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We took the 5325 ft McKenzie Pass to Sisters over the Cascade Mountains where the pine trees changed from Douglas Pine on the McKenzie River side to large straight Spruce Pine. At the top of the pass it is a totally barren volcanic landscape it was absolutely awesome as we didn't expect it, we were just drivingalong through forest and then suddenly we were at the foot of the volcano and you could easily see where the lava had stopped flowing thousands of years ago. They have made paths through the volcanic lava and it was an awesome place to visit.
The town of Sisters is named after the glaciered, snow covered three peaks which they named the Three Sisters each topping 10,000 ft. The town was once a stagecoach stop and supply town for loggers and ranchers but today is a small bustling place with old western facade buildings, even the new supermarket had to comply with its surroundings . The small campsite just on the edge of town was handy to go into town at night for a meal but with no showers or facilities or electric hook up we could only managed one night.
We moved 10 miles out of Sisters to an area along the Metolius River over shadowed by Black Butte another isolated volcanic mountain. Once again anyother stunningly gorgeous and peaceful region with great hiking, biking and world class trout fishing, riverside campgrounds and comfortable lodges. Our campsite was right by the river surrounded by log cabins and families of deer wandered into the field where we were camped every night at dusk for their evening eating the grass. Camp Sherman as the area was called consisted of a church, school and a small grocery store with two old petrol pumps which sold everything you needed. It was right on the river, just like something out of the Waltons. You could just sit on the bench outside the store and watch the world go by and apart from the modern vehicles feel you were back in tthe 1930's. Another reason we really enjoyed Oregon was that mass tourism seemed to have passed it by. Most of the holiday makers on the coast were from Washington and Oregon and there weren't hundreds of Cruise America rental motor homes everywhere.
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