OREGON HIGHWAY 242--THE MCKENZIE HIGHWAY: A SUMMER DRIVE IN THE CASCADES MOUNTAINS Guest Post by Caroline Hatton at The Intrepid Tourist

North Sister and Middle Sister as seen from the McKenzie Pass on Oregon Highway 242

My friend Caroline Hatton, a children’s writer and frequent contributor to this blog, took all the photos in this post on June 27, 2022, except for the photo of Scott Lake on July 13, 2022, and the Observatory photo (credit: US Forest Service).

Oregon Highway OR-242, which goes over the McKenzie Pass (at 5,325 feet ~ 1623 m) in the Cascade Range, is closed in winter, as in off-limits, taboo… tantalizing! As I waited for the road to open, month after month, my anticipation of spring snowmelt grew to mountainous proportions.

Green: Oregon. Black: Portland; Hatched: Cascades mountains; Red: Eugene;Blue: Oregon Highway 242; Yellow: Sisters.

This two-lane road is also called the McKenzie Highway. Cycling enthusiasts know it as the McKenzie Pass Scenic Bikeway. It is roughly half of the McKenzie Pass-Santiam Pass National Scenic Byway driving loop. It goes through an area of interesting volcanic and human history

In 2022 OR-242 opened on June 20. One week later, I got my wish when my husband and I took a day trip to discover the high country from this road. An hour’s drive east from Eugene, we turned onto it.

Proxy Falls. Three Sisters Wilderness

Nine miles later, we parked at the Proxy Falls Trailhead. The trail was described online as a 1.3‑mile (~2‑‍km) loop. After a few steps on it, we passed the boundary sign for the Three Sisters Wilderness.

The trail led through lava rocks and evergreen trees to a viewpoint across a canyon from the waterfall. We didn’t feel like continuing down the next, steep section of trail, so we didn’t get any closer to the water. We were also eager to drive on, to get to the pass in the morning, before the mountain view got hazy under the midday sun.

The highway soon became extremely curvy, turning left and right between tall conifers like in a green canyon, the sunlight angle shifting with every twist, making the forest shimmer. The road climbed switchbacks before straightening some.

We turned left onto Forest Road NF-260 toward Scott Lake, only to face a wall of snow. We were not going to snowshoe or hike with or without crampons, so we gave up on seeing Scott Lake in June and planned to come back at a later date.

Back on the main road, in some stretches the forest thinned and showed scars of past wildfires. When it petered out, most of what we could see was mounds of lava rocks and a dark prominence ahead, Black Crater. Then the Three Sisters rose on the right, honored by their very own Three Sisters Viewpoint. Their glaciers add up to the largest glacial area this far south in the United States.

Dee Wright Observatory on Oregon Highway 242. Credit: US Forest Service.

At the highway summit, our car was the third one to park at the Dee Wright Observatory around 10:30 a.m. on a June Monday. The observatory was built of lava blocks, not for astronomers to look at stars, but for travelers to look at volcanoes along the Cascade Range.

From left to right: Belknap Crater with snow patch, Little Belknap Crater, rocky Mount Washington, snowy Mount Jefferson, and a paved segment of the Pacific Crest Trail, as seen from the Dee Wright Observatory.

We climbed the well-built rock steps to the roof terrace. There, a bronze plaque identified the volcanic peaks in the 360-degree view across 65 square miles (~105 square kilometers) of dark lava rocks—as far as we could see. We spotted Belknap Crater, Little Belknap Crater, Mount Washington, Mount Jefferson (the second highest peak in Oregon at 10,502 feet ~3201 m), and the tiny, pale point of Mount Hood (the highest peak in Oregon at 11,249 feet ~ 3428 m) nearly 80 miles north, so tiny and pale that I cropped it out of the above photo. One level down, inside the round tower, narrow openings through the thick walls aimed straight at the same peaks, named on a plaque below each opening.

Lava River Trail

Next, we walked on the paved “Lava River Trail” and read its info boards. The Lava River flowed over 2,000 years ago, during a relatively recent volcanic event for North America.

Lava gutter filled with snow. Mount Jefferson on the horizon

Hot molten lava in the middle of the lava river flowed through cooling, harder lava on the edges, then drained away. This left a channel or “lava gutter,” highlighted (but hidden) by snow in the above photo. Snow also filled “cooling cracks,” formed when lava cooled and contracted.

