31 Days in Oregon : Central Oregon

RidgetopFarm&Garden — Sat, 11 Oct 2014 19:32:28 +0000

Central Oregon is full of beautiful sites to see & places to explore. Here’s a list of just a handful of things to see:

SMITH ROCK STATE PARK

Located in the high desert of Oregon is Smith Rock. Hiking, biking & rock climbing are popular in this area.

RICHARDSON ROCK RANCH

For rock hounds, Richardson Rock Ranch is a neat place to visit. You can search for your own thunder egg and/or check out their rock shop.

OGDEN WAYSIDE

If you are headed for adventure at Smith Rock a quick stop at the Peter Skene Ogden State Scenic Viewpoint is a must. The views of the Crooked River Canyon are gorgeous.

OPERATION SANTA CLAUS REINDEER RANCH

Not far outside Redmond is a reindeer ranch. Santa isn’t there, but he does use these reindeer at Christmas time. It’s another place for a quick stop, as there aren’t any tours or picnic areas.

SISTERS

A great little western town to visit is Sisters, Oregon. I have no idea why the only photo I could find of us in Sisters is of me in the “Sisters Jail,” but that’s the way it goes. It really is a cute town with fun places to shop & good places to eat.

ANIMALS TO SEE

AREAS TO EXPLORE

BEAUTIFUL VIEWS WHILE DRIVING

PRINEVILLE RESERVOIR

Located outside the small town of Prineville is Prineville Reservoir. We have enjoyed boating & camping here.

LAKE BILLY CHINOOK

Outside of Madras is Lake Billy Chinook, another great camping destination.
Update: Click here to see our week on a houseboat on Lake Billy Chinook.

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31 Days in Oregon : Newberry National Volcanic Monument

RidgetopFarm&Garden — Fri, 10 Oct 2014 20:35:52 +0000

Central Oregon’s landscape is very different than that of the Northwest part, where we live. It is considered high dessert, has dry summer’s and snowy winters. The area is dominated by volcanic activity with craters, cinder cones & piles of lava rock.

A great place to visit to see all this volcanic action is Newberry National Volcanic Monument in Deschutes National Forest, about 30 miles south of Bend.

PAULINA PEAK

A drive up a curvy, steep road to Paulina Peak rewards you with a 360° panoramic view of the Cascade Range. It is beautiful!

For sure a focal point is the view of the Newberry Caldera, with Paulina Lake, East Lake, Little Crater & the Big Obsidian Flow.

Paulina Lake is the deeper of the two lakes, at a maximum depth of 250 feet. Neither lake have streams flowing into them, so they are filled with water by rain, snow melt & hot springs.

The Big Obsidian Flow is the youngest lava flow in Oregon and consists of pumice and obsidian.

Ground level with Paulina Lake

PAULINA CREEK FALLS

Paulina Lake has one outlet: Paulina Creek. Not far from the outlet is 80 foot Paulina Creek Falls.

It’s a fairly short hike to the falls.

LAVA RIVER CAVE

Lava River Cave was formed by molten lava & is over 5000 feet long. It is a cave, therefore it is dark and cold.

One time I went there were people outside telling us about White-nose syndrome that is killing bats. They are trying to stop the spread of the disease. So, we had to tell them we weren’t wearing clothes or shoes that we had worn into other caves before entering the cave.

Path to the cave

Lanterns or flashlights are a must when entering the cave.

LAVA LANDS VISITOR CENTER & LAVA BUTTE

Another place to visit is the Lava Lands Visitor Center. From there you can see Lava Butte, which has great views from the top.

Lava Butte is a 500 foot cinder cone.

Bottom Right Photo: Mount Bachelor

Inside the Visitor Center
Left: I really enjoyed this representation of the area.
Right: The boys touching a piece of obsidian

A spectacular view from the summit of Lava Butte.

You can view all these sites in one day or spend many days exploring the area more intently.