Forged by Vulcan | Part 4, Volcanic Moonscape

August 4: The Early Bird Catches the Waterfall

Cascading over a dramatic 97-foot drop, the lovely Tumalo Falls awaits visitors 14 miles west of Bend. A popular destination, we rose early to beat the crowd. We enjoyed a truly satisfying breakfast at the McKay Cottage Restaurant (this Bend mainstay is a gem) before hurrying westbound to the falls. Parking access requires a $5 day pass that we purchased a day earlier from the Bend REI.

We were not early enough to get a parking spot at the base of the falls, but we were early enough to park near the parking at the base of the falls. We took that as a win. Considering the line of dusty vehicles still crawling their way up the gravel road toward the falls, our timing was nevertheless excellent.

Though it is not quite half the height of New York's Taughannock Falls, the sight of water plummeting over a large drop of such narrow span recalled that natural wonder from closer to home. 

A short hike brings visitors to the top of the falls that tumble into an impressive gorge.

Photo by random bystander.

The Bear never could resist rocks in a waterway, Tumalo Creek or otherwise. It's good to know that some things never change.

Not to be Confused with an Award for Excellence in Children's Literature

Also within the Deschutes National Forest and south of Bend is the Newberry National Volcanic Monument. It is named for the still active (though not recently erupted) Newberry Volcano whose caldera is 35 miles southeast of Bend. Between Bend and Sunriver, Lava Butte rises above the landscape, a cinder cone subfeature of the overall Newberry network that last erupted 7,000 years ago and poured lava across an expansive area. The lava field hosted astronauts in training when NASA identified it as an Earthly mimic for the lunar surface. Access to the lava field was granted by the same $5 day pass that we used at Tumalo Falls that morning, which is why we bundled these two excursions together.

The Lava Butte cinder cone (background) is surrounded by acres of jagged, black basalt (foreground).

While perhaps not representative of the lunar surface (definitely lacking in copious amounts of dust), it presents an undeniably dead, otherworldly terrain, especially when framed by contrasting terrestrial foliage.

During a presentation at the Visitor Center, The Bear and I both got examples of basalt with different morphologies. (Temporarily. We had to give them back.)

Exploration of the lava field is facilitated with a paved pathway. I suspect that the astronauts were not allowed to use this.

"Hi! We're on another planet!" (Not really.)

It is striking to me that life so often finds a way. It is also striking to me that, having gotten this far, something caused this tree to give up.

Beyond the lava field, Ponderosa Pines cover the landscape with green up to the slopes of the Cascades. Pictured here is Mount Bachelor (so-named because it's a solo monadnock?), rising to an elevation of 9,068 feet.

From left to right in this photo are South Sister, Broken Top, and Middle Sister. North Sister is out of frame to the right. The tallest, South Sister, rises to 10,363 feet elevation.

People conveniently provided for scale.

Successfully clinging to life.

Lava balls are an analog to snowballs, which makes for an interesting twist on the "snowball's chance in hell" idiom. A nearby plaque proclaims, "Great balls of fire!" Literally. Do these terrain features remind anyone else of the Horta? (Not the Mediterranean dish, the critter from Star Trek.)

Some subspecies of troll are partial to lava tubes.

Where the lava field ends, the Ponderosa Pine takes back over. The boundary is striking!

At some point during its eruption 7,000 years ago, a vent opened in the side of Lava Butte and this line of lava simply poured out. This could almost be an action photo if the lava had not long ago cooled into basalt.

A last look at the magnificent lava field of the Newberry National Volcanic Monument highlighting another example of life that once painfully struggled for existence there. The lava field was unlike anything I have ever seen in my life.

Set Phasers to Splinter

That afternoon, while the rest of my family recuperated from exploring the moonscape and obtained paddleboards from LOGE, I returned to the trails behind our lodging. Along the way, I found this interesting artifact that looked like a frontier version of a Star Trek phaser.

Photo by Kristy.

The Bear and I ventured down the Deschutes River on Atoll paddleboards obtained from LOGE. I was impressed with the gear. The boards were inflatable, yet remarkably rigid. Each was packaged in a large, well-balanced backpack containing an air pump. I was still under the restriction to avoid sunlight, so I felt rather overdressed on the river. I was honestly surprised by the strength of the Deschutes River current and toiled upstream for a while before letting the current return me to where we entered the water. The Bear traveled further downstream into the Old Mill District and we intercepted her just upstream of the white water rapids.

