Trip Journal: National Parks of Southern Oregon and Northern California
Friday, August 5 through Monday, August 15, 2016
Friday, August 5 through Monday, August 15, 2016
Introduction As we were driving one of the last legs of our loop through southern Oregon and northern California, Lynn, Lisa and I were discussing the variety of scenery, geology and animals that we had seen thus far. Now variety is sort of the norm for our trips, but this one seemed to provide even more than usual. I guess that is to be expected when covering this big of an area and looping through three National Parks, a National Monument or two and no less than six National Forests. It sort of put me in mind of that old Bugs Bunny cartoon where Yosemite Sam is the Royal Cook and the King rebuffs Sam’s smorgasbord of culinary offerings with the classic “every day the same thing, variety!” Well, that’s what we were getting on this trip, but we were enjoying each dish on the menu!
Funny thing about this trip was that while Crater Lake was one of our wish list destinations, it was not some place we were planning to visit soon. In fact, the original plan for this year was to make our return to Glacier National Park. However that trip got nixed when I started looking at lodging reservations and doing some early planning in June or July of 2015 and found out that the Many Glacier Hotel was undergoing major renovations that would last into the spring of 2017. Since we really enjoyed staying at Many Glacier during our previous trip, particularly spending late afternoons on the back porch enjoying the views and a cold beer, we opted to postpone this trip for at least a year. Now the issue was where to go in 2016. Yellowstone is always an option (in fact it is the going in plan for 2017 so we could just swap the order with Glacier) but the lodging options that I wanted for Yellowstone and Grand Teton were already taken (Roosevelt is our location of choice in Yellowstone and you have to be quick to get reservations there; May 1 is opening day for Yellowstone lodging so I was already well past the due date). I reviewed our “wish list” for National Parks trips and Crater Lake looked like a good option so I started looking at how to string together a little fly-drive road trip through southern Oregon and northern California. Another piece of good news was that I had not missed to opening day for Crater Lake lodging reservations. We were looking at August 2016, so reservations would open on August 1, 2015. I still had a few weeks. OK, let’s see if we can make this happen.
Funny thing about this trip was that while Crater Lake was one of our wish list destinations, it was not some place we were planning to visit soon. In fact, the original plan for this year was to make our return to Glacier National Park. However that trip got nixed when I started looking at lodging reservations and doing some early planning in June or July of 2015 and found out that the Many Glacier Hotel was undergoing major renovations that would last into the spring of 2017. Since we really enjoyed staying at Many Glacier during our previous trip, particularly spending late afternoons on the back porch enjoying the views and a cold beer, we opted to postpone this trip for at least a year. Now the issue was where to go in 2016. Yellowstone is always an option (in fact it is the going in plan for 2017 so we could just swap the order with Glacier) but the lodging options that I wanted for Yellowstone and Grand Teton were already taken (Roosevelt is our location of choice in Yellowstone and you have to be quick to get reservations there; May 1 is opening day for Yellowstone lodging so I was already well past the due date). I reviewed our “wish list” for National Parks trips and Crater Lake looked like a good option so I started looking at how to string together a little fly-drive road trip through southern Oregon and northern California. Another piece of good news was that I had not missed to opening day for Crater Lake lodging reservations. We were looking at August 2016, so reservations would open on August 1, 2015. I still had a few weeks. OK, let’s see if we can make this happen.
Planning OK, the destination is set, now we need a plan. Hey, I’m all about the plan. Off to NPS.gov and TripAdvisor to check out options. When we put Crater Lake on the wish list we knew it would be part of a road trip with other destinations, but with what? Redwood National Park was an obvious addition. Then we could complete a loop by including Lassen Volcanic National Park. That would give us three primary locations to anchor our route and there looked to be plenty of other places that we could visit as we drove from point-to-point. It was only after arriving at Redwood National Park and talking to the Rangers at the Hiouchi Information Center that we learned that this loop has been dubbed the Circle of Discovery due to the number of NPS units along the route (three National Parks, three National Monuments and a National Recreation Area), but more on that later. Based on surveying the websites for each park plus searching the Trip Advisor forums, I figured that we could get a good taste of each park with two nights near Redwood and three nights each at Lassen Volcanic and Crater Lake. We’ll see how the flight schedule works out to see if we need a night at either end near the airport. This should keep us in the 10-day ballpark for the trip which is right where the ladies like to be (while I am in charge of the planning, I have to keep the customers happy!).
Now came the fun part of the planning, finalizing the route, lining up lodging and working out the flight details. With Lisa tagging along I had to keep an eye on flights from both CLE and PIT, although at this time I was not positive of entry point airport. I wanted to lock in lodging as quickly as possible, particularly Crater Lake Lodge as the rooms in the park go quickly. But at over a year out from the trip it was way too early for airfare, other than looking at current itineraries and hoping that these would be similar for next year. And we were thinking that it would be nice to have Crater Lake as the final stop of the trip just so we could enjoy afternoons and/or evenings out on the back deck of the Lodge. So this became sort of an iterative solution as I juggled all of these constraints and ideas between lodging and airfare.
Looking at the airfare first, the original plan was to fly into/out of Eugene, Oregon, but the rates are outrageous at way over a grand for the preferred itinerary and still about $1K for the less than ideal schedule. Plus there is no comparable itinerary coming from PIT. I looked at options: SFO (too far), Reno (just not a fit), Portland (there was a good itinerary on Frontier at a great price for the airfare, but by the time the extra costs were added in the value at decreased dramatically; besides, Portland added a lot of driving time and distance) and Medford (the recommended entry point for Crater Lake on the NPS.gov website). I toyed with the idea of altering the plan by flying in/out of Portland and making a route down the coast, over to Crater Lake then back up through Bend, but Lynn and I decided to stick with the original main three destinations. After reviewing all the options, Medford was clearly the best bet for the entry point. The itinerary was OK with a later arrival on Friday and a red-eye return to CLE and PIT, and the cost was much better than Eugene but still pretty darn high. I splurged for Economy Plus seats on the return flight from SFO to CLE, just to give us a better chance of getting some sleep. Of course United in its infinite wisdom threw a monkey wrench into the works with a schedule change. About a month after booking the flights, United changed the return from Medford-SFO-CLE to now include a stop in Chicago. Oh boy! At least we still have the extra legroom for the flight to Chicago. Lisa’s flight schedule into PIT was likewise changed. I’m not sure about the “friendly skies” but United sure likes to make it the “complicated skies!”
Lodging was actually pretty easy. Crater Lake was the only National Park that we were visiting this trip that had lodging inside the park, so I just had to wait for reservations to open for August 2016 (opening day was August 1, 2015 for August 2016 reservations). I snagged them through the Xanterra website so no fuss and no log wait on the phone. Shoot, the reservation site opened at 0900 within three minutes I had my reservation confirmed. Two rooms with lake view, thank you very much! The website did indicate that not all of the rooms had showers (some just tubs) so you had to request a shower, so I called the reservation line later in the day to make that request and to find out about dinner reservations. The very helpful lady on the other end of the line gave me all the tips that I needed. For Redwood and Lassen I went with rental houses. There were actually a fair number of options around both parks so I some inventory from which to choose. I ended up with two very nice places that worked out perfectly for our needs (plenty of space for the three of us, ample privacy from the neighbors and each, great proximity to the parks and a nice setting for that evening beer or glass or wine). More on the houses in the trip details.
So the last bit of travel logistics was the ground transportation. An SUV of some sort would be the best bet for the three of us (plenty of room for us and our stuff….at least that was my thinking). Rates were through the roof renting at the Medford airport, but I did a little searching at the offsite locations and got a deal through Enterprise. Since we were arriving late into Medford, I found a hotel that was within walking distance of the rental car pick-up so that I could grab the car early the next morning and we could be on our way toward the Pacific. I caught a break with the rental car just before the trip started. Enterprise called to confirm the reservation (which was a first) so I took the opportunity to ask about returning the car to the airport rather than the offsite location. “Not a problem,” was the reply, “there is just a $35.00” airport drop-off fee.” Sold! One minor logistical problem solved.
As for things to do during the trip, as mentioned I relied on the Trip Advisor and the NPS.gov sites as my starting points. Other on-line resources that I explored were Ramblr, Evertytrail and NaturalBornHikers (all .com). I even got an idea or two from photographyonthe.net just based on photos folks were posting (this is where the idea for Heart Lake came from). Suffice it to say that I found excellent ideas for hikes all along our route. It ended up that the only activity that I had to reserve ahead of time was the boat tour at Crater Lake. Reservations opened in the spring through the Xanterra website. Sort of an odd process as I first had to request the specific tour that I wanted then wait to see if it was available. What I was hoping to do was the combination tour that included a morning ride to Wizard Island where we would be dropped off for 3 hours so that we could explore followed by the guided tour around the lake. As it happened, this tour came back as “unavailable” so it was either already sold out or just not being offered on the date that I picked. So I made another call to Xanterra, talked to another extremely friendly and helpful agent who helped line up a morning Wizard Island hiker shuttle and an early afternoon lake tour. Perfect. Now before I made those reservations, I did have to do a little research on the trail down to Cleetwood Cove. It is not a long trail but there is considerable elevation change, so I wanted get some details on the trail surface and condition to make sure that the hike would not be a severe strain on Lynn’s knees. Short story here is the trail is a piece of cake.
With all of this, I had developed a tidy little plan for the trip. I like a good plan as otherwise we end up in the morning saying “I don’t know, what do you want to do?” I hate that, just wastes valuable vacation time. The plan gives us a starting point, but there is always room for flexibility. So here’s the starting plan:
Now came the fun part of the planning, finalizing the route, lining up lodging and working out the flight details. With Lisa tagging along I had to keep an eye on flights from both CLE and PIT, although at this time I was not positive of entry point airport. I wanted to lock in lodging as quickly as possible, particularly Crater Lake Lodge as the rooms in the park go quickly. But at over a year out from the trip it was way too early for airfare, other than looking at current itineraries and hoping that these would be similar for next year. And we were thinking that it would be nice to have Crater Lake as the final stop of the trip just so we could enjoy afternoons and/or evenings out on the back deck of the Lodge. So this became sort of an iterative solution as I juggled all of these constraints and ideas between lodging and airfare.
Looking at the airfare first, the original plan was to fly into/out of Eugene, Oregon, but the rates are outrageous at way over a grand for the preferred itinerary and still about $1K for the less than ideal schedule. Plus there is no comparable itinerary coming from PIT. I looked at options: SFO (too far), Reno (just not a fit), Portland (there was a good itinerary on Frontier at a great price for the airfare, but by the time the extra costs were added in the value at decreased dramatically; besides, Portland added a lot of driving time and distance) and Medford (the recommended entry point for Crater Lake on the NPS.gov website). I toyed with the idea of altering the plan by flying in/out of Portland and making a route down the coast, over to Crater Lake then back up through Bend, but Lynn and I decided to stick with the original main three destinations. After reviewing all the options, Medford was clearly the best bet for the entry point. The itinerary was OK with a later arrival on Friday and a red-eye return to CLE and PIT, and the cost was much better than Eugene but still pretty darn high. I splurged for Economy Plus seats on the return flight from SFO to CLE, just to give us a better chance of getting some sleep. Of course United in its infinite wisdom threw a monkey wrench into the works with a schedule change. About a month after booking the flights, United changed the return from Medford-SFO-CLE to now include a stop in Chicago. Oh boy! At least we still have the extra legroom for the flight to Chicago. Lisa’s flight schedule into PIT was likewise changed. I’m not sure about the “friendly skies” but United sure likes to make it the “complicated skies!”
