We purposely left the latter half of the summer unscheduled, to allow us to connect with our son, Brian, on the PCT. We anticipated providing resupply services, hiking some partial days with him on the trail, and doing some of our own hiking and backpacking. Our first foray was to Ashland, Oregon, near the Oregon/California border. Unfortunately, as our departure date approached, Tom pulled a hamstring successfully retrieving his bike from a deadbeat thief (sprinted after said thief, pulled him off the moving bike, then suddenly questioned the wisdom of such a strategy!) So, our activities were curtailed somewhat. And no hiking with Brian.
After spending an evening with Brian dining, grocery shopping, and dining again ... then sending him on his way the next morning, we headed to Crater Lake to deliver a resupply package, and explore. We'd driven through the park many years ago, but it left us wanting more. The boat ride on the lake to Wizard Island was a treat, and we topped it off with a brief swim in the pristine waters! Plus, we did a sunset drive around the lake (with all the crowds departed). Quite the treat!
We then opted to head to the coast, since we hadn't been there for many years. We enjoyed a couple of minor stops in the Cascades on the way, as well as a riverside bike ride in Eugene. And, after scoring a totally primo campsite near the coast, we spent a couple of days wandering on the beach and exploring tidepools and headlands. It reminded us that we need to get there more often!
 |
| Crater Lake |
 |
| View from the top of Wizard Island, Mt Scott in the distance |
 |
| Indian Paintbrush and Pumice |
 |
| Our swimming hole on Wizard Island |
 |
| Crater Lake Sunset |
 |
| Crater Lake Sunset |
 |
| Crater Lake Sunset |
 |
| Water Detail - Salt Creek Falls |
 |
| Hobbit Beach (Strong wind not visible!) |
 |
| Haceta Head Lighthouse |
 |
| Fern, Haceta Head |
 |
| Lux campsite in Washburne State Park |
 |
| Surf - Cape Purpetua |
 |
| Sea Gulls - Cape Perpetua |
 |
| Coastline - Cape Perpetua |
 |
| Mussels and Starfish - Cape Perpetua |
 |
| Sunset - Cape Cove |
 |
| Seal Rock |
Activities
- Crater Lake: Hike to Chetwood Cove to boat dock, boat tour, hike on Wizard Island (top plus Fumarole Bay).
- Crater Lake: sunset drive around lake
- Cascades: Waldo Lake, Salt Creek Falls
- Eugene: Bike ride along the Willamette River Bike Trail
- Coast: Hobbit Beach & Trail, Haceta Head Lighthouse Trail, Cape Perpetua, Cape Cove, Seal Rock
"Oh Wow!" Moments
- Swimming in Crater Lake!
- Crater Lake at sunset!!
- Strong northerly winds and sunshine on Hobbit Beach!!
- Starfish!! They've been few and far between after a massive die-off several years ago!
Random Scenes
- Taking Brian shopping to get food for all of Oregon, we got to watch him fill in his calorie-counting spreadsheet (in micro-print on his phone) until he reached 70,000. Then he was done!
- Driving up thru eastern Oregon on our way to Eugene, we stopped in Chemult to give a ride to a PCT-looking hiker. She was, in fact, a PCT hiker, and her trail name was "Kindabird" (we didn't get the back story). She was incredibly grateful for the ride, and (amazingly) lives about 6 blocks away from us in Seattle!!
- We hiked to a peninsula on Waldo Lake with great views up to The Sisters. But Karen asked whether we should put out the fire! Well, someone had built a fire ring and had a fire. Perhaps they tried to put it out, but it had smouldered down into the 6" of duff, and extended beyond the fire ring ... smoking away. So we dumped a bunch of water on it, and tried to stir it with a little stick. But we couldn't figure out how to report it. The host at the nearby campground was nowhere to be found. The Ranger Station coming into Eugene was closed (Saturday afternoon). 911 didn't seem like the right place. The Forest Service website had no information on how to report it. So Tom left a long message at the Ranger District office with all the details, and they presumably heard in Monday morning.
Sleeps
- Ashland: Calahan's ... good.
- Crater Lake area: Diamond Lake Campground ... good.
- Eugene: Comfort Suites ... ok, but location not near center of town.
- Oregon Coast: Washburne State Park ... awesome tent-only sites!
Noteable Eats
- Ashland: Caldera Brewery and Restaurant... good but slow.
- Ashland: Calahan's ... great breakfast
- Eugene: Bao Bao house ... excellent light Asian fare
- Yachats: Luna Sea Fishhouse ... old-school diner, good fish and chips
Future Ideas
- Go to the Oregon Coast more!!
Comments
Post a Comment