Crater Lake, Oregon – July 13-19, 2015

 Monday, July 13, our departure day from Lake Sawyer RV Park in Black Diamond, Washington. We pulled out of the park around 11:30 a.m., heading to Tualatin, Oregon for a 1-night stay in a Cabela’s parking lot. Little did we know it was right next to I-5 so when we arrived we were sure we wouldn’t get much sleep that night. Our 175 mile drive was uneventful, and we didn’t hit much traffic until we got to Portland around 3:00 p.m., the beginning of their rush hour, or so it seemed. And, because I-5 is the main north-south corridor there was a constant onslaught of semi-trucks.

We arrived at our “Cabela’s RV Park” around 3 p.m., and noticed there was a Wendy’s about a block away, so off we went carrying our computers to take advantage of their free WiFi. We also had an early dinner there at 5:00 p.m., leaving the evening wide open. After dropping off our computers at the camper we took a walk around the relatively new shopping center; LA Fitness, Cabela’s, and Michael’s were the anchor stores, with Pieology (an artisan pizza restaurant), Firehouse Subs, New Seasons Market (like a gourmet Whole Foods), Wendy’s and a few boutiques thrown in. As we walked toward Cabela’s we noticed this interesting new Polaris Slingshot in the parking lot, and we just had to take a few snaps.

The evening was quite pleasant, and since we didn’t have any other means of entertainment, we set up our patio chairs outside and read for about an hour and a half before going in to watch a movie on my computer. In spite of the unending traffic on I-5 we managed to sleep well, all things considered.

By 6:00 a.m. we were up and at ‘em, ready to start the day. Unfortunately, there were no restaurants open in the shopping center, but across the busy road was a Jack-in-the-Box where Dick was able to get our breakfast: a burrito and a sausage and egg biscuit, and COFFEE!! We were on the way by 7:45 a.m. continuing our journey south through Oregon to the Crater Lake area.

We arrived at the Joseph H. Stewart State Park, about 36 miles south of Crater Lake along Hwy 62. Our stay there was 5 nights; we had a beautiful paved site, lots of shade, and no close neighbors. Quiet. There are over 200 sites in 4 separate areas, each with its own camp host. There are also areas for group camping, and another huge area for day use. Although they offer only 30 amp service it was enough for us, as long as we didn’t run the air conditioner and microwave at the same time! There are areas for volleyball, horseshoes, hiking trails and biking trails. The park is adjacent to Lost Creek Reservoir so fishing was also popular. The campground was full the entire time we were there! Temps were in the high-80s to mid-90s the entire week.

The day use area is quite large, with a marina, store and restaurant. Local authorities said that if there wasn’t significant snowfall/rainfall during the next year, the boat ramp will need to be closed. There’s not enough water to allow boats to be launched.

Our first full day of sightseeing was Wednesday, as we headed up the road to Crater Lake. There are no words to describe the beauty of this area. Crater Lake was created by the eruption and subsequent collapse of Mt. Mazama over 7,000 years ago. The eruption formed an 8,000-foot high caldera around the deepest, bluest lake you’ll ever see. Absolutely beautiful! We took the Rim Drive around the lake, which afforded innumerable photo ops of the lake.

Top left is the visitor center at the south entrance to Crater Lake. Top right is the gift shop
and restaurant at the beginning of the Rim Drive, and at the entrance to the Crater Lake Inn.

Top photo is of Wizard Island, just 1 of the 20 volcanoes located in Crater Lake. The middle photo is of Llao Rock,
a great example of lava rock soars 1,800 feet above Crater Lake (yes, you can hike to the top). Panoramic photo
is of beautiful Crater Lake.

Wizard Island sits in the western part of Crater Lake, and is accessible by tour boat only. We elected to not take advantage of this, as the hike is steep and strenuous: in 1.1 miles it drops 700 feet in elevation; equivalent to climbing 65 flights of stairs.

Centuries of rain and snow filled the basin, forming a deep blue lake whose waters are of unmatched color and clarity. Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States, reaching to depths of 1,943 feet at its deepest point. The lake is 6.02 miles long, 4.54 miles wide, and holds 4.9 trillion gallons of water. The average surface temperature of the lake can range from 30° to 60°F, depending upon the time of year; it rarely freezes over. Over 2 dozen overlooks and trailheads provide views of the lake and surrounding mountains. The 33-mile drive around the lake, possible during summer months only, was breathtaking. We had a very difficult time selecting photos to share with you. We’ve never seen a blue the color of Crater Lake. Here are just a few.

Just more photos of Crater Lake. That's me standing below a "snow marker"--snow can reach in excess of 25 feet
at this point near Crater Lake Inn. To the left is what is known as the "Phantom Ship." It resembles a small
sailboat, but is really as tall as a 16-story building; estimated to be over 400,000 years old, it's the oldest
exposed rock within the caldera.

