Waterfalls, Huge Trees, Great Hiking Trails, & Wonderful Campgrounds

Our best hiking days of this trip...From Roseburg, Oregon to just west of Bend;  an incredible week!

First stop was a couple of overnights camping at Susan Creek Campground.  A BLM campground, with a great view of the rushing Umpqua River (right from our campsite!).  Even had showers...but the best was the trails.

Next a long and rather monotonous 70 mile drive on a paved logging road to Mckenzie Bridge; then stopped at the really nice and very informative National Forest Ranger station, and made our plans for the "Hiking Triangle"  (coined by us), Routes 242 to 20 to 126.  After spending the night at Paradise campground, (won't mention how we almost got our RV hung up on a 4 foot diameter tree stump), we drove Route 242 to Sisters.  This 37 mile drive took us to views of Belknap Crater and all of the lava and basalt rocks that spewed from this former volcano.  A walk through the lava fields to Proxy Falls was our highlight hike for the day.  Also stopped at the CCC built viewing tower at the summit of the road.  Fall colors are popping and the contrast with the lava rock was stellar.

Next came our couple of days camped at Coldwater Cove Campground on Clear Lake...Yep, named for the incredible 35 degree pure water.  The lake has some dead trees standing below the surface from when the lake was formed from a lava flow 3,000 years ago....and they're still there!  The cold pure water has preserved these trees.  The blue color of this lake makes the Caribbean drab....

 
From Coldwater Cove we headed out on a 7 mile section of the McKenzie River Trail hiking thru a forest of huge pines.  Stopped and oogled at Koosah and Sahalie Falls.  WOW, WOW, WOW.  Then back to the campsite to welcome David Nogueras, an old special friend to join us for lunch and some catching up.  (David lives in Bend).  After David's departure, we decided to take a  hike around part of Clear Lake....well it was so incredibly beautiful, we decided to complete the entire walk; another 5 miles.  A little bushed when we got back.  BUT WHAT A DAY !!!