Escape Pod Rambles

Aug 5 - Sept 1, 2025

This is a boom year for the California Tortoiseshell butterfly. They are everywhere up in the caldera, where they migrate from the lower elevations during the summer.

Other wildlife is also abundant

Unfortunately, this little one didn't make it

Went for a lovely full moon paddle with local volunteer Sheryl and her friends on East Lake

Celebrating Smokey Bear's 81st birthday

Feeling that time is getting short we started paying attention to our want-to-do list. We paddled 13 1/2 miles of the Deschutes River with Emily and Steve on a gorgeous day

Ash from the Mazama volcano that blew 7600 years ago, creating Crater Lake

(which should more accurately be called Caldera Lake)

Tragically, at the end of our paddle, I got a call from my Aunt Janet informing me that my cousin Michael had died suddenly of a massive heart attack.

Our next day off we drove to Crater Lake for the day

And hiked a mile down to take the boat tour. The water is so blue and so incredibly clear

Wizard Island, a cinder cone in the lake

The water is so clear

There was still snow on the 20th of August

The Old Man, a floating tree trunk that has been floating for over a hundred years, can be seen in front of the Phantom Ship island

Two Old Men

Stopped to cool off our feet before the tough hike back up the caldera in the heat

Snow guides for the plows

Clark's Nutcracker

Earned my Junior Ranger badge

"Our" caldera - Paulina Peak

Lost Lake now lives up to its name

After much maneuvering, and 13 hours and three planes, I was able to fly to Providence so I could drive the 6 hours down to NJ with family for Michael's funeral. It was a whirlwind drive down and back but worth it to be with family. I had a day before my flight back and had a lovely lunch and walk with Craig along the river in Providence.

Twelve hours and 3 more planes and I was back "home in the caldera"

Meanwhile Matthew was dealing with an epic rainstorm and hail

And someone found an arrowhead and brought it in. While cool, he should have left it where he found it and only taken a photo

And then I got COVID. Fortunately, Matthew was able to sleep in the living quarters of the visitor center and never came down with it

July 26 - Aug 4

Our long-time friends, Chris and Deanna, came up from Southern California to visit for a few days. It was wonderful to spend time with them and explore the area some more. We went to all the Monument highpoints, planned to have dinner at East Lake, but a gnarly thunderstorm took out the electricity so plan B was cooking at our place, explored Bend, including a late lunch at the famed McMenamins, followed by yet another mixed berry cobbler at East Lake. It was a wonderful, if too short, visit.

Love the patterns in the obsidian

Big Obsidian Flow

The Bend McMenamins is in a former Catholic school that was transofrmed into a brewery, hotel, and movie theater, with surprises around every corner, like this broom closet.

The left panel with one broom is actually a secret door into a sweet little bar area.

The McMenamin's
soaking pool

Walked down to the river after lunch and was amused by this duck display.

With the Barnes' gone, our work days have switched to Th - Sun.

The store portion of our visitor center

SO fortunate to have access to an oven here so Matthew a can make his sourdough bread and gift it to people we work with.

While it's unfortunate that people don't follow the rules, usually the issue is dogs off leash issues that we have to address, but this was a first for me. Pulled into the Big Obsidian Flow (BoF) and immediately came across an ATV coming out of the woods. I stopped thed and let them know that motorized vehicles are not allowed on any of the monument trails. He was polite and said he was going straight to his campsite. As he was heading out I saw in my mirror his cooler fall off the back of his vehicle, but he stopped so I went on to check the sign I was updating. As I came back around he was putting the cooler into the back of his ATV and I asked if it broke, and he said yes, but that it was still fine. It wasn't until he actually pt it in the back that I saw this enormous hunk of obsidian in his ATV. It is a federal offense to remove anything from the Monument, althogh I know people take small pieces of obsidian all the time, buut this was over the top. After informing him of the law, I had him put the rock in my car so he couldn't come back for it. He siad it didn't weigh much, so that's what I told Matthew as I asked him to put it in the Visitors Center later. Actually it weighed probably close to 150lbs or more. It took both of us, a smashed finger and several cuts on our hands, just to get it in the door.

On Monday we drove up to Smith Rock to explore that area. We decided to do the 4 mile Misery Ridge Loop, and it was a beautiful but miserable hike. The first mile may have been the slowest mile we have ever walked as all we did was climb. All told we gained 1255 ft of elevation, which was a challenge for this old lady, especially in the heat. But the views!