Lodging was actually pretty easy. Crater Lake was the only National Park that we were visiting this trip that had lodging inside the park, so I just had to wait for reservations to open for August 2016 (opening day was August 1, 2015 for August 2016 reservations). I snagged them through the Xanterra website so no fuss and no log wait on the phone. Shoot, the reservation site opened at 0900 within three minutes I had my reservation confirmed. Two rooms with lake view, thank you very much! The website did indicate that not all of the rooms had showers (some just tubs) so you had to request a shower, so I called the reservation line later in the day to make that request and to find out about dinner reservations. The very helpful lady on the other end of the line gave me all the tips that I needed. For Redwood and Lassen I went with rental houses. There were actually a fair number of options around both parks so I some inventory from which to choose. I ended up with two very nice places that worked out perfectly for our needs (plenty of space for the three of us, ample privacy from the neighbors and each, great proximity to the parks and a nice setting for that evening beer or glass or wine). More on the houses in the trip details.
So the last bit of travel logistics was the ground transportation. An SUV of some sort would be the best bet for the three of us (plenty of room for us and our stuff….at least that was my thinking). Rates were through the roof renting at the Medford airport, but I did a little searching at the offsite locations and got a deal through Enterprise. Since we were arriving late into Medford, I found a hotel that was within walking distance of the rental car pick-up so that I could grab the car early the next morning and we could be on our way toward the Pacific. I caught a break with the rental car just before the trip started. Enterprise called to confirm the reservation (which was a first) so I took the opportunity to ask about returning the car to the airport rather than the offsite location. “Not a problem,” was the reply, “there is just a $35.00” airport drop-off fee.” Sold! One minor logistical problem solved.
As for things to do during the trip, as mentioned I relied on the Trip Advisor and the NPS.gov sites as my starting points. Other on-line resources that I explored were Ramblr, Evertytrail and NaturalBornHikers (all .com). I even got an idea or two from photographyonthe.net just based on photos folks were posting (this is where the idea for Heart Lake came from). Suffice it to say that I found excellent ideas for hikes all along our route. It ended up that the only activity that I had to reserve ahead of time was the boat tour at Crater Lake. Reservations opened in the spring through the Xanterra website. Sort of an odd process as I first had to request the specific tour that I wanted then wait to see if it was available. What I was hoping to do was the combination tour that included a morning ride to Wizard Island where we would be dropped off for 3 hours so that we could explore followed by the guided tour around the lake. As it happened, this tour came back as “unavailable” so it was either already sold out or just not being offered on the date that I picked. So I made another call to Xanterra, talked to another extremely friendly and helpful agent who helped line up a morning Wizard Island hiker shuttle and an early afternoon lake tour. Perfect. Now before I made those reservations, I did have to do a little research on the trail down to Cleetwood Cove. It is not a long trail but there is considerable elevation change, so I wanted get some details on the trail surface and condition to make sure that the hike would not be a severe strain on Lynn’s knees. Short story here is the trail is a piece of cake.
With all of this, I had developed a tidy little plan for the trip. I like a good plan as otherwise we end up in the morning saying “I don’t know, what do you want to do?” I hate that, just wastes valuable vacation time. The plan gives us a starting point, but there is always room for flexibility. So here’s the starting plan:
Day 1 - Friday 8/5/2016
- Travel day with Medford, OR, as the entry point for our tour. We will arrive very late on Friday and wait until Saturday morning to get the rental car.
- One night lodging booked at the Hampton Inn. Free shuttle.
- After the late night, we’ll sleep-in (probably not, but it sounds good), then head to the coast.
- Pick up rental car at Enterprise (about a mile away from the hotel) at 0800 then get on the road.
- Morning, explore the coast, perhaps we’ll drive north a ways just to see the sights before heading back to Redwood NP
- Oregon Caves National Monument is sort of on the way, but is a bit of a detour (at least an hour of driving time plus roughly 2 hours for a cave tour). Maybe too long of a detour.
- Head south to Redwood NP
- Jedidiah Smith State Park (Boy Scout Tree Trail, Stout Grove)
- Night at “Idyllic Cabin” VRBO (reserved for two nights) just north of Trinidad, CA.
- Tidal Pools in the morning (low tide is at 0917)
- Redwood NP hiking; several interesting options. Tall Trees Trail and Fern Canyon are two leading candidates, but we’ll check at one of the Visitor Centers for options.
- Overnight in VRBO 1
- Options: AM in Redwood OR early start to Lassen. Will sort of depend on how much we cover in Redwood over the past two days.
- Maybe some coastal stuff first thing in the morning.
- Whiskeytown National Recreation Area is on the way, just west of Redding; waterfall hikes perhaps (Boulder Creek Falls).
- Stop for provisions and lunch in Redding (bigger city than Shingletown).
- Pioneer Hillside Pizza in Shingletown looks promising for dinner one night.
- Check into VRBO 2 at 4:00; another quaint cabin located in Viola, just a few minutes from the entrance of Lassen Volcanic National Park.
- Perhaps a short hike or driving tour of Lassen this afternoon/evening.
- Hiking in Lassen. Bumpass Hell for sure.
- Manzanita and Reflection Lakes for sunset.
- Overnight VRBO 2
- Hike Mount Lassen.
- Afternoon to chill at the VRBO after the big hike.
- Overnight at VRBO 2
- We have a couple options for today as we transition to Crater Lake. I’m leaning to driving toward Mount Shasta and hiking up to Heart Lake for the views (downside is that we’ll get there late morning so the light will not be ideal). The other option is to make a drive-through visit of Lava Beds National Monument. We’ll see what we feel like when we get to that point.
- On to Crater Lake for three nights; reservations at the lodge by the lake.
- Chill on porch this evening.
- Dinner reservation for 6:00 PM.
- Hike this morning, most likely Garfield Peak.
- Drive the rim, take in the views and perhaps add a short hike or two (The Pinnacles sound interesting).
- Dinner at the lodge (reservation at 6:30 PM) and chill time on the porch.
- Boat Tours of Crater Lake
- 8:30 - hiker shuttle to Wizard Island (3 hours on the island).
- 1:15 - Lake Tour; narrated tour on the lake. About 1:45 total on the lake.
- Chill on the porch in the evening.
- Dinner reservation 6:30 PM
- Since we have late flights out of nearby Medford, we can use today for more time around Crater Lake or explore the surrounding area.
- Stopping in Union Creek for pie at Beckie’s Café was highly recommended on TA.
- Evening flight out of Medford (red-eye home).
- Early morning arrival into CLE/PIT.
OK, that's a good starting plan. We've got ideas and options for each day, plus one decision point on our way from Lassen to Crater Lake as indicated on the map below. More than enough to keep us busy and plenty of down time built in. But as usual, I’m not expecting to follow this to the letter. We’ll adjust as needed to see the sights and do the things that are of the most interest to us. The details of how we did are coming next….
On to the Trip! Lynn and I used our standard routine for getting ready for the trip so there was no mad dash of packing the night before we left. Since we had an idea of what we would be doing and the expected weather along our route, we had all of our gear packed and ready the weekend before the trip. All of our reservations had been confirmed and our ride to the airport was in place. All systems are go! The forecast, as far out as we could see, called for excellent conditions at each of our primary stops. The only concern as we were approaching the trip was the Bybee Creek forest fire that was burning in Crater Lake National Park just to the west of the lake. There was even a low-level evacuation notice posted for the Rim Village just a week before we were scheduled to arrive and part of the rim drive was closed to allow the fire fighters clear access. It looked like they were starting to make headway against the blaze as we were heading out, but we’ll have to keep an eye on the situation throughout the coming week.
Of course, the critter sitter was lined-up; we had been on her schedule for months. But as often happens with pets there was a last minute SNAFA as Fluffi, our one-eyed, long-haired, black barn cat came up lame on Wednesday morning. Maybe she just does not want us to leave. She’ll be on cage rest for a few weeks, but Sue the critter sitter is up to the task (she’s done this before). Reminds me of our 2007 trip to Utah, our first desert southwest trip when Fluffi went missing the night before we were scheduled to leave (this was back in the day before coyotes were so prevalent in the area and we let the cats roam during the day; now even the barn cats are indoor only). I came home mid-day just to look for her, as we were leaving for the airport directly from work, and while I was walking back to the barn in the hope that I could find her she came be-bopping out of the corn field next door, just chasing butterflies and having a wonderful time. She looked like Snoopy dancing to a jazz tune in a Charles Schultz comic. Needless to say I was thrilled to see her as that meant that she was safe and that Lynn and I would not have to worry about her while we were gone. Cats.
Day 1 – Friday, August 5 – Getting There. Since we were not leaving until early evening, we put in a full day at work. Well, at least until “vacation mode” kicked into overdrive which was at 3:30 for Lynn. I finished up a couple of quick emails then it was time to go. Our flight schedule was such that we could take advantage of the “Amigos Airport Shuttle” and save the cost of parking at the airport. Vic drove us over to Hopkins. We picked Lynn up right at 4:00 and headed “next door” to the airport. Great timing as there was no traffic, all the construction at the terminal was complete and the lines for check-in and security were minimal. We were through it all (TSA pre-check helped a bit) and even done shopping for Lynn's reading material by 4:30. Time for a beer.
Day 1 – Friday, August 5 – Getting There. Since we were not leaving until early evening, we put in a full day at work. Well, at least until “vacation mode” kicked into overdrive which was at 3:30 for Lynn. I finished up a couple of quick emails then it was time to go. Our flight schedule was such that we could take advantage of the “Amigos Airport Shuttle” and save the cost of parking at the airport. Vic drove us over to Hopkins. We picked Lynn up right at 4:00 and headed “next door” to the airport. Great timing as there was no traffic, all the construction at the terminal was complete and the lines for check-in and security were minimal. We were through it all (TSA pre-check helped a bit) and even done shopping for Lynn's reading material by 4:30. Time for a beer.
We took a quick look at the map kiosk, to see what was close by. Well, The Pub is right here and we’ve never tried it so perhaps today is the day. The place was fairly bust when we arrived, but we found an empty high-top table and took a seat. Bottom-line is that this an average place all the way around (service, beer and food). Good selection of UK beers, but the ones we tried were just OK (I had the Belhaven Brewery Twisted Thistle IPA and Lynn had the London Pride English Bitter from Fuller, Smith and Turner). For dinner, Lynn had the Reuben which was overdone and my turkey sandwich was extremely mediocre. I think there are better options at CLE. There is a little more detail in the review.
We still had time to kill before we boarded so we made lap around the terminals to stretch the legs. Everything is bright and shiny after the recent upgrades made pretty much throughout the airport. We spotted a lounge between A and B concourses that is open to all for a small fee. We peeked in and it looks like a good place to hang out so we’ll keep that in mind for future reference (I think the cost was $20 and it looked a lot more comfy than sitting at a gate). But Hopkins is a ghost town compared to what it was as a hub for Continental; once the merger with United was complete then United pulled out as a hub, CLE is a much quieter airport. Lynn had enough hiking through the airport so we went to the gate with still well over an hour before we board.
The flights were uneventful, just the way I like then and the travel logistics overall were flawless. We arrived a little early at both SFO and Medford, the former being good as we had a tight connection and the latter as that just got us to bed sooner. I like little airports like Medford as they are easy to navigate and generally not very crowded. There was a short wait at baggage claim, and again for the shuttle to the Hampton. Note that it really isn’t a shuttle, as the hotel just pays for a taxi to pick-up guests at the airport. But that worked fine. We arrived at the Hampton right at midnight, quickly checked-in and in our room. Lights out at 12:23 AM…which is 3:23 AM east coast time, but whose counting?
