One day without rain, and the sun making a warm appearance, me and some of my buddies parked where we normally would for the hike. My friend knew of the rock wall here, and he had some spare harnesses and rope. We decided to spend a day on the wall, sheltered by the looming Douglas fir and incense cedars that surrounded us.

Ask Jayson Hayes about wooden drift boats and you’re in for a good trip… He wants to give a good answer, an answer that does justice to the feel of rivers, to the tradition of the McKenzie, its drift boats, the builders that came before him. And, like the boats he builds, the answer you get is well worth the wait.

The first time you hear a grouse flush, you would think something is jumping out of the brush at you. Seeing a small, rotund chicken-sized bird fly through the woods at thirty plus miles per hour seems physically impossible and ridiculous.

Building sanctioned mountain biking trails in Eugene has been a long sought dream. There aren’t many opportunities (yet) to mountain bike within city limits, though many members of the mountain biking community have shown up at every possible opportunity to advocate for greater access in town.

In the South Willamette Valley, where the Coast Range folds into the broad floor of the Willamette Basin and oak-dotted prairies once stretched as far as the eye could see, fire has always been more than an element.

The Willamette delivers an endless cycle of unexpected encounters with nature. Beaver slides line the muddy banks. Tracks of raccoon, coyote, fox, and even the occasional bobcat tell the story of nightly visitors. It’s all right here in our backyards, if we only slow down enough to notice.

It is no surprise that some of the most beautiful, unique looking trout in the state are tucked away where no one can find them.

In the Southern Willamette Valley, organizations like the Disciples of Dirt are working to ensure mountain bike riding will continue on public and private lands where appropriate.

You can’t control the fishing, but you can control the food. And you might as well eat good because one out of two ain’t bad—and two out of two is always great.

Find waterfalls and trails near Sweet Home, Oregon

Like the fish he loves, Karl travels...Come winter, though, he’s here, like he is every winter, fishing for winter steelhead on the North Umpqua, catching what he’s chasing, making it all look easy.