Cold Springs and Lost Lake Campgrounds

For the third leg of our one week tour of Central Oregon we choose a couple of small campgrounds in the Cascades. The first night's stop was Cold Springs Campground, a Deschutes National Forest Campground located a few miles East of the town of Sisters on the McKenzie Highway. Sheltered by towering Ponderosa Pine and shimmering Aspen, it has 23 sites.  All were full save the last one #23, which we quickly took possession. 

It was paridise for a hot afternoon and we settled in to enjoy with the babbling brook beside us. I spotted a touring bicyclist circling through the campground, knowing there were no sites and knowing it was late on a hot afternoon, we offered to share our site.  He had just climbed over the McKenzie Pass and was grateful for a place to camp for the night.  He had started two days before in Eugene after flying in from his home in Colorado and was riding to Bozman Montana where he would catch a plane back to Denver.  Of course we had touring tails to exchange and tips to offer for his route through the Ochocos. 

Our next nights stay was at the Lost Lake Campground near the Santiam Pass.  This is a Willamette National Forest Campground, and like most is without hookups.  It's a pot-hole filled road around the lake, but we were determinded to check out all the camping choices. We settled on #13 which was shaded with a nice view. 

 One of the features we enjoy about our new van is the screened back, which allows us to open the rear doors and let the breeze blow through. Jeanette has also added a screen for the sliding door, and will be adding screens for the driver and passenger doors. Regular cost for a site are eight dollars, we paid four dollars with our Senior Pass.  Dinner was free as it was left overs from our casino dinner.

Lost Lake essential almost drys up every summer.  In general, I think no body knew why.  But in recent years there has been found drain holes that allow the water to escape.  The thinking is that in winter these underground lava tunnels perhaps freeze and allow the lake to fill.  The same senerio applies to near by Fish Lake.  The annoying thing is that this information has been in the newspapers and on TV and we had a stream of visitors.  We were actually the only people camping there, but we had people driving through the campground even after eight o'clock at night, and again the next morning, all wanting to see this wounder of nature.