Because of the heavy winds during the winter, trees tend to grow away from the wind and are stunted.
And, here's another photo of the "Phantom Ship." The bottom 2 photos are of the "Pinnacles," spires in
excess of 100 feet tall are being eroded from the canyon wall. They are called "fossil fumaroles"--volcanic
gases rose up through a layer of volcanic ash, cementing the ash into solid rock. Pretty cool!

We understand the winters can be quite interesting, when the average snowfall is 533” per year! Yowza!! Most of the park is closed during the winter, but some sections are open for cross country skiing, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing.

We did take a 2-mile hike to Plaikni Falls, through tall timbers that reached to the skies, among fallen timbers and rock slides that littered the forest floor. The reward at the end of the hike was this beautiful waterfall, surrounded by wildflowers.

Wildlife is prevalent in the park, and although we didn’t see the bear or elk we were told to watch for, we did see deer, the Clark’s nutcrackers (birds), squirrels, and lots of chipmunks.

We stopped along the Rim Drive for a picnic lunch at Lightning Spring, and were blessed to have this beautiful creature stroll through. See the video of the deer here.

Crater Lake National Park is the nation’s 5^th oldest national park, dedicated in 1902. The historic Crate Lake Inn, originally built in 1909 and restored and renovated in the 1990s, is integral to the beauty and allure of Crater Lake. The original building took 6 years to complete, sporting building techniques and materials common at lower elevations, like light wood framing rather than heavy timbers. It was built to withstand Portland winters, not winters dumping 50’ of snow! The lodge was ripped apart and replaced with a modern “twin”; a hotel that looked almost identical from the outside, but redesigned inside—with the exception of the Great Hall, dining room, and lobby which were rebuilt to appear as they had in the 1920s. The fireplace in the Great Hall was recreated exactly; its stones were numbered for later reassembly before it was dismantled. Only 10% of the materials of the original structure were reused. For the first time the lodge was given central heating, elevators, a proper foundation (stone-veneered, reinforced concrete walls), and private baths in every room. The grand reopening took place on May 20, 1995.

Thursday we headed south, planning to go into Medford to do some shopping and run errands. We got waylaid in Eagle Point, just north of Medford and were able to accomplish all we needed to there: internet, breakfast, groceries, haircuts, 6 new “shoes” for the big black truck in “no sales tax” Oregon (YEA!), and lunch. Oh, the dually got washed too; it’s so proud of those new “shoes”!

For some reason I couldn’t sleep Thursday night—only a bit over 4 hours—so Friday I was rather tired. After breakfast Dick took a motorcycle ride; I rested. Then after lunch we drove to Oregon’s version of a “Natural Bridge,” volcanic rock under which the Rogue River flows. The hike to the natural bridge was paved and about 1/2 mile long. Beautiful! Here are a couple of videos which may give you an idea of what we saw.

Video 1

Video 2

The Natural Bridge was formed when lava flowed beneath the earth’s surface in lava tubes. These tubes developed when the outer edges of a lava flow cooled quickly, leaving the molten lava to continue to flow. When the flow ended it left long hollow tubes behind. Eventually these lava flows were replaced by flowing water. The Rogue River became a “hidden river” flowing below ground for 200 feet, creating a natural bridge of hardened basalt. At the peak flow approximately 335,000 gallons of water per minute at a speed of 6 feet per second. Fed by the melting snows from the slopes of Mt. Mazama (Crater Lake) 27 miles upstream, the river’s temperature at the Natural Bridge ranges from 30° to 60°F. Although the river normally flows through the lava tubes, seasonal flooding may cause it to actually flow over the Natural Bridge.

The “cave” in the photos above is part of well-defined lava tube which collapsed some distance from the opening, causing the water to swirl and then return to the main channel. The Natural Bridge is upstream a little way.

Another lovely and hot day arrived on Saturday. Temperatures hit the high 90s; rain is desperately needed here. We rode our bikes around the park for a while, but that didn’t last long… We hadn’t ridden in quite a while so our legs were really out of shape.

Afterward, Dick rode the motorcycle through some of the nearby campgrounds and points of interest. He came upon Mill Creek Falls and the Rogue River flowing under Woodruff Bridge. 

Saturday afternoon we visited the Rogue River Gorge at Union Creek, Oregon. There are no words to adequately describe the beauty of this natural wonder. The gorge was most likely formed when lava tubes collapsed, creating a way for the Rogue River to make its way to the Pacific Ocean. The gorge forms a chasm 500 feet long, narrowing in spots to 25 feet from wall to wall as it drops 45 feet to the river below.

This photo is really intriguing. The Douglas Fir trees here grow in groups, providing each other with nutrients and water. Roots from these 2 trees grafted together underground, and when one of them was cut down, the stump continued to thrive and live.

On the way back to our site, we were surprised by this beautiful creature strolling through the RV park, seemingly unphased by traffic or humans.

We were so blessed by this week and the beauty God created for us to enjoy. If you’ve not had the opportunity to visit this part of Oregon, please find a way to do so. You will not be disappointed.

Sunday we packed up to drive to the Arcata, California area for about a week. We’ll cover that and more in next week’s blog.

Until then, stay safe and well. Sending hugs and love your way,

RJ and Gail