Snow!!!!

A couple of weekends Brian and I went for a day trip to Sisters, OR via the Old McKenzie Hwy in the hopes of finding fall foliage. We had attempted to take this route last year, however the highway was still closed. http://www.byways.org/explore/byways/2148/ . It is closed for the winter months due to snow. The road is also very narrow and at points very windy. You hope you don't run into a large vehicle going the opposite direction. While the drive is very beautiful, it isn't one you would want to take if you were just trying to get to Sisters. But if you are looking for a pleasant drive with lots of time on your hands and want to see some amazing scenery.....this is one not to miss.

The sign below is a good depiction of what the road is like, lots of twists and turns.

We knew there had been snow on the pass the day before and it wasn't long before we started seeing it.
Just a dusting at first....

Then a little bit more......

We stopped at a trail head to get out and take pictures. Little did we realize just how cold it was outside. brrrrrrrrrr... And I left the gloves at home.

I loved the look of the trees with snow on them against the blue sky.

Don't let the straightness of the road fool you... it doesn't last long.

Then we got into much more serious snow. We had been driving with the sunroof open so I could take pictures since the road doesn't have enough of a shoulder to pull over. So we got to experience snow falling into the car as well.

And then some fall color, albeit covered in snow.

We decided to take a little jaunt down a side (gravel) road that said it lead to a lake. It was worth it since the lake was very beautiful.

The best part of taking the Old McKenzie Highway is that you get to drive through a most unexpected scene in Oregon.... Miles and miles of lava beds. Virtually utter and complete devastation. Last year we did this trip from the Sisters side and we both felt out breath being taken away as we rounded a bend in the woods and came across the first of the lava beds. I experienced the same feeling again this year coming at it from a different direction and knowing what I would be seeing.

What really amazes me is that in the midst of all of this destruction and fields of lava, trees still continue to grow. Or should I say struggle to grow.

If you look beyond this tree, you not only see the lava but also the remains of a rather large wildfire that ripped through this area.

To the south you can see 2 of the 3 Sister's.

And unlike last summer, the addition of the snow to the ground made the paths of the ancient lava flows very visible. You can't really tell from the picture, but you could almost see ridges in the snow that were similar to lava flowing.

Another picture from the sunroof.

This is the Dee Wright Observatory. http://www.byways.org/explore/byways/2148/places/11694/

When you go up to the observatory there are cutouts, lava tube viewing windows, all the way around that you can use to take pictures of the various mountains or craters.

Belknap Crater

Little Belknap Crater

Mt. Washington

Mt. Jefferson

There are more mountains to see, but it was bitterly cold inside there with the wind whipping through and my fingers were starting to turn purple from the lack of gloves. We quickly made our way back down to the car to turn the heat on.

We were going to head back to Springfield via Santiam Pass, but decided to drive down to Bend and then Hwy 58. And when we were almost home we stumbled across yet another covered bridge. This is the Office Bridge and is the longest covered bridge in Oregon. It was originally built to provide access to a lumber mill across the river.