Day 284 of a Year Long Road Trip Along America’s Scenic Byways
Barlow Road Tollgate
We awoke to another dreary day which kept me from any hikes first thing in the morning. Just along the highway, we made our first stop at the reconstructed Barlow Road Tollgate. Opened by Sam Barlow in 1846, this passageway was the first toll road on the Oregon Trail. Prior to the opening, pioneers had to convert their covered wagons into rafts and ride the rapids of the Columbia River. Travelers paid 25 cents to pass through the gate and meeting the toll man was even a social occasion as they hadn’t seen anyone for miles.
Mount Hood
After visiting the tollgate, we turned off the highway to follow a road to the north that climbs six miles past a handful of waterfalls to Timberline Lodge for a close up view of Mount Hood. The lodge was built during the Great Depression.
Trillium Lake
From the lodge, we returned to the highway and continued east through the forested mountains to Trillium Lake. The drizzle had subsided, so Petey and I strolled around the lake’s edge while a few folks tried their luck at fishing. On a sunny day, Oregon’s highest peak (Mount Hood) reflects in its waters. Today was a different story. The cloud covered Mount Hood wasn’t distinguishable in the lake’s rippling surface.
Lava Lands
After our short walk, we turned south toward Bend. Within ten miles, we had gone from the lush, fern covered forest to golden prairies peppered with lava rock as the cool, damp air turned warm. We reached Bend after a 100 mile drive and stopped at Lava Lands where we spiraled up a road that wrapped around Lava Butte, a cinder cone standing 500 feet above sea level. The windy summit offered superb views of the surrounding desert and cinder cones.
I wandered around the summit for a few minutes before taking cover from the whipping wind and headed toward Benham Falls, four miles south. Petey and I took a lovely walk across a bridge and along the Deschutes River though we never found the falls. We did, however, find a river ruler at the trailhead. The cableway, installed in 1905, measured the river’s flow.
Lava Cast Forest
A little further south we found Lava Cast Forest. The lava cast forest was formed over 6,000 years ago when Newberry Volcano erupted. Pahoehoe lava flowed into the forest and as it cooled it encased the trees in stone. Holes known as tree molds are left in the lava. New shrubs and trees are now trying to take hold in this lava covered area.
From the lava forest, we retraced our tracks back to Bend to watch the ugly Cowboy/Redskin football game at a bar conveniently located across from a Wal-Mart! ETB
Map of My Road Trip Across the USA
Learn more about my road trip across the USA, or click the link below for the interactive map.
