McKenzie Pass, elevation , is a mountain pass in the Cascade Range in central

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

in the

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. It is located at the border of

Linn Linn may refer to: People * Linn (surname) * Linn (given name) * Linn da Quebrada, stage name of Brazilian singer, actress, screenwriter and television personality Lina Pereira dos Santos (born 1990) Places Germany * Linn (Gangkofen), a part ...

and Deschutes counties, approximately northwest of Bend, between the Three Sisters to the south and

Mount Washington Mount Washington is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at and the most topographically prominent mountain east of the Mississippi River. The mountain is notorious for its erratic weather. On the afternoon of April 12, 1934 ...

to the north. Oregon Route 242 goes over the pass. At the summit of the pass, Oregon Route 242 crosses a lava flow just west of

Sisters A sister is a woman or a girl who shares one or more parents with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to ...

. Surrounded by lava, the Dee Wright Observatory was constructed in 1935 by

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...

workers and named after their foreman. Visitors climb to the observatory to view the Cascade peaks visible from McKenzie Pass. Also near the summit is Clear Lake, a renowned location for fresh-water diving. Highway 242 is not recommended for large trucks, trailers or motor homes due to numerous tight switchbacks. The pass is closed from November to July due to snow. The pass is named for Donald McKenzie, a

Scottish Canadian Scottish Canadians are people of Scottish descent or heritage living in Canada. As the third-largest ethnic group in Canada and amongst the first Europeans to settle in the country, Scottish people have made a large impact on Canadian culture sin ...

fur trader who explored parts of the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Tho ...

for the

Pacific Fur Company The Pacific Fur Company (PFC) was an American fur trade venture wholly owned and funded by John Jacob Astor that functioned from 1810 to 1813. It was based in the Pacific Northwest, an area contested over the decades between the United Kingdom o ...

in the early 19th century.

Astronaut training

Parts of central Oregon were used as a training grounds for

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label= Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label ...

astronauts between 1964 and 1966. The astronauts would practice walking on terrain that was similar to the surface of the moon. In August 1964,

Walter Cunningham Ronnie Walter Cunningham (born March 16, 1932) is a retired American astronaut. In 1968, he was a lunar module pilot on the Apollo 7 mission. He was NASA's third civilian astronaut (after Neil Armstrong and Elliot See), and has also been a ...

struggled in a lava flow at McKenzie Pass, where he eventually fell and tore his space suit. Cunningham piloted the lunar module on Apollo 7 in 1968.

References

External links

*Gerald W. Williams
McKenzie Pass
at ''The Oregon Encyclopedia'' Cascade Range Mountain passes of Oregon Mountain passes of the Cascades Transportation in Deschutes County, Oregon Transportation in Linn County, Oregon Landforms of Deschutes County, Oregon Landforms of Linn County, Oregon Deschutes National Forest Willamette National Forest {{LinnCountyOR-geo-stub

Astronaut training

See also

References

External links