Early Fall on the Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge at Crystalwood Lodge

Fall is arriving, picking up pace day by day. We had a light freeze on Sept. 1, heralding the start of our favorite season…so the dogs and I got out and did about a 4 mile training run on the property to celebrate!

Why is it our favorite season here at Crystalwood Lodge ?

Great temps, plenty of open space to romp around in.

Great fishing action, with trout and perch — the trout are going crazy over the hoppers.

Fall Colors at Crystalwood Lodge just outside Crater Lake National Park

Lots of colors…for the next several weeks the marsh and mountains will be an ever-changing palette of eye-candy.

No mosquitoes.

Warm days, crisp nights.

Quiet.

Time to pause, reflect, relax.

Not even too early to plan future adventures…we’ve hosted 2 weddings this summer, numerous family reunions and groups, and celebrations for Christmas, Thanksgiving, President’s Day, spring break…oh yea, and summer!

But fall is truly special…

Ripe elderberries cover the grounds at Crystalwood Lodge near Crater Lake

Fall fruits in abundance: the property and area is covered with wild choke cherry, wild strawberries and the omnipresent wild elderberries. It would be a shame to let the birds and animals snag them all!

No crowds.

Crater Lake is peaceful once again, with all the trails and roads open and ready for exploring. Ditto for the National Forest, BLM lands, Sky Lakes and Mountain Lakes Wildernesses…all waiting for you to explore, without having to deal with rain, snow, bugs or crowds. This is truly a special time of the year!

Warm days, crisp nights, choke cherries and the start of fall colors at Crystalwood Lodge

And…to help you celebrate this most wonderful of seasons here in Southern Oregon — a fall reservation special! Now until when the snow flies (usually sometime in mid-late November) we’re offering 3 rooms nights for the price of 2…book 2 nights and your third nights’ stay is free!

If you can only stay 2 nights, we’ll give you a 25% discount on a 2 night stay…but I’m betting once you get here and enjoy our fall panoramas and activities, you’ll change your mind and decide to stay that third night and take advantage of this super special.

The dogs and I will be waiting for you. Who knows…you may be lucky enough to tag along on one of our training runs!

Woo-wooooo!!!

Crystalwood Lodge, your pet friendly and family welcoming vacation rental destination near Crater Lake National Park is proud to be hosting not one but two weddings this summer. The first one was this past weekend.  Congratulations to Briana and Rory and their families!

Rory’s family and groomsmen stayed at Crystalwood for the weekend, and the happy couple spent their wedding night here as well. With the long summer days, many of the family took a quick trip to nearby Crater Lake after the ceremony and reception.

The reception was catered by Yummy’s Cowboy Catering (which was yummy!), and some of the kids visited with my sled dogs after the reception as well.  With plenty of parking available, it was easy to accommodate the ceremony and reception for over 100 guests.

  All in all, a great weekend! We’re getting 2012 reservations already for July, August and September, so make plans early to get your first choice of dates!  Family reunions and extended family trips still top the list of reasons to rent the entire lodge, but we’re also having Sierra Club trips, workshops, healing retreats and of course…weddings.

The dogs and I look forward to hosting YOU soon! You can click here to check Crystalwood Lodge availability. As always, I’m just a phone call away if you have more questions or prefer to talk to a human being to make your reservation:  (866) 381-2322.

Have a wonderful summer 2011!

A point to note:  Fall reservations guarantee you the absolutely best time to hike and explore this area in depth. This year we had unseasonably late snow in the mountains, resulting in most trails being snow-bound and closed until late in July. You are guaranteed easy and complete trail access throughout September and most of October…with the fall colors being an added bonus! I’m betting the colors will be awesome this season given all the snow and rain we had earlier in the spring.  We typically have about 6+ weeks of beautiful “Indian summer” during September and October — warm days, crisp nights, dry conditions, no bugs, beautiful ever-changing fall colors — my favorite time of year, can you tell? 

