Outside the Crater

Crater Lake NP extends well beyond the crater itself.  Depending on the season, various outdoor activities are available.  Being there in July was a great time to do some of the trails, check out waterfalls and some Mt. Mazama volcanic formations several miles from the crater.

Into the Crater

We had planned to do several easy to moderate hikes in the Crater Lake NP, but were drawn to going inside the crater.  There is only one trail, the Cleetwood  CoveTrail,  that goes down into the crater to the lake surface – and, it is rated as a strenuous hike.  The distance is 1.1 miles each way; how strenuous could that be?  Well, it involves a 700 foot elevation change and many switchbacks along the way.  But, it’s the only way to get there!

Crater Lake National Park

We spent the first few days of July at the Diamond Lake RV Park, chosen due to its’ proximity to Crater Lake NP.  We soon discovered that almost all of our time while there was spent exploring the park.  And, we also found that Verizon service in the park was nil, and in the RV park very limited and slow connections, so now we’re working to catch up a bit.

Goodbye to Sisters & Bend, Central OR

In the early planning for this RV trip, we decided to stay the month of June in central Oregon, near Bend, and do a bit of exploring. We were not disappointed. There was so much to see and do in this area.  Our priority usually involves the outdoors, and, boy oh boy, was this ever the location for enjoying activities in the fresh air and sunshine. We found lots of places to go: hikes, waterfalls, historical sites (recent and geological), and also the occasional microbrew establishment (which seems to be a core element in/around Bend).

Hunt for the Headwaters, Metolius River, Or

When our friends, Ric and Jan, visited us a few weeks ago, we drove to Camp Sherman, a community near the Metolius River in the Deschutes NF near Sisters, OR. Camp Sherman was first settled in the 1880s, growing into a small community over time.

Historic Fish Lake, McKenzie River

Driving along Route 126 west of Sisters, OR, we decided to stop at the Historic Fish Lake Site.  This location has been used by various peoples for many years and has historical records going back to the mid-1800s.

McKenzie Pass – Santiam Pass Scenic Byway

During centuries of exploration and discovery, man has searched for how to get from one location to another.  Traveling from the east side of the Cascades to the west, long before the advent of highways like we have today, was likely a treacherous adventure.

Benham Falls - Deschutes River in Bend, OR

Sometimes a walk to a waterfall is so much more. Perhaps, it was just the day (which was sunny and warm), or the gentle sounds of the water and the birds chirping in the reeds (before the roar of the falls). But, I think it was also special knowing that these falls are where they are because of LAVA. 

Newberry National Volcanic Monument (NNVM)

This national monument, located south of Bend, OR, is so extensive it took us two trips to really begin to understand its significance. Good friends from Seattle, Ric and Jan, came down when we first arrived in central OR to show us some of their favorite spots and this one was on the list.

Smith Rock State Park

We are currently staying in Crooked River RV Park, located on the rim of a deep canyon with the Crooked River flowing far below.  A few miles east this river flows around Smith Rock – a well-known rock-climbers paradise. 

Steelhead Falls

We took a short hike yesterday to Steelhead Falls, a small waterfall on the Deschutes River in the Crooked River Ranch area North of Redmond.  It was a short one-half mile walk along the river to the falls.  The river was beautiful, with several fly-fishermen trying their luck.  The trail was rather steep and we had to be careful of the loose gravel, etc.  But it was well worth the short hike.

Fires, Raptors, and Bulldogs

The Two Bulls fire began on Friday, June 6, near Bend, Oregon, threatened some housing areas and schools in Bend, but is now under control.  We could see the smoke cloud from our park just north of Sisters.

Portland II: Downtown, Japanese Garden and Mt. Hood

The Portland area is packed with choices to fill lots of days, whether your interests lie with out-of-doors activities or in-town museums, shops and galleries.

Portland I – Columbia River Gorge

We arrived in Portland for a week’s stay (our longest for this trip) near the end of May.  Our planned itinerary was a bit “sketchy”, leaving open time to relax and enjoy not being on the road.  Since Gary has been doing all the RV driving, I have made it my priority to drive us around town in the car, while we visit the Portland area. 

Arcane Cellars - Harvest Host in Willamette Valley, OR

We knew we were ready for another night at a winery, and chose this location based on several reviews by other RV Harvest Host members.   Located in the Salem, Oregon, vineyards famous for Pinot wines, we were not disappointed.  And the host, Jeffrey Silva, was ever so helpful and welcoming, as were his staff.

Animals in and around tide pools

While on the Oregon Coast we enjoyed visiting some excellent tide pools at Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge, Coquille Point - Bandon Beach and Yaquina Head Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area.  Abundant sea life uses these natural areas, both under water, and on the giant rock outcrops off shore (featured in an earlier post). Unfortunately both visits occurred on very overcast days, so the pictures are a little on the dark side.

Cape Blanco, the westernmost point in the lower 48

Visitors along the southern Oregon coast often travel west from Hwy 101 down onto Cape Blanco to see the lighthouse on its’ tip.  And that is an interesting destination.  However, the Cape’s story should include the history of the peoples who settled on, or used the lands of the cape. 

Cape Arago Highway

Since we were staying in Bullard Beach SP in Bandon, we chose to travel north to Coos Bay on the 101 and check out what was along that route.  We then entered the Cape Arago Hwy (Rt 540) at Coos Bay/North Bend and headed back south towards Bandon. In the little fishing village of Charleston, a wonderful seafood (fresh, of course) restaurant beckoned us to stop (which we did and had great views and a wonderful meal).   Leaving Charleston, we were ready for some outdoor exploring.

Bandon Beach, Oregon

I had a wonderful time taking pictures at Bandon Beach.

Traveling Tidbits

There are some short topics that I wanted to share with others – like us -  in the "early learning phase" of RV'ing.