Central
Oregon:
Its
Mountains, Deserts, Trails, Ghost Towns and Fire Lookouts
Central Oregon
boasts Oregon's highest lake. A few maps name it Teardrop Pool.
It rests unheralded in the thin air, 10,200 ft high on the summit
plateau of South Sister Mountain. It's usually frozen and invisible,
which is why many climbers of the mountain do not realize its
existence. The summit plateau, outwardly calm, sits on top of
an ice-filled volcanic crater, in one of Oregon's most active
volcanic zones. South Sister ranks as Oregon's third-highest mountain
peak (10,358'), just slightly less lofty than Mt. Jefferson. Below
is a sunset picture from the summit of South Sister, looking west
toward the Willamette Valley and Eugene. (Bend and Redmond and
Prineville and Terrebonne and Madras)
Note tent and
small black dog to the right of it! We are camping on the edge
of a very recent volcanic crater; the permanent ice choking its
mouth has been measured at about 200 feet thick. The photographer
and his husky Kaila spent a spectacular night in the summit crater
of South Sister....... the memory is of a feeling of Polar Emptiness
embraced by nearby stars........ In the morning, the sea of clouds
below looked like something you could dance on.
North
Sister 10,085 feet
Ski-touring high on the
east side of the North Sister. It's a trail-less area where you
won't be bothered by crowds. Picture compliments Karen Johnson,
Bend.
My favorite downtown Bend
eating spot? The riverside delights of Bend's Pine Tavern, a local
restaurant and icon since 1936, overlooking Mirror Pond. Below
is a picture of that Central Oregon icon, Black Butte, elevation
6,436. At its foot runs the major highway from Salem and Eugene,
Hwy 20, and in the large meadow is the very upscale Black Butte
Ranch, a place that I used to work in the role of head of the
Cross Country ski program.
Deserts!
Click
below to be transported to additional Central Oregon Mountains,
and also sections on the historic Pacific Crest Trail, historic
wilderness shelters and fire lookout towers (many pages!).
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Above: a cold
winter night settling in upon Central Oregon. Middle and North
Sisters on the left, Black Butte on the right, and the edge of
Mt. Jefferson on the extreme right.
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Last Revised Nov. 2024
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