June 2005

We managed to stop for 2 nights in Chiloquin, OR, just south of Crater Lake.
It rained in the morning, but the clouds cleared enough for us to take the hour trip to the lake...but as you see on the left of the photo,
the clouds rapidly closed in and an hour later people arriving had no view of the lake...it was totally in the clouds.
The snow was about 4 feet deep at the rim.

One of the "perks" of our lifestyle is having "the unusual" happen...or opportunities are available to us that "others" might not have.
Just such a thing happened at our campground in Chiloquin (The Waterwheel Campground).
They were having an antique tractor show with some beautiful restored machinery on display. I got to actually DRIVE a 1913 steam engine tractor!
WOW...no wonder our farmer ancestors could eat such huge meals!
They expended thousands more calories than we do in a week! It took everything I had to just steer the tractor...the owner did all the clutching, etc.
No power steering there! Chris took some good video footage that we might post later...it'll definitely make our DVD of the year's travels!

North and Middle Sisters from McKenzie Pass...just opened the week before

Route 242 through McKenzie Pass is an excellent daytrip when you're in Central Oregon (Bend/Redmond area)...but NOT in an RV.
You'll go through lush forests on the western side, over incredible ancient lava flows at the top with magnificent views...to Mt. Hood
on a good day, and then down into high desert as you approach Sisters, OR.
Make sure to visit Proxy Falls on the western side, take the walks through the lava at the top of the pass,
and have lunch or dinner in the quaint town of Sisters on the eastern side.
Route 126 makes a nice return route to McKenzie Bridge where you began...or vice versa!

"Balloons Over Bend"

Bend's Third Annual Balloons Over Bend began June 9...a cloudy day for the mostpart, with the clouds obscuring the view of Mt. Bachelor which would be behind them in this view.
Pilot Butte, the butte from which I planned to photograph the balloons was closed still when we arrived at 6 am, so I hiked most the way up to get these photos.
Tomorrow we'll go to the lift-off area and watch them inflate and take off.
These photos give you an idea of the Bend area with the Cascade Mountains in the background. Mt. Hood was visible today, but was off to the right of this photo.

Sunday, June 12...Brilliant morning for the last "liftoff" with the Cascade Mountains in the background...more photos below...

Sunday, June 19...Father's Day....we drove to the Sisters Wilderness Area just outside of Sisters...our destination was to view
the Squaw Creek Falls which we had heard about. After driving several different Forest Roads (dirt and gravel) we came upon the trailhead, from which
it was an easy 1 mile hike to the viewpoint. However, Chris decided to head to the bottom of the falls for a better view...he convinced me to join him, which I did...
It's STEEP! But, we took our picnic, so once down there, we had an awesome view for our lunch. Highly recommend the trip...there are terrific views
of the Sisters mountains close up as you drive along the road. You do need a Jeep, truck, or some high clearance vehicle to access the final road.

Squaw Creek Falls, Sisters, Oregon

Early last Sunday morning, we got up, grabbed some donuts at a nearby donut shop, filled the Thermos with coffee,
and headed out towards Mt. Bachelor...destination: Spark's Lake and one of our favorite views. Once we
arrived, we found the mist was heavy on the lake, but it promised to lift, so we set up our camera gear and
waited...We were soon rewarded with one of the most beautiful mornings we've ever experienced.

Imagine you're there...

...the mists lift and suddenly we saw the trees and grass with South Sisters in the distance...

...then, it totally cleared and we could see Broken Top to the right...a deer was seen a bit later in the grassy area to the left...it was hard to leave it to return to civilization.
Chris took a time-lapse video of the mists lifting over a period of about 20 minutes, so we can view it over and over...