August 9, 2001. Sisters to Delta
Campground, Blue River, Oregon. (44 miles) Mile 4124
Over
the Cascades
The first good thing today is that we
crossed the last significant mountain range between us and the Pacific Coast,
the Cascades. The change in the ecosystem from east to west was dramatic as we
climbed up 11 miles (2,000 feet gain) through Ponderosa pine forests, and then
soared down 33 miles (4,000 feet loss) through old growth Douglas fir, cedar,
vine maple, ferns, and moss.
McKenzie Pass cuts through an ancient lava flow
At the summit of McKenzie Pass, the road winds
through miles of barren lava field produced by the eruption of Mt. Belnap
a mere 1,500 years ago. From the summit observatory, we could look out on the
impressive number of dormant volcanic peaks and craters in the distance that
make up this part of the Pacific Ring of Fire.
Looking toward
the Three Sisters and the Belnap lava field from the McKenzie Pass Summit
1) 
2) 
3) 
1) The lava block
observatory at the summit of McKenzie Pass
2) The road down
the west side of McKenzie winds through dense forest. We only saw about half a
dozen vehicles on the east side of the Pass.
3) John and Karen
Poole, our hosts!
The second good thing today, is
that we were totally pampered by John and Karen Poole. We met them on the
Illinois-Kentucky border as they were going west to east on the TransAm Trail.
They have extensive bicycle touring experience and have crossed the country
twice. They came up from their home in Salem OR, parked their camp trailer in
a campground on the west side of McKenzie Pass, bicycled up to greet us as we
were coming down, and then fed us lunch and dinner (BBQ chicken), and dessert,
ice cream and home baked apple cobbler. They provided hot showers for us, and
insisted we enjoy the comfy bed in the trailer while they slept outside in
their tent. But the best part was enjoying their company. We found a lot to
talk about. It was a great day!
