Advertisement
Published: November 5th 2014
The drive from Shady Firs RV Park in Randle WA to Sisters Creekside Campground in Sisters OR would be just under 300 miles and about 5 hours per MapQuest. There is a shorter route that takes two-lane roads the entire distance. Were I not pulling the Pilgrim, I would have taken that route, but I now opt for the easier Interstate highways when pulling the trailer particularly when it’s raining and the roads are wet, just as I found them on October 15, 2014. The first and last portions of the drive (about 150 miles total) would be on two-lane roads anyway. U.S. 12, which is the location of Shady Firs RV Park, took me from Randle to I-5, and OR 22 and U.S. 20 took me from Salem OR to Sisters where I completed the uneventful journey.
Sisters is about twenty miles north of Bend OR and is the focal point for numerous scenic roadways as so identified by Rand McNally and Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). By now, my regular readers know about Uncle Larry and his passion for scenic roadways. Thursday, October 16, 2014 found me following another pretty standard routine as I made my way to
the Bend Oregon Visitor & Convention Bureau. Between Sisters and Bend; however, another of my passions awaited my attention – covered bridges.
The Hixon Crossing Covered Bridge and the Riverhouse Walkway Covered Bridge didn’t merit a stop or a photograph, but the Rock O the Range Covered Bridge did manage to get me out of the truck – barely. The bridge has no stream and, indeed, might be sitting on the ground but probably does a nice job of keeping vehicles out of a quagmire after heavy rains. Let’s just say the covered bridges in the area adjacent to Bend are really not worth the effort.
The ladies at the visitor center were friendly and helpful, answered my questions and offered a couple of suggestions to enhance my visit. I took one of those suggestions and set out for The Old Mill District in Bend. The Old Mill District formerly housed two competing lumber mills – Shevlin-Hixon Lumber Company and Brooks-Scanlon Lumber Company. From the time the mills were built in 1916, the mills dominated Bend’s economy; and, at their peak, the companies were two of the largest pine sawmills in the world. The operations ran 24/7, employed
Three Sisters Is A Local Landmark
Along U.S. 20 Between Sisters And Bendmore than 2,000 workers each and turned out more than 500 million board feet of lumber a year. The influx of mill workers caused the population of Bend to jump from 536 in 1910 to 5,414 in 1920.
After more than 20 years of non-stop logging, the forests in Central Oregon were becoming depleted. In 1937, the Bend Chamber of Commerce warned of economic disaster unless the mills engaged in sustainable forestry endeavors. The mills instead engaged in “planting trees costs the bottom line money” economics, ignored these warnings and continued producing at full capacity. By 1950, the forests' depletion led to the decline of Oregon’s logging industry. Brooks-Scanlon bought the Shevlin-Hixon mill in 1950 and closed it just four months later. The Brooks-Scanlon Mill closed in 1983.
After the mills shut down, the site fell into ruin until 1993 when the land was purchased by William Smith Properties. The banks of the Deschutes River had been blown out to accommodate the recovery of the logs floated to Bend on the river, and the river was choked with debris. The developer restored 14,000 linear feet of the riverfront, which had been off limits to the public for almost
80 years, and the 270-acre tract is now a mixed-use area known for its shops, galleries and restaurants. Nine historically renovated buildings remain on the property as do its three signature smokestacks. The reclaimed Deschutes River is now a habitat for native species, such as fish, mink, otters and a variety of birds.
I strolled through the labyrinth of shops, found an interesting eatery and had a nice lunch – including a beer from one of the dozens of craft breweries that call Oregon home. My next stop was the Deschutes Historical Museum, also in Bend ,which is housed in the old Reid School building. After I had paid the modest admission fee, I was chatting with the attendant about The Great Adventure. Apparently, the museum curator overheard our conversation and joined the chat. That chat quickly evolved into a personalized Bend history lesson. Very nice! The museum is typical of most local museums and has a nice selection of artifacts relevant to the city’s history.
My next stop was the Pilot Butte State Scenic Viewpoint in Bend. Numerous placards adorn the viewpoint atop the feature and address a variety of subjects from the role of the landmark
as a “beacon for travelers” to the volcanic peaks surrounding the city to the local flora and fauna. The vistas are nice but not breathtaking; however, the placards/history lessons themselves make the ascent/descent on the narrow two-lane road dotted with joggers and bicyclists worth the trip.
My final stop of the day was at Smith Rock State Park in Terrebonne OR. According to the signage at the self-pay station, the Canyon Access Road/Trail was closed for construction from October 15 to November 15, but one could not have anticipated a closure of any sort based on the parking lot. I glanced at the trail map and decided I had already had as much fun for one day as I deserved and headed back to Sisters. From what I could see, the rock formations are interesting, and I will drive the route if the opportunity presents itself.
