Pretty much every Oregon Scenic Byway crosses a high
elevation pass. And pretty much every one of them are still closed, even after
Memorial Day. And they give you no warning whatsoever. I guess the locals know,
but not us furiners. You just head up the highway and see how far you get
before you hit the barriers.
So, we have to 
stick to the lower elevations. We wanted to
head up into the Three Sisters Wilderness – three famous mountain peaks that
were talked about in the writings from the mid-1800’s. We learned there were
still glaciers gracing the Three Sisters peaks and were hoping to catch a
glimpse or maybe even hike onto one, but no such luck.
stick to the lower elevations. We wanted to
head up into the Three Sisters Wilderness – three famous mountain peaks that
were talked about in the writings from the mid-1800’s. We learned there were
still glaciers gracing the Three Sisters peaks and were hoping to catch a
glimpse or maybe even hike onto one, but no such luck.
We’ve gotten lucky even in the lower elevations. We
discovered Whychus Creek – a water source and manageable entryway into the
Three Sisters Wilderness. That is because the Creek is fed by the runoff of the
glaciers up on the peaks. We could even see the greenish tint that signals
glacial run off in the rapids of Whychus Creek. Even the pooch enjoyed the
several milelong hike.
We found out way into Tumalo Falls on the western skirts of
Bend. Tumalo is alleged to be the largest waterfall in central Oregon, and
given the additional volume afforded by the still very active snow melt, the
falls were spectacular.
We headed back to the Newberry Monument to venture up to the
Newberry caldera. The caldera is so large that it contains two complete and
separate lakes – East Lake and Paulina Lake. While most services were closed
(yes, even after Memorial Day), we still enjoyed our visit and poking around.
A massive obsidian flow came from the Newberry caldera some
7,000 years ago. Obsidian is just like jet black glass, but it is raw rock
sometimes created by volcanoes if the conditions are right. While the flow was
mostly snow covered and the paths pretty much inaccessible, we were able to
make it up the first set of stairs and get a great glimpse into this
fascinating feature.
Paulina Lake fuels a fantastic waterfall near its perimeter.
We were able to park outside the snowed in parking lot, and find a passable way
down to the base of Paulina Falls. The hike was a little dicey due to the snow,
but the view made it well worth it when we arrived. Luckily the way back up
seemed a bit easier.
We also visited Lava River Cave. Named for the river of lava
that created it – basically, a river of lava cools first on the outside
creating a thick crust in the shape of a tube – the lava inside continues to
flow through the tube. Eventually all the hot lava flows out, leaving this cave
like structure. At some 10 miles long, this is the longest intact lava tube in
Oregon. We hiked through the very rugged cave until we were content with our
visit.
The town of Sisters is really fun – totally about visitors
with quirky shops and restaurants/pubs. I personally like it more than Bend,
although in Bend you get the benefit of more infrastructure. We didn’t know
that “The Biggest Little Show in the World” is here. I wonder if the City of Reno
knows that their trademark name has been taken hostage. We are heading out on
6/5, just a couple days before the big rodeo – dang!
We will have to return when we can do the Oregon Scenic
Drives and venture into the Three Sisters Wilderness – maybe you can only be
certain of access in July and August!
Talk to you soon!
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