Travelogue

Home Sweet Home!

Travelogue

Stage of the Allen Elizabethan Theater before the perfomance of MacbethI was pretty excited about seeing Macbeth at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. It had been on my radar since moving West four years ago. Although we had taken the long way around to get here this trip, Ashland is only about 6 hours from home, so it’s something we could easily do on an annual basis. I’m not quite sure Herb is ready to buy into that plan yet.

For many, however, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival is an annual event, and it has been going strong since 1935 when Angus L. Bomer, an enthusiastic young teacher from what is now Southern Oregon University, proposed producing a festival of two Shakespeare plays as part of Ashland’s 4th of July celebration: Twelfth Night and the Merchant of Venice.

For that first performance, general admission tickets cost $0.50 for adults and $0.25 for children. At those prices, I would have a better chance of getting Herb to make this an annual event rather than the $95 per seat we paid.

We got to our motel in Ashland early enough to shower, have lunch, and nap before heading downtown to the historic district. Even without the Shakespeare Festival, Ashland’s historic downtown is worth a visit, with its many fine restaurants, shops, the Schneider Museum of Art, and Lithia Park, a 100-acre park alongside Ashland Creek, designed by John McLaren, the landscape architect of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.

Herb getting ready for the Macbeth performance at the Allen Elizabethan TheaterThe play began at 8:00, so we had some time to have a picnic dinner in Lithia Park before heading over to the theater.

There are actually three theaters in Ashland, each of which had performances tonight. We would be seeing Macbeth at the Allen Elizabethan Theater, where most of the Festival’s Shakespeare productions are put on. It was modeled after the 1600 Fortune Theater inLondon.

There is also the 600-seat Angus Bowmer theater and the smaller 150-seat New Theater, where modern works and experimental productions are put on.

Since we bought tickets last minute, our seats were in the very back row, which was actually fine. We could see and hear everything as well as those near the stage.

The performance was mesmerizing, even though I knew the plot and had seen several versions of Macbeth before. That’s what great about Shakespeare plays. Every director can takes his own approach to interpreting and utilizing the themes and motifs in the play. I thought this version put a heavy emphasis on the supernatural, and felt the presence and influence of the three witches throughout.

It was a wonderful performance and a great way to bring our exploration of Oregon to a close. We’ll be back!! Right Herb?

Travelogue

Porch of Crater Lake LodgeOne of the ways Herb had enticed me into the idea of spending 6 nights sleeping in the back of a truck in some of the most remote and desolate parts of Oregon was to suggest that we could see a play at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland afterwards. I’ve always been a sucker for Shakespeare and in my early adulthood I read all of his plays and several biographies, so I bit.

I was able to secure two tickets for the Saturday night performance of Macbeth, which gave us one more day to fill before arriving in Ashland. A brief look at the map revealed an excellent enroute choice - Crater Lake National Park, a park we had been to twice in the past, but was definitely worthy of a third visit, especially when that visit corresponded with a full moon.

Getting a campsite at Crater Lake on a Friday night wasn’t exactly a given, but we lucked out and got the very last reservable site. I felt a little guilty taking it, because it was a 50 foot site, meant for something slightly larger than our 4Runner, but the reservation clerk said it was fine.

View of Crater Lake and Wizard Island from the Discovery Point TrailAs much as I liked the solitude and remoteness of where we had been so far, I was definitely ready to transition back into civilization. To speed up the process, I suggested we have lunch at the Crater Lake Lodge, a fine example of the rustic and cozy national park lodges I have come to love. It was lovely. The food was delicious and our window table provided us with a view out over the lake.

Crater Lake is up there on my list of most beautiful lakes in the U.S., along with Lake Tahoe and Lake Powell. It is also the most interesting geologically.

The first thing to realize is that Crater Lake is actually a misnomer, as it more accurately should be called Caldera Lake. For millions of years, there was a huge mountain here called Mount Mazuma. Then, around 7,500 years ago, the mountain erupted, spewing out so much pumice and ash that the summit collapsed, creating a giant caldera, measuring 4,000 feet deep and 6 miles across. That giant caldera was eventually filled in with rainwater and snowmelt, creating the lake, which is somewhat incorrectly called Crater Lake.

