Oregon Summer

I have not lived in Oregon since 1978.  Work took me away...first to Colorado and then to California, and I'm very comfortable in Cali.  But there is no finer place to be...in summer...than Oregon.  I go back every summer and it's always great.  So are Washington and BC, for that matter.  If the weather was better in November, December, and January, I'd consider moving back to the Northwest.  But for now, I'll enjoy the summers there.  Here's a view on the Columbia River at sunset...by the I-5 bridge.

The Lizards are enjoying the scenery of the eastern Columbia Gorge, between Hood River and The Dalles.

Gooseneck curve on the old Columbia River Highway.  the road was built a century ago.  Specifications were to have no more than a 5 percent grade and no less than a 100 foot turning radius.  I think the latter spec was barely attained here.

The town of Lyle, Washington sits on a gravel bar composed of detritus from the Missoula Floods that occurred during the late Ice Age, 12-14 thousand years ago.  Check the next pic for an artists depiction of one of the floods.

Here at the Columbia Gorge Museum in The Dalles, a painting depicts what one of the Missoula Floods must have looked like.  A glacier blocked the Clark Fork of the Columbia River in today's Idaho panhandle repeatedly in the late Ice Age.  This created Glacial Lake Missoula, a vast body of water in today's Western Montana.  Eventually the lake became so deep that the ice floated and then gave way, releasing a volume of water the size of Lake Erie downstream.  The flood catastrophically inundated much of today's Eastern Washington, then constricted into the Columbia Gorge and roared seaward as a wall of water 500 feet high...or more!  The mammoths here are obviously saying, "Whoa!  WTF?? Head for high ground!"  There were over 40 of these floods...after each, the glacier would push south again and form a new lake til the ice dam broke.  The floods occurred at intervals of 40-80 years or so.

The Three Sisters from the town of...Sisters.

Central Oregon has almost everything.  It's an outdoor sports paradise...skiing, cycling, rock climbing, fishing, hiking, hunting, golf, snowmobiling, etc.  And unlike Colorado, it's only a 3-4 hour drive from the ocean!

Continuing our volcano exploration, this is the pumice desert north of Crater Lake, left by the explosion of Mount Mazama 7700 years ago.  

Here the Lizards are contemplating Crater Lake.  On successive days they visited Mt Rainier, Mt St Helens, the Columbia Gorge, and Crater Lake.  A good run!

Deep green trees, deep blue water.  The water of Crater Lake is mesmerizing.

Tranquil afternoon in the caldera of Mt Mazama.

Gnarled whitebark pines above the lake, about 7800 feet elevation.

Phantom Ship

Totally abstract pic of the lake waters.  The wake is from a departed tour boat.

Upper Klamath Lake, from the Running Y Ranch north of Klamath Falls.  Another beautiful spot.  In the far hazy distance is the remnant Mt Mazama; Crater Lake lies within.