A short trip from Bend, Oregon, propels one quickly into the heart of the Cascade mountains. Characterized by glacier-fed lakes and rivers, waterfalls, forests, and volcanic peaks, this region is very popular year-round for its outdoor recreation.

Nestled between the peaks of Mount Bachelor, Broken Top, and South Sister is Sparks Lake. This large, shallow lake was formed when lava flows from these nearby volcanoes blocked the Deschutes River. It is the first of the "high lakes" encountered when traveling the Cascade Lakes Highway westward from Bend.

The lake is well known to local photographers (and campers) for its serene beauty, meadows, and multiple views of the surrounding peaks. I headed up there one mid-summer evening, eager to discover a unique composition that would tell a story of the lake's location and surroundings.

This particular image is looking north toward Broken Top Mountain, a 9,200' remnant of a stratovolcano that exploded during the formation of the Cascades. Its craggy peaks were eroded by glaciers and are colored purple, red, black, yellow, orange, brown, and white by layers of pumice, tuff, scoria, and lava. Thus, it is strikingly colorful in the warm golden hour tones of sunset.

This shot was pretty straightforward, I noticed the dead pine that was stretched out into the shallows near the shoreline. The green pines on the opposite shore provided a nice transition to the slopes leading up to the barren peak. The low grasses on the water's edge provided a nice accent as well. And fortunately, there was no wind, so the surface of the water was a nearly perfect mirror. A nice band of clouds moved into the area with exquisite timing, completing the scene that I am pleased to be able to present on these pages.