After enjoying some fresh eggs for breakfast, we stopped at a local hotspot for freshly made donuts – Pip’s. Donuts are not my kind of thing. However these donuts are made to order and fresh as can be. We got six different flavors and I must admit that they were quite yummy. Collectively we had no trouble polishing off our dozen and a half even though we had all just eaten breakfast.
With Kate at the wheel of her red Toyota Matrix, we were off for our weekend get away. Our first stop was to see Little Crater Lake in the Mt. Hood National Forest. It is named after Crater Lake because the water is clear and blue just like its namesake. It was amazing how you could see 45 ft. to the bottom.
Next we were off to the Newberry National Volcanic Monument. The Newberry Volcano is the largest volcano in the Cascade Range. This volcano first erupted about 400,000 years ago and created lava flows covering 1,200 square miles which made lava tubes and over 400 cinder cones and vents during its active times. The last eruption was 1,300 years ago.
Over first stop was the “Big Obsidian Flow” which was formed during the youngest lava flow 1,300 years ago. Obsidian is a natural volcanic glass similar to the glass in our windows. The lava flow was immense and pieces of the black shiny obsidian rock were everywhere. As we walked the jagged path, I got a little nervous. With caution in mind, Frank and I opted for a very short hike along the interpretive trail while Kate and Dan did the full loop.
Next we were off to East Lake nearby. We were hoping to kayak there but the wind was pretty strong, so we decided to wait for a better opportunity.
Paulina Lake was our next stop. There we took a short hike along the lake’s rim. Both lakes are located near La Pine, Oregon.
Leaving the falls, we went to the Best Western in La Pine. After supper at a local Mexican restaurant we called it a day, and headed to our respective rooms to relax and unwind from touring. Tomorrow we hope to explore more in the Newberry Volcanic area.