Day 2 – Saturday, August 6 – On to Redwood National Park. Well, I thought we might sleep in this morning but we were up at 0530 (hmmm, maybe this is sleeping in as it would be 8:30 east coast time but then we were up late last night so I guess it’s not that bad). No great rush this morning as we have to wait until 0800 to get the car. I rented away from the airport and saved about $200. The rental car location is about a mile from the hotel, thus my reason for selecting the Hampton for our overnight in Medford. I got a bit of an additional break with the rental car when Enterprise called to confirm the reservation. I took the opportunity to ask about returning the vehicle to the airport and the reply I got was “sure, no problem, just a $35 drop-off fee.” Sold! Shoot $35 is worth it just to reduce the aggravation of arranging a taxi to get from the off-site location back to the airport, not to mention the cost of a cab ride.
Anyway, since we had plenty of time this morning we decided to start with breakfast and headed down at 6:00 for the complimentary morning repast. A decent spread on the breakfast bar; nothing extravagant but hot and fresh. On the way back to the room we stopped at the stand with local attractions flyers by the elevator. Spotted this last night on after we checked-in and thought to myself “who still uses these things?” Apparently my wife. She searched the racks and found several things that were of interest, at least to her: wine shops and vineyards, wild animal parks, an aquarium. Hey, no worries, there is no real plan for today other than get the car and move on to Trinidad before dark, so we have all day to play.
Once back in the room we got ready for the day ahead. At 7:40 I started walking to the rental car agency. It is already getting warm here in Medford. Glad we are not hanging around here but rather heading for the cooler temperatures along the coast. Pretty quiet morning in Medford; not a lot of traffic on the roads, but still enough to that the traffic lights were appreciated in getting across the roads. I few folks were walking this route as well, most likely heading to breakfast or to get their morning coffee, or maybe just out for a little exercise before the heat got really out of head. Friendly folks as my “good mornings” were all answered in kind.
I strolled in to the Enterprise lot right at 8:00 AM and the place was already buzzing. But there was only one other customer there and plenty of agents so no waiting. Good deal. I noted that all the cars in the lot were white (a Jeep Cherokee, a couple non distinct sedans and a Mustang convertible), except for a dark blue Jeep Patriot. I had reserved a SUV so it looks like a Jeep for this week, now which one? Turns out the agent who helped me this morning was the same fellow I spoke with on the phone earlier in the week as he remembered the inquiry about returning the vehicle to the airport. He said that they’ll adjust the cost when I return the vehicle and that for now we’ll just work with the initially quoted cost. Fine by me. We walked back out into the lot and right to the blue Patriot. Well if I had to choose this would have been the one just for the color, so lucky me! Only 428 miles on the odometer, so basically brand new. Still a pretty basic vehicle; I guess I’ve gotten used to the bells and whistles on the Edge. But this should work well for our needs this week. Their very efficient process had me back on the road at 8:13.
Two minutes back to the hotel where I found Lynn sitting with Lisa as she finished her breakfast. All righty then, let’s get our gear and get going! The girls agreed that there was no reason to hang-out here, so we got our bags, checked-out and loaded the Patriot. Well, that took a little effort, the loading part, as there was not a lot of room in the back of the midsize Jeep. I had to drop one side of the back seat to get everything stowed. But it all fit. I’ll figure out a better arrangement for the luggage as the trip progresses. We were on the road at 8:30 AM heading toward the coast.
Our route from Medford took us north on I-5 to Grants Pass then south on route 199 into California as we drove toward the coast. We discussed options along the drive. We ruled out the attractions that Lynn had found in the flyer stand back at the hotel. We also nixed Oregon Cave National Monument as it would be a detour of several hours. Instead we opted just to enjoy the drive and head straight to Redwood. Yes we could cram more into each day, but our philosophy has evolved over the years to “less is more” and having some downtime each day is important. So we keep cruising to the southwest.
On odd point on the rental car was that it only had about a half tank of gas to start. Of course that meant that I only had to return it with a half tank, but that could be a little tough to figure as there is no indication of how much fuel it can hold. Just something that I’ll have to pay attention to during the trip. But starting with a half tank meant that fuel was a consideration rather early in the drive. Once leaving Medford, I found a convenient looking gas station and pulled in to top off the tank. “Full Service Only” read the sign on the pump. Really? That’s just crazy talk. But alas it is true, so I had to wait for the attendant who was bouncing between two or three other vehicles. I looked this up when we got home and s it happens Oregon and New Jersey are the only two states that do not allow folks to pump their own gas. These states passed laws that only owners and employees of the gas stations were allowed to pump fuel due to safety concerns. Turns out that the first self-serve stations started in California in 1947, but they were outlawed in New Jersey in 1949 and Oregon in 1951. Not really a big deal, but a little annoying when you are used to doing this little job yourself.
The drive along I-5 ad route 199 was lovely and quite varied in terms of views and terrain. There were stretches that reminded me of the winding, mountain roads of West Virginia with the sharp turns and steep drops then a couple areas that were reminiscent of the wider valleys of southwest Virginia. The trees were the tell that we were not back east. We kept our eyes open for animals, a favorite way to pass the time whether in the car or on the trail, but there was not a lot to see. One of the more interesting sights was the sign proclaiming CRON for sale. I figured someone just wasn’t paying attention but then there was a second CRON for sale sign. Now I think we have a marketing genius as anyone can advertise for corn, but these signs actually caught our attention. But alas their ploy failed as we were not in the market for cron or corn. Other than minor construction ddelays on a few bridges along route 199 it was a rather uneventful drive.
We still had time to kill before we boarded so we made lap around the terminals to stretch the legs. Everything is bright and shiny after the recent upgrades made pretty much throughout the airport. We spotted a lounge between A and B concourses that is open to all for a small fee. We peeked in and it looks like a good place to hang out so we’ll keep that in mind for future reference (I think the cost was $20 and it looked a lot more comfy than sitting at a gate). But Hopkins is a ghost town compared to what it was as a hub for Continental; once the merger with United was complete then United pulled out as a hub, CLE is a much quieter airport. Lynn had enough hiking through the airport so we went to the gate with still well over an hour before we board.
The flights were uneventful, just the way I like then and the travel logistics overall were flawless. We arrived a little early at both SFO and Medford, the former being good as we had a tight connection and the latter as that just got us to bed sooner. I like little airports like Medford as they are easy to navigate and generally not very crowded. There was a short wait at baggage claim, and again for the shuttle to the Hampton. Note that it really isn’t a shuttle, as the hotel just pays for a taxi to pick-up guests at the airport. But that worked fine. We arrived at the Hampton right at midnight, quickly checked-in and in our room. Lights out at 12:23 AM…which is 3:23 AM east coast time, but whose counting?
Day 2 – Saturday, August 6 – On to Redwood National Park. Well, I thought we might sleep in this morning but we were up at 0530 (hmmm, maybe this is sleeping in as it would be 8:30 east coast time but then we were up late last night so I guess it’s not that bad). No great rush this morning as we have to wait until 0800 to get the car. I rented away from the airport and saved about $200. The rental car location is about a mile from the hotel, thus my reason for selecting the Hampton for our overnight in Medford. I got a bit of an additional break with the rental car when Enterprise called to confirm the reservation. I took the opportunity to ask about returning the vehicle to the airport and the reply I got was “sure, no problem, just a $35 drop-off fee.” Sold! Shoot $35 is worth it just to reduce the aggravation of arranging a taxi to get from the off-site location back to the airport, not to mention the cost of a cab ride.
Anyway, since we had plenty of time this morning we decided to start with breakfast and headed down at 6:00 for the complimentary morning repast. A decent spread on the breakfast bar; nothing extravagant but hot and fresh. On the way back to the room we stopped at the stand with local attractions flyers by the elevator. Spotted this last night on after we checked-in and thought to myself “who still uses these things?” Apparently my wife. She searched the racks and found several things that were of interest, at least to her: wine shops and vineyards, wild animal parks, an aquarium. Hey, no worries, there is no real plan for today other than get the car and move on to Trinidad before dark, so we have all day to play.
Once back in the room we got ready for the day ahead. At 7:40 I started walking to the rental car agency. It is already getting warm here in Medford. Glad we are not hanging around here but rather heading for the cooler temperatures along the coast. Pretty quiet morning in Medford; not a lot of traffic on the roads, but still enough to that the traffic lights were appreciated in getting across the roads. I few folks were walking this route as well, most likely heading to breakfast or to get their morning coffee, or maybe just out for a little exercise before the heat got really out of head. Friendly folks as my “good mornings” were all answered in kind.
I strolled in to the Enterprise lot right at 8:00 AM and the place was already buzzing. But there was only one other customer there and plenty of agents so no waiting. Good deal. I noted that all the cars in the lot were white (a Jeep Cherokee, a couple non distinct sedans and a Mustang convertible), except for a dark blue Jeep Patriot. I had reserved a SUV so it looks like a Jeep for this week, now which one? Turns out the agent who helped me this morning was the same fellow I spoke with on the phone earlier in the week as he remembered the inquiry about returning the vehicle to the airport. He said that they’ll adjust the cost when I return the vehicle and that for now we’ll just work with the initially quoted cost. Fine by me. We walked back out into the lot and right to the blue Patriot. Well if I had to choose this would have been the one just for the color, so lucky me! Only 428 miles on the odometer, so basically brand new. Still a pretty basic vehicle; I guess I’ve gotten used to the bells and whistles on the Edge. But this should work well for our needs this week. Their very efficient process had me back on the road at 8:13.
Two minutes back to the hotel where I found Lynn sitting with Lisa as she finished her breakfast. All righty then, let’s get our gear and get going! The girls agreed that there was no reason to hang-out here, so we got our bags, checked-out and loaded the Patriot. Well, that took a little effort, the loading part, as there was not a lot of room in the back of the midsize Jeep. I had to drop one side of the back seat to get everything stowed. But it all fit. I’ll figure out a better arrangement for the luggage as the trip progresses. We were on the road at 8:30 AM heading toward the coast.
Our route from Medford took us north on I-5 to Grants Pass then south on route 199 into California as we drove toward the coast. We discussed options along the drive. We ruled out the attractions that Lynn had found in the flyer stand back at the hotel. We also nixed Oregon Cave National Monument as it would be a detour of several hours. Instead we opted just to enjoy the drive and head straight to Redwood. Yes we could cram more into each day, but our philosophy has evolved over the years to “less is more” and having some downtime each day is important. So we keep cruising to the southwest.
On odd point on the rental car was that it only had about a half tank of gas to start. Of course that meant that I only had to return it with a half tank, but that could be a little tough to figure as there is no indication of how much fuel it can hold. Just something that I’ll have to pay attention to during the trip. But starting with a half tank meant that fuel was a consideration rather early in the drive. Once leaving Medford, I found a convenient looking gas station and pulled in to top off the tank. “Full Service Only” read the sign on the pump. Really? That’s just crazy talk. But alas it is true, so I had to wait for the attendant who was bouncing between two or three other vehicles. I looked this up when we got home and s it happens Oregon and New Jersey are the only two states that do not allow folks to pump their own gas. These states passed laws that only owners and employees of the gas stations were allowed to pump fuel due to safety concerns. Turns out that the first self-serve stations started in California in 1947, but they were outlawed in New Jersey in 1949 and Oregon in 1951. Not really a big deal, but a little annoying when you are used to doing this little job yourself.
