Plenty of great viewpoints tower above Diamond Lake

Trail to the slopes of Mt. Thielsen on a smoky day

The greatest reward from climbing a mountain is the accomplishment. The second is the view from the summit. Frequently, when topping a Cascade volcano or one’s remnants in Oregon on a clear day, one can see the two sides of Oregon: green stretching as far as they can see to the West and more arid country to the East. Ridges radiate from mountains before flowing and spreading into forestlands. Still at altitudes of 5,000', those forestlands then eventually give way to flatlands of the Willamette Valley and the high desert of Central Oregon.

The short, scenic and historic drive that is road 48

Barlow Road near Forest Creek Campground

As I've written in a previous post, sometimes the best part of a trip to a particular destination is the drive. After making numerous trips over the Cascades from the Portland area to North Central Oregon, one drive that became routine was forest road 48 beginning at its western intersection with Highway 35 (to Hood River) and ending in the little hamlet of Wamic. However, looking closer, the road closely parallels one of the most important roads in not only Oregon history, but also the history of the U.S.

Our little secret lying east of Mt. Hood

On the east side of Mt. Hood, at the foot of the Cascades, lies nearly 230 acres of fun in the sun – at least a lot more blue sky days than what the Willamette Valley gets. Located on the edge of a zone, where Ponderosa Pines turn to Junipers, arid temperatures mingle perfectly with the cool waters of Pine Hollow Reservoir.