Smaller eruptions continued after Mount Mazuma blew, building several cinder cones within the caldera, including Wizard Island, which is the only one tall enough to be exposed today. During one of our previous visits we took a ferry out to it and climbed down into its crater -,an awesome experience that I highly recommend.

View of Crater Lake and Wizard Island from atop Watchman PeakThe lake is amazingly clear and is an intense sapphire blue in the deep parts and a lovely turquoise and aquamarine along its shallows. The reason it has such a deep blue hue is its depth and purity. It is the deepest lake in the U.S., measuring 1,943 feet at its deepest point. Because it is so deep, when sunlight hits the lake, the longer red waves are absorbed and the deeper violet and blue waves are reflected, causing its deep blue intensity.

Our objective for this trip to Crater Lake was to photograph moonrise over Wizard Island, so we spent the afternoon searching for the perfect vantage point - a spot where Wizard Island would not blend into the background of the other shore, but be totally surrounded by water, including its top, and the position of the moonrise would be over Wizard Island. Herb had an app on his phone that would show him exactly where the moon would rise,

We started that search with a walk from the Crater Lake Lodge 2 miles (each way) along the rim on the Discovery Point Trail, to the Discovery Point Lookout. The views were incredible, but the top of Wizard Island still blended into the mountains along the far shoreline and Herb’s app showed that the moon would rise too far to the right of Wizard Island. Close, but no cigar.

Full moon rising over Crater LakeNext we drove to the Watchman Lookout a few miles beyond Discovery Point. Now this looked promising. Wizard Island was positioned correctly with water showing all around it, and Herb’s app showed the moon rising pretty much right over it. Bingo! Now we just had to wait until moonrise at 7:37 pm.

We passed the time by hiking the Watchman Peak Trail 1.6 miles (out and back) from the south end of the parking area up a series of switchbacks to the Watchman Fire tower and panoramic views of the lake. We weren’t the only ones with this idea as on our way down we passed a group of about 20 people on a ranger-led hike to the fire tower.

Still an hour to go, so we had some wine and cheese out of the back of the truck. Having a refrigerator in there sure was handy.

Around 7:30, Herb positioned his tripod in what he felt to be the be the best vantage point. We were not the only ones out here with the same idea in mind, and gradually more and more tripods began filling in along the wall above the lake.

It had gotten quite chilly after sunset, so I spent a good deal of my time running back and forth between Herb and the warmth of the truck.

Sunrise over Crater LakeIt was pretty hard to get a photo with a cell phone without a tripod, but I balanced mine on a rock and did my best - lots of cropping and straightening out were needed afterwards. Herb’s photos came out a lot better in terms of composition and being in focus.

The evening was so magical that we came back the next morning in time for sunrise at 6:46 am. It was even colder than the night before.

Herb felt vindicated in his selection of a vantage point from which to photograph the sunrise, as he was joined by a professional photographer, who had done even more research than Herb, and come to the same conclusion that this was the place.

I don’t see many sunrises, as I am not much of a morning person, but this experience was enough to make even me a believer in early rising.

Travelogue

Pronghorn Antelope of Hart Mountain Wildlife RefugeIt was a lovely drive west along the gravel Rock Springs Road through sagebrush grasslands to the Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge. It was so desolate that passing cars and trucks actually waved to each other in a sign of shared humanity.

Like Steens Mountain, Hart Mountain is also a massive fault block rising from the flats, in this case the Warner Valley. This 278,000-acre refuge was established in 1936 to protect remnant populations of pronghorn antelope.

Some fun facts about pronghorn antelopes:
Pronghorn Antelope of Hart Mountain Wildlife Refuge
They are not antelopes, but, in fact, their closest relative is the giraffe.

They are the fastest animals in the western hemisphere - remember that when you are trying to take their photograph. They can reach speeds of up to 65 mph and run at 30 mph for many miles

They have branched horns, not antlers that are shed and re-grown each year

When they are startled, they raise the hair on their rump and the white patch can be seen for miles - we have lots of pictures of their started white rumps

Their vision is comparable to a human with a pair of wide-angle 8-power binoculars. Plus they can see 320 degrees around - so good luck sneaking up on them

They can eat plants found in the grasslands that are toxic to domestic animals

Lolo strolling along Petroglyph LakeSo, I think we can all agree that they are pretty unique and fascinating animals, as well as very beautiful ones.