The drive along I-5 ad route 199 was lovely and quite varied in terms of views and terrain. There were stretches that reminded me of the winding, mountain roads of West Virginia with the sharp turns and steep drops then a couple areas that were reminiscent of the wider valleys of southwest Virginia. The trees were the tell that we were not back east. We kept our eyes open for animals, a favorite way to pass the time whether in the car or on the trail, but there was not a lot to see. One of the more interesting sights was the sign proclaiming CRON for sale. I figured someone just wasn’t paying attention but then there was a second CRON for sale sign. Now I think we have a marketing genius as anyone can advertise for corn, but these signs actually caught our attention. But alas their ploy failed as we were not in the market for cron or corn. Other than minor construction ddelays on a few bridges along route 199 it was a rather uneventful drive.
We pulled in to the Hiouchi Information Center at the north end of Redwood National and State Parks around 10:45. Wow, much cooler here than in Medford even though it is much closer to noon. A bright, sunny day and very pleasant. We checked out the signs that described some of the local plants and animals then continued into the visitor center to get a map of the park and some insight from the Rangers. Lynn and Lisa also did a little shopping and found a deal on jackets, but there was only one available in the size they wanted, so Lisa got that one and we’ll just have to stop at another visitor center to see if we can get the same deal. While they were looking through the souvenirs, I was checking out the information on the park. Redwood National and State Park is home of the world's tallest trees. REdwood trees can exceed heights of 370 feet, standing taller than the Statue of Liberty. The information center was where I first read about the Circle of Discovery, the collection of seven National Park Units that are arrayed in a roughly circular route through southern Oregon and northern California. You would have thought that I would have come across this in my research but as it happens I sort of created that loop on my own as I built our itinerary. Now that I know this is a thing, I’m starting to rethink my route from Lassen Volcanic to Crater Lake. Maybe sticking to the National Park route is the way to go.
The Ranger we talked with, a young lady, was very helpful; I wish I had caught her name but her long, brunette locks were hanging over her nametag. She took the time to mark-up a map for us, highlighting several of the better hikes and viewpoints in the park. Most of the places that she indicated were already on my shortlist so this really helped to validate my research. I also asked about the Tall Trees Trail as a permit is needed to gain access to road leading to the trailhead. She gave us the low down on that and it turns out to be a pretty simple process and very easy to get a permit. Seems that there are 50 permits given out each day to access the trailhead. The permits are available at any of the visitor centers. She also said that they never run out of permits. All good information. Her suggestion for today was to backtrack a little ways and take the Howland Hill Road through Jedidiah Smith State Park, with a stop at the Stout Grove for a short hike. One of her favorite short hikes. She also recommended a drive out to the coast to the Klamath River Overlook at the end of the Requa Road. We also asked about tidal pools and she confirmed that Enderts Beach was an excellent location. OK, we have several very good suggestions for things to see and do over the next couple of days. Time to start exploring!
The Ranger we talked with, a young lady, was very helpful; I wish I had caught her name but her long, brunette locks were hanging over her nametag. She took the time to mark-up a map for us, highlighting several of the better hikes and viewpoints in the park. Most of the places that she indicated were already on my shortlist so this really helped to validate my research. I also asked about the Tall Trees Trail as a permit is needed to gain access to road leading to the trailhead. She gave us the low down on that and it turns out to be a pretty simple process and very easy to get a permit. Seems that there are 50 permits given out each day to access the trailhead. The permits are available at any of the visitor centers. She also said that they never run out of permits. All good information. Her suggestion for today was to backtrack a little ways and take the Howland Hill Road through Jedidiah Smith State Park, with a stop at the Stout Grove for a short hike. One of her favorite short hikes. She also recommended a drive out to the coast to the Klamath River Overlook at the end of the Requa Road. We also asked about tidal pools and she confirmed that Enderts Beach was an excellent location. OK, we have several very good suggestions for things to see and do over the next couple of days. Time to start exploring!
Backtracking to intersection with Douglas Park Road was fine as we had passed the park entrance sign so I now had the chance to get the first of our passport photos for the trip. In fact the first photo of the trip (well, other than the beer selfie last night at CLE). After that short stop, we continued east along 199 a short distance to our right turn onto the Douglas Park Road. We got a nice view of the North Fork of the Smith River as we traversed the first bridge and scooted past the construction area where the bridge crossing the South Fork was being replaced. The two forks converged just a short distance to the west of the second bridge and the road continued along the south side of the river and wound through the forest and past clusters of summer cabins. As I recall, the Douglas Park Road was paved but changed name to Howland Hill Road and turned into a well maintained dirt road when it crossed the boundary of the park. We continued to wind our way uphill through the tall trees keeping a watchful eye for oncoming traffic as the road was narrow in spots and there were a few tight turns that provided little in the way of forward vision.
The signage along the road pointed us to the turn off for the Stout Grove trailhead parking, which was packed. There were cars and people everywhere, including a bunch of kids playing soccer in the road. We found a wide spot not far from the trailhead sign into which I stuffed the Patriot and off we went for a little stretch of the legs. Since the backpacks, and thus the cameras, were sort of buried in the back of the Patriot we opted to take this first hike with just my “pocket” camera, the Canon SX710 HS. It is a little big for a true pocketable camera, but it fits nicely in the large pockets of my hiking pants. Granted, our “big” cameras are not really that big or bulky as we carry bridge or superzoom devices (Canon SX50 HS for me and Lynn has my hand-me-down SX30 IS), but these are perfect for us as they take great images and are still very lightweight for hiking.
The Stout Grove Trail makes for a nice first day hike; it is not that long and pretty easy. The trail has a short uphill section along which we hit the point where the trail splits to start the loop through the grove. We took the left fork which meandered downhill through the woods and toward the river. The total elevation change from the top of the trail to the river is about 230 feet, but the vast majority of the trail is flat. As the high number of cars parked and people ambling along the access road indicated, this is a popular trail as there were a fair number of folks here along the initial portion of the trail. But the crowd did thin out a bit the further we went from the trail head. The trail is basically a dirt track but it is generally smooth with just a scattered trip hazards (roots and an occasional rock).
The loop through the grove is only a half mile and provides lovely views of the big Redwoods. In the grove there are points of interest at all levels; tilt your head all the way back to gaze at the tops of the towering trees as they reached to the blue sky, look straight head to study the trunks of the giants with their interesting patterns in the bark and some fascinating burls, or look down along the floor of the forest at the variety of plants growing in the underbrush. Folks were having fun with group photos along the trail. Lynn helped one family by taking their picture as they stood hand-in-hand in front of a huge Redwood in order to gage the girth of the massive tree. Another group had lined up on top of one of the fallen giants again providing a good indicated of the size of the trees. We got into the act as well getting a group portrait in front of the root system of one of the toppled trees. We were also naming the patterns in the burls. Lisa found one that she felt looked like a gorilla. OK, once I stood in the right spot I saw it as well.
The signage along the road pointed us to the turn off for the Stout Grove trailhead parking, which was packed. There were cars and people everywhere, including a bunch of kids playing soccer in the road. We found a wide spot not far from the trailhead sign into which I stuffed the Patriot and off we went for a little stretch of the legs. Since the backpacks, and thus the cameras, were sort of buried in the back of the Patriot we opted to take this first hike with just my “pocket” camera, the Canon SX710 HS. It is a little big for a true pocketable camera, but it fits nicely in the large pockets of my hiking pants. Granted, our “big” cameras are not really that big or bulky as we carry bridge or superzoom devices (Canon SX50 HS for me and Lynn has my hand-me-down SX30 IS), but these are perfect for us as they take great images and are still very lightweight for hiking.
The Stout Grove Trail makes for a nice first day hike; it is not that long and pretty easy. The trail has a short uphill section along which we hit the point where the trail splits to start the loop through the grove. We took the left fork which meandered downhill through the woods and toward the river. The total elevation change from the top of the trail to the river is about 230 feet, but the vast majority of the trail is flat. As the high number of cars parked and people ambling along the access road indicated, this is a popular trail as there were a fair number of folks here along the initial portion of the trail. But the crowd did thin out a bit the further we went from the trail head. The trail is basically a dirt track but it is generally smooth with just a scattered trip hazards (roots and an occasional rock).
The loop through the grove is only a half mile and provides lovely views of the big Redwoods. In the grove there are points of interest at all levels; tilt your head all the way back to gaze at the tops of the towering trees as they reached to the blue sky, look straight head to study the trunks of the giants with their interesting patterns in the bark and some fascinating burls, or look down along the floor of the forest at the variety of plants growing in the underbrush. Folks were having fun with group photos along the trail. Lynn helped one family by taking their picture as they stood hand-in-hand in front of a huge Redwood in order to gage the girth of the massive tree. Another group had lined up on top of one of the fallen giants again providing a good indicated of the size of the trees. We got into the act as well getting a group portrait in front of the root system of one of the toppled trees. We were also naming the patterns in the burls. Lisa found one that she felt looked like a gorilla. OK, once I stood in the right spot I saw it as well.
As we marched through the grove we took a couple of side trails. The first we came to was the spur that took us down to the river and connected to the Hiouchi Trail. We walked out along the rocky riverbank to the footbridge that crosses the river. There were a few folks out on kayaks. The footbridge was constructed with a high spot in the middle to accommodate the kayakers as they navigated the river. Later we again departed from the loop trail and walked a short distance along the River Trail, again taking a detour out on a gravel bar by the Smith River to take in the views. There was a few cairns scattered about the area; reminded me of Buddha Beach along Oak Creek near Sedona but just not nearly as many of the impromptu rock sculpture here as in Arizona.
We retraced our steps along the River Trail then completed the loop through Stout Grove. Hardly anyone along the River Trail and fewer people in this part of the grove, so this was the most peaceful part of the hike. The ferns and Redwood Sorrel blanketed the forest floor while the tall trees metered the sunlight and kept the temperature very pleasant even though it was midday. We started this hike just before 11:30 AM and it took us a little over an hour to cover our 1.6-mile route. I understand why the Ranger said this is one of her favorite hikes as it does provide a nice variety between the forest and the river. The grove of Redwoods is quite impressive. I bet this would be a very tranquil walk in the woods early in the day, but even with the midday crowd it was still very nice. The only downside was that there was much in the way of critters along this trail. Probably too many people for the animals to come out, plus is was the middle of the day. We did see a Steller’s Jay back at the trailhead as we were loading into the Jeep. We were hoping to show Lisa a Banana Slug, but no such luck.
Here's the link to the photos from our hike through Stout Grove and to the track of the hike on Ramblr.
Here's the link to the photos from our hike through Stout Grove and to the track of the hike on Ramblr.
Once back in the Jeep we continue west on Howland Hill Road through the park, enjoying the views of the old growth forest. The road was quite winding but in great condition. In most places it was wide enough to accommodate two-lane traffic, but there were several spots that narrowed to one lane. It was interesting that the road was built in such a way to minimize disruption to the trees. The contour of the road was a compromise between the location of the big redwoods and the edge of the valley. Where the edge and the big trees were in close proximity were the spots that generally necked down to one-lane width.
We passed a couple trailheads along the drive and the parking area at each was packed. Obviously more popular trails so possible options for our stay, although I already have a nice list of activities for this short visit. We were also thinking that this area must be sort of dry as the dust raising by the cars had settled over the plant life adjacent to the road. This sort of dulled the foliage and gave the close in views a grey tinge but looking out away from the road just a bit everything was bright green.
We passed a couple trailheads along the drive and the parking area at each was packed. Obviously more popular trails so possible options for our stay, although I already have a nice list of activities for this short visit. We were also thinking that this area must be sort of dry as the dust raising by the cars had settled over the plant life adjacent to the road. This sort of dulled the foliage and gave the close in views a grey tinge but looking out away from the road just a bit everything was bright green.
