Oregon Trunk Railroad Bridge
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Oregon Trunk Railroad Bridge: Wordless Wednesday
Volcanoes
Mt Hood from above: WS & OWS
I took this photo of Mt Hood from above a couple of weeks ago.
If you look closely, you can see a couple other volcanoes in the background. Mt Adams, Mount St. Helens, and Mount Rainier are all close by.
The skies were beautiful that day, but at this time of the year they should be more cloudy and gray than blue. Snow accumulation on the mountain has been much lower than usual this season. This has affected winter recreation and all the other businesses associated with it. Fortunately, a recent storm system dumped a lot of snow on Mt Hood.
Weekend Sky (WS) & One Word Sunday (OWS) – Blue
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Oregon Cascades from above: LAPC
This week I’m sharing photos of the Oregon Cascades from above. Most of these pictures were taken with my DJI drone.
The Lens-Artists Photo Challenge prompt this week is “Shot from above.” That sounded like a perfect excuse to take a Sunday drive. We drove north from Bend and turned west near Terrebonne. After driving through Cove Palisades State Park, we headed south towards Sisters, Oregon.
Near Black Butte, Oregon
When you’re in dense forests, it’s hard to know what features are in the landscape nearby. I flew up a few hundred feet and got this picture of several of our mountains. The Cascade Range stretches from northern California to central British Columbia. Oregon’s Cascades are 260 miles long and as wide as 90 miles.
I like how trees look from above so I took this picture near Black Butte. I don’t usually include pictures of myself on this blog, but I do appear in this photo. Can you see me? 🙂
After navigating several roads like this, we decided to head to a lower elevation location.
Between Bend and Sisters, Oregon
We stopped at the Cascade Flyers field, located halfway between Bend and Sisters. This is where a local remote control aircraft club meets. Even an ordinary scene like this one can look interesting from the sky. I’m in this photo, too. Great self-portrait, right?
This picture shows several iconic peaks of the Oregon Cascades from above. South Sister, Middle Sister, and North Sister fill the frame. South Sister is the most active local volcano. This mountain range is almost entirely volcanic in origin.
This picture shows Black Crater and Mount Washington. From certain angles, Mount Washington has a distinctive teepee-shaped formation on its peak. This volcanic plug formed when hot magma hardened within a vent.
Here’s a closer view of Mount Washington.
The last picture shows Three Fingered Jack, Black Butte, and Mount Jefferson. Bend’s Deschutes Brewery makes a delicious Black Butte porter beer named after this peak.
I’m still learning how to adjust the camera settings on my drone. If you don’t make adjustments, the pictures tend to be overexposed in the Auto setting. That means I will have to actually read instructions or watch videos instead of just “winging” it.
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Shoot from above
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Peak peeks near and far: LAPC & RDP
Here are some peak peeks from near and far. These volcanic peaks are in the Cascade Mountains in Central Oregon.
The first picture shows a distant view of Mount Jefferson I took on a flight to Seattle. The small cloud hovering over its peak looks like a puff of smoke.
Here’s a closer view of Mount Jefferson taken from the road near Madras, Oregon.
This picture shows a distant view of Mount Washington. It’s the snowy peak in the middle of the photo.
Hilltop Lane View: Wordless Wednesday
Observatory of the Past: LAPC
This observatory of the past is on McKenzie Pass near Sisters, Oregon. Dee Wright Observatory was built in 1935 by the Civilian Conservation Corps to showcase the human and geological history of this location. The round tower sits atop a small hill.
Here’s what it looks like when you approach it from the west. It’s one of the odder roadside attractions in Oregon but one that should not be missed.
The Observatory is constructed of local lava rock. The triangular-shaped rail supports look like rock cairns.
Continue readingOregon mountains from afar: LAPC
Today I’m featuring views of Oregon mountains from afar. We’re lucky to have wide open views of these landmarks.
