Broken Top Mountain

In the town of Bend, we are staying at the Pine Ridge Inn, where the beds are so high that people who are vertically challenged have some trouble with actually getting on to them far less in to them.
Once up there there is always the danger of rolling off the edge if you are trying to move as far away as possible from your sleeping companion, who is snoring in your ear. Suffice it to say that a bad night was had by both.

However a new day and new vistas bettered the humour. We drove up the Cascades Lakes Highway , a road through the winter skiing area, to find Sparks Lake, but with the snow level at 6,000 ft and the road blocked, we had to abandon our route and retrace our steps.
We did notice the ski tows still in action on Mt Batchelor and a few skiers taking advantage of the runs still open.

We were content to get to the top of Pilot Butte in the centre of Bend. It is a volcanic dome of tree covered rock which gives a 360 degree view of the countryside around including the Cascade range of mountains to the NW and the lower basalt cliffs of Smith Rock State Park to the NE.

But it was day for relaxing, and we lingered over lunch in a tavern on the banks of the Deschutes River, overlooking a garden of multicoloured tulips, and after a short siesta, we are about to linger some more over wine on the terrace.
Tomorrow it's Crater Lake.

This is the view of Broken Top Mountain, seen from 6,500 ft where the road was blocked.