, a distance of roughly 500 miles. Several families with younger children joined us at the summit and we were impressed that all those children were able to make the trek up, although it appeared that in some cases parents helped along the way.  Our hike down the mountain and through a different old growth forest back to our car parked at Tombstone Summit went fairly quick and the drive back to Bend uneventful.  All in all, it was a fulfilling day.

What's in the June 2021 Newsletter?

• Home Prices Continue to Rise in Bend Oregon
• Thinking of Traveling to Hawaii?
• Bend Luxury Homes Have Taken Flight
• Have Your Day in the Sun by Moving Up This Summer
• Quick Lunch Bite in Downtown Bend

How High Can Bend Home Prices Go??

The sales figures for June, 2021 have been published and Bend home prices continue to rise as demand is still outpacing supply. However, there appears to be a slight softening of the market as we enter July with extreme heat and the normal real estate trends connected with graduation and vacations coming back as the state moves out of Covid restrictions. Whether or not these trends continue have yet to be determined.

Bend Real Estate Costs a Lot More Than It Used To

When comparing June 2020 Bend single family home sales on less than an acre to June 2021, the following changes can be seen:

• Average sales price up 40.3% to $842,157
• Median sales price up 38.5% to $640,000
• New listings up 19.1% to 299
• Homes for sale down 75.9% to 181
• Pending sales up 101.3% to 469
• Sold homes up 7.8% to 250
• Average days on market down 84.4%...

Click Here to Read More...