by Steve
We are in Bend, Oregon. This area of central Oregon is considered "high desert" as it gets only around 11 inches of rain per year. But you'd really not know it to look around. There are lakes and rivers (and irrigation canals) all around. And snow--lots of snow--in the Cascade Range. This is an area where volcanoes were once very active.
Yes, we are here in May and it's a little early to be up in the mountains. This picture was taken on a recent hike; the trail was under a few feet of snow, and the ski resort on the mountain in the background was still operating. But most of the days have been pleasant with temperatures in the low 60s, so it's just a matter of time for this snow to melt.
This volcano just south of Bend last erupted around 7,000 years ago, leaving this cinder cone. It sits in a field of lava that is a couple miles wide and 6 miles long. It's not uncommon to find both cinder cone volcanoes and lava volcanoes here.
This tree is seemingly growing out of the rock of a lava field, with an older higher volcanic peak in the background. It takes a long time for a lava field to get broken down into soil. But life takes hold, like this ground squirrel who makes the lava field his home.
I'm not sure how he digs a home in the rock, or how he keeps his feet from being cut by the sharp rock, but he seems to be thriving.
Here's a view of Obsidian. It looks pretty but the sharp edges will cut your fingers, and your boots!
The whole area around Bend was covered in lava long ago. It makes an interesting challenge for builders. They need to bust through a few feet of lava before they can put down a foundation for a house. It also makes for some incredible scenery where water flows over and around these lava layers.
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| Tumalo Falls, about 10 minutes outside Bend |
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| The Deschutes River flowing through a lava field just south of Bend |
In our next post, we'll tell you about a spectacular state park whose volcanic rock is more like sandstone than like lava, and a river that has carved it into a climbers' paradise.
