Black Butte Trail Open!

Hurray! The trail up to the summit of Black Butte is finally open. It is one of my favorite early morning hikes and I really missed it this summer. If you have never hiked it you're missing a spectacular hike. It's listed as moderate to difficult mostly because you achieve an elevation gain of 1,600 feet in approximately 1.9 miles (that's the trail one way). It is well worth the effort. As you wind your way up the trail you will go through some of the area burned recently by the Black Butte II Fire. At the top you can see two of the Three Sisters, Mt. Washington, Mt. Jefferson and on a incredibly clear day you can even see Mt. Hood! There was a great article in the Bend Bulletin this morning, written by David Jasper called "Keeping a positive altitude". It's a fun read and gives a pretty accurate portrayal of what the hike is like. So If you're looking for something to do this Labor Day weekend, book a room at Black Butte Ranch, have a hearty breakfast and hike up Black Butte.

See ya around the Ranch!
Katie

Pigeon Seeks Black Butte Ranch Lodging

Boy, I tell you, everybody and their pigeon wants to come to Black Butte Ranch. Here's a story that will amaze you. About a week or so ago, Jack Rosicky (Country House Condos) noticed a pigeon wandering around. When he gets a closer look he realizes it has a band around its leg. He is prompted to call Bob Davis of Ranch maintenance and Bob (who experienced a similar event several years ago with a Red Tailed hawk- see picture at right) suggested it may be a "racing" pigeon. He then advised Jack to go to a website for racing pigeons and input the coding from the band to locate the owner (unfortunately we don't have pictures of Jack chasing the bird so he can read the coding on the band).

Before doing that Jack could tell the wayward bird was exhausted and he provided water and then went into town and got wild bird feed to make his guest as comfortable as possible while he searched for the owner. Thanks to Jack's diligence he was able to locate the owner and contact them. Unfortunately the owner wasn't able to come right away because he had some health issues he was dealing with. So, Jack built a makeshift cage for his boarder while they waited for his owner to come. Well, I guess Jack did a heck of a job making this little bird comfy because he stuck around for six days, until Jack was finally able to get him to another "birder" who offered to care for the bird while his owner was recuperating. Thanks Jack for providing an excellent Black Butte Ranch experience for our feathered friend!

Cheers!
Katie

Looking for Original BBR Advertising Collateral

Calling all you historiographers (a.k.a pack rats) - In preparation for marketing campaigns next year (our 40th anniversary), we are looking for copies of the original Black Butte Ranch offering poster. In an excerpt from the book There is a Place by Peggy Lucas it states, "Bill Smith's 1969 marketing survey convinced Mike Hollern, Bob Harrison and the Brooks Scanlon board of directors that Oregonians would indeed support another resort east of the mountains. A board member suggested that an ad in Sunset magazine or the west coast edition of the Wall Street Journal might be the best way to announce the development to Oregonians, but Smith, Harrison and Hollern thought quite differently. They believed that a low keyed approach to the 29,000 Oregon families with sufficient annual income would be preferable." It then goes on to say,"Joe Erceg was commissioned to design a poster with a beautiful colored photograph of the proposed resort area with a banner line which read 'There is a Place,' and at the bottom in smaller type the name of the resort. This poster was rolled up, placed in a mailing tube and sent to the names on their list at an individual cost of $1.25."

We will treat your items with kid gloves and will either scan or photograph them - so no harm will come to them. If you have what we are looking for please contact me at kwilliams@blackbutteranch.com.

Photography in the Aspens

(Photo by Gary Miller)

Autumn's most popular photography workshop, Photography in the Aspens, is scheduled for October 2, 3, 4, 2009. This is an intensive program with personalized instruction from renowned northwest professional photographer Rick Schafer. Rick has been building his incredible portfolio for the last 20 years, a craft he learned from his stepfather, award winning landscape photographer and Photographic Hall of Fame member Ray Atkeson.

Here's a snippet from the course description online - "Photography in the Aspens is a weekend intensive workshop for intermediate / advanced photographers with noted photographer Rick Schafer. Participants are guided through a study of nature and an analysis of light, which transforms into creative photographic technique. The weekend includes several photo shoots on location, both at Black Butte Ranch and nearby areas. Classroom work sessions include photography technique, using the camera as a tool, file management, gallery preparation and a print session. All meals are included with tuition and are all 'working meals'."

Sounds like an incredible workshop. Registration is limited to keep class size small - so sign up early!

See ya around the Ranch!

