A Very Volcanic Day

Paulina Lake from Paulina PeakA Huge Chunk of ObsidianPaulina Falls

We ventured out again today with our Recreation Day Pass to Paulina (pronounced PAW LINE UH)  Peak,elevation 7985 and had a spectacular view of Paulina Lake below as well as Mt Bachelor and the Three Sisters. It was too hazy to see Mt Hood but apparently on a clear day you can see Hood as well as some of the Cascade Range in Washington and California. The 4 mile road up to the peak is mostly gravel,very narrow and switchback turns. There is no guardrail and on the drive up I was on the cliff side barely able to make myself look over the edge.  We also stopped at the Big Obsidian Flow (see picture of rock above) which is the result of the most recent lava flow of the Newberry Volcano...approx 1300 years ago. Over 170 million cubic yards of obsidian and pumice erupted from a vent on the side of the volcano. Obsidian is sharp,shiny and black. The Indians used it for tools.

We also stopped at the Lava River Cave which is a mile long and formed when molten lava creates a channel and the sides eventually crusted over to create a roof. The temperature in the cave was a cool 42 degrees,which felt good compared to the outside temps of mid 80's or so. We ventured in a few feet enough to get the idea. The walkway was very rough and our flashlights weren't quite bright enough to inspire any confidence in walking further into the cave.  A quick trip to see the Deschutes River where we were eaten alive by mosquitoes as soon as we stepped out of the car...Needless to say our visit was extremely short but we wanted to get as much out of our day pass as we could.

Back to the RV where I headed to the pool to cool off and Jack took a quick nap on our new mattress. Purchased in Bend yesterday morning and delivered in the afternoon! This morning is the first time in months I woke up without a backache.