Tour of Northern California and
Southern Oregon - Part  3
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The scenic 80-foot Paulina Creek Falls in Newberry National Volcanic Monument near Bend, Oregon.

We drove to tour the Newberry National Volcanic Monument in south central Oregon on the morning of August
5, 2004.
The Paulina Creek falls plunges over a cliff composed largely of remnants of ash flows and volcanic breccias
from the past eruptions of the Newberry Volcano. The unstable nature of the cliff is evident in the size of the
many boulders, which have fallen into the gorge below the falls as shown in this picture.

Paulina Creek, Paulina Lake, Paulina Peak and a number of other geographical features in Newberry National
Volcanic Monument were named for Paulina (pronounced Pa-LINE-uh), a well-known Indian chief.

Directions to Paulina Creek Falls: From Bend in Oregon, travel 23.5 miles south on Hwy 97, then 12.3 miles
east on County Road 21 (Paulina Lake Road) to the signed parking lot. From the parking lot, follow the trail
for 200 feet to the viewpoint above the falls. Paulina Creek Falls is located just west of Paulina Lake outside
of the Newberry Crater.

Map: Click here for interactive Bing Map showing location of Paulina Creek Falls
Misty morning over Paulina Lake near Paulina Creek Falls in Newberry National Volcanic Monument. Several
terns were flying and fishing over Paulina Lake.

This photo is taken by May Lee
Misty morning in the forest near Paulina
Creek Falls in Newberry National Volcanic
Monument.

This photo is taken by May Lee
Beautiful flowers along Paulina Creek.

This photo is taken by May Lee
Two of several waterfowl on Paulina Lake in Newberry National Volcanic Monument.

This photo is taken by May Lee.
Some waterfowl in East Lake which is adjacent to Paulina Lake in Newberry National Volcanic Monument.
East lake is a hot spring fed lake. This photo is taken by May Lee.

Paulina Lake and East Lake are located within the caldera of Newberry Volcano, about 25 miles south of
Bend, Oregon. The Newberry Crater (Caldera) encircles the basins of Paulina and East lakes and the caldera
is nearly 5 miles (8 km) in diameter. This collapsed crater or caldera (caldera in italics) is the result of more
than 500,000 years of volcanic activity. Neither lake receives water from an inlet stream. Both lakes rely on
rain, snowmelt, and hot springs for water. Paulina Lake, the larger twin, is the deepest at 250 feet (76 m).
Paulina Creek drains this lake and has chiseled a narrow gorge through the caldera's west wall creating a
remarkable twin waterfall. Thermal vents and hot springs along the lake's northeast edge help create a highly
productive ecosystem. The lake covers an area of 1531 acres. Both lakes are full of trout. Paulina grabbed
the state brown trout record in 1965 with a 35-pound, 8-ounce behemoth.

Map: Click here for interactive Google Map showing location of Paulina Lake and East Lake
The Big Obsidian Flow, created 1,300 years ago, covers 700 acres within the southern extent of the
Newberry caldera. Obsidian is a natural volcanic glass. The primary ingredient in glass is silica which is
silicone dioxide.
A picture of me (Sing Lin) at the Big Obsidian Flow in Newberry National Volcanic Monument.

This photo is taken by May Lee.

Map: Click here for interactive Google Map showing location of Big Obsidian Flow in Oregon
Another view of the Obsidian. Why is obsidian black? Like a drop of black ink in a glass of clear water, tiny
magnetites crystals (iron oxide) give obsidian a black tint.

Of all the rocks used by ancient native people for tool making, obsidian was highly prized for its razor-sharp
edge. Native Indians have used obsidian for arrowpoint. Obsidian was money. It bought valuable goods such
as fish, shells and roots. The abundance of obsidian in this area attracted native people traveling long
distance to come here to gather a year's supply of valuable obsidian rocks for tool making. They traded these
obsidian tools around the west.

