September 21

The Cascades create a rain shadow up here just like the Sierra Nevada do back in California, so as soon as we drove down from the Mt. Hood area, the high desert began. No Joshua Trees like in southern CA, but Pinon pine, I think, were scattered around the miles of sagebrush. Also there were deep canyons with hard volcanic layers on top and weathered softer stuff below. Almost looked like the Southwest.

On our way south on Hwy 26 we stopped at Smith Rock, a popular rock climbing formation. Katie was sleeping, so we couldn't climb down to the base of it to see the river and watch the climbers, but we looked for them with our binoculars. There weren't any up high, just down at the base. When I came in 1991, there were ones all over it. Also we tried stopping for huckleberry ice cream at the little store at Smith Rock, but, as in 1991, it was closed. Maybe it's permanently closed. Too bad--I'd been told it was tasty.

Passed up the most expensive RV campground yet, a 5-star in Woodall's, in Bend. Each RV had a fancy brick-paver paved spot with beautiful big pine trees and grass. They bragged of having nearly every convenience an RVer could desire, but there was no playground. Guess they didn't have families in mind. Also, the place was just Too clean and Too expensive looking. No one had planted any flowers or put up any little gates or whirlygigs to make a yard of their own, despite the very wide lots. Well, we picked a homey-looking place called Scandia instead, which was closer to town anyway. Turns out the owner used to work for the other place. Said the resort is trying to sell those lots for $175,000 for folks to time-share. Said you can't do anything to personalize your spot. And it's $47 a night! good god. Scandia was half that, so we decided to stay an extra night. If you are every RV-ing in Bend, stay at Scandia. It's run by the nicest manager/owners we've met. The husband has a bird that sits on his shoulder, they can direct you to anything you'd like to see, and they were the only ones so far not to ask Katie repeatedly to state her name (she just doesn't do that for strangers). Instead, the guy said, "Hi Cutie Pie! Are you having a fun time traveling with your parents?" Katie was happy to nod for him, and right away I knew we were at the right place.

Drove around Bend a little and we could see why folks move here. It feels like a college town, and very oriented to folks doing stuff outdoors. Also a big park with a river in it (always a cool thing), and lots of artsy shops and cool looking restaurants. Arts & Crafts bungalows all over the central part of town, and apparently they just had an indie film festival. Wow. I picked up the beautifully designed brochure on the festival: I want to find a film fest we can attend on our travels sometime. definitely.

Rode our bikes to a great playground about an hour from the RV park, and met a local mom with her 16-month old girl Lauren. Lauren was supposed to be a Katie, but came out unexpectedly with a head of dark red hair, and so was declared to be Lauren instead. She really looks like a Lauren. She was totally without fear, walking up and down Steep steps to the slide, running after Katie and the "big" girls... Katie had a good time too.

Wednesday, September 22
Today we drove up to the mountain town of Sisters, not far from Bend on Hwy 20. It's named after three volcanos nearby, Faith, Hope, and Charity, the Three Sisters. It's a tourist town with a very artistic bent. We had lunch in their city park and then watched a local dad climb to the very top of a tall pine tree, just for fun, and maybe to show his toddler son that he could shake the top of the tree. I took some pictures (see below).

Then we headed east out of Sisters on Hwy 242, the old McKenzie Pass road, which takes you up to an amazing place: a sea of lava created 1,500 years ago when a nearby volcano (they're all over, up here) erupted. The lava poured down the side of the little volcano and filled up the long valley below, then cooled and cracked into sharp-sided, heavy, slate-gray rocks with little air holes all over them. There are miles and miles of the rocks, and they haven't eroded and haven't got grass growing all over them or a forest through them--it's mostly absolutely barren, with just an occasional stubborn tree. We stopped and took pictures (below), and Mark and Katie and Red-bear climbed some rocks that were Not part of that flow--they were older volcanic rocks of a similar frightening sharpness.

Just when we thought we had seen the most amazing lava field ever, we kept going and got to a greater sight: the Dee Wright Observatory. Go see the pictures in the section below. It's built out of the lava rocks, and was made by the Civilian Conservation Corps, as a great spot to stop and see all the famous peaks that are visible from there. You can see at least two of the sisters, Mt. Jefferson, and various smaller volcanos. By the way, the smallest Sister is growing a lava dome, just like Mt. St. Helens is doing, but on just a fraction of the scale. But it's still causing hundreds of earthquakes. Makes you think twice about buying property up here.

After seeing Sisters we drove back to Bend and explored the shops downtown. One was a toystore with giant checkers that kept Katie busy awhile. We tried finding her some slip-on shoes for winter, but no luck. We headed back to the RV for dinner and another round at the playground... and that's when Katie realized that Red-bear was gone. Uh-oh.

