We made a quick decision to swing through the Warm Springs Indian Reserve on our way to Bend. When our children were young we spent a Spring Break here with my sister and her family at a resort called Kaneeta.
This is dry and barren land. Last time we came here it was from the north through the mountains.
We found that there had been a devastating fire here earlier this year and thousands of acres were blackened and charred. It was also evident that a few houses were destroyed.
The fire raged right over this small stream and the road, but left the green shrubs growing on the banks.
I spotted my first abandoned barn/farmhouse. We found many more.
And an abandoned church.
The resort was open but was all but abandoned by tourists. We had a good time there, in the hot pools and on the golf course. It has a warmer climate than the surrounding land in the winter, and is sometimes referred to as the poor man's Palm Springs.
Then, heading to Bend, we crossed a massive lava field. It went on forever and was most interesting.
In the distance are the mountains known as the "Three Sisters".
There is a National Monument built at the top of the pass, commemorating the engineers and construction workers who first blazed a trail through this formidable territory. In the middle of the observatory is this brass directional indicator, telling the curious observer which mountain is which.
As you can see by the photos, the weather was improving greatly.