This photo is taken by May Lee.
The thickness of the Big Obsidian Flow is about 150 feet or a 17-story building. It is quite an experience to
climb up 170 feet to walk on the one-mile loop trail on the very rough surface of Big Obsidian Flow to explore
this very special lava flow.

The small sizes of me (Sing Lin) and of another visitor on the Big Obsidian Flow loop trail in this picture show
the immense size of the Big Obsidian Flow.

This picture is taken by May Lee.
The Upper Overlook on the Big Obsidian Flow offers a panoramic view of the rim of the Newberry caldera.

This photo is taken by May Lee.
The one-mile loop hiking trail on the Big Obsidian Flow is very rough, rocky, uneven with sharp surfaces of
obsidian. Closed toe shoes are recommended for hiking on such trail.

This photo is taken by May Lee.

An aerial photo of this 700-acre Big Obsidian Flow, Paulina Lake and East Lake inside the Newberry caldera
can be seen on the following website:

Aerial Photo: Click here for Aerial Photo of Big Obsidian Flow and two lakes in the caldera
Paulina Peak at peak elevation of 7985 feet as viewed from the Big Obsidian Flow.

This photo is taken by May Lee.
Beyond the rim of the 17-square miles of Newberry caldera, Newberry Volcano also created some 400 cinder
cones, Lava buttes and perhaps as many peripheral lava flows covering 500 square miles.

This is the 500-ft Lava Butte, located next to U.S. Highway 97 south of Bend
Visitors can drive up the Lava Butte to see the crater on top and to enjoy the fantastic scenery.

Map: Click here for interactive Google Map showing location of Lava Butte in Oregon
The parking lot for visitors of Lava Butte. There is a hiking trail with hand rail for visitors to walk from parking
lot up to the top of the Lava Butte. From the top, one can see the lava beds and molten land beyond the
parking lot, and other volcanic mountain peaks at distance.
The 360-degree panoramic view from the top of Lave Butte in this national monument is outstanding.

There is a mile and a half long large lava tube for visitors to explore in this national monument. But we did not
have enough time to do that in this trip. Photos of this large lava tube in Oregon can be seen at the following
website:

https://www.google.com/#q=Lava%20Tube%20in%20Newberry%20photos
The hiking trail from the parking lot going up to the top of the Lava Butte.

This photo is taken by May Lee.

This Lava Butte is located next to U.S. Highway 97 south of Bend. For a monument map showing location of
this Lava Butte in Newberry National Volcanic Monument, click the following link:

Map: Click here for Monument Map for location of Lava Butte
A picture of me (Sing Lin) on Lava Butte. This picture is taken by May Lee.

The 55,500 acre Newberry National Volcanic Monument is located at 1645 Hwy. 20 E, Deschutes National
Forest, Bend, OR 97701.

Maps: Click here for several maps of Newberry National Volcanic Monument
大地的調色板!


Spectacular Painted Hills in the Painted Hills Unit of John Day Fossil Beds National Monument located at
37375 Bear Creek Road, Mitchell, Oregon in east-central Oregon. The Painted Hills Unit is located just off
highway 26, and 9 miles northwest of Mitchell, and 75 miles east of Bend. The entrance is six miles north of
Highway 26 on Burnt Ranch Road.

Stunning! Beautiful scenery, splendid colours, a wonderful coloured landscape. A geological wonderland. It’s
almost like being on another planet.

This photo is taken by May Lee.

After touring Crater Lake National Park and Newberry National Volcanic Monument in Oregon, we drove
northeast about 75 miles to tour John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in central-east Oregon.

Map: Click here for interactive Google Map showing location of Painted Hills Unit of John Day Fossil Beds
National Monument

Map: Click here for park map with hiking trails of Painted Hills unit of John Day Fossil Beds National Monument
More views of the beautiful Painted Hills. Nature can be so beautiful, those landscapes that once admired is
hard to forget.

This photo is taken by May Lee.