We did not make any stops along the drive through the park other than for a couple of photos taken from the car (a view of the road, some interesting wildflowers and the park signs at the western inlet). Howland Hill Road dumped into Elk Valley Road and finally back to Route 101, the Redwood Highway. Lynn noted that there was a visitor information center in Crescent City and suggested that we check that out, I think in part to see if there were any more of those jackets she and Lisa found earlier. So we turned north on 101 and headed to the city. Turns out that this was the information center for the area around the town and not the NPS, so I just waited in the Jeep while the girls made a quick run inside. As expected, no joy on the jackets, but they did pick up a dining recommendation in Requa from one of the volunteers. OK, Requa just happens to be where we are heading, so we can check out that restaurant.
OK, enough with the visitor center, let’s get back to exploring. South on route 101 along the coast and back into the park. Redwood National Park is sort of a composite of parks, combining three California state parks that were established in the 1920s (Prairie Creek, Del Norte and Jedediah Smith) with the National Park (established in 1968). Redwood National Park surrounds the land of the State Parks to provide more complete protection and conservation of the wonderful forests. The National Park also includes the adjacent coastline, rivers and other ecosystems giving it a grand diversity of geology, plants and animals. The state and federal agencies have been co-managing the collection of parks since 1978.
We left the Redwood Highway at the Minot Creek/Requa Road, going west toward the Pacific. The road crosses a creek or two then climb rather steeply up the ridge along a curvy route. We spotted the restaurant that the girls had learned about in Crescent City, but we were by it before we knew it so we’ll hit it on the way back. There did not seem to be much activity there anyway, besides, I wanted to see the view at the end of the road. Even with our short detour to Crescent City, it was only a 30-minute drive from the time we got back on route 101 after our Stout Grove hike to arriving at overlook; keep in mind, however, that the drive from the Stout Grove Trailhead along Howland Hill Road back to route 101 was about an hour.
Already the variety of this trip is readily apparent. While our fist excursion was a hike and drive through a forest, so a bit on the shady side and featuring the up-close views of the trees, now we are standing out on a sundrenched hillside about 600 feet above the surf looking out over the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean. How cool is that!?! The view right here at the parking area and adjacent picnic area is worth the drive. Looking west is the mix of blue sky with white clouds overhead but a sort of gray haze off on the horizon providing cover for the blue-green-grey of the ocean. To the south was the mouth of the Klamath River, its darker blue water segregated from the Pacific by a long, narrow strip of sand. There is a mist or fog hanging over the coast to the south, clinging to sections of the ridge along the shore. But right here it is bright and sunny, comfortably warm with just a slight breeze. Pretty much ideal.
OK, enough with the visitor center, let’s get back to exploring. South on route 101 along the coast and back into the park. Redwood National Park is sort of a composite of parks, combining three California state parks that were established in the 1920s (Prairie Creek, Del Norte and Jedediah Smith) with the National Park (established in 1968). Redwood National Park surrounds the land of the State Parks to provide more complete protection and conservation of the wonderful forests. The National Park also includes the adjacent coastline, rivers and other ecosystems giving it a grand diversity of geology, plants and animals. The state and federal agencies have been co-managing the collection of parks since 1978.
We left the Redwood Highway at the Minot Creek/Requa Road, going west toward the Pacific. The road crosses a creek or two then climb rather steeply up the ridge along a curvy route. We spotted the restaurant that the girls had learned about in Crescent City, but we were by it before we knew it so we’ll hit it on the way back. There did not seem to be much activity there anyway, besides, I wanted to see the view at the end of the road. Even with our short detour to Crescent City, it was only a 30-minute drive from the time we got back on route 101 after our Stout Grove hike to arriving at overlook; keep in mind, however, that the drive from the Stout Grove Trailhead along Howland Hill Road back to route 101 was about an hour.
Already the variety of this trip is readily apparent. While our fist excursion was a hike and drive through a forest, so a bit on the shady side and featuring the up-close views of the trees, now we are standing out on a sundrenched hillside about 600 feet above the surf looking out over the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean. How cool is that!?! The view right here at the parking area and adjacent picnic area is worth the drive. Looking west is the mix of blue sky with white clouds overhead but a sort of gray haze off on the horizon providing cover for the blue-green-grey of the ocean. To the south was the mouth of the Klamath River, its darker blue water segregated from the Pacific by a long, narrow strip of sand. There is a mist or fog hanging over the coast to the south, clinging to sections of the ridge along the shore. But right here it is bright and sunny, comfortably warm with just a slight breeze. Pretty much ideal.
We walked to the south end of the parking area to check out the sign for the trail leading down the hillside to viewing platform above the beach areas. Seems this is a popular point for whale watching but this is the wrong time of year for those types of sightings. It is not a long walk to the platform but it will be a steep jaunt. As we were making our way down the hill I was thinking that this is going to be a workout on the return hike!
The views from the trail and the platform at the end of the hike were beautiful. The platform is about 180 feet above sea level. While much lower than the parking lot, the position of the platform provides wonderful views north and south along the shore. The colors of the water were amazing, patches of dark blue, teal, and green mixing with the white foam generated by the waves and from splashing off the rocks. The position and the relative nearness to the shore and the water brought the wildlife into play. We were fooled a couple times by the splashing of the ocean away from the shore. Was that a critter of some sort? I most cases the answer was no, but we did finally spot a sea lion or seal swimming in the area between the shore and the rocky spires out in the ocean. Those rocky outcroppings standing off from the shore added interest to the shoreline vistas. They also made a nice perch for the local seabirds. One was covered with Cormorants and Brown Pelicans but there were also Gulls and Pelicans cruising the area, gliding low other the water looking for a snack.
There were a couple other tourists just leaving the platform when we arrived, and I lingered a bit longer after Lynn and Lisa started back up the trail just to enjoy the peace and solitude of the moment. It was quiet other than the crashing of the waves well below me and the sound of the breeze. Just a nice moment to take it all in.
We all took our time walking back up the hillside to the trailhead, taking a few breaks along the way to catch our breath. But this was also a good time to enjoy the sprigs of wild flowers that dotted the edge of the trail. Plus there were a few more animal sightings. I spotted a nice size lizard but it was not willing to pose for a portrait. There were a few swallows sailing about; they had bright white spots on their rumps, so maybe they were Violet-green Swallows. Hard to say. Back near the top of the trail I saw an Osprey perched in one of the dead trees, just surveying the surroundings. There was a second Osprey overhead, obviously on the way back from a successful hunting, or rather fishing trip, as it was clutching a nice size fish in its talons. Sure enough, the bird was carrying the fish with the fish’s head pointing into the wind just like it was swimming. An interpretive sign along the Snake River in Grand Teton National Park pointed this out as a trait of this raptor. Always cool to see these big birds of prey.
Our little hike to the viewing platform took just under an hour and it was now about 3:00, so time to get to the rental house. I sent a text to the caretaker to update our ETA, figuring a 4:00 arrival. The reply back was that Bailey, a member of their staff, would meet us there. We made a quick stop at the restaurant along the Requa Road just to get a feel for the place. Lisa went in to check it out; turns out that it is not a restaurant at all, but a B&B. Well, it looks like a nice place but we have already have our accommodations so we continued back to route 101. We stayed on the main road for the rest of the drive figuring that we can explore a side road or scenic drive tomorrow. But 101 provided plenty of interesting sights. The views along the highway were very pretty in general as we rolled along through the coastal hills, across wetlands and then through forested areas. Again, quite the variety. We passed through a few small, well, settlements. Not really anything big enough to be called a town. It was an odd mix. There was a place or two with new hotels and even a casino or two (Tribal lands) but a mostly these little collection of buildings were more run down areas. Whatever industry they had had seemingly come to a rusty standstill and they had not made any inroads on capturing part of the tourist trade other than through local artists. But by the looks of the wares displayed along the road, this folksy art was not to our taste.
The biggest excitement for the drive occurred as we were rounding a turn and dropping into a wide, green meadow. We could see a clump of trees a mile or so down the road where cars were lining both sides of the drive, and parked just anywhere they could. I knew immediately what was happening, based on our two trips to Yellowstone and Grand Teton: an animal jam! As we neared the debacle, I told Lynn and Lisa to watch for the cause of the confusion while I kept my eyes on the road and watched for the most unpredictable of critters, a tourist with a camera. And there were plenty of them about, all heading to the same spot, to see the Elk herd. There were twenty or so Elk cows and calves arrayed in the field along the road. I did not want to add to the already crowded conditions here in this already narrow section of the road so we just drove through slowly and kept on going. The Elk here in Redwood are Roosevelt Elk, one of four subspecies on Elk in North America. I little post-trip research told me that the Roosevelt Elk are the largest of the four subspecies, weighing up to 1100 pounds. The Elk that we have seen in Wyoming, Utah and Arizona are from the Rocky Mountain subspecies. There, I learned something new today.
The only stop we made before reaching the rental house was at the Kuchel Visitor Center for one more try at finding a jacket for Lynn. The visitor center was right off the highway, so just a short detour. Nice location too, very near the shore. The view behind the visitor center out over the ocean was great although a bit muted due to the haze. But the good news was that Lynn found her jacket. There was a whole rack of them here. Hey, those are nice jackets. Green with beige highlights, nice weight, reversible with a raincoat on one side and a fleece on the other, hood and a lovely embroidered logo of Redwood National Park. That would be perfect for spring and fall in along the north coast of Ohio. OK, I want a jacket. A pretty sweet deal for 30 bucks each. Now Lynn and I have one more way to look like geeky tourists with our matching jackets!
South of the visitor center highway 101 runs along the shore for a short stretch then weaves around a series of lagoons with a few additional shoreline runs. The lagoons look like great places for bird watching, although we did not note anything during our cruise by this afternoon. Perhaps just poor timing considering the time of day. We’ll see what we might spy tomorrow as we’ll be coming back this way in the morning.
We were a little later than expected getting to the house, arriving at 4:20. But Bailey was waiting patiently for us. She gave us the key and showed us around the place, going over house rules as she went. This is a very nice log house on a nicely landscaped and private plot of land, just a few miles north of Trinidad. We were on the wrong side of the road for an ocean view but we could still hear the surf. The Interior of the house was open and bright with a large kitchen-dining-living area. Lisa took one of the downstairs bedrooms and Lynn and I got the upstairs master suite, which was in a loft arrangement. The best part was the front porch, and we made good use of that space as a place to unwind each evening. Before Bailey left we asked her about grocery stores and dining recommendations; usually the locals know the best places.
We unloaded the Jeep, got our stuff organized then headed out to buy supplies. Bailey gave us a couple options for groceries, the closest being Murphy’s which was a small local market that should cover our needs for our short stay (she said there was a Safeway in the next town down the coast if we needed more selection). Murphy’s was fine as the location was close and convenient and it had most of what we were looking for, particularly since we are only staying two nights and not planning on cooking at the cabin (if we were planning on dining in, then the Safeway would have probably been the better option). The beer selection was better than I was expecting, so a bonus there. The kid at the checkout counter was kind of surly, which put a damper on the experience at the store. Sort of an unusual attitude for a clerk in a tourist town but anyone can have an occasional bad day, I reckon.
Once we had the groceries stored, it was time to think about dinner. Bailey gave us two recommendations, the Seaside Restaurant down on the water and the Lighthouse Grill. Lighthouse Grill was right next to Murphy’s so it did not have any kind of view (unless you like looking at grocery store parking lots) and otherwise did not look that impressive so we drove on down to the pier to check out Seaside. OK, selfishly I was looking for a better view than a parking lot.
