ROB DeHARPPORT, the former Westfir mayor who retired to the high lakes country east of Oakridge a few years ago, was struck by the sight of the late-morning sun on Crescent Creek not far from his home at Crescent Lake Junction. The result was this photograph, one of many breathtaking images in his personal gallery.
Born and raised in Oakridge, DeHarpport retired in 2015 from the Teamsters after 31 years in the trucking industry, working for companies such as Sysco Foods, Mount Hood Beverage and Coca-Cola.
Shortly after ending that career he moved to Crescent Lake Junction “to fish, hunt, snowmobile and enjoy a peaceful life on the mountain.” He made this photograph just before noon when he noticed sunlight sparkling on Crescent Creek. The pristine, icy waterway flows from Crescent Lake and meanders generally toward La Pine for miles, until it merges with the Little Deschutes River north of Gilchrist.
Amateur photography and tracking the Cascade Summit snowpack are among DeHarpport’s favorite winter pastimes in the high country. He captured the self-portrait here while trekking on snowshoes in 2017 at Trapper Creek near the frozen-over West Bay of Odell Lake.
The Herald Welcomes Readers’ Photos
Oregon and all its communities along the Highway 58 corridor are blessed with many talented amateur photographers, and we have provided a place to share their work on this page. There’s no compensation – we’re a nonprofit, remember – but we will always credit the photographer and write a brief caption to go with each digital picture we publish here. We also warmly welcome black-and-white historical photos from our coverage area.
How and What to Submit
We welcome reader photos of news, nature or nothing much of anything as long as it involves life on the Upper Willamette and is fit for publication on a family news site. Email your picture as a .jpg file to [email protected] along with a brief description of what you photographed, when and where you did it, and perhaps even how you did it if there’s a bit of a story there. Also include your name, address and phone number for verification, and please tell us a little about yourself. Only your name will be published, in a credit line with your photo. An easy way to submit is by clicking here to use The Herald’s photo submission form.