The John Day Fossil Beds National Monument consists of three widely separated units—Sheep Rock, Painted
Hills, and Clarno—in the John Day River basin of east-central Oregon. Each of the three locations of the John
Day Fossil Beds National Monument has short trails for dramatic views of colorful rock formations. All three
sites will give you a view into the earth’s biography through the plant, animal fossils and rock layers.
More views of Painted Hills.  This photo is taken by May Lee.

More serious photographers who visited this area several times indicate that each day saw a different colour
and view of this colourful area. The colors shift and change with the difference of light, weather and the
seasons. Every rainstorm intensifies the bands of red and orange, the generous splashes of yellow and gold,
and the random streaks of black and grey leaving you speechless and awe struck. The hills are best viewed in
late afternoon, which is just perfect because you can stick around to watch the sunset with fiery sky. In the
golden light of late afternoon, the sunset hues intensified. It is just stunning as the sun sets over the hills. The
Painted Hills are the crown jewels of this region with their spectacular colors and sublime patterns that seem to
have been hand-painted by the master stroke of Mother Nature’s brush. Between April and May, rivers of small
yellow flowers run down within the cracks of the reddish hills forming golden pools to their feet – a magic sight
that draws hundreds of landscape photographers and artists to the place. But no matter what the time of year,
the shapes and colors of the Painted Hills are an incredible sight.

The Painted Hills have a few easy walking trails to explore for views of the hills at different angles.
上帝遺失的調色盤!


The unique colors that streak the clay rich hills and mounds in this area were formed over 35 million years ago
by different volcanic eruptions and changing climate patterns. Once this area was a river flood plain with a
warm tropical climate and an abundance of plants forming lush forests with exotic animals such as prehistoric
horses, elephants, camels and saber tooth tigers roaming freely. Over time the landscape transformed again
and again responding to the powerful forces of nature. Layers of ash and different types of soil mixed with
minerals and plant material and eroded causing the unique coloring of the Painted Hills landscape we see
today.
This photo of Painted Hills is taken by May Lee.
This photo of Painted Hills is taken by May Lee.
A portion of fossil beds in Painted Hills area in John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. This national
monument contains extensive deposits of well-preserved fossils from various periods spanning more than 40
million years. Fossils found in the John Day Strata include a wide variety of plants and more than 100 species
of mammals, including the ancestors of dogs, cats, oreodonts, saber-toothed tigers, horses, camels, rodents,
turtles, opossums, large pigs, rhinoceroses, bears, pronghorn, deer, weasels, raccoons, and sloths.

The Thomas Condon Paleontology Center, which acts as the interpretive center for the hills and the rest of the
John Day Fossil Beds National Monument shows its stunning history — 55 million years of plant and animal
evolution and a collection of 40,000 fossils that represent one of the two most complete fossil records in the
world.
View of Cathedral Rock in Sheep Rock Unit of John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.

This photo is taken by May Lee.
Picture Gorge in Sheep Rock Unit of John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.
A picture of me (Sing Lin) at Sheep Rock Unit of John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.

This photo is taken by May Lee.

Maps: Click here for several maps for all three units of John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.


We ran out of day time of the day when we were driving through the Clarno Unit of John Day Fossil Beds
National Monument. We were driving in the dark and could barely see the prominent land-form of majestic
Palisades, but it was too dark to take pictures.

Photos: Click here to see some photos taken by other people of majestic Palisades in Clarno Unit.
After John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, we drove west on August 6, 2014 to visit Oregon Dune
National Recreational Area on the west coast of Oregon. Wind-sculpted sand dunes here towering to 500
feet above sea level. The west side of an oblique dune consists of a long, sloping ridge whereas the east
side is usually higher and steeper, forming a precipitation ridge. Many people are riding Off-Highway Vehicle
(OHV) on the huge sand dune that stretches 40 miles.  Some people come here to enjoy sand boarding like
snow boarding on the high sand dune.

We do not see such high sand dune in the east coast of USA.

