Sparks Lake is one of the most photographed lakes in the Central Oregon Cascades. Even though I’ve been there a number of times, I am always in awe when I get there. Today was no exception.
It is only a 30 minute drive from Bend, just past the Mt. Bachelor ski area, along the Cascades Lake Highway. The road after Mt. Bachelor is closed in the winter so unless you have a snowmobile or like to cross-country ski long distance, it is only accessible during the summer and fall.
Today we arrived early and the water was like a mirror. Not even a ripple on the water. In one of the photos, you can see the plume of smoke that is coming from the fire that I photographed last Sunday. The fire is still burning and is now close to 6,000 acres. It is still going away from civilization, but it is in an area that is difficult for firefighters to get to.
Maralee
Through My Lens 
AWESOME PHOTOS! If this is your backyard, I wonder what the front looks like. You live in a beautiful area. A photographer’s dream.
BE ENCOURAGED! BE BLESSED!
My “front” yard is totally different kind of beauty – desert. We live on the east side of the Cascade Mountains so to the west we have mountains and forest and to the east we have a lot of flat, dry land with a lot of sagebrush. But it is still beautiful.
Beautiful as always….I love Central Oregon….it has everything from incredible mountains to high desert and juniper:) Love the scenery and the ranching people that I met….lots to explore:)
Central Oregon is nice. The fire near Sisters tripled in size yesterday and is now over 15,000 acres. They have pre-evacuation notices out for some of the people in south Sisters.
I have been hearing about Sisters….how awful and we are living with smoke coming from that fire too. I hope they can ge it contained soon….always so sad:(
What a beautiful part of the world you live in, Maralee 🙂
Thank you, Marianne. There are so many beautiful places in the world.
Tout simplement magnifique 🙂
Thank you so much.
You seem to be living inside a beautiful painting!
Lovely pictures
Thank you so much. It is a very pretty place to live.
So beautiful shots… 😉
Thank you very much.
Absolutely awesome scenery! Breathtaking. Your pictures really are amazing. 🙂
Thank you, Zelmare.
A wonderful post and absolutely beautiful images especially the “Reflection and Kayaker” photo–excellent work and a great eye!
Thank you so much. I had to wait a while for the kayaker to glide into my photo. 🙂 She took her time getting into the water.
Some backyard you have … stunning scenery – breathtaking – looking forward to see your front yard too. Reflection and Kayaker is my pick – love the so crystal clear reflections and the lonely yellow kayak. Stunning.
Thanks, Viveka. It’s a beautiful area here. A lot like where I grew up in Minnesota. And I’m sure a lot like areas of Sweden.
Yes, there many beautiful areas in Sweden too … I agree, Sweden is a truly beautiful country. But it so easy when somebody brings their world to me … Heard about Minnesota’s beauty too and I think that was why all the Scandinavian immigrants settled in Minnesota because it reminded them about home. Your photos are stunning.
Maralee these are just brilliant photos… wish I could say more but this restricted internet time is cramping my style… missing the all day time…
Thanks, Rob. Hope all is going well with your project.
hard at work… got two more weeks to go.. maybe more… but when we arrived here we found my son had bought us a new car… he’s a good boy…
Wow, what a good son. 🙂
Just amazing, Maralee!
Thanks, Carissa. A friend of mine from here was at the Reno Air Show this weekend too.