That night, we met a friend of mine and his wife for dinner at Zydeco Kitchen. It was our only excursion to downtown Bend, but the town was charming and our meals were excellent. Thanks to Sam for a great recommendation and a fun night out!

August 5: Bookends

We concluded our stay in Bend on August 5. After enjoying another very satisfying breakfast at the McKay Cottage, we returned to Pilot Butte for a last hike to the summit before starting the drive back toward Portland. Thus, Pilot Butte bookended our time in Bend.

Kristy decided to sit this one out, but The Bear was ready to go.

The character of the trail changed significantly since our arrival a few days prior. What was once covered with fine grey dust was now washed clean by the severe thunderstorms that blew through that week, revealing the trail's red-tinged basalt underpinnings. Extensive signs of new erosion were evident. On our first visit, I wondered at the lack of erosion abatement that I would have expected based on my experience with New York trails, but now I understand how truly rare significant rainfalls are in the aptly named high desert.

In the near distance, the distinctive conical profile of Lava Butte was visible on the horizon.

Eastern faces of the Cascade Mountains seen from the top of Pilot Butte provided the setting for this last image of The Bear in Bend, OR. Overall, I liked Bend. It seemed like it would be a great place to live, especially for anyone who appreciates outdoor adventures. I think its isolation from other places (i.e., Portland is four hours away by car) would get to me after a while, though.

Next, we followed US-20 westbound through Sisters, then OR-22 through Detroit (!) and Salem, winding through the Cascades until reaching the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, OR. The content of the next installment of this series will be more thematically consistent with the rest of this blog!

Forged by Vulcan | Part 3, High Desert "Air Show"

Raptors!

A Harris Hawk during the raptor show at the High Desert Museum. 

Our plan for Day 3 was to see natural wonders other than the purely geological. Otherwise, what could possibly top Crater Lake? Our two scheduled activities for the day included the raptor show at the High Desert Museum and an evening excursion to the Oregon Observatory at Sunriver to peer into the heavens through multiple telescopes.

Old Mill District

 

The morning of the third day in Oregon provided our first opportunity to explore the Old Mill District around our hotel. Originally sited as a fordable portion of the Deschutes River, Bend is now a small thriving city with significant activity centered around the twisting course of the river. What was once an industrial center for timber production is now mixed use entertainment, recreation, and dining. In many ways, Bend reminded me of a western version of Kalamazoo.

A bridge over the Deschutes River was part of a morning exploratory walk. Despite the early hour, paddleboarders were already plying the river.

Interestingly, US-20 that runs through Bend is the same US-20 that serves as Main Street in Le Roy, NY. It is the longest highway in the US. We also discovered, by the happy accident of passing by, that Bend is home to the last operational Blockbuster Video store.

The REI in Bend is readily identified by the three surviving smokestacks of what was once the powerhouse for the Brooks-Scanlon Mill. REI is where we purchased the park pass that we would use the next day to see Tumalo Falls and the lava field at the Newberry Volcanic Monument.

This colorful tunnel seemed like an unlikely place to encounter a troll...

...and yet...

After our stroll, we packed the car to transition from our original hotel in the Old Mill District to different lodging just outside of town. When we arrived, we discovered that the severe thunderstorms that rolled through Bend while we were at Crater Lake the previous day had knocked out the power. Because the place was on a well, this also meant no water. While this also caused issues with the electronic door locks meaning that an employee had to let us into our room, power would not be a critical need until later that night.

What's Your Wingspan?

Diverting to the High Desert Museum represented the flexible nature of our itinerary. We arrived in Oregon unaware of its existence, but drove past it while leaving Bend for Crater Lake. Internet sleuthing revealed that it is highly regarded and we flexed our itinerary to accommodate it.

Voyager, Laurel Porcari, 2017

I was really taken by this mosaic of tiny ceramic tiles on a 1941 Ford panel truck meant to invoke the high desert. The level of detail was astounding. Inside, the mosaic reflected a lunar surface with the Earth in the distance. 

Voyager, Laurel Porcari, 2017

In addition to teaching about the flora, fauna, and geology of the region, the High Desert Museum also incorporated thematically appropriate artwork as well. Neat place. They even had a specimen of the unique Mazama newt that we learned about at Crater Lake.

While I thought The Bear's wingspan was reasonably impressive, mine is 35 feet. So what if my wings happen to be aluminum?

Raptor Show

(Not affiliated with the F-22 or the United States Air Force)

The highlight of our visit to the High Desert Museum was the raptor show, claimed by those running it to be unlike any other in the country. Indeed, five different birds of prey were featured, all of them swooping low over -- and even among -- the audience. All that I had with me that morning was an iPhone, which was not the best equipment for the job, but I captured what I could.