Red-bear could have been left back in Sisters, maybe was hiding under the seats of the car, or maybe was at the toy store. But everything was closed now, and we were leaving the next morning for Ashland. So we spent the evening reminding Katie that Red-Bear would be well taken care of no matter which little kid ended up with him next. She was taking it really well, but I looked back at the day's pictures and saw him in so many of them, and I think I was as sad as her. I decided that I'd try the toy store tomorrow, while Mark got the RV ready to go.

Thursday, September 23 (the last day before we drive home):
Well, we got lucky. The toy store had Red-bear and had taken good care of him. I bet he enjoyed being in a toy store by himself all night. We left town feeling much better not leaving anyone behind.

High Desert Museum: this is an amazing museum located just south of Bend on Hwy 97. Not only is the building gorgeous (big windows and hewn lumber) and huge but it has very sophisticated displays on pioneer medicine, the local Native Americans, live animals like bats and owls and rabbits and otters (it's almost a mini-zoo), and even a whole kids area where they can put on puppet shows (had to tear Katie away from there) using local animal species. And the whole place had huge photos of minerals that must have been taken using a microscope--they were colorful and intricate. We saw a 19th century "RV" (wagon) and it had a wood-burning stove inside and a counter about the size of this one here and a tiny bed and also a tool chest... just missing the cable TV to make it just like Martha (well almost). This is a place to stop if you are in the area.

There was one more place just down the road from the museum that I wish we could have visited too (actually there were a few more places--there is a Lot to see in this area): I wish we could have seen Lava Lands State Park, with its 1-mile-long lava tube that goes under Hwy 97. It was out of the question: Katie was having a true tantrum by the time we got to the sawmill outside the Desert Museum (by the way, this Saturday they'll start up the saws there and show how they used to run, and they'll also be making butter and pressing cider, and I wish we could be there...). Anyway, she's been so good on this trip that this tantrum is seen by me and Mark as "well, we knew this type of thing would happen, and clearly she's tired..." but the retirees wandering the grounds with us might not have understood that this is not her usual behaviour. We decided not to chance another stop. Right now we're ploughing down 97, having eaten lunch in the RV after the museum. Katie is trying to use the kitchen sink "No, no no no, not while we're driving. Please go back to the couch. Thank you" and definitely Not sleeping. So of course our prognostic abilities as parents still aren't any better than the weatherguys.

Here are pictures from Bend and Sisters, Oregon as well as the High Desert Museum and Crater Lake

the view on our way down Hwy 26 (Mt. Hood: the highest mountain in Oregon at almost 11,000 feet)

As soon as you leave the Mt. Hood area, the land becomes high desert. This sage, outside our RV when we stopped for lunch, reminded me of Bishop.

Smith Rock, north of Redmond, Oregon. A popular climbing spot. No climbers high up today, though.

In Bend we found a sweet RV park (Scandia), which was half as expensive as the 5-star place that Woodalls liked best.

I loved it because we had an old rock fireplace and picnic area right next to us.

It was cold in Bend. Here's Katie's bed.

At the park in Sisters, a daddy climbed this high tree.

Can you see him?

Here he is on maybe the hardest stretch.

Past Sisters on Hwy 242 you drive up to a sea of lava that erupted 1500 years ago. It is as barren as if it happened 10 years ago. Mt. St. Helens looks lush compared to this.

Mark couldn't resist climbing the pile of rocks at the scenic view of the lava sea.

Katie complained until we found a way for her to get up there too.

This is the Dee Knight Observatory, built out of the lava rocks by the Conservation Corps and Mennonite conscientious objectors in the 1930s and 40s.

Even the stairs to the top are made out of lava, and not eroded at all, after 60 years of use. This stuff is knee-scrape city, but somehow Katie came out uncut.

Katie inside the observatory

The observatory has little windows cut into it so you can see specific peaks, with plaques below each window, telling you what you are seeing.

This is the Belknap Crater, which was responsible for the latest lava flow, 1500 years ago, that created the sea of lava we see today.

This is the view from the path to the observatory. The lava is broken into TV-sized boulders and larger, and goes on for miles.

Here's a spot where the lava went between two hills, like a frozen river.

Here's stuff from the High Desert Museum:

they got 3-4 flats a day out here driving through the lava fields in 1914

an old chuck wagon

Mark & Katie checking out an otter, and vise-versa

the old fashioned RV, complete with woodburning stove

Here's Crater Lake:

This pumice desert is 7,700 years old, created by the tiny pieces of pumice that came out of Mt. Mazama. A long time for not much to grow (that's worse than my own gardening).

The first snow we drove by on this trip. Katie was much more excited about the snow than the lake.

This was our first view of the lake, as we pulled in to a rest stop.

yes, Katie you can go play in the snow

no time to stitch this pic and the next into a panorama, but you can imagine...

wizard island, which might someday grow to become the new mountaintop

The lake's first photographer built this house--it has a room that was a darkroom where he developed the first pictures of Crater Lake (around the turn of the last century I think).