Instead of dozing through the early morning we got on the road and turned our faces south. We ascended up out of the Columbia River Gorge and entered an endless dry landscape of rolling hills. The sagebrush returned but as we neared Bend the forests returned. They are not lush because of the high arid climate. Highway 97 is a busy N-S route inland of the Cascades. Bend is a particularly large town. There is much new development there. As we approached the Newberry Crater we had to slowly ascend this gently sloping shield volcano. It was a long haul for the car but the drive was worth it. Cool air and great views. We were lucky enough to find a campsite on the lakeshore. We were instantly inundated with bugs – but they did not bite. We cycled around looking for Steve – an ex-South African and friend of a friend. He was kind enough to take us out on East Lake in his boat. It is a fishing lake so speeds are limited. We saw Osprey and eagle. He showed us a spot where a hot spring flows into the lake. We vowed to return there later. Steve filled us in on some of the spots we needed to visit the following day. The early start and busy days got the better of Rob so he went to bed mid afternoon. Ant was reading so Mike, Rocks and I went to find the hot spring. We enjoyed the time alone. Rocky escaped us for a while but we found him near the campground munching on someone’s leftover grill bone. At sunset the breeze subsided and the water turned to glass. What tranquility!
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