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Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Continued from Bachelor Trip

We continued on to the Historic Elk Lake Guard Station
In the early days of the NF System, the forest guards who were sometimes posted at guard stations were the forest rangers’ right-hand men in the field. Guard stations were satellites of ranger stations. When, in 1920, a wagon road connected Bend and Elk Lake, recreation boomed in the area. NF campgrounds were built, summer home sites were leased, and Elk Lake Lodge was opened. By 1924 there was an Elk Lake post office. The forest ranger in Bend soon needed a forest guard in the area to serve visitors, maintain facilities, and protect resources. This forest guard needed a base, and in 1929 the Elk Lake Guard Station log cabin was built. At first, because funds were scarce during the Great Depression, this station was not staffed. From the later 1930s through the 1990s, however, forest guards and other Forest Service employees and volunteers served the public from this small station. Their job grew as the population grew, access improved, leisure time increased, and more forest visitors came. In 1997, the Forest Service decided to retain this old guard station—along the popular Cascade Lakes National Scenic Byway—as a visitor information center and historic site. During the next few years, Forest Service employees and volunteers restored the cabin and rehabilitated its grounds. Now, as you visit Historic Elk Lake Guard Station, you get a feel for how the forest guard lived and worked during the middle decades of the 20th century—in a very different time not too long ago.

We left there and ran across this neat place called Little Fawn Campground and Day use
It has a boat launch, and a nice beachy area, what a great find this was. The campground is just next to the beach area.I didn't get a very good shot of the campsites but there big enoug for a 30 ft motor home price per day is $8.00 not bad.
I think there must of been a fire there once as the trees didn't look all that good in the distant.
Our last stop was Lava Lake Resort
Lava Lake was formed as a result of lava flows creating a dam along its east shoreline. Lava Lake is relatively old as evidenced by the extrusive vegetation occurring in the shallow areas. Rushes, waterlilies and other emergent plants are especially evident on the west and northern perimeter. Another indication of the lake’s aging is the 4 to 5 feet deep layer of muck located on the lake bottom as reported by divers.

Subsurface springs provide the primary inflow to Lava Lake. The springs are located in the northeast corner of the lake at a depth of 20 to 30 feet. Water temperatures from the inflow vary between 45° to 60° F. There are no permanent surface streams entering the lake, however, intermittent seeps do enter the lake from Wire Meadow. Lava Lake connects with Little Lava Lake only occasionally during periods of spring high water. The outlet channel is located in the southeast corner of the lake. Water level fluctuates an average of approximately 2.5 feet annually with maximum pool occurring in late summer. Timing of the peak pool level is consistent with flow levels typical of springs in the area.

Fish species indigenous to Lava Lake were bull trout, redband trout and whitefish. The current fish population is composed of introduced brook and rainbow trout, whitefish, and illegally introduced tui chub.

Lava Lake Campground
$10 a night up too 30 ft vehicle
Onward Home,

6 comments:

rosemary said...

You have visited some beautiful places but I think the pix of the tree lined road with the haze is just breathtaking. Looks like home. Lilli, I download my blog to a memory stick by the month. I don't think blogger will go away soon, but on the off chance it does I would hate to lose all of my work. A lot of people make their posts first as word documents and then copy and paste, but I don't do that...it doesn't feel right. But it is a sure way to have all of your posts.

Ginnie Hart said...

It's delightful to document our comings and goings like this, isn't it, Lili! I would absolutely love traveling around in a mobile home like yours. It's clear you're making the most of it!

madretz said...

Sure do love seeing all these places you adventure out to. The mountains, lakes and forests are alway so beautiful.

Shionge said...

So many wonderful places you've been to Lilli, have you ever thought of staying put :D

Shionge said...

Hiya Lilli...thank you for your comments at my blog. I think this is wonderful to be able to move around the place where you are and take in all the beautiful sights :D

I've enjoyed America through you :)

Shammickite said...

WOW you visit some wonderful places. Now that I am officially retired, I'd like to do a bit more travelling around. We've driven from Toronto to Wyoming and back, the next year we drove to LA and back, and we have been to S Carilina and to Florida 3 times, but never in a mobile home camper, we are poor people and have to borrow my son's tent!!