This photo is taken by May Lee.
The reason for such special 500-ft high sand dune is that wind can exceed 100 miles per hour during intense
winter storms. These powerful winds move large amount of sand. Strong ocean currents flowing north in
winter and south in summer hold sediment from rivers near the shore. Currents, tides and wave action dredge
sand from the ocean floor and deposit it on the beaches where the winter wind storms takes over.

This is the largest expanse (40 miles) of coastal sand dunes in North America. Author Frank Herbert was
inspired (in part) to write the famous science fiction novel Dune based on his research about the dunes of this
area.

Oregon Dune National Recreation Area is located at 855 U.S. 101 Reedsport, Oregon.

Map: Click here for interactive Google Map showing location of Oregon Dune
Some people were crabbing at a jetty area of Oregon Dune National Recreational Area.

This photo is taken by May Lee.
The crab caught here in Oregon Dune seems to be brown colored Dungeness crab which is very different from
the blue crab that we see in east coast USA.

This photo is taken by May Lee.

The following YouTube movie shows crabbing in action in the crab pot/crab trap by using an underwater video
camera in Coos Bay in Oregon:

http://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgG9NsYaNjs

Just three miles East on Highway 38 from Oregon Dunes is the famous Dean's Creek Elk Viewing area
currently sustaining hundreds of Oregon's Roosevelt Elk in their natural habitat with viewing stations and photo
opportunities for visitors. But we did not know and missed this touring opportunity in this 2004 trip.

Just about a mile north of the Oregon Dune is America's largest Sea Lion Caves with hundreds of sea lions on
Oregon coast. It is  located at 91560 U.S. 101, Florence in Oregon coast. Its height is equivalent to 12-story
building and its length of a football field. This large cave is the home of the wild Steller sea lion, primarily during
the fall and winter months. But we did not know in this 2004 trip and missed the opportunity. The website of
Sea Lion Cave is at:

www.sealioncaves.com/2root/visitcave/goingdown.html
We then drove south along Oregon west coast to Simpson Reef Overlook where visitors can see thousands
of marine mammals such as Steller sea lions (weigh 2,000 pound), California sea lions (weigh 800 pound),
elephant seals (weight 5,000 pound), and harbor seals haul out on the Shell Island and reefs on the coast
between Shore Acres State Park and Cape Arago State Park. These are part of Oregon Islands National
Wildlife Refuge. Visitors can hear the loud barking of sea lions miles away from the Simpson Reef Overlook.

Aerial view of thousands of marine mammals and seabirds on the small beach of the Shell Island here can be
seen at the following website:

http://
assets.byways.org/asset_files/000/013/000/OregonIslandsSimpsonReef.jpg

Movie of thousands of marine mammals and sea birds in action in this area can be seen at the following
YouTube website:

http://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fyiUgLK-QM

Sometimes visitors may also see gray whales migrating through this area.

A brochure with a location map of Simpson Reef Lookout can be seen at:

http://
www.shoreacres.net/images/pdf/SimpsonReefBrochure-2010-web.pdf
Rugged high sandstone cliffs along the coastal area between Shore Acres State Park, Simpson Reef Lookout
and Cape Arago State Park.

This photo is taken by May Lee.
Rocky shore of Cape Arago State Park.

This photo is taken by May lee.
There are many pelicans, gulls and other seabirds in addition to sea lions, elephant seals, and harbor seals
along this rocky coastal areas between Shore Acres State Park and Cape Arago State Park in  Oregon.
Beautiful garden in Shore Acres State Park on Oregon shore. Once the grand estate of pioneer timber baron
Louis Simpson, Shore Acres features lushly planted gardens with plants and flowers from all over the world.
Something is in bloom almost every day of the year. It has an oriental-style pond and two rose gardens.

This photo is taken by May Lee.

After seeing the garden, you can stroll down a trail to a secluded ocean cove at Simpson Beach or skirt the
cliff's edge to see spectacular ocean vistas which often include towering waves crashing against the shoreline
after a storm and migrating grey whales. On the site of Simpson's vanished mansion, a fully enclosed
observation building will allow you to view the ocean and protect you from the weather. The observation building
has interpretive panels describing the history of the Simpson estate.

