Friday 7th September

On our way to the McKenzie River Scenic Highway we passed Mt Bachelor on the left and two of the Three Sisters on the right.

We stopped by the side of the road which had wound its way through a forest for miles and miles and were confronted by this huge lava field with Mt Washington in the background.

Just as we were about to leave a group of American car enthusiasts drew up in their vehicles and were keen to talk.

At the top of the McKenzie Pass is the Dee Wright Observatory from which you can see a dozen volcanic cones and mountain peaks.

These two islands of trees escaped destruction as the lava flowed around them.

This is the view of two of the Three Sisters from the observatory.

We followed a 1.2 mile loop trail to the Upper and Lower Proxy Falls. Small trees and shrubs are growing in gaps between the rocks and starting to show their autumn colours.

 The falls are very high and fall into a pool which then disappears at the bottom into the lava beds.

About twenty miles further on we found a quiet spot by the McKenzie River to enjoy an hour or two of reading and sketching.