We weren’t even in the Refuge yet, before we saw our first band (groups of them are called bands, not herds) of pronghorns in the grasslands along Rock Creek Road. Of course, we immediately pulled over to try to photograph them in the distance, remaining in the car so as not to scare them off. We had no idea at that point whether these would be the only ones we saw. They were pretty far away, but very aware of our presence. Usually one or two of them tried to stare us down, while the other less dominant ones displayed their white backsides to us.

They are usually more easily seen in early morning and late afternoon, so we thought it boded well for some more spottings as this was mid-day.

Petroglyph along Petroglyph LakeThere is only one campground in the Refuge, so we wanted to go there directly to make sure it had room for us, as there was nowhere else to stay anywhere near. Plus, we read that it has a natural hot spring, so we thought that might be a nice way to spend the afternoon before going out again to photograph pronghorns later in the day.

After taking a drive through the campground and seeing that there were plenty available sites, we drove over to the hot spring, adjacent to the campground. Unlike other natural hot springs we had been in, this one had a cinder-block enclosure surrounding it - I guess for privacy, but it also blocked the lovely views. The couple already in the pool told us that there was another natural spring just 100 yards away, without an enclosure.

We grabbed our chairs and a cooler and easily found the spring, a lovely natural pool, with a perfect temperature and nice flat rocks to sit on. It was a great way to pass the afternoon - and we had it totally to ourselves, even as we saw several people entering the other one.

Herb enjoying the natural hot springSufficiently relaxed, we decided to head to Petroglyph Lake, which, as its name implies, has numerous petroglyphs, and is also a place where pronghorn antelope like to hang out in the afternoon.

It took us a long time to get there, because we came coming across bands of pronghorns on our drive. We stopped numerous times along the way to photograph them, but it was tough as they are extremely cautious and usually keep themselves at quite a distance. Although I tried to take pictures of them with my cell phone, they just looked like little dots surrounded by vast grasslands. Fortunately, Herb was able to quietly get out of the car and set up a tripod. That afternoon he probably took over 400 pictures, trying to get at least a few in focus.

View from Warner Valley LookoutWe eventually got to Petroglyph Lake and took a walk alongside the basalt boulders and cliffs that face the lake. Starting at about 0.3 miles we started to see a few etched on the rocks - lots of turtles and lizards. The best ones were at the far end of the cliff, about 0.8 miles from the parking area. There was one that even looked like an alien, or as I pointed out Kenny from South Park.

There were no pronghorns hanging around the lake, but we did see a half dozen or so silhouetted along the ridge.

Afterwards, we took a drive out to the Warner Valley Overlook, along the western boundary of the Refuge, for a wonderful view of the interestingly textured potholes, lakes, and marshes about ¾ of a mile below us.

It had been a great day, and our concern of not seeing any pronghorn antelope was unwarranted, as over the course of the day we had probably seen over a hundred. I think if you just drive slowly and keep your eyes peeled on the grasslands, you are pretty much guaranteed to see lots of them.

Travelogue

Along the Steens Mountain Scenic BywayLast night, we slept on a playa at the foot of Steens Mountain. Today we would drive up and over it along the Steens Mountain Scenic Byway, a 66-mile gravel road from the Carlow Valley up to the top and back down to the tiny town of Frenchglen.

The Mountain is actually a 30-mile long fault block that rises straight up from the Alvord Desert to a series of glacial peaks at 9,734 feet. During our drive, we would go through five vegetation zones along the way, ranging from tall sage to alpine tundra. It is considered one of the best scenic drives in Oregon, as well as its highest.

Most descriptions of the Scenic Byway have you starting in Frenchglen and going clockwise along the drive. However, since we were coming from the south, we started at the theoretical end and went counterclockwise.

Wild horse taking a dirt bath while his buds look onWe hadn’t been driving on the Byway very long before we encountered several groups of wild horses alongside the road. We tried to take their picture from the car, but we soon came across an ideal setting - a small pond, with a group of about 6 or 7 horses reflected in it. One of them even put on a show, by rolling around on this back, legs up in the air, thrashing and kicking up dust, while his buddies just looked on as if he was crazy.

Continuing our climb we stopped at Indian Gorge Lookout and took the short walk out to some pretty awesome views of the gorge.