I formulated an ambitious day for Saturday, October 18, 2014. I would travel the entire Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway, a portion of West Cascades Scenic Byway, a portion of McKenzie Pass-Santiam Pass Scenic Byway and a portion of Over the Rivers and through the Woods Scenic Byway. Essentially, my journey would take
First Fire, Then Recovery Along OR 372
Scenic Loop to Oakridge OR and Sweet Home OR me south on U.S. 20 to Bend, west and south on OR 372, west on OR 58, north and east on OR 19 where I would take whatever route Informational Irene (my GPS) selected to a number of covered bridges before looking at some murals in Sweet Home OR and then returning, finally, to Sisters.
I use GPS coordinates on GoogleEarth to locate the covered bridges and plan a sequence to make the most efficient use of my time and my fuel. Then I save the coordinates in Irene as a “Favorite” and call up the “Favorites” in the order I fashioned as I’m on the journey. Interpretation of east vs. west or street vs. avenue is nonexistent with GPS coordinates. Irene takes me to some interesting and fun places in the hinterland and gets me to my destination so I really don’t care, know or remember the exact route I travelled.
I awoke to another heavily overcast, dismal day but the weather.com predictions were for a better afternoon. According to ODOT, Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway meanders through over 150 alpine lakes and meadows, volcanic peaks and lava flows as well as forests. The forest and a few
Salt Creek Falls Is Pretty Amazing
Scenic Loop to Oakridge OR and Sweet Home OR lakes I could see, but the mountain peaks were totally obscured by low-hanging clouds/fog. I made my way to Elk Lake and then on to OR 58 where I turned west. As I approached Oakridge, I stopped at Salt Creek Falls.
The 286-foot waterfall is the second highest falls in Oregon and is the most powerful waterfall in Southern Oregon with an average yearly flow of about 50,000 gallons per minute (enough water to supply all the water needs of a community of about 180,000 people). It takes about fours seconds for the interior of the water column to fall to the bottom of the falls.
Between Salt Creek Falls and Oakridge, I encountered an old tunnel, a very scenic stretch of roadway alongside a babbling brook that flaunted some nice fall foliage and an old, interesting railroad trestle. Just north of Oakridge, I stopped at the Office Covered Bridge in Westfir. At 180 feet, it is Oregon’s longest covered bridge. Crossing the interesting bridge leads to a park with ample parking, flush toilets and drinking water. Most covered bridges with a pedestrian walkway cover both the road and the foot pathway with the same structure. The pedestrian
walkway of the Office Covered Bridge uses the same bridge deck but has a separate roof structure covering the pedestrian pathway.
My next destination was the southern portion of the West Cascades Scenic Byway. My resources show the road designation as Forest Road (FR) 19 and note the portion of the route from Westfir to Delta Campground is also known as Aufderheide National Forest Scenic Byway – so named for a devoted forester. Irene didn’t want me to use FR 19 but instead wanted me to use OR 58. After asking several people, I found FR 19. Had I turned left after returning from the park or had I gone straight instead of crossing the Office Covered Bridge, I would have been on FR 19. A couple hundred feet down the roadway, the route number is clearly marked, but the signage at the junction could use some augmentation. Both ends of the West Cascades Scenic Byway follow streams that provided some nice photo ops with the middle portion essentially providing a “pass” over the mountain before reaching Cougar Reservoir.
I abandoned FR 19 and the West Cascades Scenic Byway when I reached OR 126 and relinquished navigational command
to Irene. All I did was select the preplanned “Favorite” covered bridge and follow her directions. I saw the Belknap, Goodpasture, Earnest, Wendling, Whittmore and Weddle Covered Bridges before the sun was hugging the horizon. I told Irene to take me to Sweet Home to look at some murals before finding my way back to Sisters on U.S. 20 and the eastern portion of the Over the Rivers and through the Woods Scenic Byway. Indeed, there was nothing scenic about the byway by the time I reached Sisters as night had fallen. I had a nice time and, despite a start that was shrouded in condensed water vapor, the day turned out to be a bright, sunny, blue skies kind of day.
Inspired by the power of Salt Creek Falls, I decided to catch a couple of waterfalls on Sunday morning, October 19, 2014 before the NFL and NASCAR overwhelmed me. Tumalo Falls lies west of Bend – between Bend and Three Sisters peaks (Faith, Hope and Charity). Sources dispute whether the falls is 89 feet or 97 feet, but, regardless, Tumalo Falls is a nice place to visit. Anybody can get a good view of the falls from
“A Falls?” I Ask!
