The road over McKenzie Pass in the Central Oregon Cascades recently opened again after its winter closure. Since it was a beautiful clear day and I only live about 10 miles from the summit, I decided to take my first drive of the year up to the top and take a few photographs.
A few miles from the summit you get your first good look at some of the peaks in the Central Oregon Cascades from a roadside pullover. Mt Washington above, the tip of Three Fingered Jack and Mt Jefferson and Belknap Crater below.
In geologic terms the lava fields here are very young. The most recent only about 1500 years old.
As I neared the summit, I took another quick stop and looked back at the road as I emerged from the canyon of lava that surrounded me. Two of the Three Sisters peaks can be seen here, North and Middle.
To the north Mt Washington and Mt Jefferson with just the very tip of Three Fingered Jack between them.
And finally my objective for the day, McKenzie pass summit and Dee Wright Observatory.
Dee Wright Observatory was built from the surrounding lava rock in the early 1930s by the Civillian Conservation Corps. On this day I decided to walk the path that goes out into the lava field. I'm sure my walk was much easier than what the old trade wagons had to endure crossing this pass in the 1860s.😀
Imagine the view of hot lava flowing through the gutter below as it heads toward Mt Jefferson in the distance.
As I wind along the path and gain a little elevation...
I come across a few oasis' of life in the barren rock landscape.
A couple more shots of the surrounding peaks as I continue my journey along the winding path.
A view of Black Crater in the distance and the eastern edge of the lava flow. Below is the road I will soon travel to return home.
A remnant of the close to twenty feet of snow that was here during the winter. 😀
Through the slot...
I'm greeted with this view of Mt Washington...
And a small bench to rest on with the Sisters behind me.
As the path leads me back to Dee Wright, I climb to the top and take a few more shots of the peaks before beginning my journey home.
Please feel free to make comments or ask me any questions about this post.
Photos taken by me, @oldmans, with a Nikon D3300 and some Lightroom post processing.
Please visit Pinmapple to see the locations of some of my other posts.
Thanks for looking and enjoy your day!