Volcanos

2023-07-17
OR

Today started for us in The Dalles at an economical but well-kept hotel. Meanwhile, well south of us, a truck driver started his morning probably with a cup of coffee. He got his truck rolling and started north. Unfortunately he didn't make it to his destination. His truck ended up on its side on the highway, blocking most of the lanes. I hope he wasn't injured. All we know for sure is that last part; they were in the process of attempting to right the truck with two large tow trucks when we passed it, after waiting about an hour in a very long line of traffic. However, before getting into the queue, we did have a very pleasant hour heading south with essentially no traffic, although we did stop a few times to take pictures of the mountains and the occasional abandoned house. There was also a cool roadside mountain identifier.

Further south when looking for a place to stop we discovered the Newberry National Volcanic Monument in Deschutes, Oregon. We initially stopped in the north section to stretch our legs with a one-mile walk through the ponderosa pines and next to the lava flow, then after Val got some information from the visitor center we headed 14 miles to the South Unit.

In the large South Unit we drove up to the top of the tallest cone in the formation, Paulina Peak, at 7985 feet. There were great views of Paulina and East Lakes as well as some of the mountains in the distance. The road up is unpaved and a bit of a washboard so take your time if you go. On the other hand, it's an active volcano, so if you wait long enough maybe the top will come down to you.

We also walked the Obsidian Flow Trail. This is essentially a pile of broken glass, with the boulders and rocks being made of obsidian and pumice (which is also a silica-based material but with more air bubbles). Wear sturdy shoes and don't bring your dogs. The rocks are cool to look at, but in the past they were an important tool material, used to make scrapers and arrowheads for tribes from hundreds of miles around.

We continued on to Crater Lake and set up our tent. It was about 6:00 at this point so we drove back to the lake and took in a few viewpoints out by Wizards Island. Then back to the site for dinner and into the tent for the evening.