Benham Falls - Sunriver OR the road leading to the cramped parking lot, but I just had to get a view from the topside. I’m glad I did. Although somewhat spoiled by the very impressive Salt Creek Falls, I did enjoy the up close and personal view from the upper vantage point.
I next went to Benham Falls nearer to Sunriver OR than to Bend. According to Wikipedia, a waterfall is “a place where water flows over a vertical drop in the course of a stream or river.” By this definition, which I happen to endorse, Benham Falls is not a waterfall but is a series of rapids in the Deschutes River. Of the three major “waterfalls” on the Deschutes River near Bend, Benham Falls is the only one easily accessible and readily visible to visitors. In half of a linear mile, the falls drop 95 vertical feet. A testosterone-laden waterfall would drop 95 vertical feet in 5 linear feet! Don’t set your expectations too high, but the half mile walk after crossing the footbridge is refreshing and the babble of the CASCADE is relaxing.
I again set the bar high for Tuesday, October 21, 2014 and planned a scenic drive that would
Lava Was Moved To Make Way For OR 242
Loop through McKenzie Pass to Estacade to Mount Hood OR include Mount Hood. I started with the McKenzie Pass-Santiam Pass Scenic Byway which is a loop that includes Sisters in its path. That byway took me westward on OR 242. When I reached OR 126, I turned north on the West Cascades Scenic Byway and retraced my drive of the previous Saturday until I reached U.S. 20. There I turned east for a short stretch before heading north on OR 22. Between U.S. 20 and Detroit OR, I was reversing the route I had travelled on the trip from Randle WA on the previous Wednesday. From Detroit, I was discovering new terrain. I reached the northern end of the West Cascades Scenic Byway in Estacada OR. I turned east on OR 211 and headed for Sandy OR where I caught U.S. 26 – the Mount Hood Scenic Byway. I took “non-scenic” U.S. 26 to Madras, U.S. 97 to Redmond and OR 126 back to Sisters.
Tuesday started of much like the previous Saturday – a cold, windy, overcast, drizzly day; however, I had high hopes for a midday recovery as I had experienced then. I headed westward out of Sisters on OR 242. BEWARE:
Seasonal OR 242 is closed
The Power Of Sahalie Falls Is Awesome
Loop through McKenzie Pass to Estacade to Mount Hood OR to vehicles over 35 feet (TOTAL length), and towing a trailer is foolhardy at best. The closer I got to McKenzie Summit, the more dramatic became the lava beds. It also became makedly windier and noticeably colder. I know these things because I got out for some photo ops! By the time I reached McKenzie Summit, it was sooo cold there was a mix of 90% drizzle and 10% snow. It was sooo windy, I deferred on an opportunity to look at all the beautiful volcanic mountain peaks ‹tongue causing pain to sensitive cheek› surrounding the Dee Wright Observatory!
I made a stop at 100-foot-tall Sahalie Falls, but, since the drizzle was heavier and I didn’t want to melt, I decided to forego the 70-foot Koosah Falls. A 2.6 mile loop trail, described as easy and family-friendly (but not wheelchair accessible due to stairs), starts at Sahalie Falls and connects to Koosah Falls. By this time, my stomach was demanding attention. I stopped at a “Ma & Pa” eatery in Detroit, loaded up with a nice breakfast and resumed my journey.
Between Detroit and Estacada, I spotted a directional sign for Silver Falls State Park. Need I type
Winter Falls Is One Of Many In Silver Falls State Park
Loop through McKenzie Pass to Estacade to Mount Hood OR more? Silver Falls State Park has a series of ten waterfalls nestled among its 9,200 acres. The largest state park in Oregon has been called the “crown jewel” of the Oregon State Parks system. Half the ten waterfalls along the 8.7 mile loop trail exceed 100 feet in height, and the trail actually goes behind three waterfalls, providing a unique perspective. Even though several connecting trails with separate access points make for shorter routes, the elevation gain of 1300 feet along with the length of the trail makes the hike impractical for this old codger; however, I think it would be an awesome experience and include it for my readers’ consideration.
The general area around Silver Falls State Park is agricultural big time. Holiday tree farms abound. You figure out which holiday. That’s right, George Washington’s Birthday – cherry trees! Just kidding. I spotted a field of either cauliflower or cabbage, pulled over to take a picture and was approached by a young man who was refueling his equipment. We chatted a spell before I released him to continue his labors. LOL By the way, it was cauliflower.