Indian Gorge Lookout along the Steens Mountain Scenic BywayAt the top of the loop road, we took a short spur road to the Wildhorse Lake lookout. From the parking lot, we walked a ½-mile up a steep dirt road to the true summit of Steens Mountain, where we were treated to an incredible panoramic view, including the Alvord Desert where we had camped last night. There are some ugly radio towers on the summit, but it wasn’t too difficult to keep them out of our pictures.

From the same parking area, we walked 0.2-miles to a stunning view of Wildhorse Lake 1,300 feet below. There is a 1 mile trail down to it, and we probably would have taken it if the namesake wild horses were playing delightfully by it, but they weren’t and it was cold, so we continued on.

On our descent, we passed another classic U-shaped glacial valley called Kiger Gorge. Wild horses are also known to inhabit this area, but not today.

Indian Gorge Lookout along the Steens Mountain Scenic BywayNext we came to Jackman Park, one of the BLM campgrounds along the drive, but we continued on. This was Day 4 in the truck, and a place with showers was imperative.

Too bad we were too early for the fall color change, because there were so many aspens that would have looked lovely dressed in golden yellow.

At about 20 miles before the end of the drive, we came across Fish Lake, another BLM campground, which is supposed to be lovely in late September when the golden aspens are reflected in the lake. The aspens were still green and there was no shower so we drove on.

Finding a shower was starting to totally consume my thoughts now. I called the historic Frenchglen Hotel to see if they had a room for the night, but they were totally booked. Then I called the Steens Mountain Wilderness Resort, which I verified had showers, and booked a tent site for the night. Ironically, just to shower there if you were not a guest is $9 ($18 for two), but a tent site is $15, and included access to the shower. I had beat the system.

Wildhorse Lake lookoutBefore getting to the Steens Mountain Wilderness Campground, we came to another BLM campground called Page Springs. It was lovely, with spacious campsites set along the Donner and Blitzen River. We weren’t sure how much we were going to like the commercial campground, so we splurged $4 (half price for seniors) and reserved a really nice site in Page Springs. We now had two places to camp for the night - one to bathe in and one to sleep in. What city slickers!

I was desperate to not face another turkey sandwich or backpacking meal, so I convinced Herb that we should have lunch at the Historic Frenchglen Hotel, built in 1914 as a stage stopover. It was already 2:00 and their website said they served lunch until 2:30 so we hurried on over.

Historic Frenchglen HotelI think they were pretty much getting ready to close shop when we got there, and the grill had already been turned off. However, the young girl waiting tables said we could have BLTs. Then BLTs it was, and coffee. The sandwiches were actually quite good.

The next order of business before settling down for the night in one of our campsites was getting gas, and thankfully Frenchglen (population 12 to as many as 15) did have one, and it was completely based on the honor system. After pumping our gas, I had to go into the Mercantile Store and tell the old woman behind the counter how much we had pumped. Being a city slicker, I had taken a picture of the pump with my cell phone, but she never asked for any verification.

Along the Donner and Blitzen RiverThe store was like being transported back in time. It reminded me of when our kids used to play the Oregon Trail computer game and had to decide for the pioneers what they should buy with their limited money - a burlap bag of flour, an elixir for whatever ailed them, or one of those many tin cans up on the shelves with God knows what in them. I felt like I had left both the 21st and the 20th century back up on Steens Mountain.

We headed over to the Steens Mountain Wilderness Resort to shower. When checking in, the woman behind the counter greeted a young girl, who came in the backway. It was her daughter and the same girl that had waited tables at the Frenchglen Hotel. Okay, so now between the old woman in the Mercantile store, the woman checking us in, and her daughter (waitress), we already had met 25% of the town’s residents.

After pulling our 4Runner into Site 15, I happily showered for like an hour, wondrous of the magic of water coming from above to rinse 4 days of dirt and sand from John Day Fossil Beds and the Alvord Desert off of me.

The campsite wasn’t nearly as nice as our one at Page Springs, or as private, so we left. I don’t know why I felt so guilty.

Before leaving the next morning, we took a short 1.3 mile hike from our campsite up a side canyon, along the rim overlooking Frenchglen and the Donner and Blitzen river, and then back down to our campground.

Travelogue

Herb doing what he loves bestBefore last week, I had never even heard of the Alvord Desert, and probably most of you haven’t either. It’s located in a very sparsely populated area of southeastern Oregon, about 20 miles north of the town of FIelds, which I’d also never heard of.

