Crater Lake….it’s a deep one

We left Hines, Oregon for another Oregon stop in Prospect, Oregon adjacent to the Crater Lake National Park. The scenery changed from desert old western like terrain to lush evergreen forests. We passed through Bend, Oregon where coincidentally we made a 90 degree turn, which was a very cute town that reminded me of North Conway, NH with lots of granola eating hiking outdoorsy LL Bean types many of whom must have significant dollars to put toward their hobbies by the looks of Bend. It was the first sign of a booming economy we’ve seen in hundreds if not thousands of miles. Very cute town and beautiful surroundings. As we drove out of town we passed lava fields like Ive never see before in the middle of lush green forest. An amazing contrast. I wish we had time to stop but just another beautiful part of the scenery we have gotten to see so far.

Once we hit Bend and the evergreen forest it was more of the same with scattered small towns catering to tourists. One thing I dont think I have mentioned in my ramblings is how many modern day ghost towns we have driven through. Having worked in North Conway and seen and heard from my patients how close to bankruptcy they are despite the facade (one rainy tourist season away from losing it all) I suspect Covid did many of these small town diners, motels and stores in. Kinda sad to see modern ghost towns and the dreams they had represented gone.

We drove through and around the National Park seeing BIG trees that were not redwoods but equally tall and straight and right up to the road. It was a misty cloudy day but still beautiful. We arrived to our next RV stop Crater Lake RV Park and checked in. Our very local gold cart guide to our site remarked that we were going to be seeing a lot of the damn pine needles. And we did. Im still cleaning them out of nooks and crannies of the Airstream lol.

Our first afternoon we took a walk up a trail that was adjacent to our site. After about 100 yds I decided it was time to turn around as it was getting dark and I could hear the faint sounds of banjos so we turned around and headed back. It was time to see Crater Lake the next AM!

We awoke to the pitter patter of rain drops the next AM. More like a drum beat when you are in a drum lol. And it was cold. I went to the office to get a “smart card” for the laundry which was actually a great idea rather than fumbling with quarters. You just load it with x dollars and turn it in when you leave to get any unused money back. While I was there I mentioned the cold rain and wondered if they had seen any snow this season. She said no but that it was snowing up at Crater Lake. And it was! As we climbed to the 7000 foot plus elevation the temperature dropped and it began snowing with more and more of the white stuff on the trees and then the road. Have I mentioned that Westerners clearly must have a “we dont need no stinking guard rails” motto. 100 foot drop offs right by the road and no guardrails. Oh and like always during the first snow people drive like its dry pavement til that first loss of grip “OH S%$T” moment. While going up people were coming down hairpin turns at 40-50 mph on a 25 mph dry road speed limit road. But we kept going as there are also no turn arounds. But it was beautiful.

When we got to the top it was 28 degrees and windy with 2-3 inches of slush everywhere. And the view well lets just say beautiful once I had something to hold on to. It was very scary with minimal railings and a huge drop and massive expanse in front of us. I think I am getting more fall conscious in my old age as I don’t think the steep drop offs and expanse would have given me the falling queasy feelings I get now. But OMG another beautiful spot we have been blessed to be alive to see.

I didn’t mention that on the way up I noticed that the markers we have back in New England to show the edge of the road are baby markers. Clearly this area gets A LOT OF SNOW based on the twenty plus foot tall markers to show the plows where the road is. That’s some snow.

No fish in the lake til it was stocked. It is the deepest lake in the world at 1949 feet deep though some say it isnt but just one of the deepest. I didnt check. The last time it froze over was in 1949!

We made it back down to the park and called it a day. And turned the heat up.

The next day we went to see the Natural Bridge formation on the Rogue River near us. Lava tubes form tunnels in the rocks and the river disappears into these and then reappears creating a natural bridge that early people used to cross the river. This was one of the first attractions out west that actually had some fencing and guardrails! That said this was the first attraction that had a memorial cross for someone that had died there. Fencing looked new!

Before leaving for another destination I try to fill the gas tank before hooking up the trailer. After shopping for groceries in the town below us where a lady called me honey when I apologized for not seeing the sign (or signs ugh) that says to ask for help before grabbing a bottle we stopped for gas at the local station in town. When I went to the pump I noticed all the pump handles had giant padlocks on them. Sooo I went next door to the grocery story and she said oh yeah you can get gas but Bob is in the cooler helping me stock he will be right out. Small town helping each other out. Pump was unlocked and full service Bob pumped my gas while checking the air pressure in another guys truck tires. Been a while since I saw that service.

The next AM we started out on time after turning in our smart laundry card and got our 50 cents backs phewww. We are off to see the Redwoods.