Another Holiday Weekend Trip

Northeastern California and Southern Oregon
September 1-3, 2001

A holiday weekend trip to northern California and southern Oregon to visit Lava Beds National Monument and Crater Lake National Park. On the way back, Karen and I also made some quick stops to other sites of interest.

Lava Beds National Monument, California
Day #1

We started the morning in Reno, and our first stop was to the top of California to Modoc County. This was my second time at the Lava Beds, and this time I had a partner and did not have to solo into the caves. A drive through the park and stops at the following attractions:

• Big Painted Cave / Symbol Bridge
• Merrill Ice Cave
• Schonchin Butte Fire Lookout
• Balcony Cave / Boulevard Cave
• Gillems Camp and the Canby Cross
• Captain Jacks Stronghold
• Petroglyph Point

We arrived at our stop for the night in Klamath Falls, Oregon just as night descended upon us.

View from the Schonchin Butte Fire Lookout

The start of the trail to Balcony and Boulevard Caves

Inside Captain Jack's Stronghold

Petroglyphs etched onto Petroglyph Point

Another Labor Day Weekend Trip Through Oregon

Reno, Nevada to Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, Washington
August 29 to 31, 2008

Another holiday weekend and more places to explore in the Pacific Northwest with my travel partner Karen. Our goal for the weekend was Mount St. Helens with opportunities for other sites along the way.

Day 1 - Reno, Nevada to Bend, Oregon

The plan was to break the drive to Mount St. Helens into two days, and the first day of driving with an early, early start from Reno would take us to Bend, Oregon. As a precursor to the volcanic sites of Mount St. Helens, we explored the volcanic sites of Newberry National Volcanic Monument. We spent the afternoon checking out the monument, which is spread out on the lava lands south of Bend. Although we missed lots of other activities to do in the monument, we:

What I Learned Today

Ochoco National Forest and John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Oregon
September 9, 2010

My travels from Redmond to La Grande took me through the volcanic lands of central and eastern Oregon. I saw many remnants of ancient volcanic activity in the Ochoco National Forest and the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. And of course, there were many pieces of information left by the Forest Service and the National Park Service to tell us about these geological landmarks. Before the day was done, I read many a sign interpreting the landscape around me. And when the day was done, I was a little bit smarter on the subject of geology.

Here are the interpretive signs that taught me some geology in Oregon ...

Steins Pillar
Ochoco National Forest

Clues to a Volcanic Past

Stein's Pillar, 350 feet high and 120 feet wide, is a modern clue to this area's ancient past.

Around 44 million years ago, avalanches of hot ash, pumice and volcanic dust flowing from local volcanic centers filled this ancient valley. A long period of erosion followed.

These flows are still visible in the layers of Stein's Pillar. Finally, Mother Nature patiently sculpted the landscape you see today. Rain, wind, and frost slowly chiseled along cracks in the rocks forming the valley and leaving Stein's Pillar as a beacon to travelers.

Major Enoch Steen explored the area in the 1860's. His name was misspelled so often that the incorrect version being official. The pillar has aided travelers and enticed geologists for many years.