We had found out about this place from a book we had been using to plan our trip, called “Photographing Oregon, a guide to the natural landmarks of Oregon,” by Greg Vaughn. It covers the most photogenic natural locations in the state, like coastal cliffs, waterfalls, volcanic peaks, wildlife refuges, or stark white alkali lake beds such as this.

The playa of the Alvord Desert cover is 20 miles long by 6 miles wide. Once a giant lake with a depth of 200 feet, today it is a dry alkaline flat, totally dry from July through November. When it is dry, you can safely drive on it. However, heavy rains can transform it into a sticky mud that even 4WD vehicles have trouble driving on.

Dust devils forming on the playaTucked into the Steens Mountain rain shadow, it receives about 6 inches of rain a year, making it one of the most isolated, driest, and unique land formations in the state. Just what Herb loves.

Our original intent was to camp at the Alvord Hot Springs, a family run, rustic spa on the edge of the playa. This being our third night sleeping in the truck, we thought a shower would be nice.

When we pulled into the parking lot of the Hot Springs, we weren’t particularly impressed with the facilities - old corrugated containers used as accommodations and camping in the parking lot. Plus, all we saw was a bathroom and no showers.

Lolo running on the playaMaybe there were some but we didn’t even stop to ask and just drove along and out onto the playa where we could have the whole vast expanse to ourselves. Soap and wash clothes would have to do for another night.

I tend to get a little antsy just sitting, and that whole playa was just laying out there before me, so I got on my running shorts and headed out. We had parked along the edge of the playa, where some bushes were growing, so I figured it would be easy enough to find. But, just to be safe, I recorded my run, as I do all my runs, on an app called Strava, which not only keeps track of your time, distance, pace, heart rate, etc., but also creates a track on a map so that you can see your route - kind of like bread crumbs. It has saved me from getting lost on many occasions. Not to be a braggy mom, but my son Tommy is one of the software developers for this app, so I can complain to him if I get lost while using it.

Our home for the night on the Alvord DesertMy original intention was to just run along the edges of the playa, but the middle looked so inviting, so I started heading out towards the other side. Distances are so deceptive on water and I guess dry salt flats. It seemed like I was running forever and getting no closer to the other side. Soon, I noticed some pretty ominous storm clouds building in the distance, so I figured I better get out of the middle of the playa and head back closer to where Herb was. Thank God for Strava, because everything looked the same, and I would have had a really difficult time finding our 4Runner, which was tucked along the bushes near the edge. It certainly was exhilarating though. Tomorrow, I definitely would shower.

The storm never did come to us, but it did provide some pretty dramatic skies that evening.

Travelogue

The road to Sheep RockThe next morning we drove east on Highway 26 for about 50 miles to the second of the three units in John Day Fossil Beds National Monument - the Sheep Rock Unit. This is the unit that gives the “fossil” part of Fossil Beds its name, as it has been and still is the site of massive amount of fossil discoveries, dating from over 30 million years ago.

Fossils were first discovered in this area in 1862, when Union cavalry troops guarding wagons of gold noticed fossils in the hills. They collected what they could and took them to Thomas Condon, a Congregationalist minister and avid geologist. Recognizing the importance of these fossils, Condon returned often to the area, which is now the Blue Basin of the Sheep Rock Unit, where he found an abundance of ancient life preserved in the hills. Soon word got out and paleontologists from around the country came to Oregon to search on their own. Researchers are still studying this area and new discoveries are being made to this day.

Sheep RockToday, at the Sheep Rock Visitor Center there is a museum with a working laboratory and collections room with over 60,000 fossil specimens. It is appropriately called the Thomas Condon Paleontology Museum as he was the one who first recognized the significance of the fossil beds here and did the first scientific collection and study of the specimens.

Before driving into Sheep Rock, we decided to check out the Bureau of Land Management Mascall Formation Overlook, just a little past the entrance to the park up on Antone Road. Besides the great view of the actual rock formation known as Sheep Rock, we noted the picnic table and restrooms as a possible spot to cook dinner later. No camping is allowed in the parking lot, but since camping is generally permitted pretty much anywhere on BLM land, we drove a little further along a gravel road and found a perfect spot on a ridge with great views. Hopefully, it would still be available when we returned in the evening.