We rolled into the parking lot down by the pier right about 5:00 and strolled over to the Seaside. Good timing and good luck as we were seating right away and got a table next to the large picture windows overlooking the beach and pier. I got the view I was hoping for. The bonus was that we saw a family of otters frolicking around on the rocks out in the little bay. There were four or five of them and they were there were several minutes before they swam off, probably looking for their dinner. That was the highlight of the meal.
While service was great, and the view was outstanding, the food was just good. Average. Nothing special. Honestly I was expecting better based on the reviews and the fact that this is a seaside town. I started with the chowder which tasted fine but has a very gritty texture, I mean sandy gritty. The grilled seafood platter was good as well, but that’s it, just good. There were a couple of interesting local/regional beers on the menu, which is a plus. They were not great beers but at least I got to try something different (yes, I have become a beer snob). I've hit the main points already, but here's the link to my review of the Seascape for completeness.
After dinner we walked out on the rocky little beach area adjacent to the restaurant then out along the pier. The otters were nowhere in sight but there were lots of gulls floating amongst the fishing boats and lounging on the rocks. It was a very pleasant evening for a stroll on the waterfront.
There were a couple other tourists just leaving the platform when we arrived, and I lingered a bit longer after Lynn and Lisa started back up the trail just to enjoy the peace and solitude of the moment. It was quiet other than the crashing of the waves well below me and the sound of the breeze. Just a nice moment to take it all in.
We all took our time walking back up the hillside to the trailhead, taking a few breaks along the way to catch our breath. But this was also a good time to enjoy the sprigs of wild flowers that dotted the edge of the trail. Plus there were a few more animal sightings. I spotted a nice size lizard but it was not willing to pose for a portrait. There were a few swallows sailing about; they had bright white spots on their rumps, so maybe they were Violet-green Swallows. Hard to say. Back near the top of the trail I saw an Osprey perched in one of the dead trees, just surveying the surroundings. There was a second Osprey overhead, obviously on the way back from a successful hunting, or rather fishing trip, as it was clutching a nice size fish in its talons. Sure enough, the bird was carrying the fish with the fish’s head pointing into the wind just like it was swimming. An interpretive sign along the Snake River in Grand Teton National Park pointed this out as a trait of this raptor. Always cool to see these big birds of prey.
Our little hike to the viewing platform took just under an hour and it was now about 3:00, so time to get to the rental house. I sent a text to the caretaker to update our ETA, figuring a 4:00 arrival. The reply back was that Bailey, a member of their staff, would meet us there. We made a quick stop at the restaurant along the Requa Road just to get a feel for the place. Lisa went in to check it out; turns out that it is not a restaurant at all, but a B&B. Well, it looks like a nice place but we have already have our accommodations so we continued back to route 101. We stayed on the main road for the rest of the drive figuring that we can explore a side road or scenic drive tomorrow. But 101 provided plenty of interesting sights. The views along the highway were very pretty in general as we rolled along through the coastal hills, across wetlands and then through forested areas. Again, quite the variety. We passed through a few small, well, settlements. Not really anything big enough to be called a town. It was an odd mix. There was a place or two with new hotels and even a casino or two (Tribal lands) but a mostly these little collection of buildings were more run down areas. Whatever industry they had had seemingly come to a rusty standstill and they had not made any inroads on capturing part of the tourist trade other than through local artists. But by the looks of the wares displayed along the road, this folksy art was not to our taste.
The biggest excitement for the drive occurred as we were rounding a turn and dropping into a wide, green meadow. We could see a clump of trees a mile or so down the road where cars were lining both sides of the drive, and parked just anywhere they could. I knew immediately what was happening, based on our two trips to Yellowstone and Grand Teton: an animal jam! As we neared the debacle, I told Lynn and Lisa to watch for the cause of the confusion while I kept my eyes on the road and watched for the most unpredictable of critters, a tourist with a camera. And there were plenty of them about, all heading to the same spot, to see the Elk herd. There were twenty or so Elk cows and calves arrayed in the field along the road. I did not want to add to the already crowded conditions here in this already narrow section of the road so we just drove through slowly and kept on going. The Elk here in Redwood are Roosevelt Elk, one of four subspecies on Elk in North America. I little post-trip research told me that the Roosevelt Elk are the largest of the four subspecies, weighing up to 1100 pounds. The Elk that we have seen in Wyoming, Utah and Arizona are from the Rocky Mountain subspecies. There, I learned something new today.
The only stop we made before reaching the rental house was at the Kuchel Visitor Center for one more try at finding a jacket for Lynn. The visitor center was right off the highway, so just a short detour. Nice location too, very near the shore. The view behind the visitor center out over the ocean was great although a bit muted due to the haze. But the good news was that Lynn found her jacket. There was a whole rack of them here. Hey, those are nice jackets. Green with beige highlights, nice weight, reversible with a raincoat on one side and a fleece on the other, hood and a lovely embroidered logo of Redwood National Park. That would be perfect for spring and fall in along the north coast of Ohio. OK, I want a jacket. A pretty sweet deal for 30 bucks each. Now Lynn and I have one more way to look like geeky tourists with our matching jackets!
South of the visitor center highway 101 runs along the shore for a short stretch then weaves around a series of lagoons with a few additional shoreline runs. The lagoons look like great places for bird watching, although we did not note anything during our cruise by this afternoon. Perhaps just poor timing considering the time of day. We’ll see what we might spy tomorrow as we’ll be coming back this way in the morning.
We were a little later than expected getting to the house, arriving at 4:20. But Bailey was waiting patiently for us. She gave us the key and showed us around the place, going over house rules as she went. This is a very nice log house on a nicely landscaped and private plot of land, just a few miles north of Trinidad. We were on the wrong side of the road for an ocean view but we could still hear the surf. The Interior of the house was open and bright with a large kitchen-dining-living area. Lisa took one of the downstairs bedrooms and Lynn and I got the upstairs master suite, which was in a loft arrangement. The best part was the front porch, and we made good use of that space as a place to unwind each evening. Before Bailey left we asked her about grocery stores and dining recommendations; usually the locals know the best places.
We unloaded the Jeep, got our stuff organized then headed out to buy supplies. Bailey gave us a couple options for groceries, the closest being Murphy’s which was a small local market that should cover our needs for our short stay (she said there was a Safeway in the next town down the coast if we needed more selection). Murphy’s was fine as the location was close and convenient and it had most of what we were looking for, particularly since we are only staying two nights and not planning on cooking at the cabin (if we were planning on dining in, then the Safeway would have probably been the better option). The beer selection was better than I was expecting, so a bonus there. The kid at the checkout counter was kind of surly, which put a damper on the experience at the store. Sort of an unusual attitude for a clerk in a tourist town but anyone can have an occasional bad day, I reckon.
Once we had the groceries stored, it was time to think about dinner. Bailey gave us two recommendations, the Seaside Restaurant down on the water and the Lighthouse Grill. Lighthouse Grill was right next to Murphy’s so it did not have any kind of view (unless you like looking at grocery store parking lots) and otherwise did not look that impressive so we drove on down to the pier to check out Seaside. OK, selfishly I was looking for a better view than a parking lot.
We rolled into the parking lot down by the pier right about 5:00 and strolled over to the Seaside. Good timing and good luck as we were seating right away and got a table next to the large picture windows overlooking the beach and pier. I got the view I was hoping for. The bonus was that we saw a family of otters frolicking around on the rocks out in the little bay. There were four or five of them and they were there were several minutes before they swam off, probably looking for their dinner. That was the highlight of the meal.
While service was great, and the view was outstanding, the food was just good. Average. Nothing special. Honestly I was expecting better based on the reviews and the fact that this is a seaside town. I started with the chowder which tasted fine but has a very gritty texture, I mean sandy gritty. The grilled seafood platter was good as well, but that’s it, just good. There were a couple of interesting local/regional beers on the menu, which is a plus. They were not great beers but at least I got to try something different (yes, I have become a beer snob). I've hit the main points already, but here's the link to my review of the Seascape for completeness.
After dinner we walked out on the rocky little beach area adjacent to the restaurant then out along the pier. The otters were nowhere in sight but there were lots of gulls floating amongst the fishing boats and lounging on the rocks. It was a very pleasant evening for a stroll on the waterfront.
We were home about 6:30 and on the front porch for a relaxing evening. I had a beer and a bag of M&M’s so the makings for a great end of the day. A very peaceful evening with no road noise. We could hear the ocean through the screen of trees. We reviewed the highlights from today and made our plans for tomorrow. The main event for tomorrow will be checking out the tidal pools at Enderts Beach which will require an early-ish start. We agree to be on the road by 0730. There were a lot of great sounding hiking options but based on the conversations with the Rangers at the visitor centers, the Tall Trees Trail sounds like great option, so we’ll try for a permit for that trail after the tidal pools. We’ll probably also drive the Drury Scenic Road. That will probably keep us busy most of the day but hopefully we can still have some down time here on the porch in the afternoon either before or after dinner. Speaking of dinner, we spotted an interesting looking place just a couple hundred yards back down the road from the cabin (figure it’s like a long par 4 from our driveway to the restaurant parking lot). I Googled the place and found the website for Larrupin Café then and checked the reviews on TripAdvisor. Sort of an eclectic sounding place but the menu was certainly interesting. It was the number one restaurant in Trinidad according to TA (Seascape was number seven, for the record). We decided to give it a whirl. I called and made a reservation. OK, plan set.
Per our standard operating procedures, we went through the critter sightings for the day. Actually a pretty good list but then we did cover a lot of territory:
Per our standard operating procedures, we went through the critter sightings for the day. Actually a pretty good list but then we did cover a lot of territory:
Weather-wise today was hard to best. It was bright and sunny, probably mid 60s in Medford when we left this morning. Along the coast there was a light fog that put a haze on the distant views, but it was generally blue sky and sunny overhead. Overall, cool and dry, which was a welcome change from the heat and humidity we have had back east. Temperatures again in the mid-60s here along the coast with a cool breeze. Basically jacket weather, although it did get kind of toasty in the sun when the wind died.
We stayed out on the porch until about 8:40, just enjoying the pleasant evening and one final beer. A nice end to the first full day of our OR-CA loop.
Day 3 - Sunday, August 7 - Tidal Pools to Tall Trees. Cramp! In my calf! Ow! Ow! Ow! I'm awake now! 0425. But the cramp passed quickly and I catnapped until 0500 then got up feeling well rested. The early night seems to have been a good thing.
Lynn and I went over the plan for tomorrow since we were set up for today. The drive to the next rental house just outside of Lassen Volcanic National Park should take just over four hours according to Google maps so we have plenty of time to explore long the way. The thought is that we'll stop in Redding for lunch and supplies since this is the largest burg that we'll be driving through and there does not seem to be a lot of options for supplies or dining right around Lassen. Perhaps just buy heat and eat stuff in Redding, and we'll cook dinners. Keep it simple, right? Well, it looked like a good plan on paper anyway.
Simple breakfast, just a bagel, yogurt and juice but that's good enough for me with a day of hiking ahead. We all enjoyed a little quiet time this morning, just hanging our around the cabin, then got our gear together and loaded up for the day's adventures. We were pulling away from the cabin at 0720, heading to route 101 north.
