Day 285 – Cascades Lakes Highway

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Day 285 of a Year Long Road Trip Along America’s Scenic Byways

Sparks Lake

The skies were clear in Bend when I headed west into the Deschutes National Forest via the Cascade Lakes Highway.  Once I got into the mountains; however, it was a different story:  overcast and misty.  I can only imagine the beauty of Sparks Lake in the sunlight.  I rounded the bend and came across a golden prairie, perfectly flat like a parking lot, situated in between the evergreen covered mountains. 

It was such a stark contrast that it was simply remarkable despite the poor weather. At first, I didn’t even see the lake, only a narrow stream which wound through the meadow.  In fact, when I stopped to snap a photo, a placard claimed the Ray Atkeson, a professional photographer, felt this was the most stunning landscape in Oregon.

Devils Lake

From Sparks Lake we moved a bit further to Devils Lake which normally presents visitors with an eerie optical illusion.  Its crystal clear waters and shallow white pumice bottom makes it seem as if boats are floating in midair.  Today, I couldn’t see the bottom, but its waters changed from brown to emerald green to aqua from one end of the lake to the other.  This area has historic significance due to the inhabitance of Indians for the past 10,000 years as well as a rock from this area was taken to the moon by astronaut James Irwin.

Elk Lake

Our drive continued past more lakes including Elk Lake, Lava Lake, and Little Lava Lake.  We found an old guard station as well as a few deer hiding out under the bushes.  Once we turned south toward Crane Prairie Reservoir, the skies cleared for Petey and me to take a walk at Osprey Point.

Crane Prairie Reservoir

The information sign claimed Osprey stayed around the area until early October, but in late September, I didn’t see signs of any.  While the birds weren’t diving into the water for fish, their primary source of food, the chipmunks were actively scurrying around with nuts preparing for the winter. Upon return from our stroll through the woods to the open grasslands, we visited the grave of William Quinn, a 25 year old pioneer who died when accidentally being shot during a hunt.

Newberry National Volcanic Monument

From here, we turned east toward Newberry National Volcanic Monument.  The line of trees edging the highway looked as if someone had driven by with a blow torch and burned the center of them.  They must have survived a fire at some point in their lifetime with their base and tops green.

Newberry National Volcanic Monument is home to Newberry Crater.  Now dormant, this huge, partially collapsed volcano has formed a five-mile-wide caldera.  Inside the caldera are a 100 foot waterfall, two lakes, and an obsidian lava flow.  We took the walk to Paulina Falls first and enjoyed the view from both above and below the falls.

Next we followed a very rough road four miles up to Paulina Peak, the highest point on the rim at 7,985 feet.  The summit provided a 360 degree view of the surrounding landscape which was absolutely magnificent despite the ferocious wind.

Big Obsidian Flow

We bounced back down the road and continued to the Big Obsidian Flow, Oregon’s youngest lava flow aging 1,300 years old.  A mile loop led me through the piles of pumice and obsidian.  The surface of this lava flow cooled before the atoms had time to organize into crystal thus the flow is essentially glass as it contains 73% silica just as in a window. 

The flow is about 150 feet high and covers 1.1 square miles or 400 soccer fields.  At times I felt like I was walking on the moon. Obsidian is so sharp, it has been used as a scalpel and the incisions cut by the obsidian healed better than those made by the steel scalpel.  Perhaps I should have had the branch cut out of my leg with obsidian!

From here, we found a campsite at LaPine State Recreation Area in order to take advantage of the shower facilities.  Tomorrow I plan on revisiting Crater Lake since snow stopped me in May.  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.

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