Sunriver, OR

We have been fortunate to have cool temps while here in Sunriver. This area is called the high desert and we were told that we were going to be hot as we were leaving the cool coast.

 

Sunriver has a network of bike paths and do not allow bikes on the streets.

This eagle's nest houses the parents and two offspring. As we were riding our bikes down the rode, I saw two people sitting along the road with their cameras. I had to see what they were looking for. (Mike calls me the "interrogator") This couple had been watching the family for 9 weeks and showed us some great pictures of the eagles landing . Their cameras on tripods with clickers were much better than mine.

It has been a busy two weeks here in central Oregon. We wanted to get another mountain bike ride in before leaving. Seeing some cross country ski trails that looked like they might be nice, we chose the  going up hill for 3 miles through some sandy single track before leveling out. At one point, I said I might be done. After sitting a bit and having some water, I realized if we turned around, our day would be over in 15 minutes riding downhill and was glad that we didn't turn around.

 

Paulina Lake had some nice chair to enjoy the cold drink we bought at the little store before starting the downhill.

Mike informed me that my front brake had been dragging as he was cleaning up the bikes after we returned home. Maybe, that is the reason I thought about turning around. I always check my brakes before taking off for a ride. I don't want a brake incident. This time I was checking them while he was messing with my odometer and he told me to stop. I may have not noticed the drag during my check but let's put it on him.

 Several people had told us to visit the High Desert Museum and the rainy weekend seemed like the perfect time.

 

Early mobile home

The Works Progressive Administration was a New Deal measure during the Depression that I was not aware.  It was a government attempt to employ a variety of artists, writers, and musicians so that the work they produced could help them make a living and enhance the quality of American life during the Great Depression. The WPA commissioned thousands of artists to observe the American scene; its people, its landscape, and its architecture, and capture through their brushstrokes and lenses, the life they were seeing.



There were many interesting exhibits with lighting and sounds to enhance the experience.

 

Newberry Volcano National Monument

We were having trouble with the driver's side window that would get stuck in the down position. We have had this problem before and took it to the Ford garage and paid to have it fixed. He wasn't crazy about paying $400 to have it fixed again, went online to youtube and found a fix. If it didn't work, he would take it in. He fixed it. Hurray!

The Big Obsidian Flow formed 1300 years ago is Oregon's youngest lava flow.

Obsidian is very sharp on the edges and was used by the Native Americans for weapons by making arrowheads,spearheads, knives and jewelry.

 

 

There are few places in the continental United States where you can walk in a landscape so utterly foreign. The Big Obsidian Flow is a patch of black and grey volcanic glass covering about 4 square miles of the Newberry Crater floor. We saw everything from the classic jet-black glass suited for Native American tools to frothy grey glass that looks more like a stone sponge than an arrowhead.

It was amazing walking through the lava flow but had to watch where we were putting our feet. The black shiny obsidian was hot from the sun with sharp edges.

As we walked the trail, at the top was a treat with a great view of Lost Lake in the crater and mountains in the background.

Paulina Falls falls 80 feet with twin falls was just a short walk to the overlook but 1/4 mile down to the bottom for a different view.

Paulina Falls spills over the lowest point of Newberry Caldera.

 

After walking around the Big Obsidian Flow and Paulina Falls, we headed over to the lava tube cave for the 1 mile walk into the cave.

The Lava River Cave formed about 80,000 years ago was like entering another world. It is Oregon's longest lava cave extending almost 1 mile.The forest service job did a great job of making the cave very walkable. We walked down 55 steps into darkness requiring our headlamps. Lamps were available at the trailhead for $5 but our headlamps worked just fine keeping our hands free. At times we felt like we were in the belly of a whale with the striations along the walks of the cave.

We made it to the end. It was interesting to spend the time walking a mile underground and listening to the quiet and dark. We took along extra flashlights in case the headlamp's batteries ran out.

There were just a few bats in the cave. With almost 400 caves in Oregon, I bet they found a quieter place tosleep during the day without people walking through.

Oregon has many covered bridges that we will have to return and see. This one is difficult to see though the window as I took the picture.



 

It had been over a month since we had last gotten our mail and had it sent general delivery to the Sunriver post office minus the junk mail. We got a few bills and a Father's Day card with a nice gift card which we promptly used.

Sweet Creek Trail and waterfalls

 After being "out of touch" (very limited internet when we could use our hotspot and no TV) for 2 weeks, it was nice to wake up and watch "Sunday Morning" on CBS. We don't watch much TV but that is one we enjoy. Where we are staying now has great WIFI which gave me a little time to catch up on some of our blog. We only buy 6 gigs of data and downloading photos would take that in no time. When we would get to a high spot on a hike, I would find a G or two and be able to make sure everyone at home was ok. That's the only concern I have when we are out of touch.

Oregon has plenty of waterfalls to be found. The Sweetwater Trail was a 25 mile drive along the Siuslaw River through some winding roads with plenty of hairpin curves. The hike along the creek was only 3/4 mile until it went straight up the mountain but gave us some beautiful sights with so many bird sounds that were unfamiliar. Hiking in the lush trees reminded us of our time in Costa Rica, only cooler. There were plenty of options for longer hikes. Can't beat lunch with a view.

Oregon has really taken the Monarch Butterflies plight personal and is investing in their habitat by planting milkweed and other flowers for them. We saw plenty of caterpillars on the path along with a few snails. That was the extent of our wildlife sightings.

Darlingtonia State Natural Site is the only Oregon state park property dedicated to the protection of a single plant species. The plants it protects are the only carnivorous flora in the system.

This 18-acre botanical park provides parking and a boardwalk trail out into a fen that is home to Darlingtonia californica. Also called a cobra lily, the rare, strangely-shaped plant is the only member of the pitcher plant family in Oregon. We had to stop and check it out.

The resort we are staying at has a nice unlevel pickleball court that we got a chance to play a couple of games on. It had been a while since we had our paddles out and felt pretty good. We weren't even that bad but that also depends on who we are comparing ourselves to.