Katie

Great Benefit Ride - Providence Bridge Pedal

Hey there all you cyclists -My husband and I recently rode in the 2009 Providence Bridge Pedal which a portion of the proceeds benefit the Providence Heart and Vascular Institute as well as the Bicycle Transportation Alliance. You could chose between a 6, 8, or 11-Bridge ride. We chose the 11-Bridge ride which takes you across every bridge in Portland (including the Sellwood and St. John's bridges). This picture is the beginning of the 11-Bridge ride. It was estimated that there was a total of 20,000 participants this year.

It is an amazing ride through many different areas of Portland. The route takes you through industrial areas, idyllic neighborhoods, the University of Portland and as you cross several of the bridges (yes, they do close the freeway- how cool is that!) there is the opportunity to take photos and drink in the vistas.

I hope that someday you may get to ride it. Not only is it fun for adults, but it is a great ride for families (especially the 6-Bridge Ride, very easy). But as always it is great to get back to Central Oregon.

Cheers!
Katie

Stringdusters Receive IBMA Nominations

The Stringdusters "tweeted" today that they have received a nomination from the International Bluegrass Music Association for Instrumental Group of the Year. In case you weren't here, we had the privilege of hosting the Stringdusters at Black Butte Ranch on July 17 as a benefit for the Americana Project and they were outstanding!

In addition to the band's nomination, one of their members, Andy Hall was nominated for best Dobro Player of the Year. Congrats guys, well done! If you are not a musician you may ask yourself what is a dobro? The image to the left is a dobro or more commonly known as a resonator guitar (photo courtesy of About.com). A dobro is an acoustic guitar with a metal resonator built into its body. This resonator serves as an amplifier. The dobro was invented in the early 1930's by John Dopyera. Dopyera and his brother were trying to create a louder guitar. They named their invention dobro, which meant "good" in their native language. The dobro's sound is more like that of a banjo than a guitar. So there you have it - tuck that away in your brain for your next game of Trivial Pursuit. To find out more about The Infamous Stringdusters, click here.

See ya around the Ranch!

Katie

Portland Family Adventures Recommends Black Butte Ranch!

Greetings all! Earlier this summer Vince Schreck, founder and editor of Portland Family Adventures and his family, visited Black Butte Ranch. They had an awesome time and every member of the family had something great to do. Check out Vince's story (including the cute videos embedded - the last video is really great, it's set to music from Vince's own band the "Toy Trains" - very cool). Keep those stories coming. We'd like to here about your vacation at Black Butte Ranch. Send your stories to kwilliams@blackbutteranch.com and I'll post them here on the blog. If you live in the Portland area be sure to visit Portland Family Adventures for all kinds of fun ideas and cool places to go with your kids.

See ya around the Ranch!

Katie

Gallery at the Lodge

Greetings! As I sit here musing about all the awesome surroundings here at the Ranch there is one thing inside that I would like you to see. Now showing at the "Gallery at the Lodge" is a solo exhibition of Kentree Speirs artwork.

This piece is called "Through the Sky" and it is a large piece measuring 56" x 84", but surely one you must see in person. We had an artist reception for Kentree on Sunday and what a gentle spirit this man has. He is quite a prolific artist and has had over 30 exhibitions in Oregon alone. His work is all oil on canvas and according to his Artist's Statement he says, "My paintings emerge from chaos and evolve into abstract landscapes. I try to create something from nothing or something from everything." He is an experienced mountaineer and has travelled the world, all of which you will see in his art. I would swear that is Mount Hood in the upper right corner of "Through the Sky", but I guess that's what makes art art. It's all in the eye of the beholder. Kentree's exhibit will be here through September so be sure and stop by the Lodge and visit.

See ya around the Ranch!

Katie

Cycling in Central Oregon

If you are a cyclist then you probably already know that Central Oregon has some of the best cycling ( both road and mountain bike) around. My husband and I recently attended the Cascade Cycling Classic Criterium in Bend and it was an awesome display of strategy and skill. They had several different levels of racing from women's amateur and pro to men's amateur and pro (even former Tour de France rider Floyd Landis was there - photo courtesy of Jim Williams). It was a very hot afternoon and I certainly did not envy those men and women having to give it their all that day. The coolest thing about all of this is that it says Central Oregon is a great place to cycle. The week after the Cascade Cycling Classic, Bend hosted the USA National Road Cycling Championships. Wow, what a follow up.

If you are staying here at the Ranch or are planning a visit this summer or fall, don't forget that we have 18 miles of bike paths (great for all levels of riders, even the wee ones). If you didn't bring your bike, just head out to Glaze Meadow Recreation Center and see Eric to rent an amazing Marin comfort bike for touring the Ranch( we even have an on- site bike repair shop). For the more adventurous ones Eric can guide you to some of the best mountain bike trails in the area. Click here for a pdf of the Ranch bike path map. You just never know what you might see along the way.

See ya around the Ranch!

Katie