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We're making our way up OR Hwy 97, Ruth finds a mention of Collier Memorial Park logging museum. I have been curious about differentiating Douglas Fir from Ponderosa Pine, etc. We were pleasantly pleased to find an amazing assemblage of actual logging equipment. They were not open yet, but the self-guided walk and accompanying visual displays did a good job of explaining the logging process. http://www.oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=parkPage.dsp_parkPage&parkId=165

Our next stop was Klamath Marsh NWR. Another great birding area in the Klamath Basin. I was again surprised by all of the grassy plains and cattle operations. Upon starting the drive, the forest was quite dry, but we cam across a little area of grass where it seemed many little bird would disappear in the grass, then reappear as they flew off. After sitting and watching for some time, I walked over to the area. There was a dinner plate sized natural spring...apparently to only available water for some distance. The marshy area was a little frustrating, as we heard a lot more than we saw. The Yellow Headed Blackbirds, however, made themselves visible.

Just south of Bend is the Newberry Volcanic Monument; Bend is actually in a volcano caldera. We went in the visitor center to take a look at the displays and took in a couple videos on the geologic explanation of the landscape. It was raining and there was a wait to drive up to the overlook, so we took a pass and moved on. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g51766-d279032-Reviews-Lava_Lands_Visitor_Center-Bend_Central_Oregon_Oregon.html

Just outside of town is the High Desert Museum we had heard was a good stop to get information on this landscape. Pretty interesting displays, caught a ranger talk, with live birds, on birds of prey. Also had some nice short walking trails. http://www.highdesertmuseum.org/

We're staying at one of the McMenamins http://www.mcmenamins.com/421-old-st-francis-school-home They have brew pub/inns all over Oregon. This one is an old converted school in a great location...walking distance to everything in Bend, which is a real nice town. Bend has all kinds of great eating establishments, in addition to the one at St. Francis. They have a number of amenities for over night guests, but the place is so popular that unless to get to each place early, they are filled with the localWe also really enjoyed hiking the river trail, which goes right thru town.

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