Looking for Bella, More Photos from the Second Search

As I said, yesterday I searched for Bella, the gray tabby whose life took a tragic turn over a week back, up by Tombstone Pass, when her owner lost control of the car and plummeted over an embankment.  Bella has not been found.

You can watch for Bella if you have the time, during daylight hours on the Tombstone Pass ODOT trip cam, which towers above the road on a knoll, just above the highway, between the crash site, to its west a a hundred feet and the entrance to Tombstone Pass parking lot, restrooms, and trail heads.  The camera shows the highway as it heads down and east, but also shows the pull out entrance.  At night, the lack of infrared and available light, means a black screen, sans moonlight.  The camera refreshes the image every few minutes.

Help Bella! Watch the ODOT Tombstone Pass Trip cam.

I headed beyond the pass, yesterday, after stopping in to search and leave food.  I would find it uneaten hours later, that is until the ravens discovered what I was up to and began to follow me, from the tree tops, croaking out instructions and communications with other ravens so perched atop other trees.

In the end, I impeached the ravens for help.  I told them their reward would be great if they they led me to Bella.  I hope they consider this.  They're certainly smart birds  They can put two and two together with ease.  I am somewhat superstitious of ravens and crows and their abilities and the way they watch us and use us.

I stopped in at Hackleman Old Growth pull out again.  There are trails you can walk there, through the very very old and giant trees.  A tree is down across the parking lot and the restrooms largely unused because of it.  The tree was down last time I was through too.  I'd left food under the cover of the bathroom entrance and it was still there although it had gotten wet from blowing rain.

I stopped in at the B&B Fire Complex Kiosk too and also where Corbett State Park hike in trail begins.  The B&B fire burned many many acres up in the mountains a few years back.

The forest views there are beautiful even though the trees are scarred from burns of various degree.

On then I went to Sisters for lunch at Subway.   Sisters is home to about 2500 people.  The Subway worker said she moved up from California a few months ago and had hoped for a very snowy winter.  Instead, she's only seen it snow once, heavily, since she moved to Sisters.

I headed back west again then, but this time I made a right turn to head up the Metolius River.  I could not recall ever seeing the Metolius or Camp Sherman.  The sign said five miles to Camp Sherman.   Was it resort or campground or town or what, I thought.

The Metolius, with cabins across the way.

There was no one around, from my side of the river.  I'd hiked through a completely empty campground to get there.  Only fly fishing is allowed on this river.  Fly fishing is revered here as religion.

Then I came to Camp Sherman and yes, it is a town, with cabins arranged to withstand the winter, which usually brings heavy snow, but somethings off this year.   Some residences were elaborate and along the river.  I would guess owned by people of money.  There is a school.  There is a church--Chapel in the Pines, it's signed.

Then I circled back to Highway 20 and headed west again.  But, just past Hoodoo Ski area, which is closed because there is no snow, I pulled off and down to the right, to Lost Lake.  I have camped here.  Brought back the memories.

 There's a bit of old snow on the campground road. 

Then it was back to work.  I set traps up at Tombstone and kept watch, although sometimes I dozed off.   I did not see the lost kitty in the several hours I waited and dozed and read and hoped.