I may have saved the best for last.

Through the years, I’ve spent more than a few sunny summer afternoons lollygagging at Lava Lake and hanging out at Hosmer. Same goes for the others strung out in a roughly north-south line just east of the Cascades spine along state Highway 46: Devils Lake, Sparks Lake, Elk Lake, Cultus, Crane Prairie and Wickiup.

Except one.

Davis Lake is about 60 miles south of Bend, northeast of Klamath County’s Odell Lake and connected to that body of water by Odell Creek, a thoroughly delightful little stream that leaves me scrambling for just the right word to go beyond the realm of grain spirit metaphor (gin or vodka clear) to capture its essential clarity (transparent, crystal clear, as a bell?). Pellucid. That’s it. Odell Creek is most pleasantly pellucid.

I got to Davis Lake and Odell Creek by driving south on U.S. Highway 97 by way of La Pine, Gilchrist and Crescent, then west into the Cascades. Odell Creek flows into Davis Lake from the south. Which is the way I wandered (upstream). It was still wildflower season up there at 4,400 feet, and I lingered along the banks of the creek taking in the lupine and penstemon, the achingly clear (and cold) waters sluicing through the meadow and the summer buzz of a place exuding life from every square foot while the short season is upon it.

Just up the gravel road is the southernmost point of Davis Lake, a 3,000-acre home for trophy rainbow trout, bald eagles, osprey, Rocky Mountain elk, songbirds, waterfowl and American pika, which live on the lava along the northeast shore.

A fire in the summer of 2003 burned up lots of timber around the lake; ghost trees now lord over its shores, creating a different, more open feel. Views of Mount Bachelor and South Sister to the north and Maiden Peak to the west make this a sure bet for the photographer.

The flames didn’t ruin the views, they just changed them. But the Davis Fire shut down access to at least two campgrounds and made for fewer access options. The East Davis Campground at the south end of the lake was open, with 13 shady sites on the water’s edge. I scooted around close to where the West Davis Campground used to be.

There, where most of the trees burned, I parked at the boat launch (still operable) and walked out across a vast meadow, scaring up shorebirds and ducks along the way.

Despite the fire’s devastation, this would be a nice place for a picnic.

A portion of the east shore is closed to entry during the summer to give nesting eagles some breathing room. This and similar conservation measures seem to have paid off. Audubon’s annual Christmas bird count shows that the majestic bird has soared back from near extinction in every state in the continental United States.

I saw no eagles, but I did spy an osprey, winging out over the lake with a beak full of twigs.

Davis Lake was formed about 6,000 years ago by a lava flow that cut off Odell Creek. Before that, according to www .flyfishusa.com, the creek probably connected directly to the upper reaches of the Deschutes River.

For anglers, Davis Lake is fly-fishing-only water, with rainbows stretching into the 5-pound range and illegally introduced largemouth bass also available. Motors are allowed on the lake, but most fly-fishing is done from float tubes, pontoon boats or boats with electric motors.

When the lake is full, it has a maximum depth of 20 feet.

I drove north and east along Century Drive (state Highway 46) back to Bend, which makes for a pleasant, leisurely loop. It wasn’t long before I was back in familiar high lakes territory, which, in the case of the Central Oregon Cascades, breeds appreciation, not contempt. In fact, if you decide you want to go all the way to Davis Lake, I’d recommend you do the clockwise loop. There are just too many temptations the other way around.

From Bend, drive south on U.S. Highway 97. Turn right (west) on Forest Road 62 about 12 miles south of La Pine, then turn south on to Forest Road 62-855 just past the stop sign at Highway 46. Follow the signs to East Davis Campground.

Contact: Crescent Ranger District of the Deschutes National Forest, 541-433-3200.

— Jim Witty