Newberry National Volcanic Monument

 

Central Oregon has a fiery past and Newberry, the largest volcano in the Cascade Range, is a good place to learn about it.  This volcano began erupting 500,000 years ago.  It created massive lava flows that covered 1,200 square miles.  

 

 Paulina Lake in the Newberry Caldera.

The last eruption occurred (only!) 1,300 years ago.

 

 

But it is still active and will certainly erupt again.   The eruption could be either passive with lava flows or explosive  with ash and pumice.   There are nine monitoring stations to detect any early and subtle signs of it reawakening.  

 

Paulina Peak is the highest point on the caldera rim.  It is 7,984 feet above sea level and 1,652 feet above Paulina Lake.  

 

The Big Obsidian Flow is the youngest lava flow at Newberry.  Volcanic ash from the eruption 1,300 years ago reached as far as the State of Idaho.

 

  

(The Park Service has a sense of humor).

 

We stayed a few nights in Central Oregon before heading further into the Eastern part of our State.    During the years we lived, worked, and raised our family in Lane County, this area was a great getaway — not too far away but quite a contrast to home.  We did a little cross-country skiing near Newberry back then  (when we were much younger) and  the area was a frequent destination for Scout troops our boys were involved with.  It was fun to explore the area again.  Our visit brought back good memories and we learned (or re-learned) a lot.  As we always do when we travel, whether the destination is close to home or farther away.

 

 

This is one of the things we did not know.  In the town of LaPine, where we stayed during this part of our trip, we saw a sign that simply said "Big Tree."  We followed the signs to the State Park to find  the largest Ponderosa Pine ever recorded.  This Oregon Heritage tree was a giant way before  Oregon was a State   – it has  endured centuries of fire, disease, insects, and human impact.   We can only hope it continues to do so.

   

 

We enjoyed the  time in Central Oregon.  It's a beautiful area and a nice transition when traveling between the vastly different Western and Eastern parts of our State.  Oregon really is a land of contrast.  We are grateful to be able to explore it all.

 

LINKING this week to these sharing opportunities:  Thank you to the hosts.

MOSAIC MONDAY;  NATURE NOTES;  THROUGH MY LENS;   TRAVEL PHOTO SOUVENIRS;  OUR WORLD ON TUESDAY; MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; SIGNS SIGNS; THANKFUL THURSDAY;  SKYWATCH FRIDAY;  and FRIDAY  BLISS;