Lava, Rivers, Lakes and Mountains

 

Sunset near Bend

We left Diamond/Crater Lakes and headed back to Bend to  spend the Fourth of July weekend with our whole immediate family. Our Tampa kids and grandkids were flying to Bend for five days so we had a bit  of a reunion.  In Bend we did some touristy Bend stuff and it was so fun to see Esme and Luca spend time with Uncle Jeff and Aunt Katie.

We went to the Lavalands visitors center just a short drive south of Bend. This area is a huge lava flow dating back about 7,000 years. The lave erupted out of a fissure in the earth and created cinder cones and a river of lava that stretched over two miles and 100 feet deep. Today there is still  very little vegetation growing on the lava flow and its surface is extremely rugged--virtually impassible on foot.  There are paved trails going through some of the lava and up the cinder cone where the  views are impressive!

Venturing into the lava flow

Lava flow with Mt. Bachelor and the Three Sisters in the distance

 The whole family hung out all afternoon for a picnic along the Deschutes River near our campground and Esme got to ride on a stand-up paddle board for the first time.  Both grandchildren spent the night in our trailer and we all enjoyed a ranger talk about the local animals and an exploring adventure through the woods led by 5-year-old Esme.

Our picnic spot by the river

The intrepid paddleboarder :-)

Hoping to give the little Florida kids an experience of snow, we headed up into the nearby mountains.  It was unfortunately too late in the season for easily-reachable snow, but we did snag some gorgeous scenery and another chance for the newy-hatched paddleboard fanatic to explore a lake.  Some of the prettiest peaks of the Cascades are just a short drive from Bend and we played in a high meadow and at a high lake.

High Cascades meadow

Sparks Lake

Sadly saying bye to the family, we headed off to continue our exploration of beautiful Oregon.  First stop was Detroit Lake on the much greener western slope of the mountains.  Detroit Lake itself was not that attractive--low water exposing Rocky shorelines and lots of motor boats--but  our  campsite was nestled in a beautiful forest and was a quiet retreat after a busy family weekend.

Cove Creek campground

One of our best campsites ever!

The view from our hammock :-)

We took a challenging half-day hike to a nearby rocky peak for some spectacular views. There was a fire in this area in 2020 that eventually destroyed several towns and burned over 400,000 acres.  Signs of the fire are very visible around the lake and our hike passes through some badly-burned areas that are slowly recovering. It was still a scenic hike and well-worth the effort.

On the trail to Stahlman Point 

Blackberries on the trail!

The effects of the 2020 fire are evident across the lake

The views along the trail were stunning

Detroit Lake

1,800 feet of elevation gain brought us to  the top

Mt. Jefferson

After a rejuvenating five days at Detroit Lake, we moved to a new campsite in Oregon's Columbia Gorge, where we planned to spend a couple weeks. I'll cover the Gorge in more depth next post, but here's a hint--the keyword is "WATERFALLS"