Crater Lake National Park, truly a wonder

The day dawned with the promise of a special adventure, Crater Lake National Park.  Crater Lake Park protect the deepest lake in the US.  The lake is fed by rain and snow only, no river, streams or glaciers contribute to the water.  This lake is considered the cleanest large body of water in the world.  The water is clear and intense in blue color.

The lake rests inside the caldera formed about 7,700 years ago when 12,000 foot tall volcano collapsed after a major eruption.  It is thought that this eruptions may have been the largest in North America in 640,000 years.  Subsequent eruptions formed an island called Wizard Island, a cinder cone near the southwest shore.

The drive to and around the lake is blanketed with old-growth forests and open meadows.  There is a large variety of plants and animals in the park.  Not unlike many parks, it has significance to the local American Indian tribes as well as scientists who study the area.  And of course, it is important to the public like us.

There is no way I can describe the day so I will just share our pictures.

Along the way into the park, we passed many places where we could view clear streams that rushed over rocks and cliffs creating wonderful falls.

As we came to the end of the road that ended at the lake, the view across the landscape was just a taste of what was to come.  There is a road that circles the rim of the lake.  Most visitors only drive the road and miss all the opportunities to hike into the wilderness.

Our first glimpse of the lake took my breathe away.  Sitting on the wall looking down, it did not seem real that any body of water could be so clear and deep blue.  The lake is 1943 feet deep and sits at 6173 foot elevation.

This is Wizard Island, a cinder cone.  A short boat ride can be taken to visit the island.  Visitors can also fish from the island.  The lake is stocked with Rainbow Trout and Kokanee Salmon but there are no other fish in the lake.

There were many of these Chipmunks at one of the overlook stops.  This little fellow was begging for handouts and came very close and seemed to have no fear.

These trees are found at Cloudcap Overlook.  These Whitebark pines cling for survival here, buffeted by harsh winds they are dwarfed and contorted.

This formation is called Phantom Ship.  It is the second and smallest island in the lake.  It resembles a small sailboat but is actually an erosion-resistant lava formation.  At 400,000 years old, it is the oldest exposed rock within the caldera.

These formations are found at what is called the Pinnacles Overlook.  Colorful spires, some 100 feet tall, are eroding from the canyon wall,  They are actually “fossil fumaroles” where volcanic gases rise up through a layer of volcanic ash, cementing the ash into solid rock.  Mother Nature is truly amazing.

We spent a wonderful day at the lake.  It was an adventure well worth taking.

Prospect, OR

We left Lincoln behind and headed east across Oregon bound for Prospect and Crater Lake National Park.  Driving through the state is a wonderful experience especially since we traveled along the smaller, state back roads.  We went through forests and valleys and loved every minute of the trip.  

As we got closer to Prospect, remains of Mt. Mazama can be seen in the distance.  This volcano eruption and collapse left behind one of the wonders of our country, Crater Lake.  But I get ahead of myself.  We arrived at our campground late in the afternoon.  It is a nice park nestled in a heavily forested area.

There are hiking trails leading out from the park that begged to be hiked.  We took the girls and headed out to explore.  Savannah loves the woods and has a great nose.  She would make a great hunting dog if she were not so timid.  In any case, she is great at tracking rabbits and all sorts of animals.

As we walked along the trail, Savannah lurched from the path into the brush and stopped, growled lowly and pointed.  At first, we did not see anything to attract her attention.  Upon closer look, I saw brown fur and at first thought it was a dog or worse, a coyote.  Then I realized, it was a young fawn standing under a tree in the brush.

The fawn stood still as death moving not even a muscle.  I pulled Savannah back and we slowly moved forward snapping pictures as we walked.  The small fawn never moved an inch or showed any reaction to the snapping of the camera or the dogs pulling to get closer for a look.  What a lovely creature and how amazing that Savannah saw it and drew our attention to its presence.

The following morning, we decided to head for the “Top of the World” aka Flounce Rock.  The view from this place gives a 360 degree view of the area including Mt. Shasta, Crater Lake, Rogue River and much more.  Instruction told us to follow the highway until we saw Ulrich Road, a paved county road.  After about two miles, we would take a left fork where the road would become gravel and would narrow a bit.  After 4 miles on this road where it seems to end, take a much rougher and narrower path to the right that leads up to cell towers.  From there, there is a walking path that would lead to a rock outcropping where we would be rewarded with the view.  We headed out without hesitation anxious for the adventure.  None of the descriptions were exaggerating, if anything, they were understated.  The roads were rough and in the end required us to use four-wheel drive.  The reward was worth all the effort.

We walked around the cell tower looking for the path.  To our surprise, we stumbled upon a Pet Cemetery.  The handmade head markers ranged from simple to artistic to well, whatever the owners felt like doing to honor their beloved pets.  This marked was simple wood but expressed their love for the dog exactly.

This branch that had grown in the shape of a heart had the dog’s collar entwined at the base.  The dog’s tags were still on the collar but we did not disturb it to find a name.

The artist-owner used nails to spell out the pet’s name, Sprout.  Simple, but loving.

After exploring the cemetery, we finally located the path.  With Jim’s help, I was able to make my way over the steep, rocky terrain to reach the view.  Far below, we could see a vista of sites.  This Lost Creek Lake looked small from above.  The haze covered everything making pictures hazy, but still the view was special.