The first featured raptor was a barn owl.

As the barn owl settled into place, the whooshing of its wings was very audible.

Next up was a falcon (I forget the specific type) that sped through the air on silent wings. "These are the fighter planes of the raptor world," explained the commentator. It seemed apt, then, that the F-16 was a Falcon.

Next up was a turkey vulture. These massive carrion birds have an impressive wingspan. 

Former "UberCo" employees from Kalamazoo will recognize the turkey vulture profile from the examples that circled over Building 298 on July 21, 2005 while we were informed that the company was shutting our site down.

A study in contrasts. Photographer #1 is so busy reviewing the last shot he got that he's oblivious to the vulture about to soar right over his head. Photographer #2 is ready and waiting as the scavenger glides directly toward him. Photographer #3 would be the guy with the crummy camera phone that somehow managed to capture the scene. (Photographer #3 is me.)

I took a couple of hundred photos during the raptor show. Some of the best moments are the reactions from the crowd. Photographer #1 still appears to be putting his attention in the wrong place.

Whap! This photo was taken moments before I was thwapped on the noggin by the vulture's wing as it flew overhead.

The Harris Hawk was one of the most photogenic of the raptor performers.

It was also quite happy to fly low through the crowd.

"Coming around, weapons hot!"

The shadow angel!

Whoa! That was close.

Photographer #1...you're killing me, dude!

The Harris Hawk shows off its impressive wingspan for the puppet master pulling all the strings.

I do not know if the High Desert Museum's raptor show is unlike any other in the country, but it was 100% worthwhile and amazing viewing!

Exploring the Back Yard

The Bear samples the hammock in our room. Photo by Kristy.

For the latter half of our stay in Bend, we were at LOGE Bend. LOGE is an outfit that caters to outdoor enthusiasts and makes bikes, paddleboards, and other gear available to guests. For example, The Bear and I spent time on the Deschutes River with LOGE-provided paddleboards. The facility was a renovated motel / motor lodge, the kind familiar to kids of the 1970s and anyone who's watched a crime noir film involving sketchy lodging. The accommodations were not lavish and borderline rustic, but the beds were comfortable and The Bear found the hammock compelling even if she was not brave enough to attempt sleeping in it.

LOGE had access to a "nature trail" behind the property, which I assumed to be something on the order of a flat, half-mile loop, perhaps with some native wildflowers. The Bear and I decided to explore it anyway and wound up taking a three mile hike through varied terrain.

We departed on a flat trail only to find some unexpected terrain along the way.

Obviously, the area covered by the trails was more expansive than what was implied by the "nature trail" sign departing LOGE property.

Eventually, we reached a portion of the Deschutes River.

My favorite photographer hard at work.

In the end, it was an unexpectedly interesting hike and one that was very different in character from our usual hikes around Rochester, NY. Dinner that night was at an outfit called Crave and was interrupted by yet another severe thunderstorm that all the locals assured us was completely out of the norm for the region. (It seemed pretty normal to us.)  As we prepared to depart LOGE for the Oregon Observatory at Sunriver, the power was restored.

And there was much rejoicing.

Galactic Froot Loops

We arrived in Sunriver just after sunset. The observatory is part of the Sunriver Nature Center and surrounded by the Sunriver Resort and golf course. It is across the street from the Sunriver Airport (S21). Fortunately, clouds from the dinnertime thunderstorm dissipated enough to grant an unfettered view of the stars after nightfall.

Though it does not look like much from the outside, the observatory possesses the largest collection of telescopes available for public viewing in the United States. Specifically because of the leadership of this facility, Sunriver was the first location in Oregon to be certified as an International Dark Sky Place.

Photo by Kristy.

The Bear and I took note of the observatory logo. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

After hearing a lecture about the general structure of the universe, we sampled sixteen different telescopes, each already trained on a celestial object. Volunteers at each telescope answered questions and helped people understand what they were seeing. In addition to the biggest telescope under the observatory's dome, most of the other telescopes were mounted in indoor bays with roofs that slid aside to allow interrogation of the heavens. We saw everything from the Andromeda Galaxy to various distant nebulae (including one that looked like a blue Froot Loop) and globular clusters. Some of the optics were trained on places closer to home, allowing us to see crisp detail of lunar craters with the same clarity that we beheld the rim of Crater Lake's caldera the day before. It was an amazing experience and another fine example of how journeying to Oregon enhanced our understanding of how wonderous nature can be.