Meteors & Myotis

LEARN ABOUT CENTRAL OREGON’S Night Sky & TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE BELOW FOR THE CHANCE TO SCORE A HALF-DAY TOUR!

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Launching canoes under the setting sun, I challenge my guests "The first to see a bat this evening wins."  

Watching the transition from swooping Nighthawks to feasting Bats is one of my favorite sights as the bow of the boat slices through the reflection of the mountains on our way across the lake. Knowing that the bugs that may annoy us during the day, become life sustaining fuel for the birds and bats makes us appreciate the little critters a bit more. It also increases appreciation for the birds and the bats' voracious appetites as they skim across the water in front of your boat, clearing your path of upwards of ~1,000 mosquito sized bugs per hour. 

Starlight and Moonlight Canoe trips are the perfect way to continue the outdoor adventure post dinner.  A days exploration after the sun sets is beyond what most people have gotten to experience, and these trips give the opportunity to see things that only nighttime can reveal. With the lack of light pollution up in our Cascade Lakes, the stargazing can be the chance of a lifetime.  

Mid August brings a celestial occurrence that is a favorite of mine.  Knowing my lack of patience to wait and wait for that perfect shooting star, the peak of the Perseids Meteor shower for me is akin to the finale of the fourth of July fireworks show!  With upwards of 40-50 meteors per hour, you don’t have to wait a long time to see the bits and pieces of the comet Swift-Tuttle slamming into the Earth’s upper atmosphere at 130,000 mph!! With the Perseids peaking 8/12, the night sky will continue to yield shooting stars and solar systems easily viewable throughout the waning moon.

If you have been contemplating an evening on the water, the Perseids should be your reason to make it happen! The beauty of central Oregon lies in our geographical diversity.  While we head West into the mountains for an evening of stars up on our Cascade Lakes, we can also head East into the high desert to spend a few hours exploring underneath the earth - discovering where the lava headed when it flowed from the Newberry Volcano 80,000 years ago. 

While the cave looks the same day or night, emerging from the cave at night is an entirely different and unique experience.  The summer triangle frames the milky way this time of year and the blanket of stars over the sea of sagebrush allows us the opportunity to stargaze in an area of expansive views.

My excitement increases while I picture what is in store for us guides and our guests for the next few weeks of evening tours.  Oh and...BAT!  I win! =)

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- Courtney | Naturalist Guide

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WANDERLUST TRIVIA

Congrats to Olivia C. for correctly answering the questions below!
See below for a link to the answers.

Answers: Meteors & Myotis Answers

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LAVA TUBE
CAVE TOUR

Lakeside Concert with Bend Camerata

Wanderlust Tours is proud to present the another installment of our Art in Nature outdoor performance series! Super talented local a cappella group Bend Camerata performed at one of our favorite lakeside locations.

We hiked through beautiful terrain to arrive at the lake’s edge, with views of amazing lava flows surrounding crystal clear waters and forested vistas. There, we witness a spectacular 10-person a cappella performance and basked in the beauty of the natural world!

After the concert we enjoyed locally produced wine from Naked Winery while mingling with Bend Camerata members and soaking in some sun.

Photos by Alex Jordan

Wanderlust Tours Highlights: Black Rock Desert & Steens Mountain Overnight Trip!

Steens Mountain valley

Last week, we lead a fantastic, educational journey through the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, and to Oregon’s remote Steens Mountain. The trip included visits to historic small towns, remote desert trails, landmarks for the Oregon Trail, and to the stomping grounds of the cowboy Buckaroos.

The group hiking along a portion of Steens Mountain

A scene from the High Desert Museum’s Spirit of the West exhibit

For 22 years Dave Nissen— owner of Wanderlust Tours— has desired to partner with the High Desert Museum in offering tours to the scenic locations found in the museum’s Spirit of the West hall of exploration. This dream came to a beautiful manifestation this September with a 4-day, 3-night natural and cultural history exploration to the Black Rock Desert of Nevada and the Steens Mt. area of Oregon. 

These two locations are represented in the exhibit’s Applegate Trail covered wagon scene as well as the Buckaroo scene. Dave was absolutely pumped to enable our tour guests to actually walk on the Applegate Trail (a part of the Oregon Trail) and walk across portions of the Black Rock playa as well as climb up the Black Rock itself!

The trip coursed its way up to the top of the Steens fault escarpment and hike at 9,000 feet to set our eyes on a stunning body of water.  We meandered through 100-year old homesteads, stayed at a working cattle ranch, and stood before the 166-year old George N. Jaquith inscription in High Rock Canyon. 

The group in the Black Rock Desert

The inaugural trip to highlight the museum’s famed exhibit proved that we desire only to offer more of these experiential trips. Dave believes the impact such a trip makes on our lives is found in the enrichment of our understanding of Native Americans who lived on this land and what it took for tenacious people to fulfill their pursuit of the American Dream. Combined with the sheer beauty of the Great Basin Desert, one can expect the museum and Wanderlust to team up in the future for more such experiences!

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We love creating unique custom trips for our guests! 

You may know us for our daily tours around the beautiful wilderness in Central Oregon. Did you know we lead specialty trips as well? Our overnight tours are always a creative endeavor, seeking out new adventures in the unique and beautiful locations across the Pacific Northwest and Western United States. 

Our Custom Group Coordinator, Courtney, and Wanderlust Tours' founder and owner Dave Nissen will work tirelessly to arrange a magnificent journey for groups of 10 or more (or an equivalent price). 

An early domicile in the Black Rock Desert

WE AIM TO INSPIRE

Every tour we embark upon is designed with specific goals in mind. We always aim to provide an enlightening, educational experience for our guests.

For this reason, we partnered with the High Desert Museum to explore remote locations important to the early American westward pioneering movement. With overnight trips like this one, there is plenty of opportunity for our Naturalist Guides to share their interpretation of the rolling landscapes, as well as their extensive knowledge of the area's cultural history. 

Inscription from an early pioneer

WANT TO HEAR ABOUT THE NEXT STEENS OVERNIGHT TRIP? SIGN UP FOR NOTIFICATIONS HERE!