On Wednesday, we left Bend north on highway 126, which took us to two more scenic byways, the "West Cascades Scenic Byway" and the "McKenzie Pass-Santiam Pass Scenic Byway" (they overlap for parts of the route to Eugene). This is really beautiful country, passing some of the highest mountains in Oregon, including the Three Sisters, and with great views of Mount Jefferson. Much of the route was through heavily forested, very green, twisting roads up and down mountains (the Willamette National Forest).

But about halfway through the route to Eugene, we noticed an abrupt end to the trees and the re-appearance of very rough lava beds. It seems we had reached McKenzie Pass, location of the Dee Wright Observatory. Built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, this tower (which feels like it belongs in the Lord of the Rings) lines up views with Mount Jefferson, Mount Washington, and the Three Sisters. It is in the middle of an 8-mile lava flow that erupted just a couple of thousand years ago.