September in the Pacific Northwest

It's September and the kids are back in school and we're in Oregon. All is well with the world.
We drove to Sisters, Oregon last Thursday (a long day for us) and have spent the last three days doing fun things in the area.

We spent a day at the Newbury National Volcano Monument. The Newbury Volcano erupted here some 7,000 years ago and it's impact is still readily apparent. Here the lava flow is dramatic when viewed from the top of the butte formed by the eruption.





From the top of the butte we looked West  and were treated to this view of the lava flow and the Cascade mountains in the distance. Mt Bachelor is on the left and the three Sisters are on the right. The Cascades are part of the pacific ring of fire and run from the California border to Canada.






We hiked the lava flow and got up close with the Basalt lava rocks. Lots of volcanic cinders all around. I thought about Ella and if she were with us we could have had a "cinder-Ella" Sorry about that Ella. This is really amazing place and something we have never experienced before.






We left the lava flow and hiked the Deschutes river for a couple of miles. The scenery was wonderful and we enjoyed the hike. Back at the trailer we relaxed and sat in the spa for a while and got a good nights rest.








Today, Sunday, we hiked the trail along Whychus Creek. It's a rugged hike and we did just 2.5 miles of the entire hike. Then we headed back to Sisters for another 4 miles of hike and then back to the trailer for lunch and a relaxed afternoon. Off to central Washington and Arnie's acres RV park for two days.
Great to be back in the Pacific Northwest again.