Looks like another lovely day in the making as we have a cool but pleasant morning, a bit foggy with low hanging clouds, but not a hard overcast as there were patches of blue peeking through. But the less than bright sky made it easy on the eyes for driving. The drive up 101 went very smoothly with very little in the way of traffic. We spotted a black-tailed deer doe grazing along the side of the highway not long after entering. The lagoons, while quiet yesterday afternoon, were teeming with wading birds this morning. We saw several Egrets and a couple Great Blue Herons as we drove across the causeway at the Big Lagoon. The Elk herd was out again this morning, in the same general area where we saw them yesterday, just across the meadow further away from the highway. If I remember correctly this was in Elk Meadow. The map indicated that the area by the road where we saw them yesterday is called Berry Glenn. Today they were lounging about the cabins of Elk Meadow Lodge. The construction sites that we passed yesterday were all dormant this morning, so no delays to speak of. We made to Enderts Beach trailhead in plenty of time as we were on a schedule driven by the tide charts. I was a little surprised that there were only two other cars in the lot when we arrived. I figured that the tidal pools would be a bigger draw. But that's OK as it should make for a more peaceful time on the beach. It was right at 8:40 when we started down the trail to the beach so we were well ahead of low tide at 9:17 AM.
The trail to the beach is downhill all the way and much of it is like walking through a tunnel due to the trees growing over and across the trail. Along some stretches the trees have been trimmed to give an archway appearance. This part of the trail runs near the edge of the cliff overlooking the beach and the ocean. The views looking down into the bright blue water were wonderful. The weather conditions here were similar to what we left in Trinidad. As it was a cool morning it felt good to have the fleece. It was foggy along the coast and up into the hills adjacent to the beach and there appeared to be a haze out over the ocean but right here over the beach was a lovely blue sky morning. We only saw two other hikers as we made our way down to the beach, a dad and his young daughter came whizzing past us. He explained that the little girl was very excited to see the tidal pools as they raced down the trail and out of sight. As we continued down the hill the trail turned away from the coast, following the contours of the valley but then made a hairpin turn back toward the ocean. Lots of berry bushes along this stretch, which attracted lots of little gone birds. There was also a nice selection of wild flowers here as well, mostly tall stalks with lavender blooms along with stands of Cow Parsnip. We passed the campsite and the Johnny house just beyond the hairpin turn. Lisa chided Lynn that she might want to stop here. We kept going and were soon overlooking the beach. The final length of the trail worked south along the rocks parallel to the beach. We spotted a couple big, black wading birds out in the surf and stopped to observe and get a photo or two. Glad we snapped the shutter quickly as the hikers who came up behind us (mom and young daughter…they were the other half of the dad-daughter pair who passed us earlier so these two were playing catch up) just blew around us and startled the birds. Oh, well. But we had enough to figure out what they were even if the images were not wall worthy. New additional to the life list with an American Black Oystercatcher.
We climbed down the final few feet to the wide expanse of sand. It was low tide, or very nearly so, at Enderts Beach. Lynn paused to change out of her hiking shoes and into her Crocs. She was planning on splashing in the surf. I opted to leave my Crocs dangling from my daypack as the beach looks pretty solid so maybe I can see the pools without getting too wet. So Lisa and I hiked north toward the rocks where the few other folks on the beach had gathered. Lynn said she would catch up.
We stayed out on the porch until about 8:40, just enjoying the pleasant evening and one final beer. A nice end to the first full day of our OR-CA loop.
Day 3 - Sunday, August 7 - Tidal Pools to Tall Trees. Cramp! In my calf! Ow! Ow! Ow! I'm awake now! 0425. But the cramp passed quickly and I catnapped until 0500 then got up feeling well rested. The early night seems to have been a good thing.
Lynn and I went over the plan for tomorrow since we were set up for today. The drive to the next rental house just outside of Lassen Volcanic National Park should take just over four hours according to Google maps so we have plenty of time to explore long the way. The thought is that we'll stop in Redding for lunch and supplies since this is the largest burg that we'll be driving through and there does not seem to be a lot of options for supplies or dining right around Lassen. Perhaps just buy heat and eat stuff in Redding, and we'll cook dinners. Keep it simple, right? Well, it looked like a good plan on paper anyway.
Simple breakfast, just a bagel, yogurt and juice but that's good enough for me with a day of hiking ahead. We all enjoyed a little quiet time this morning, just hanging our around the cabin, then got our gear together and loaded up for the day's adventures. We were pulling away from the cabin at 0720, heading to route 101 north.
Looks like another lovely day in the making as we have a cool but pleasant morning, a bit foggy with low hanging clouds, but not a hard overcast as there were patches of blue peeking through. But the less than bright sky made it easy on the eyes for driving. The drive up 101 went very smoothly with very little in the way of traffic. We spotted a black-tailed deer doe grazing along the side of the highway not long after entering. The lagoons, while quiet yesterday afternoon, were teeming with wading birds this morning. We saw several Egrets and a couple Great Blue Herons as we drove across the causeway at the Big Lagoon. The Elk herd was out again this morning, in the same general area where we saw them yesterday, just across the meadow further away from the highway. If I remember correctly this was in Elk Meadow. The map indicated that the area by the road where we saw them yesterday is called Berry Glenn. Today they were lounging about the cabins of Elk Meadow Lodge. The construction sites that we passed yesterday were all dormant this morning, so no delays to speak of. We made to Enderts Beach trailhead in plenty of time as we were on a schedule driven by the tide charts. I was a little surprised that there were only two other cars in the lot when we arrived. I figured that the tidal pools would be a bigger draw. But that's OK as it should make for a more peaceful time on the beach. It was right at 8:40 when we started down the trail to the beach so we were well ahead of low tide at 9:17 AM.
The trail to the beach is downhill all the way and much of it is like walking through a tunnel due to the trees growing over and across the trail. Along some stretches the trees have been trimmed to give an archway appearance. This part of the trail runs near the edge of the cliff overlooking the beach and the ocean. The views looking down into the bright blue water were wonderful. The weather conditions here were similar to what we left in Trinidad. As it was a cool morning it felt good to have the fleece. It was foggy along the coast and up into the hills adjacent to the beach and there appeared to be a haze out over the ocean but right here over the beach was a lovely blue sky morning. We only saw two other hikers as we made our way down to the beach, a dad and his young daughter came whizzing past us. He explained that the little girl was very excited to see the tidal pools as they raced down the trail and out of sight. As we continued down the hill the trail turned away from the coast, following the contours of the valley but then made a hairpin turn back toward the ocean. Lots of berry bushes along this stretch, which attracted lots of little gone birds. There was also a nice selection of wild flowers here as well, mostly tall stalks with lavender blooms along with stands of Cow Parsnip. We passed the campsite and the Johnny house just beyond the hairpin turn. Lisa chided Lynn that she might want to stop here. We kept going and were soon overlooking the beach. The final length of the trail worked south along the rocks parallel to the beach. We spotted a couple big, black wading birds out in the surf and stopped to observe and get a photo or two. Glad we snapped the shutter quickly as the hikers who came up behind us (mom and young daughter…they were the other half of the dad-daughter pair who passed us earlier so these two were playing catch up) just blew around us and startled the birds. Oh, well. But we had enough to figure out what they were even if the images were not wall worthy. New additional to the life list with an American Black Oystercatcher.
We climbed down the final few feet to the wide expanse of sand. It was low tide, or very nearly so, at Enderts Beach. Lynn paused to change out of her hiking shoes and into her Crocs. She was planning on splashing in the surf. I opted to leave my Crocs dangling from my daypack as the beach looks pretty solid so maybe I can see the pools without getting too wet. So Lisa and I hiked north toward the rocks where the few other folks on the beach had gathered. Lynn said she would catch up.
This is a sandy beach but there are some interesting rocks scattered about. Big ones, grey with white seams. Sort of cool. We continued along the beach, walking in the damp, well-packed sand. Easy going and my shoes are staying dry. We were almost beneath the trailhead parking by the time we reached the rocky outcroppings that housed the tidal pools. It was about 9:00 when we got to the pools, so the tide was still officially receding, but there was still plenty to see: sea stars, anemones, mussels and crabs. Well, pieces of crab, anyway. For something that looks so tough they must get their crab butts kicked more often than not. I think that the only live crab that we spotted was a little guy that was well on its way to being breakfast for a gull.
The first set of pools that we reached were in a low rock outcropping and the surf was still washing over them. The rocks were completely encrusted with shells, anemone and other squishy sea critters so we stayed on the sand and walked around the periphery rather and on the rocks. The family that passed us on the tail were on the rocks getting a closer look. I’m not sure that was the right thing to do, but there were no "stay off the rocks" signs.
We continued up the beach, working our way to the next set of rocks. There were more low outcroppings that held the pools as well as some larger rocks which had some photographic interest. Here the rocks straddled the width of the beach all the way to the face of the cliff. There were many pools here, both big and small, containing lots of critters. Many sea stars were clinging to the rocks or were partially buried in the sand. The ones we saw were either bright orange or a dark purple. I think the most abundant of the brightly colored critters were the giant green anemone as they were adorning the rocks all over the beach. The ones that were still under water were displaying their stubby green plumage. Once the tide receded the anemone retract their arms, I guess to protect themselves while out of the water. There were shells all over the rocks, mostly black but with an iridescent look to them, but there were also more colorful shells scattered along the beach. Also covering the beach were scores of Gulls looking for tasty seafood. They were everywhere but were willing the share the beach with the tourists (besides us and the family who passed us on the trail there were maybe ten other people around the pools when we arrived; more came down the trail later but it was never crowded). There were a few Cormorants standing guard out on the rocks just off the beach plus a Turkey Vulture sunning there as well.
The first set of pools that we reached were in a low rock outcropping and the surf was still washing over them. The rocks were completely encrusted with shells, anemone and other squishy sea critters so we stayed on the sand and walked around the periphery rather and on the rocks. The family that passed us on the tail were on the rocks getting a closer look. I’m not sure that was the right thing to do, but there were no "stay off the rocks" signs.
We continued up the beach, working our way to the next set of rocks. There were more low outcroppings that held the pools as well as some larger rocks which had some photographic interest. Here the rocks straddled the width of the beach all the way to the face of the cliff. There were many pools here, both big and small, containing lots of critters. Many sea stars were clinging to the rocks or were partially buried in the sand. The ones we saw were either bright orange or a dark purple. I think the most abundant of the brightly colored critters were the giant green anemone as they were adorning the rocks all over the beach. The ones that were still under water were displaying their stubby green plumage. Once the tide receded the anemone retract their arms, I guess to protect themselves while out of the water. There were shells all over the rocks, mostly black but with an iridescent look to them, but there were also more colorful shells scattered along the beach. Also covering the beach were scores of Gulls looking for tasty seafood. They were everywhere but were willing the share the beach with the tourists (besides us and the family who passed us on the trail there were maybe ten other people around the pools when we arrived; more came down the trail later but it was never crowded). There were a few Cormorants standing guard out on the rocks just off the beach plus a Turkey Vulture sunning there as well.
Lynn was having a ball splashing in the surf. She was taking full advantage of her wading shoes although she never got in more than ankle-deep. Lisa and I stayed out of the water for the most part, but by watching the ebb and flow of the surf, I was able to get to the pools lower on the beach and still keep my shoes dry. We walked north along the beach to a point directly under the tall, vertical cliff where the trail started. At that point it seemed that we had run out of pools to explore and it was now past low-tide, so we reversed our course and walked south toward trail. Lynn continued to march through the water while Lisa and I made our way over the hard packed wet sand.
We continued our walk past the trail along the beach to an arm of rock extending out into the ocean. The beach here was rockier and had a lot of shells, piles of seaweed, and driftwood. There were also several huge logs tossed up against the base of the cliff here. I guess this is where the current and tides deposit the debris that flows down out of the rivers and streams. The main attraction at this end of the beach was the large rock formation that ran out into the ocean. There were several breaks and crevices in the large grey rock and at least a couple passages, arches, through the formation. There was a great collection of colors here; the grey rocks with a blanket of green over the top, surrounded by the dark blue water with a lighter sky providing the backdrop. There were a few more gulls out on the rocks in this area of the beach. We also startled a Great Blue Heron on the larger rocks but he just flew up to a higher perch and settled in.
