Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1895-07-27
IN THE LAVA BEDS.
A Journal Wheelman's Experience
Way Up.

On THE ROAD July q i have oftel
taken a wagon over rocks and some
times over unballasted ra'lroa bu
the lava beds on the summit of tb,
Cascades are way ahead for roughness
A wagon or other wheeled vehicle tha
gets across the lava unbroken is in
sured for any road. We camped by
the snow under the north slope of the
Three Sisters, glacier and one of the
young ladies tried to cook beans with
boiling water but had t. give 1t uI
after some hours aud wait till we
reached lower altitude. The water
would not get hot enough there.
After getting supply of arcCic flow.
ers and plants and our pals full OF
snow, we moved into Linn county
over the 'sand mountain" to Fish
Lake. The ascent on the east side is
very sight, but it is almost an average
of IL per cent grade for four miles down
to the lake, and the sand is deep in the
road interspersed with patches of lava.
Some places on steep down grade, it
was hard pull for the horses Fish
Lake and Clear Lake as we'll as several
more lakes in this basin, have been
made by the lava flow filling the
mouths of the side canyons and these
filled with water. Clear Lake is one
of the purest and clesrest bodies of
water ever seen, about one e.half to one
mile wide and about six miles long,
and 30 clear that If there are no ripples
On the surface it is impossible to tell
where air ends and water begins.
Nearly every one shrinks from looking
over the side of the boat, as it appears
exactly as though one were suspended
in the air, over the tree tops, without
any support. The trees all seem to
have lost the small limbs and most of
the top by the great heat from the
lava, but they stand up there just as
they did probably many centuries ago
when this ice cold water first rose over
them. One of the curious effects of
refracted light In this water is, that
these old trees reach so
near the surface as to endanger boats
passing over, when looked at from the
shore, yet the longest fishing poles will
not reach down to the tops. Another
is the millions of the brightest rainbow
colors all through the water when dis
turbed in the sunlight, just as in
prism.
Everything looks like spring here
now after the middle of July. The u.
8. commissioner has permitted this
country to be pastured by sheep and
n ow there are hundreds Of thousands
eating of everything
green as high as they can reach and
driving the deer and other game out.
There is fish here yet, In abundance.
Here we met Mr.. Geo. Downing and
family with Ex.Warden Cavanaugh,
with an unreasonable loLd OF grub |
along. They were intending 70 go
'arlher east soon 10 the Matola, but |
advised them 70 stay at the lake until
nost or at least large part OF the pro-
visions had been consumed, or they |
would never get up Sand mountain.
A happy crowd II Mazama's arrived
ust little after We did aud were i'm
occupied Ia getting their
inst square meal for near ten days.
they had been 70 the top Of Jefferson
aud on half Tations for several days.
!. H. Burfofd, Of Salem, and Prof.
Hutobison, of Polk county, were 10 the
party and were e9Dhdent tbni they
snsw more about the way 10 ge1 10
Ma. jefferson than they knew before.
rhs ladies IN the party wefs dressed Ia
swiss Style ioF climbing, with short
Ikiris aud heavy lsgeiDgs apd IoStsd
iks they had stood The rogghlng u
,stisT lhsa ths msn. of course taslss
sill dinsr, bat ! bslisYs the ladies' "
,uf party bad tho better suits for such
lfip sHd Tbs kniohsTs' eksfs, IN spiis
u tbs loas name, 10 ~ sfs pssisf IN
,plssfsBos. besides bsiiE sulisbls foT
Ihs blks slso. We sll psilsd essI lhs