Dwarf, stunted tree (~ 1 ft ~ 30 cm tall) maybe decades old .

Only a handful of tree species can grow in this harsh environment. But their stunted growth may produce only dwarfs, even after many decades.

It was too hot for me to spend more than 15 minutes in full sun, so we walked out and back on only a portion of the half-mile trail. Across the road was the McKenzie Pass sign and beyond it, glaciers on volcano flanks (top photo), a land of fire and ice only two hours from home.

The Three Sisters snowcaps as seen from the town of Sisters.

After driving the winding road down from the pass, through more burnt tree skeletons, then straight across a flat expanse of sparse but live ponderosa forest, we arrived in the town of Sisters. I took the above photo from the last stretch of OR-242.

North Sister and Middle Sister, as seen from Scott Lake off Oregon Highway 242.

On July 13, we found the road to Scott Lake snow-free. Beargrass was blooming and so were mosquitoes. I zipped on my mosquito-net jacket before opening the car door and made a mental note to wait for a time with fewer bugs, maybe late August or even September, before camping there. Meanwhile, seeing Scott Lake reflect the snowy Sisters completed my scenic drive experience beyond expectations.

Was my many-months-long anticipation rewarded? Yes! At McKenzie Pass, the unobstructed panorama of the Cascade Range, world-class lava field to the horizon, and unusual tower made of lava blocks were well worth devoting a day to the drive. Postcard-perfect Proxy Falls, Scott Lake, and Sisters were great bonuses.

Even the slow miles of “same old” Oregon-scenic-road-winding-through-evergreen-forest delighted me with a fresh thought. Was this route any different from, say, portions of US Highway 101 along the Pacific Coast or of the Wallowa Mountain Loop in the northeast corner of the state? Could evergreen and deciduous species, roadside soil, and contours of the land be telltale clues? Surely there’s a children’s story in there…

All text and photos, copyright Caroline Arnold. www.theintrepidtourist.blogspot.com

  

LEO POLITI MURAL, OLVERA STREET, LOS ANGELES, CA: The Blessing of the Animals

Blessing of the Animals, mural by Leo Politi, Olvera Street, Los Angeles, CA

On a recent trip to Olvera Street in downtown Los Angeles I was reacquainted with the wonderful mural painted by children’s book author/illustrator Leo Politi commemorating a favorite festival, the Blessing of the Animals. 

Leo Politi, 1908-1996, painted the Blessing of the Animals in 1978.

THE BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS is celebrated each year on Saturday, the day before Easter. People gather with their pets at the historic center of the city on Olvera Street for this festival. Their pets can be as large as a horse or as small as a mouse, and each one is decorated with ribbons, hats, or flowers. Every type of pet is welcome. Many participants dress in colorful Mexican costumes. Everyone waits patiently in line as the robed priest sprinkles each pet with holy water and blesses it, thus ensuring a happy, healthy year ahead. (Read more about this tradition and see photos in guest post by Ann Stalcup.)

The mural "Blessing of the Animals" is under the archways of the Biscailuz Building at El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument.

Now the Mexican Cultural Institute, the building was the Mexican Consulate for 30 years.

Leo Politi was the ultimate California writer and California illustrator.  His books, with their colorful depictions of children, animals, processions, and everyday life, capture the heart of Los Angeles. I actually once met Leo Politi, at a luncheon sponsored by what was then known as SCCLCYP, and is now CLC (Children's Literature Council of Southern California).  The luncheon that day was held in a ballroom at the Biltmore Hotel.  I had just published my very first book, an easy read story about birds, and I was feeling totally intimidated by the roomful of other much more established authors.  We were seated two at each table, along with librarians and other guests, and it was my luck to be paired with Leo Politi, winner of the Caldecott Award and the author and illustrator of dozens of books, including Pedro, the Angel of Olvera Street.  Because of his fame, I expected him to be larger than life, but discovered that he was completely unassuming.  During the program I noticed that he was much more interested in drawing pictures than listening to speeches. One by one, he took the programs off the table, drew our portraits on the back of them, and then gave us the drawings.  When I realized what he was doing, I sat very still to make it easier for him to draw his picture of me.  I wish I could say that I still have the drawing, but I don’t.  It disappeared at some point when I cleaned out my files.  I do have the memory, though, and the lesson that all the time, all around us, there is always something interesting to see, to write about, to draw.