When I reached Sandy, I turned east on U.S. 24
The 1926 High Crooked River Bridge Obscures The New Bridge (2000)
Loop through McKenzie Pass to Estacade to Mount Hood OR
Peter Skene Ogden State Scenic Viewpoint – the Mount Hood Scenic Byway. As I approached the Mount Hood area, my elevation increased and the clouds/fog became problematic. I got only a couple of glimpses of the middle elevations of a snow-covered Mount Hood before I reached Government Camp OR. There I pulled into the rest area and prepped my anatomy for the remainder of the trip. I was somewhat disheartened since the fait accompli of the drive would have been some nice photos of Mount Hood.
I made two more stops nearer to Sisters. The first was the Peter Skene Ogden State Scenic Viewpoint. The viewpoint is a phenomenal look at the 300-foot deep Crooked River Gorge. The canyon was an insurmountable obstacle to early travel until the Oregon Trunk Railway Bridge was built in 1911. The High Crooked River Bridge was completed in 1926, is 464 feet long and, at 295 feet above the canyon floor, was the nation’s highest single arch span bridge at the time. The new bridge (opened in 2000) is the same height but is 535 feet long and can accommodate the heavier traffic loads of today. The canyon is pretty spectacular in its own right, but a new dimension
is added when the visitor stands in the overhang directly above the canyon floor or walks out onto the High Crooked River Bridge. It’s not quite the Willis Tower experience but surely is exhilarating!
My last stop was one you could cross off your list. The Cline Falls State Scenic Viewpoint is a nice park where you probably could catch a fish but scenic is a definite overstatement. All in all, I had a nice day. Even thought the weather was more uncooperative than it was on Saturday, I still saw some interesting features and finished my reconnaissance mission unabated. The weather is … well, it is what it is.
Wednesday was moving day; however, I had one stop remaining – the High Desert Museum a few miles south of Bend. The folks at the visitor center had assured me there was adequate space for my truck and trailer so I could make the stop on my way south. They were correct. I had incubated that idea when I noticed what a short trip I would have to Klamath Falls OR from Bend. If I hadn’t had a Wednesday, October 22, 2014 stop at the High Desert Museum
thoroughly embedded in my mind, I might have incorporated the facility into another trip or attraction. As it turns out, that would have been a big mistake.
The museum is not only historical and cultural but also zoological. Over the course of about three hours, I examined the Native American and cowboy artifacts, watched the animated living specimens and watched two presentations by staff naturalists. The desert reptiles presentation featured a lizard, a snake and a tortoise. I did not know that a tortoise sheds the outer layer of its shell as it grows ala a snake or that the shell parallels the human fingernail and the tortoise can feel somebody tapping the shell. Cool! The porcupine talk was novel and quite interesting since I have never seen a presentation dedicated to the critter that provides the meat for Granny Clampett’s favorite stew! There is a nice raptor display, and a bobcat and lynx are on display. I didn’t see all of the facility but could easily have spent 2-3 more hours. Highly recommended!
Sisters OR is becoming a haven for those seeking a respite from Portland OR, Salem OR and Eugene OR; and its immaculately appointed boutiques
The Views Of The Surrounding Peaks Are Nice
Pilot Butte State Scenic Viewpoint - Bend OR and eateries remind me of a Jackson WY or Sun Valley ID wannabe. Its location was great for me, and others have found it’s great for them as well. Bend (population 81,000+), on the other hand, has its own unique history and has become more cosmopolitan as the drivers of the economy have changed from logging to a diverse mixture of blue- and white-collar jobs and, more recently, a choice retirement venue. Based on my limited experience, I would present Bend with the “Roundabout Capitol of the World” title without any hesitation whatsoever. Bend is a nice community, the people are great and I would not object to a return visit; however, it is not at the top of my “must revisit” list.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.155s; Tpl: 0.019s; cc: 17; qc: 23; dbt: 0.1148s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Gary Kaehler
non-member comment
Oregon Adventure
Bud Johanson (Gowrie, IA) sent me a copy of your email since I use to live in Salem and Bend area and now Gowrie, IA. I found your blog very interesting and took me back in time. I know the areas well that you have traveled. I lived in the Bend area for about 25 years and have explored, hunted and fished the back country during my stay there. You did touch some of the interesting places but you could spend weeks there seeing new and interesting things. I was somewhat surprised you missed the lava caves (underground lava tunnels). Hopefully you will tour the coast line as that is really beautiful. I also travel with a RV (32 ft 5th wheel). A life as a RVer is very rewarding. So much to see in the big wonderful country! My email address was taken from Cape Heceta on the coast. A fantastic lighthouse is located there and I know it is just waiting for you to come with your camera. Wonderful history goes with it too!