Living Life Like it's a Vacation!

Sept. 1, 2014 (Labor Day) --- lava tube; Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway:
We managed to miss the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway and end up at the Lava tube before we realized it. So we decided to wander through the lava tube. Ken says we've been to this one before, I sure don't remember it looking like that. Maybe it was my knee talking, but a million steps and huge boulders and it being very dark didn't seem like fun to me! Plus we had to pay for that pleasure! When we got to where it was hard to see the entrance anymore, we decided we'd all seen enough of a lava tube.

Then we turned around and headed back towards Bend and Garmin finally found the byway for us. It was a beautiful day with temperatures in the low 90's. It was also Labor Day, so it was much busier then we've ever seen it before. Usually we see quite a bit of snow in the mountains by the lakes, but like at Mt. Hood, there wasn't much snow here, either.

About 16 miles from Bend, we arrived at the foot of Mount Bachelor, 9,065 foot tall and part of the Cascade Range. In winter, Mount Bachelor is a premier ski resort. Its summit chairlift is open year-round, but someone in our party was afraid of heights. :)

This 66-mile historic highway was selected by Scenic America as one of the nation’s ten most important byways. It became a National Scenic Byway in 1998 because of its outstanding scenic,
natural and recreational qualities.

The byway follows a path of water through a volcanic landscape accentuated by 14 alpine lakes.

I believe this is Sparks Lake. The United States Forest Service maintains a boat launch at Sparks Lake. The site has a parking area, a lake trail, and camping at locations accessible by boat.

Back on the road.

Devils Lake was formed by a lava flow that lies as a mass of jumbled volcanic rock at the lake’s east end. It is a shallow lake with an average depth of just over three feet and a maximum depth of 10 feet.

Lava fields by Devil's Lake with our ride in the foreground.

I believe this is by Elk Lake. It's one of the most popular recreation areas in the Cascade Lakes Byway. The United States Forest Service manages campgrounds, boat launches, and picnic sites at different locations around the lake.

We found it a great place to have our picnic lunch and watch all the activity on the lake--swimmers, stand up paddle boarders, sail boaters, and just people watch. Although it was in the 90's air temperature-wise, I'm sure the water was only 60 at the most. Yes, there were hardy people playing in the water.

Did a little bird watching, too, although I have no idea what kind of bird this is.

After lunch, we continued on. I believe this is Little Lava Lake.

Generally considered the source of the Deshutes River, the lake covers 138 acres and averages 8' deep.

Lava Lake, Little Lava Lake, and other nearby lakes formed after lava flows from Mount Bachelor altered drainage patterns in the area.

I believe this is the volcanic peak Broken Top in the distance.

I believe this is the volcanic peak South Sister in the distance.

One sign pointed to Cow Meadow, so we decided to go check out the "meadow". Turns out this is actually a camp ground. But it is situated where Snow Creek and the Deschutes River flow into the Crane Prairie Reservoir.

It also turned out to be an outstanding area to watch Kokanee salmon running up stream! There were hundreds of them!

Hard to tell, but this red spot in the river is a Kokanee salmon.

Back on the Cascade Lakes Highway, we followed the Deshutes River for awhile.

Even found a resort on Cultus Lake. The lake is natural and is 211 feet at its deepest point and about 2 miles long.

The area around Cultus Lake is known for its large Ponderosa pine, Douglas fir and western white pine, sometimes rising to 120 feet tall.

After spending all day going through this 66 miles of one beautiful lake after another, we were ready to find some food. Ended up at Bend Brewery. So we had to try their beers!