Perhaps because I don’t have any sisters, I am particularly attracted to the area called Three Sisters in Oregon.  In this case, however, they are mountains.

The area is one of those places you don’t expect to see in the lower 48 when you grow up in the midwest.  I assume people who live in the Northwestern US know better.

Approaching the lava fields is astounding.  It’s as if some giant construction company in the sky dumped an enormous load of asphalt in great big chunks all over the landscape.  At the edge of a lava field, there is a miniature cliff formed where the lava suddenly comes to a halt.  I never would have predicted the transition from lava to none lava would be so distinct.  I guess having been to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, I expected the lava to have melted together in a single, molten form, freezing into a solid black river.  But in Oregon, the lava is in giant rock form.  I imagine a mountain spewing out black boulders like a BB gun aimed towards the sky.  The image is as mysterious as the reality.

Besides lots and lots of black rocks, the Three Sisters are offers spectacular views and many golden-mantle squirrels.  There are also some un-lava’d areas of forests that offer really good hiking.

We picked a short, flat trail that went to a couple of waterfalls.  This was mainly because my dad’s wife had a lot of knee issues at the time.  But, in the end, we were glad we picked the trail we did regardless of the ease–it was gorgeous.

The only thing that would have made that trail better was if it would have been easier to get a good angle on the water falls.  It was extremely challenging to get into a position where the falls were fully visible.  Not that I would ask anyone to cut down any trees to improve my images.

Perhaps the most amazing thing we saw was the biggest slug I’ve ever encountered in my life.  I don’t know if it was an actually banana slug or not, but it was bigger than some bananas!  I’m not a huge fan of slugs.  I know they serve their purpose and all, but it’s just not a species I find it easy to connect with.  But maybe it’s just a matter of size.  Looking at this 6-inch long beauty, I felt appreciative of slugs in a whole new way.

Back in the present day, we dropped Twiggy off to her parents today.  When we put the dogs in the car, they each picked their own seat and were sitting up side-by-side.  Of course, by the time I got my phone unlocked to take a picture, Tisen had laid down.  I also missed–it’s surprisingly difficult to shoot over one’s shoulder holding an iPhone while sitting in a car going down the road (I was not driving, just for the record).