Story by Rhonda Ostertag
Photos by George Ostertag
 In crook county, Oregon, there is a crooked road along a crooked river that flows through a crooked canyon. Together these crooks shape an arresting stage. The scenery is classic western frontier, but the canyon tips the concept of wide-open spaces on its ear. Above Bowman Dam and Prineville Reservoir is the more traditional horizon-flirting frontier with rock rims, juniper-studded slopes, and lonesome expanses dusted with sagebrush. On the brushy flats, the occasional antelope or jackrabbit breaks the loneliness, but "jackalopes" remain elusive. The road is part of the Lower Crooked River Back Country Byway; the river is in the Chimney Rock segment of the Lower Crooked Wild and Scenic River. The place is central Oregon.
Prineville, sometimes billed as the Cowboy Capital of Oregon, marks the logical start for this tour. The modest high desert town, population 7400, has its roots in ranching, agriculture, and timber. The City of Prineville Railway that once hauled ponderosa pines to mills now carries passengers on an excursion route. The A.R. Bowman Memorial Museum and the Outwest Event Center at Crook County Fairgrounds, including the annual three-day Crooked River Roundup rodeo, offer other diversions while in the area. But (for this writing), Prineville's primary perk is its avenue to the canyon byway.
As the 43-mile drive departs Prineville, it passes the fairgrounds and follows the east shore of the main stem of the Lower Crooked River upstream through rich, irrigated pasture and ranchland that stretches north from the canyon mouth. On occasion, a few head of complaining cattle and rope-wielding wranglers share the road. Settle back in your seat and enjoy the moment. This is what byway travel is all about.
The river reveals an area where human hand has diverted the stream's flow. But just upstream stretches the wild and scenic river. Historically, the Crooked River was the state's most productive trout stream. And although modern changes have reduced the river system's abundance, it remains a vital fishery. It still has one of the highest densities of native rainbow trout in the state. Steve Marx, a Bend-based biologist with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, estimates the density of trout below Bowman Dam at 2000 to 8000 adult fish per river mile.
All along the river, dancing fly lines toss back the sunlight. It's a place that makes you want to re-read A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean. Heron, osprey, and bald and golden eagles favor the river.
 The scenery is even more dramatic upon entering the canyon. Formed by volcanoes a million years ago, basalt cliffs reach 600 feet. With the canyon barely a tenth of a mile wide, river and road are a cozy pairing. Motorists crane their necks, seeking out raptors soaring through the narrow vault of sky and the stark basaltic forms. Each bend reveals new images, with columnar buttes and crests, freestanding monoliths, hexagonal columns, mushroom-shaped overhangs, dark hollows, vertical ribs, fissures, and palisades. Mixed grasses, purple sage, wildflowers, and clusters of juniper, sometimes thick with blueberries, dot the basalt terraces.
With all this vertical viewing and the ever-tempting invitation of the river, motorists find ample opportunity to stop. Recreation sites for day use and camping string along the river. Picnic tables sit amid fragrant juniper. By the river, a few ponderosa pine and dingy white alders lend shade or snag the errant cast.
There is a single trail in this narrow confine, the 2.6-mile round-trip Rim Trail that begins across from the Chimney Rock Recreation Site and climbs to the namesake monolith. The trail also passes the lone overlook of the river canyon, allowing a peek at the landscape stretching beyond the canyon. Views include the Three Sisters and the high desert. Chimney Rock shoots 30 feet sky-ward from its saddle and overlooks the river nearly 500 feet below. This lichen-peppered, boxy basalt pillar is a signature feature of the canyon.
Created in 1962 with the construction of Arthur R. Bowman Dam, Prineville Reservoir's primary purpose was to provide irrigation water. But the lake also created a boater's and angler's playground with warm and cold-water fisheries. Cupping the blue water are dusky juniper and sagebrush covered slopes. The reservoir area shapes an important winter habitat for mule deer and bald eagles.
Beyond the reservoir, the byway turns to gravel and bids farewell to the river and says hello to the high desert. The route twists and rolls as it climbs out of the river canyon and into the Bear Creek drainage. In spring, wildflowers paint purple patches on the rangeland.
Sagebrush rules here. Mule deer and coyote can be seen as well as antelope and jackrabbit. Other times, it's just the open road and your rolling wake of dust reflected in the rearview mirror. The drive ends at Hwy 20, west of Brothers.
Rhonda and George Ostertag have combined their skills with their love for the outdoors to collaborate on 10 outdoor guidebooks focusing mainly on Oregon. They live in Keizer, Oregon. |
