OREGON (Day 3 - part 2)

The Malheur River

Along the way, signs shared history of the area.

The beaver is Oregon's official state animal. Nicknamed "The Beaver State" in the early 1800s, Oregon was an important source of beaver pelts.

(right) a large fire

This canyon was the site of a historic river, now called Dry River. Long ago, during the late Pleistocene, the large pluvial (formed by heavy rains) Lake Millican was surrounded by lava flows that blocked its normal drainage. Eventually the high water was able to spill over the edge of this lower ridge (known as Horse Ridge). The escaping water slowly carved into the softer volcanic rock, cutting this canyon and eventually resulting in a flood that drained most of the large lake.

View of the Cascade mountain range, approaching Bend on US Route 20

In Bend, we made a stop at Crux Fermentation Project, a craft brewery.

We enjoyed a blonde, marzen, a couple farmhouse ales, a peated scotch ale and a stout.

We then headed south towards Crater Lake and found ourselves on the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway. This whole area is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire (or the Circum-Pacific belt), which spans the Pacific Rim. Caused by the movement of tectonic plates, 75% of all volcanoes and 90% of all earthquakes take place along this ring.

Even most of the snow covered peaks here were once active volcanoes. A mere 7,700 years ago, this spot was dense with particles of pumice ash as Mt. Mazama (which stood where the hole of Crater Lake now is) exploded, sending ash more than 30 miles into the air. It was deposited up to 300 feet deep in some places and traveled over 8 states and even into Canada.

Click for a larger view

When we arrived at Crater Lake, there was a long delay due to construction. Fortunately we still had some lovely views.

Our first peek at Crater Lake

We made our way down the west side of the lake, eventually arriving at Mazama Village, where we had reserved a camping spot. It was quite chilly!

Setting up the tent

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