Darcy was back behind the wheel now that her hand(that was sprained during a hike on Day 4)has recovered its ability to grip. It was baptism by fire. After leaving Yreka, CA, 4,200 foot Siskiyou Summit had to be topped, 7 miles of 6% grade, before dropping into Oregon. Then the road turned to switch-backs and pig tails. The high meadows that opened up were spectacular... when we could lift our eyes from the roadway to marvel at them.
At Chiloquin, a logging museum caught our eye. Equipment and buildings from the 1920-'30's were on display. Much of it had been donated by the local woodsmen/loggers who shared knowlege and wisdom on their signboards. Neat!
As we approached our campsite in the Deschutes Nat'l Forest SW of Bend,OR, the thick forests opened up. To our shock, we realized that we were looking at areas of charred stubs and remnants of what had recently been a lush forest. Suddenly, a 50- foot high trail of black rubble blocked our view on the driver's side as far as we could see. We were in the midst of the lava/pumice field from the Mt. Newberry eruption. But our surprises for the day were not over.
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