Leo Politi also created the mosaic floor below the mural, depicting fish and other aquatic animals. The mosaic was restored in 1999.

Beginning in 2005, the Leo Politi Golden Author Award was presented by California Readers (a support group connecting children's book authors and illustrators with school libraries in Los Angeles) to the California author who had the most books in the California Collections over time. In 2008 it was given to me, at the annual "We love California authors and artists" luncheon.  (Sadly, California Readers is now defunct.) I am proud to have this connection with this talented and beloved man. And I was delighted to be reminded of him and his love for the life and traditions of Los Angeles on my visit to Olvera Street.

This book, published by California Readers in 2005, includes a biography of Leo Politi, his books, remembrances of Leo, and a list of the recipients of the Leo Politi Golden Author Award

 

 

ENGLAND, A CHILDREN’S LITERATURE TOUR, Part 2, Mary Poppins and More, Guest Post by Cathy Bonnell

Mary Poppins Sculpture, Leicester Square, London

My friend Cathy Bonnell, a retired school librarian who lives in Phoenix, Arizona, loves to travel and recently spent two weeks in England with her daughter Courtney, a journalist. Cathy has contributed previously to The Intrepid Tourist. I thank her for sharing her photos and report of her trip in July to London and the Lake District, with an eye to special connections to children’s literature.

Clifford the Big Red Dog and Cathy

After three days in The Lake District we were back in London and a visit to Leicester Square to see these literary statues—very whimsical. 

Gene Kelly

Paddington Bear

Harry Potter

Lots of school groups out viewing them also.

Covent Garden Market

Covent Garden neighborhood

Covent Garden neighborhood

Spent some time wandering through Covent Garden before the theater to see Tina, which was excellent!

The London Eye Giant Ferris Wheel

Since we have seen the usual tourist attractions before, we didn’t take in many on this trip, except during a rest by the Thames, where we had an excellent view of the giant Ferris wheel, the London Eye, built for the Millenium.

Historical marker on house where Monty Python film maker lived 1976-1987.

Unfortunately my second week in London was spent in quarantine when Covid struck.  Still, it was a memorable trip and time with my daughter!

Part 1 of Cathy's trip to England posted on August 8, 2022.

ENGLAND, A CHILDREN’S LITERATURE TOUR, Part 1, Beatrix Potter, Guest Post by Cathy Bonnell

 

Hilltop Farm, Once Home of Beatrix Potter

My friend Cathy Bonnell, a retired school librarian who lives in Phoenix, Arizona, loves to travel and recently spent two weeks in England with her daughter Courtney, a journalist. Cathy has contributed previously to The Intrepid Tourist. I thank her for sharing her photos and report of her trip in July to London and the Lake District, with a special eye to connections with children’s literature.

Cathy in London

After a sleepless night in the sky, I made it to London and my daughter Courtney’s darling neighborhood, Belsize, for a two week visit. Early dinner in a little cafe steps from her flat and to bed early!

Chiluly sculpture at the Victoria and Albert Museum

The next day a visit to the Victoria and Albert Museum was my first sightseeing venture —to see an exhibit of original art by author/illustrator Beatrix Potter. 

The tiny illustrations of Beatrix Potter were so thrilling to this longtime admirer and former elementary school librarian. 

Her sketchbooks and handwritten manuscripts were also shown at the museum.

Off early the next morning on the train to the Lake District, where we stayed in a lovely historic hotel in Bowness called Landeth Howe, once owned by Beatrix Potter. Two full days of small group tours took us to Beatrix Potter’s famous home, Hilltop Farm, now owned by the National Trust. 

The white gate at Hilltop Farm is original. 

The lush greenery and sweeping scenery of the Lake Country was a very welcome sight to this desert dweller.  Note a part of Hadrian’s wall in the background.

Such beautiful blooms were everywhere.

Castlerigg (similar to Stonehenge) in Keswick near Sawrey.  No one knows why they were built or by whom.

Rainy, windy and chilly day around the Lake District.

After three days in The Lake District we were back in London  

To be continued next week in Part 2.