Hike along the Blue Basin Overlook TrailWe started our visit at John Day at the visitor center and strolled through the Thomas Condon Paleontology Museum where there were informative exhibits, fossil displays, and a laboratory.

From the Visitor Center, we took a short walk to an overlook of the park’s namesake Sheep Rock, which rises 1,100 feet above the John Day River. Unlike the colorful reds and yellows we saw in the Painted Hill Units, Sheep Rock and the other formations in this unit are colored in shades of greens and blues, caused by the chemical weathering of a mineral called celadonite. Atop the bands of blues and greens, Sheep Rock is topped by a pointed basalt peak.

We continued driving north through the park along the John Day River, stopping to cook a mid-day lunch at the Blue Basin Trailhead. This section of the road drives along the boundary of the park, so it was interesting to see the stark rock formations juxtaposed by ranches with irrigated green fields.

Island in Time Trail along the canyon floor of the Blue BasinAfter lunch we hiked the Blue Basin Overlook Trail, a moderately strenuous hike that rises 760 feet to an overlook of the stunning Blue Basin and the steep canyons cut by the John Day River below. It was an extremely rewarding hike.

Rather than return directly to the parking lot, we turned onto the Island in Time Trail which followed the canyon floor through the blue-green badlands we had just looked down on. Along the way there were several replicas of fossils found along this area.

Continuing north we passed Cathedral Rock, another beautiful formation with multi-colored layers of blues and greens. Unfortunately, it was in the shade by this time of day. The challenge for photography in a place like John Day is being in the right place at the right time.

Another blue-green rock formation on Flood of Fire TrailNext we came to the Foree Trailhead where there were two short hikes to colorful rock formations. Unfortunately, they were darkened by clouds. However, we were patient and waited for a bit of sun to paint them in light.

This was the end of the road, so we retraced our way back through the park, stopping once more at the Sheep Rock Overlook to capture it in the glow of pre-sunset light.

What a great park, and like the Painted Hill Unit, so easy to conquer in a day - except if you are a paleontologist spending years digging for fossils.

We made our way back to our BLM campsite on the hill and were delighted to find it still unoccupied. The views over the ridge were lovely - much better than our campsite last night.

Travelogue

Lolo hits John Day Fossil Beds (Painted Hills)John Day Fossil Beds National Monument was very high on Herb’s list from the start. I had never known that he was so interested in fossils, but apparently, he knew that there was a lot more to John Day than that.

John Day is not just one park, but three separate units, pretty geographically far apart from each other: the Clarno Unit, the Painted HIlls Unit, and the Sheeps Rock Unit.

View from the Painted Hills OverlookBefore I get started sharing our experiences, I do what to share an interesting fact I learned about how this National Monument got its name. You might think that John Day was instrumental in the discovery of this area as a treasure trove of fossils, or in its preservation as a National Monument. Well, not exactly. In fact, John day was never anywhere near any of the park’s units. His claim to fame was that when he was a fur trapper, he was robbed and stripped naked by Indians. Everyone loved telling the story so much, that the river near where the robbery took place was named after John Day. Since that river flows through the various units of the park, it too took on the name John Day.

Along the drive through the Painted HillsOk, now onto our journey through the Painted Hills Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, which is located just off Highway 26 near the town of MItchell.

Of the three units in the National Monument, this one is the most stunning in terms of photogenic natural beauty, with its colorful, sculptured hills and mounds formed over 35 million years ago by ash layers deposited by ancient volcanic eruptions. Over time, the layers of ash containing different minerals compacted and solidified into the various bands of red, yellow, green, ocher and black seen today. They are incredibly beautiful, especially just before sunset.

Along the drive through the Painted HillsThe park is very easy to conquer in just one day, or a few hours, as there are only about 6 or 7 miles of roads, from which you can get a great view of the painted hills. However,I strongly advise getting out of your car and hiking along one or more of relatively short trails that bring you to even better views.

The hills are most colorful in evening light, just before sunset, so we spent the afternoon scouting out the best place to experience the evening glow.

We went first to the Painted Hills Overlook, and walked along the half mile trail which had magnificent views all along the way. All the colors - reds, yellows, greens, blacks, and ochres - were on display here. We found the spot where the classic photo of this park was taken, but the light just wasn’t right yet - too harsh and flat.