Here above the beauty of this land, was a memorial to a fallen Marine Frederick Dunham Graten.  He was 21 years old and died at Dong Ha, Vietnam.  At the foot of his memorial lay his Mother and Grandmother.  What a wonderful place to honor your love ones.

As we returned, we passed Rogue Gorge Viewpoint.  It was a beautiful spot.  From the bridge, the view was beautiful.  This view shows a platform at the bottom of stairs that led up to a wonderful house nestled in the trees.  Man, what a great place to live!

Tomorrow we are going to Crater Lake.  I can hardly wait.

Lincoln City, Oregon

We arrived in Lincoln City anxious to set up camp beside the ocean.  Alas, when we finally arrived at our destination, no ocean!  Instead, the campground was located beside the river that wound through a valley and eventually emptied into the ocean.  Not surprising, all the camps focused on fishing.  In just a few days, the Salmon season would open here and folks were arriving every day anxious to get to it.  Well, while this was not what we anticipated, no matter there were many interesting things to see in this unique town.

We made our way to the Visitors Center to get some information about what to see and do.  As has often been the case, we met several very unique characters.  All the workers in the center were Senior Citizen Volunteers.  One lady sought us out in the entry and invited us to come inside to her station and she would give us plenty to do and see.  She was a character for sure and a wealth of information to boot!  She told us about how Lincoln City came into being.  According to her version of the tale, it had been five smaller villages strung along the coast.  In order to get funds from the federal government to help install an updated water sewerage system, they had to come together and incorporate as one town.  The local school children named this new town, Lincoln City.

Shortly thereafter, they learned of the availability of a 14-foot high fitting piece of sculpture named “Lincoln on the Prairie” by Anna Hyatt Huntington, considered one of the country’s foremost equestrian sculptors.  The piece was given to the City with a few “strings attached”.  The piece depicts Lincoln riding seeding to improve his education even as he road; an inspiration not only to seek knowledge but also the spirit of Lincoln.  It could not be placed in a “touristy” place and if the city changed its name, the statue would be removed.  The statue itself was free.  All Lincoln City had to do was pay for the transportation of the statue from Long Island, NY to Lincoln City.  Turned out this was quite an undertaking an ended up costing $60,000, much more the the needed funds the city wanted from the government.  The final location of the statue is on a quiet street a bit off the beaten path.  Huntington would be pleased.

In addition to the story of the town’s name and the statue, the lady gave us quite a bit of information about places where we could “walk about”.  Lincoln City has a number of walking areas dubbed “Open Spaces”.  Each of the areas has a focus on the land and wildlife and birds.  Even though the weather was gray and overcast, we took advantage and walked the paths of two different ones.  The first was a heavily wooded area near the beach that was laid out very similar to a maze.  We had the girls with us and thought it would be a nice outing for us all so off we went into the gloom.  The pathway was overhung with old growth trees, some living and some not.  All were draped with green moss and and other plants.  Savannah took the lead and Charlotte followed along at a slower pace.  While Charlotte is alpha, she is not brave in the woods while Savannah loves it.

It took about 20 minutes to get to the en of the trail and we turned and headed back.  The return trail was not the same we took out but it seemed simple enough.  Finally, we reached an exit point only to find we were no where near where the truck was parked.  We re-entered and retraced our steps and took another route.  At the next exit, we still were not where the truck was parked.  After four tries, we finally exited at the truck.  I have to say, I was relieved.  I had started to think we would wander about until the mosquitoes finished us for dinner.

Toward the end of the afternoon, the sun broke through the clouds and we sought out one of the beaches.  A mist hung in the air over the sand and water giving a ghostly look to things.

Rocky cliffs rose from the water reminding me of an old movie about Dracula and his castle high above the water.  The waves crashed on the rock and rush to the sand where Sand Pipers rushed about looking for tiny tidbits of food.

The waves were magnificent.  They rolled and crashed over and over.  I love the sound of the waves and salt smell overall.

On the cliffs above the beach, clusters of home clung to the edge.  The views from these houses must have be breathtaking.  While the houses were not much to look at, I am sure they cost a pretty penny!  But worth every cent!  We walked letting the girls run and frolic at will.  Charlotte loves to chase the birds.  We laughed as she tried and tried to catch one.  We left relaxed and so glad we got to experience this place.

Destination: Oregon

One would think that we had become accustomed to having it rain long and often.  Not!  It was disappointing to leave Ilwaco heading to Oregon with grey skies and intermittent rain but we were not going to let the weather dampen our spirits.

At times, the landscape looked colorless as if we were looking at a black and white picture.  But soon enough, it gave way to color and restful scenery.  Here is a sample of what we saw along the way to Lincoln City, Oregon.

Grey sunless skies made the scenery look black and white.  This bridge was very long and narrow as well.  Charlotte is a pretty calm dog when we travel.  But the overhead arches of the bridge made her sit up and look at us questioningly while intermittently looking up to be sure the sky was not falling.

As we traveled along the coast, many rock formations such as this rose from the water.  They look like centennials watching over the waves.

The roads we took we sometimes beyond the road less traveled.  We were on county roads that went out into farmland.  This tiny road rolled along deep in a canyon.  It was odd to see a biker peddling his way on such a difficult road.

And then there were small fishing villages along the way.  You could actually smell the fish in the air -- no kidding.

When we finally arrived at our destination, we were both disappointed.  We were no where near the beach but rather on the banks of the river.  Along the way, fisherman crowded the waterway.  Surprise!  The Salmon were running!