On the coach again

We spent the day on the coach, leaving the lush green of Mount Hood's southside, bound for Crater Lake. And again, like on Wednesday, our several stops were varied and quick.

It didn't take long to reach the high desert and for several hours we watched Mount Jefferson, the Three Sisters, Broken Back and Mount Bachelor grow larger and gain definition. The terrain in the region of the Warm Springs Reservation was dramatic -- stark and flat -- with high messas and deep gorges.

Of particular note was the location of our morning rest stop: the Peter Ogdon State Park at the 320-foot-deep Crooked River Canyon where three bridges cross the gorge -- the one in use; the historic one, designed by Conde B McCullough and too spectacular to remove; and the Oregon Trunk Railroad Bridge. With only 15 minutes at my disposal, I chose the bridges over the ladies room and was only slightly sorry during the drive to Bend.

This photograph, taken from under the railroad bridge, shows the other two, the McCullough bridge being the most prominent.