It is early in the morning at the airport in Portland, Oregon, and have some time between flights to post for Bend, Oregon, Daily Photo. As promised, I wanted to show some of the landscape of the recently established Badlands Wilderness Area which is 17 miles east of Bend, Oregon. One of several hiking trails lead to Flatiron Rock, a peculiar geologic formation of cooled molten lava piled high off the desert floor. Here I found many natural treasures. Along the path there are numerous caves and fissures to explore. I sought to find drawings from early natives but came up empty-handed. Instead I was treated to seeing unusual crystal formations created from dripping water, colorful green and orange lichen, and, of course, in the process disturbed lots of small scurrying things, primarily lizards and voles. In the above photo, I shot a picture of the many windows and arches that adorn this remarkable place. It is an easy flat walk of about an hour to this spot but, oddly enough, is sparsely visited. I have a new place to bring guests who love the outdoors. It is a place that will be remembered, I assure you.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
In the Badlands
It is early in the morning at the airport in Portland, Oregon, and have some time between flights to post for Bend, Oregon, Daily Photo. As promised, I wanted to show some of the landscape of the recently established Badlands Wilderness Area which is 17 miles east of Bend, Oregon. One of several hiking trails lead to Flatiron Rock, a peculiar geologic formation of cooled molten lava piled high off the desert floor. Here I found many natural treasures. Along the path there are numerous caves and fissures to explore. I sought to find drawings from early natives but came up empty-handed. Instead I was treated to seeing unusual crystal formations created from dripping water, colorful green and orange lichen, and, of course, in the process disturbed lots of small scurrying things, primarily lizards and voles. In the above photo, I shot a picture of the many windows and arches that adorn this remarkable place. It is an easy flat walk of about an hour to this spot but, oddly enough, is sparsely visited. I have a new place to bring guests who love the outdoors. It is a place that will be remembered, I assure you.
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9 comments:
It looks wonderful and we'd love to explore it with you. Maybe some day. Hope you have a wonderful trip!
Oh, it does look like a wonderful place to explore! Marvelous shot, Lee!
And again, have a great trip!
Sylvia
Sorry to have been the cause of some sorrow with my graveyard pics.
I can see why this place is called the Badlands though I'm not sure it's got any connection to the ones in SD. Have a wonderful and safe trip!
These "badlands" are beautiful! There's such an abundance of interesting things to look at and take photos of in places like this. I'm glad you found another good one!
I want to go there with you! I'm in good enough shape now that I can hike for an hour on flat ground with no problem, provided the temperature isn't over 100 degrees. I do it all the time now--of course I'm usually walking on concrete. I'm not so sure how I'd handle rough ground, but I guess I'll never know till I try!
I love the fantastic shapes of those lava rock formations. Until I can get up there (if I ever do), could you take some close-up pictures of the crystal formations and the lichens the next time you're there? And just like everyone else, I can't wait to see those petroglphs!
Sure looks like a fabulous place.
I grew up in Bend, the year I graduated from the one high school, the population was around 9thousand. There were virtually no houses east of Pilot Butte except ranches. A few years back, I visited Bend. A couple blocks of downtown and the parks were the only thing I recognised. My old elementary school, St. Francis, is now a pub. I had a beer in the same area my knuckles were whacked by vigilant nuns.
I have a picture somewhere of my standing in front of the Pilot Butte Inn, around 1951.
I live in Montana now, in a town that reminds me of the Bend of my youth.
Thanks for the wonderful picture.
I was a boy in Bend. I used to walk through Drake Park on my way home from grade school. It was a working class town then. We used to hunt rabbits in the place similar to this picture.
Thanks and thanks again,
Tom Brosman
I was a boy in Bend in the sixties.
I used to walk through Drake Park to school and admire the Deschutes River. It was a working class town then and we hunted rabbits outside of town.
Thanks for the good picture,
Tom Brosman
Olympia, Wa
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