From Thanksgiving through New Years, these gardens are ablaze with quarter million colored lights and holiday
decorations that attract many visitors to enjoy the holiday season. Several sets of nice Video with music on
such holiday decoration can be seen at:

http://
www.shoreacrespark.com/index.php/photos-videos/videos

Shore Acres State Park is along Cape Arago Hwy in Coos Bay, Oregon.

Map: Click here for interactive Google Map showing location of Shore Acres State Park
Cape Arago State Park is at the end of Cape Arago Hwy in Coos Bay in Oregon.

Map: Click here for interactive Google Map showing location of Cape Arago State Park
Beautiful sunset view over Pacific Ocean at Cape Arago State Park.

This photo is taken by May Lee.
On the morning of August 7, 2004, we came to visit a tourist attraction known as Oregon Vortex located at
4303 Sardine Creek Left Fork Rd, Gold Hill, in southern Oregon.

Map: Click here for interactive Google Map showing location of Oregon Vortex

My personal experience of touring this famous Mystery Spot is described in my web page at:

http://
www.shltrip.com/My_Personal_Experience_in_a_Mystery_Spot.html
Paradise Lost, the most beautiful and wettest room filled with magnificent draperies in the Oregon Caves
National Monument. It is located at 19000 Caves Hwy, Cave Junction, in southwestern Oregon. It is about 6
miles north of the Oregon-California border. We came to tour Oregon Caves National Monument in the
afternoon of August 7, 2004.

This photo is taken by May Lee.

Map: Click here for interactive Google Map showing location of Oregon Caves National Monument
Stalactites and stalagmites in Miller's Chapel in Oregon Caves National Monument.

Oregon Caves National Monument is also known as "Marble Halls of Oregon." This is one of the very few
marble caves in the world. Of the more than 3,900 caves managed by the National Park Service, only those in
Oregon Caves National Monument, Kings Canyon National Park, and Great Basin National Park have marble
caves.

This photo is taken by May Lee.
A side view map of the Oregon Caves. Cave tours are 0.5 miles long and last 90 minutes, although visitors can
choose to leave the cave about halfway through the tour. Since the cave is only 44 °F (7 °C) inside regardless
of the outdoor temperature, the Park Service recommends warm clothing for its tours. Good walking shoes
are needed to negotiate slippery and uneven surfaces.
The cave tour involves a total climb of 230
feet, up and down more than 500 steep and
uneven stairs as shown on the side map in
the picture above. The cave exit is 230 feet
higher than the cave entrance. Children less
than 42 inches tall or who are unable to
climb a set of test stairs on their own are
not allowed on the full cave tour.
This completes the Part 3 of our Tour in Southern Oregon.

We then drove south to tour the northern coastal areas of California which is the content of Part 4 of this trip to
be presented in the near future.

Part 1 of this trip is about northern California and is at my web page at:

http://www.shltrip.com/Northern-California_Part_1.html

Part 2 of this trip is about Crater Lake National Park in southern Oregon and is at my web page at:

http://www.shltrip.com/Crater_Lake_Volcanos.html
A beautiful pond with a waterfall and crystal clear water at the waiting area for visitors to wait for the
guided tour of the Oregon Cave.

This photo is taken by May Lee.
An American dipper was at the edge of this nice pond jumping in and out of the pond. With the crystal clear
water, we could see the American dipper dived all the way down to the bottom of the pond to look for foods.
This is the first time that we see such American dipper in action. It was a nice show to enjoy while waiting for
the guided cave tour to start.
The American dipper jumping into the pond.

This photo is taken by May Lee.
How I use information age technologies to enhance my enjoyment greatly of sightseeing large driving tour
loop of thousands of miles and of one to two weeks in duration covering many Points of Interest is described
on my web page at:

http://
www.shltrip.com/Sightseeing_in_Information_Age.html