Blustery Day First Snowfall 2010

If you’re interested in snowmobiling on some of the best trails and powder anywhere in the West (anywhere! West Yellowstone and Park City, eat your hearts out), OR finding all the solitude you could possibly hope for, the area around Crystalwood Lodge, on the south side of Crater Lake is just made for you. We’ve got several hundred miles of groomed multi-use trails, nordic only trails, wide open spaces to snowshoe, and more stars on a clear crisp night than you’ve ever seen. Our area is home to avid cross country skiers, dog sledders, snowshoers, snowmobilers, and lots of folks who just know how to have a good time outdoors this time of year.

Don’t forget the 4-legged members of your family — they love the snow too, and can really show you how to enjoy it!

Something for me?

The other option is always to curl up in front of the fire in our wood stove with a good book and some yummy hot cocoa…

Dogs get to curl up too on their own dog beds!

There’s still plenty of birds — several hundred species call the Klamath Basin home year-round, and winter is an especially good time to view eagles and other raptors. Plenty of wildlife out and about as well, and the snow makes it far easier to see their activity by spotting and following their tracks.

Bald Eagle in Tree

Avoid the crowds, avoid the conga lines of cars, avoid parking hassles, avoid the high resort prices and come share our winter wonderland. Of course, Crater Lake in the winter is unparalleled beauty…our winter wonderland adjoins the South Entrance to Crater Lake National Park, which is the entrance that is open year-round.

Snowcovered Tules and Mountains

 This past week Crimp had a video interview about his book with Medford’s KOBI Channel 5.  To watch this interview Click Here  

 Crimp’s next interview is on the radio this Friday (August 28^th), on a program by KBOO Portland about women adventurers .  This interview will be available through KBOO’s live webstream. 

Crimp also has several personal appearances coming up!  On Thursday, August 27^th, he’ll be at the Running Y’s “Show Off Your Dog” show at the Village, 6-8pm.  He’ll be entered in the Dog Author category. 

Sunday, August 30^th is the Feathers and Fur Fundraiser at the Running Y Ranch.  The event will include an appearance by Crimp and the rest of the sled dog team, games, a raffle, prizes, vendors and a free concert by Krista Ravengael.  The event runs from 10am-3pm.

Crimp, a seven year old leader on Liz’s sled dog team, is pleased to announce that pre-publication orders for his new book Crimp! On-By!!  The True Story of a Most Unlikely Iditarod Lead Dog are now being taken.  Crimp’s inspirational story, which begins with an accident in his puppyhood, is told from his goofy, but thoughtful point of view. It is a positive and inspirational story that reminds readers young and old of the value of determination and the pursuit of one’s dreams.   

The book is currently being printed and will be in hand by next month, so pre-publication orders will be taken only until August 31^st.  Pre-publication orders will be  limited edition numbered and autographed (by Jan, Liz and Crimp) copies, complete with a photo of Crimp suitable for framing.

For more information and pre-publication orders visit http://crimponby.com/ or contact Liz Parrish at contact@briarspatchcoaching.com

Anyone who wants more info on Crimp and his teammates’ messages and teachings for us all can visit:  www.LifeLessonsFromDogs.com

August 21-23 is the Klamath Tribes’ Restoration Days Pow Wow and Youth Rodeo.  The Klamath Tribes were terminated in 1954 and, after a long struggle, regained recognition in 1986.   For the  past 22 years, the tribe has held an annual event in celebration of their restoration.  The event is open to everyone and includes a fun run/walk, pow wow, various vendors, a parade and a youth rodeo.  It will be held at the Chiloquin Rodeo grounds, which is about 20 minutes from the Crystalwood Lodge    .

For more information, please visit the Klamath Tribes’ website at http://www.klamathtribes.org/events/ or call 1-800-524- 9787 ext. 147

 The Nannie Creek trail itself, which begins from the parking lot at the end of the 7 mile trailhead, extends many miles past what I have actually been on.  A easy hour hike will bring you to the Puck Lakes, which are great for fishing.  They are probably great for swimming as well – they were pretty warm when I waded in and I wished I’d brought my swimsuit.   About an hour further will bring you to a rockslide which boasts impressive mountain views.  If you were to make a whole day of it, the Nannie Creek trails would lead you deeper into the mountains to several lesser-known lakes.   What I love about the Nannie Creek Trail is that it’s so quiet and hidden…. I always feel like I’m stumbling on some well-kept secret.

