Billy Chinook Hidden away in Central Oregon, lies a secret citadel of warmth. Leaving behind you the green, damp sanctuary of rain and cold that is the Willamette Valley, you embark on Highway 26 for an exodus to heat. A seemingly unnatural absence of steep inclines and large evergreens haunts this barren plain, which is scattered with scrub brush and the occasional small tree. But most daunting of all is the lack of green colors and cooling shade that usually surround you. The harsh and dry wasteland stretches all around and you can just barely see the vague outlines of mountains that encircle this bare and empty wilderness. Concealed in the dull monotony of this arid desert is a welcome oasis. Embraced in a huge, vast and lengthy crater, is beautiful Lake Billy Chinook. The lake is bordered by menacing basalt walls that stretch five hundred feet to the sky. As you descend into the valley and board a boat, these towers of age old rock seem threatening as they hang over your head. Intimidating as they are, you can’t help but be struck with wonder as you examine the delicate and precarious arrangement of the huge pillars of rock. You can see a small and daring pathway that zigzags its way up the face of the ravine and the sight of it makes you nervous. On closer inspection, the markings of Native American hieroglyphs can still be found on these ancient walls. They seem to send a chill down your back and create an almost sacred and untouchable aura.
As it twists and turns between
