Another Exciting Adventure

The third installment.
Because we didn't get enough this summer.

We headed out early Saturday morning to catch the beautiful sun on the other side of the mountains, since we've had so much fog here lately.
My husband did some research and came up with this neat little place to visit. It was a fair drive over and back, but I think it was worth it; and the family time is always worthwhile.

We were near Sisters, OR and it was so clear we could see a number of the Cascade mountains.
Here are two of the Sisters, we also got to see Hood, Washington, 3-Fingered Jack and Jefferson, along with some other bumps and cinder cones.
All were so gorgeous.

But the destination was Dee Wright Observatory. I had never heard of it, but my siblings had. We decided to take my sister along too - well, rather, she agreed to come along and share the driving.

This place is pretty fun to explore. It is a stone structure made by the CCC back in the 1930s, built out of the lava rocks.

  

Inside the 'room' at the top there are windows to view the surrounding vistas,
along with little cutouts, labeled with the mountain you are seeing through the hole.

  

And above the room, on the 'rooftop' the views were labeled again for the observer. 

After exploring the observatory, we walked through the lava fields on nicely paved paths.

 

 There was so much to look at really, and it was nicely educational for the kids who haven't learned much about the local geography and lava flows.

Later we had some lunch in the back of the pickup. There were no picnic tables, although there was (thankfully) a bathroom!
We dined with a bit of class this time.
A pumpkin pie rounded out the sandwiches and chips and apples lunch.
My girl really likes pie, and asked for that instead of cake for her birthday.

Another little walk and then we were off to head home; there was a football game to go to!
Thankfully this adventure, there were no mishaps or injuries. Just a long beautiful day.