Here are some photos from my trips up Nannie Creek.  If you’d like more information on the Nannie Creek trail, you can call the Lodge at 866/541.381.2322 and I’ll try to help you out as much as I can.  We have some maps/books that tell a bit about the trails that guests are more than welcome to make use of.

The Crystalwood Lodge rents canoes for $12 for half a day and $20 for a full day.  It’s a great way to take in the beauty Southern Oregon has to offer and a great way to relax.

More info at http://www.nps.gov/FINDAPARK/FEEFREEPARKS.HTM

Twice each summer the tiny, quiet western hamlet of Fort Klamath is suddenly filled with a parade of motorhomes pulling multi-horse trailers, pickup trucks loaded with horse paraphernalia, and more people than anybody seems to be able to count. Business picks up at the local general store, all of the lodging in the area is booked full, and the postmaster handles a Christmas season’s worth of mail. This can only mean one thing: it’s cutting time! Fort Klamath hosts two cutting meets annually, this year running from July 7-12 and August 20-30 at Mebane Ranch.

Historically, the only way to separate single cows from a herd was for horse and rider to isolate the target and hold it away from the others until it was immobilized. Today only a few cattlemen depend on “cutting” the cows for vaccinating, sorting, branding, and castrating, but the challenge of teamwork between horse and rider lives on in the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA). The NCHA has over 16,000 members and represents one of the fastest growing equine sports in the world, with contestants competing for more than $3.7 million at the 2006 NCHA Futurity.

Competitors start arriving in Fort Klamath about a week before the festival. RVs are set up in a pasture just outside of town, a patchwork of temporary homes complete with Astroturf and potted plants. Rows of vendors complete the picture, offering food and the latest in tack and horse accessories. Young riders spend hours grooming and exercising their treasured horses. These small yet expensive, powerful and athletic horses are bred especially for their cutting mentality. In the days leading up to the competition, riders must continue to discipline themselves and fine-tune their relationship with the horse for that crucial 2 ½ minutes in the ring. Each member of a cutting team is fueled by their own personal passion for improving the skill of each member and developing the talent of horse.

At the signal, horse and rider enter the ring. They slowly walk toward the herd and seek a “hot cow”, one that will challenge and showcase the horse’s skill, strength, quickness, and training. Once the target is identified, horse and rider must focus in on its position and then slowly move in to isolate it. After the separation is complete, the rider must loosen or drop the reins and allow the horse to work independently. At this point, the horse controls the contest, using its lightning fast starts and turns to prevent the cow from rejoining the herd. The quicker the horse moves the cow, the more points are awarded. The goal is to keep the cow and horse nose to nose and to keep the cow moving. If a cow fails to give the horse a good fight, the rider may return to the herd and select another. When the cow turns away or doesn’t try to return to the herd, the rider may lift the reins, signaling the horse to “quit the cow.”

The upcoming July event is an open show, including all levels of cutting. The August event is limited to horses from 3 to 6 years old and is the first futurity of the year in the cutting circuit. A typical day show cases 80 – 100 works, over 600 horses, and a small city of owners, trainers, riders, and support personnel.

Curious onlookers may be surprised to find limited seating at the arena and that cutting, unlike many rodeo events, is a relatively quiet activity that is not necessarily meant to be a spectator sport. Nonetheless, visitors will enjoy hustle and bustle of Fort Klamath and the intensity of the cutting events at Mebane Ranch and may be lucky to learn a bit about a sport that has not quite made it to the mainstream. Cutting runs from early morning until dusk, making it an easy event to schedule into a busy vacation weekend at Crater Lake. If you would like more information on summer cutting at Mebane Ranch please call 923.3586 or visit www.nhcutting.com

The Crystalwood Lodge is located 18 miles from the southern entrance to Crater Lake, and approximently 15-20 minutes from Mebane Ranch. If you would like more information on Crystalwood Lodge or other area great Crater Lake area activities, please call 541.381.2322 or visit the activities page on our website.