Our MO these days is to immediately pick up a county map and check out where the good jeep roads are located. We're in our glory in this area because much of this country is either Forest Service or BLM land. Meandering the backcountry on dirt and cinder roads is really a lot of fun.

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This museum of volcanic landscapes envelops an area of approximately five square miles. Tree molds were formed as lava spilled through the pine forest, flowing against the upstream side of the tree trunks. Here Al is standing inside the mold where once a giant ponderosa pine stood.

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Lava, reheated by the burning trees, dribbled into the space between the original mold and charred wood. We thought at first this pattern was bark impressions.

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We came upon an area of four major caves. They were actually part of lava tubes that in some cases had partially collapsed. It was interesting to see that the caves were closed from October through May because a particular species of bat used them for hibernation.

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This lone tree stood in the area of the lava tube. I couldn't help but think that this was the scene of an old movie and the Indians were going to come over the horizon any minute.

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These days we go where our Jeep takes us. We started the day on fairly civilized trails but ended up on this very narrow, winding dirt road that yes actually had a Forest Service Route Number (4110). We've learned a great deal about the numbering system but have to be careful in this area because there is a whole other system of ski-doo trails (you can identify those because the markers are high up!!).

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This flower, found only on the floor of pine forests, derives its nourishment from fungi. It is thought that it grows in association with the roots of the forest trees. When the flowering stems emerge they are rose-red color and then the whole plant turns brown. This plant is never green!

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Our trip eventually led us to Lava Island Cascade on the Deschutes River. This is a popular area for easy white water rafting.

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We decided that we needed a few days of plain ole relaxing. Out came the quilting and the carving and we were happy campers. With the tripod and mastering the auto-delay feature of the camera we can now both be in the pictures!

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Off in the jeep again today following trail after trail. We think half the fun of taking these back roads is planning a route on the map and then trying to follow it. Some of the roads are marked while others aren't. Our trip today brought us to a section of the Deschutes River that we'd never seen before.

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We arrived in the Twin Lake area around lunchtime so decided to stop here at North Twin Lake to eat our repast while enjoying the serenity of North Twin Lake.

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Looks like a jeep road but this is actually Highway 20 from Sisters to Salem over the Cascade Range that we traveled in the motorhome! It was a narrow, winding road but pretty. I guess adventure is not reserved for the Jeep!

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