Central Oregon Scenes...plus one

On my way south out of Cle Elum last week, I bypassed Interstate 82 and drove through the Yakima River Canyon on the old highway. It was delightful! Steep walls of basalt and sage; the river running robustly; majestic ponderosas. I found this swinging bridge across the river at a rec site...there are about half a dozen places where you can camp, fish, and picnic in the canyon, which is a little less than 30 miles long.

I probably blogged this last year, but the shot of the South Sister looming over Sparks Lake in central Oregon is too good to pass up. This is on the Ray Atkeson Trail, named in honor of Oregon's premier scenery photographer. I would guess that at some time during his long career

he took a similar pic from close to this spot.

I found this red columbine near Lava Lake, on Century Drive maybe 15 miles past Sparks Lake.

As always, when I stay at Sunriver (near Bend) I visit Crater Lake. On this occasion I had the pleasure of playing tour guide for three folks who had either never seen it at all or had only glimpsed it from the air. They were blown away when they saw it up close for the first time! And why not...it's one of the world's power spots. The deep blue of the lake is mesmerizing. The lake's setting, on top of a mountain surrounded by jagged volcanic rock and gnarly trees, is surreal.

This is a little different look at the lake, along a shoreline adjacent to Mount Hoffman, at about 8150 feet the highest point on the lake rim. I love the jagged, multicolored rock formations here. What you're actually looking at is a bit of the innards of Mount Mazama, exposed when it collapsed about 6800 years ago. The big cliff on the right side of the pic is Llao Rock.