Along the Painted Cove TrailRight across the road from the Overlook, we hiked the 1.5-mile Carroll Rim Trail, which brought us up a few hundred feet to a rimrock ridge that looked out over the entire area. Also, beautiful, but not quite as good as the Overlook Trail.

Since we wanted to be here for evening light, we drove the short distance back to the picnic area by the Visitor Center to cook our simple camping dinner of macaroni and cheese with hot dogs.

Dinner out of the way, we drove back up to the Overlook to enjoy the sunset. Before we entirely lost the light, we drove down to a pullout along the road where the hills were side lit and provided a different perspective.

Along the Painted Cove TrailWe still hadn’t figured out where we were going to camp for the night, and it was getting a bit dark. There is no camping allowed in the park, but you can pretty much camp in forest land outside the park, so we found a forest road just a few miles outside the boundaries of the park and pulled over the first place we could. It was a little dark and scary, so I made Herb lock all the doors before I crawled back into my newly designed bed in the back of the 4Runner. In the future, we would have to scout out camping spots earlier in the day.

The next morning we drove pack into the park and hiked the short, but sweet, Painted Cove Trail where we were treated to red and gold claystone hills in the morning light. Lovely.

Travelogue

Lolo enjoying the Deschutes BreweryBend seemed like the perfect jumping off point for our excursion through central and southeastern Oregon, and what better place to start than dinner, and a beer of course, at the Deschutes Brewery Pub - always a favorite. As usual, the food was great and the beers were citrusy and refreshing.

Our plan the next day was to drive along the Oregon Cascades Scenic Byway, stopping to hike, take pictures, and camp along the way. I even managed to get 2 of the 30 daily permits issued each day for the Obsidian Limited Access Area of the Three Sisters Wilderness, so that we could hike to the top of the Middle Sister. They are sold for $6 on Recreation.gov. Permits were sold out for today- I guess because it was the weekend - so I got them for tomorrow (Monday). That gave us all day today to explore various stops along the Byway.

Rainy day along the Oregon Cascades Scenic BywayOur plan was to go as far as Terwilliger (Cougar) Hot Springs for a soak before turning back and camping at Scott Lake, near the trailhead for our Obsidian hike tomorrow. The Hot Springs sounded awesome -- “set in a picturesque canyon in the Willamette National Forest where from a fern-shrouded hole, 108 degree water spills into a pool then cascades into three successive pools, each one cooler than the one above.” That description definitely got our attention.

Following our Lonely Planet “The Pacific Northwest’s 32 Amazing Road Trips” guide, we headed north from Bend for 22 miles on Highway 20 to Sisters before turning onto Highway 242, which led us through the lovely pine forests of the Three Sisters Wilderness Area.

Lava, lava, lava at the Dee Wright ObservatoryAs we started to climb, the weather shifted drastically, from warm sunny skies to a fine, chilling mist. Our first stop was the Dee Wright Observatory, a structure built entirely of lava rock, perched on a giant mound of lava rock, in the middle of a field of lava rock. The windows of the observatory are situated in such a way to highlight all the prominent peaks that can be seen from the summit. Well not today. The clouds were so thick, that the view from each window was the same - a mass of gray. As if that wasn’t disappointed enough, the temperature had dropped about 20 degrees and we were now being pelted with a steady rain.

In denial, we continued along the Scenic Byway, making our next stop at the Scott Lake Campground, near the Obsidian hike trailhead, where we thought we would camp for the night, so we could get an early start in the morning. It was pretty full, but hopefully people would be leaving, as it was a Sunday.

What should have been a great view through the windows of the Dee Wright Observatory,As we continued along the drive, and the rain didn’t seem to have any intention of letting up, we started questioning just how badly we wanted to do this hike in the morning. A quick check on the forecast showed that tomorrow would be even worse, with the possibility of thunderstorms in the afternoon, something I did not want to experience on the summit of Middle Sister.

We decided to cut our losses short. The nice part about not overplanning a trip is that you can be flexible and make adjustments based on conditions along the way. Well, this was time for one of those itinerary tweakings. The forecast further east at John Day Fossil Beds National Monument was much better, so we turned around and headed that way, but not without stopping for lunch first in the very cute town of Sisters.

I was a bit disappointed about giving up our Obsidian Trail hike up Middle Sister and our soak in Terwilliger Hot Spring, but it would give us a good excuse (as if we needed one) to come back to Bend in the future.