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Published: August 21st 2006
Mt. Bachelor
On the Cascade Lakes Scenic HighwayLeaving Idaho on August 1, we headed west into Oregon. Eastern Oregon is quite different from Central Oregon which is quite different from the Oregon Coast. Driving from the eastern border to Bend (located east of the Cascade Mountains) takes you through high desert. We spent two weeks in Bend at Crown Villa RV Resort, which has the nicest sites of any RV resort we’ve visited…..huge pads of pavestone, lots of manicured grass between sites, tall trees, everything just pristine. Unfortunately, the property has been sold to a housing developer. 😞
Bend has a very charming downtown, with Drake Park right on the river. The Old Mill District is being developed with shops and restaurants. There is a great farmer’s market every Wednesday with the best produce we’ve seen anywhere--think Harry and David- quality fruits and vegetables.
We visited Lava Lands at the Newberry Volcanic National Monument, site of an eruption over 6,000 years ago which left acres and acres of land covered with volcanic rocks. We also went inside the Lava Cave, a 1-mile long tunnel carved by lava flows…..42 degrees inside, absolutely no light, you have to carry a lantern or flashlight. The tunnel just ends underground
Lava Lands Cinder Cone
Looking down into the cinder cone and out at the lava fields in the distance due to sand build-up, so you have to turn around and go out the way you came in. One guy in the tunnel was disappointed that we didn’t end up at the Food Court……….he was joking!
An interesting Oregon fact is that all gas stations have attendants…..you DO NOT pump your own gas. We did not know that before arriving here.
We ran into (not literally) some other Marathon owners we met last fall in Utah, and got re-acquainted over lunch one day and breakfast another day. Also met some friends of friends, hit it off, and vowed to take a trip together somewhere down the road. It’s amazing how many people we’ve met in our travels…….and how we run into people we know or friends of friends. RVers are the most friendly folks and love to share stories. Most have “business” cards to trade and e-mail helps keep in touch.
Left Bend on August 15 and drove through the Willamette Pass in the Cascades to get to I-5. Gorgeous scenery, lots of trees, both pine and hardwoods, running streams, even saw more lava deposits. Traveling north on I-5, we headed to Marathon’s headquarters in Coburg, north
More Lava
Looks just like piles of dirt from the roadway of Eugene, to have some service work done on the coach. Had a factory tour and met yet more “friends” from New York, who invited us to visit them in the Finger Lakes area if we ever get out that way.
Another tidbit of Oregon information—the North Willamette Valley is the largest producer of grass seed in the US. Who knew?
Next stop - Newport --on the Coast—looking forward to fresh seafood, lighthouses, and rocky bluffs.
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