The first picture shows a view of the iconic Cascade Volcanoes west of Bend, Oregon. From left to right you can see Broken Top, South Sister, Middle Sister, North Sister, Black Crater, Mount Washington, Three Fingered Jack, Black Butte, and Mount Jefferson. Visitor can drive scenic roads, hike, rock climb, bike, go boating, fish, hunt, and nature watch around these peaks. This map helps you find the activities you’re looking for.
The second picture shows mountains east of Terrebonne, Oregon. The highest peak is Gray Butte, where I’ve seen lots of stunning wildflowers in the spring. At the base of the mountains, on the left side, you can find Smith Rock State Park. This park is a destination for rock climbers and hikers from around the world.
The Mountain from above: Cellpic Sunday
In Washington State, locals call Mt Rainier The Mountain. When clouds fill the skies and you catch a glimpse of her, people say, “The Mountain is out!” I took a quick trip up to Seattle this weekend and had a picture perfect view of Mt Rainier from above. What a gorgeous sight!
Three Sisters view from Hatfield Ponds: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Just around the bend: Wordless Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday
Dangerous Beauties
The Three Sisters volcanoes in Oregon are beautiful but one of the three is dangerous. The photo above shows Middle Sister, a dormant volcano, and North Sister, an extinct volcano. Their other sibling, South Sister, is the troublemaker. This volcano last erupted about 2,000 years ago and research in 2000 indicated uplifting activity so it could blow again. See all three Sisters in the photo below. South Sister is on the left – some distance from her siblings.
Weekly Photo Challenge – Danger!
Pilot Butte: Bend’s Volcano
Do you want to go to the top of one of the few volcanoes in the U. S. located within the city limits? Pilot Butte is a cinder cone that rises 480 feet above the city of Bend. There are some amazing views from its 4,142 foot summit.
Look at this 360° “photo sphere” image that I took from the top. You can move the image around to see it all. It is a fantastic place!
About 190,000 years ago, Pilot Butte erupted and spewed glowing cinders and steam hundreds of feet into the air. The butte was covered in a foot of ash when Mount Mazama erupted 7,700 years ago. As Pilot Butte eroded away over the years, it evolved into the extinct cinder cone that we see today.
Getting to the top
You can get to the top in a few different ways. The Nature Trail is a 0.8 mile hike and the Summit Road Trail and the Summit Drive Trail are both 1.0 mile long. There is also a road that winds around the butte. The road closes for several months during the fall and winter. The Nature Trail is a dirt trail that ranges from moderate to moderately steep. There are several benches where you can rest and take in the sights. The Summit Road Trail starts on the west side and follows the road. You can also access it from the east side via a short trail. That’s the Summit Drive Trail.
Looking uphill on Pilot Butte
Roadcut on Pilot Butte
Juniper tree and views to the East
The butte is covered by bunchgrass, wildflowers, shrubs, and western juniper trees. You will see reddish volcanic soil along the trail and in road cuts.
You can see lots of interesting wildlife here. Mule deer can be common during certain times of the year. A cougar was seen on the butte a couple of years ago but they are not a common sight. You are much more likely to see a golden-mantled ground squirrel. Red-tailed hawks and other raptors hunt here so be sure to look up. You might also see (and hear) black-billed magpies and scrub jays. On warm days, western fence lizards might be out sunning themselves on rocks.
Continue readingLava Lands Visitor Center – Stories of Oregon’s volcanoes
Follow the red lava flow
The Lava Lands Visitor Center has interpretive exhibits that focus on local volcanology, geology, ecology, and archeology. As I entered the exhibit area, the red “lava flows” in the carpet guided me you through the center. Display boards are big, bright, and bold. They contain A LOT of information.
This small center is a great place to start a visit to the 54,000+ acres of the Newberry National Volcanic Monument near Bend, Oregon. The Monument was created in 1990. It encompasses unique geological features, lava flows, and many lakes.
Continue reading