We continued our walk past the trail along the beach to an arm of rock extending out into the ocean. The beach here was rockier and had a lot of shells, piles of seaweed, and driftwood. There were also several huge logs tossed up against the base of the cliff here. I guess this is where the current and tides deposit the debris that flows down out of the rivers and streams. The main attraction at this end of the beach was the large rock formation that ran out into the ocean. There were several breaks and crevices in the large grey rock and at least a couple passages, arches, through the formation. There was a great collection of colors here; the grey rocks with a blanket of green over the top, surrounded by the dark blue water with a lighter sky providing the backdrop. There were a few more gulls out on the rocks in this area of the beach. We also startled a Great Blue Heron on the larger rocks but he just flew up to a higher perch and settled in.
We spent about an hour and a half exploring on the beach, then hit the trail for the climb back to the parking lot. We took our time and enjoyed the views from the trail as we retraced our route to the top and we tried to identify the birds thrashing about in the berry bushes, but with very little success (OK, no success). The only bird that I got a decent photo of on the return hike was a Cedar Waxwing near the top of the trail.
Once back at the trailhead walked across the parking lot and along the short trail to the Crescent Beach Overlook. This was just a short, flat walk with the trail lined with wildflowers, leading to a viewing platform about two hundred feet above the beach, which provided a grand vista from the ocean and the wide beach stretching out along the coast to the north. In the trees on the hillside below the viewing platform were several large birds flittering about. We were not sure what these were at first but I zoomed on a couple of them with my trusty SX50. Some sort of dove or pigeon. Studying the photos later, I think these were Band-tailed Pigeons.
Once back at the trailhead walked across the parking lot and along the short trail to the Crescent Beach Overlook. This was just a short, flat walk with the trail lined with wildflowers, leading to a viewing platform about two hundred feet above the beach, which provided a grand vista from the ocean and the wide beach stretching out along the coast to the north. In the trees on the hillside below the viewing platform were several large birds flittering about. We were not sure what these were at first but I zoomed on a couple of them with my trusty SX50. Some sort of dove or pigeon. Studying the photos later, I think these were Band-tailed Pigeons.
This was a great little hike. The Ramblr track was 3.2 miles. The hike down to the beach was only about 20 minutes so a minimal investment to get to the big payday. But there was such a great variety of views and flowers and critters all along the trail down to the beach which made every step of the hike a great experience. The tidal pools were of course the star of the show, and they were fascinating. The colors of the invertebrates and contours and textures of the shell encrusted rocks made for an extremely interesting walk on the beach. The antics of the gulls looking for breakfast just added to the fun. Overall this was a lot of fun and a great way to spend the morning. And it still wasn’t quite noon.
Here are the links to the photos and the hiking track for our time at Enderts Beach.
We loaded into the Jeep and headed out for our next adventure. Back to 101 going south, just enjoying the views. We detoured onto the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway which took us through the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. Simply lovely. We made no stops until we were nearly to the southern end of the scenic byway, we just cruised through and enjoyed scenery. Near the end of the drive along the parkway we did stop at the Prairie Creek Visitor Center to see if we could get a permit for the Tall Trees Trail. No issues at all, except for the short wait at the information desk. We were the first folks to get a permit for today from this location. Really what you are getting is the code to the gate that blocks the road to the trailhead so that the Park Service can limit the number of vehicles on the road and hikers on the trail. The helpful young lady volunteer said that the drive time to the trailhead would be about 45 minutes. Cool, plenty of daylight left to get in this hike.
The driving distance to the trailhead is not that far, but the winding nature of the road and its overall condition make for a slow trip. From the Prairie Creek Visitor Center to the gate guarding the trailhead access road out along Bald Hill was right at 12 miles, then another seven miles to the trailhead after getting through the gate. The odd thing was that the dirt access road was in better shape, relatively speaking, than the paved yet pothole riddled Bald Hills Road. Not a lot of traffic on Bald Hills Road but there were a few folks out. Good timing for us at the gate as two other cars were coming out so they waved us through since they were already out of the car and had the gate open. I think we may have passed more cars on the dirt road than on Bald Hills Road. I was shocked at the number of cars in the lot, probably 20 at least. Obviously a popular trail. Maybe the lure of having to have a permit gives the trail a bit of a mystique? We found a slot for the Patriot at the far end of the lot, got our packs and started off to the trailhead. It was 1:10 when I started our track on my Ramblr app.
Here are the links to the photos and the hiking track for our time at Enderts Beach.
We loaded into the Jeep and headed out for our next adventure. Back to 101 going south, just enjoying the views. We detoured onto the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway which took us through the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. Simply lovely. We made no stops until we were nearly to the southern end of the scenic byway, we just cruised through and enjoyed scenery. Near the end of the drive along the parkway we did stop at the Prairie Creek Visitor Center to see if we could get a permit for the Tall Trees Trail. No issues at all, except for the short wait at the information desk. We were the first folks to get a permit for today from this location. Really what you are getting is the code to the gate that blocks the road to the trailhead so that the Park Service can limit the number of vehicles on the road and hikers on the trail. The helpful young lady volunteer said that the drive time to the trailhead would be about 45 minutes. Cool, plenty of daylight left to get in this hike.
The driving distance to the trailhead is not that far, but the winding nature of the road and its overall condition make for a slow trip. From the Prairie Creek Visitor Center to the gate guarding the trailhead access road out along Bald Hill was right at 12 miles, then another seven miles to the trailhead after getting through the gate. The odd thing was that the dirt access road was in better shape, relatively speaking, than the paved yet pothole riddled Bald Hills Road. Not a lot of traffic on Bald Hills Road but there were a few folks out. Good timing for us at the gate as two other cars were coming out so they waved us through since they were already out of the car and had the gate open. I think we may have passed more cars on the dirt road than on Bald Hills Road. I was shocked at the number of cars in the lot, probably 20 at least. Obviously a popular trail. Maybe the lure of having to have a permit gives the trail a bit of a mystique? We found a slot for the Patriot at the far end of the lot, got our packs and started off to the trailhead. It was 1:10 when I started our track on my Ramblr app.
So, the Tall Trees Trail was like the Stout Grove Trail on steroids; longer trail, significantly more elevation change, but lots of big tree views as well as river access. Plus there were some critter sightings along the trail today, a few squirrels, several Steller’s Jays and a few gone birds. Saying this is a nice walk in the woods is a bit of an understatement. But it was a nice hike and we were certainly in the woods, so I’ll go with it. Our hike was a little over four miles. The trailhead is at 800 feet above sea level, so well above the actual Tall Trees Grove. The trail to the grove works gradually down the side of the hill over about 1.5 miles, losing about 700 feet in elevation. But the trail is shaded by the high canopy all the way in to the valley that contains Redwood Creek and shelters the grove. There are a few fallen trees hanging over the trail, in fact there is one huge Redwood through which a tunnel was carved to allow us hikers to get down the trail. It was along the downhill trail to the grove where we saw most of the critters. Several squirrels scampering about on the trees near the trail, some of them were letting the hikers know who was in charge here (here’s a hint, it’s the squirrels).
The trail down to the grove is wide and smooth so very easy to walk along. Plenty wide for hiking traffic to pass. The nature of the trail change once we got down in the valley and the grove. It was much narrower track with roots scattered about just waiting to reach up and grab you by the ankle, so a little caution is needed. But the loop through the grove is flat down here in the creek valley. Once we reached the loop we took the trail on our left, so we went through the grove in a clockwise direction. This must have been the typical way to go as I do not recall passing anyone coming the other direction as we walked through the grove.
The loop through the Tall Trees is a little over a mile, but it packs in a nice variety (there’s that word again) in terms of the views of the trees. The Redwoods are the main attraction, but there are ferns providing ground cover along most of the trail as well as a section of the loop featuring mosses covering and dangling from the limbs of the smaller trees. We also took the short side trail out on to the wide, gravel bank of Redwood Creek, which provided completely different perspective. The trail through the grove was actually rather dark and a little damp, as you might expect, but out here in the open along the creek it was warm, almost hot, as we stood under a clear blue sky. It was almost like walking out of an air-conditioned house and into the backyard on a summer day. Here's the link to the Ramblr track.
The trail down to the grove is wide and smooth so very easy to walk along. Plenty wide for hiking traffic to pass. The nature of the trail change once we got down in the valley and the grove. It was much narrower track with roots scattered about just waiting to reach up and grab you by the ankle, so a little caution is needed. But the loop through the grove is flat down here in the creek valley. Once we reached the loop we took the trail on our left, so we went through the grove in a clockwise direction. This must have been the typical way to go as I do not recall passing anyone coming the other direction as we walked through the grove.
The loop through the Tall Trees is a little over a mile, but it packs in a nice variety (there’s that word again) in terms of the views of the trees. The Redwoods are the main attraction, but there are ferns providing ground cover along most of the trail as well as a section of the loop featuring mosses covering and dangling from the limbs of the smaller trees. We also took the short side trail out on to the wide, gravel bank of Redwood Creek, which provided completely different perspective. The trail through the grove was actually rather dark and a little damp, as you might expect, but out here in the open along the creek it was warm, almost hot, as we stood under a clear blue sky. It was almost like walking out of an air-conditioned house and into the backyard on a summer day. Here's the link to the Ramblr track.
Considering the number of cars in the parking lot, I was surprised at the lack of hikers on the trail. Seems we passed most folks on the access trail again we say very few in the grove. In fact, for the most part I was on my own as I lagged behind Lynn and Lisa studying the flora and marveling at the behemoth Redwoods, so the girls were usually ahead of me and just out of sight around a bend in the trail. It was quiet and peaceful here in the grove. Just the sounds of the wind in the trees and the birds singing. I tried to capture the sounds and was partially successful with the birds.
The only downside was it was difficult for me to get a good photo due to the subdued lighting. While my SX50 works great in the openness of the desert southwest, it takes a little coaxing in lower light conditions. Really it is more the photographer than the equipment, as the camera can get the shots but the person holding the device ha to understand which buttons to push and what settings to use. I’m all about setting it to “Auto” and hoping for the best. OK, maybe not my best effort, but here the photo gallery from our adventures this afternoon.
I caught up with the girls as we were completing the loop through the grove and we all walked back up the hill together. I’m not sure how we got on the subject, but we talked about tiny houses and “Buying Alaska” on hike up to the trailhead. We all agree that we don’t want live in a tiny house and while we all want to visit Alaska, it was not on anybody’s list as a permanent residence. Too many opportunities to get eaten while walking to the outhouse.
It seemed like there were more folks coming down the trail as we were hiking out, but there were fewer cars in the lot when we reached the trailhead. Not really sure how that adds up, but that’s the data. I took a few minutes to read the interpretive signs near the trailhead. The one that really caught my attention was about the Marbled Murrelet, a seabird that flies inland, maybe as far as 70 miles, to lay its eggs in the branches of the Redwoods and other conifers. Seems this birds is faced with a couple of conservation challenges. First is loss of habitat so fewer nesting sites. Second is increased harassment by Crows and Steller’s Jays which is linked to tourists. Seems that here again is another reason to NOT feed the wildlife. Crows, Ravens and Jays, corvids in general, are opportunists and we, the visitors, are drawing these birds into the area by feeding them, either overtly or accidentally. Once they were drawn in, they look for other food sources which includes the eggs and hatchlings of the Marbled Murrelet. So the message here is to help the threatened Murrelet by not feeding the corvids and not littering.
We were loaded up and leaving the trailhead area about 3:30. There were still cars coming into the area, but there was still plenty of light left to complete the hike. I was very glad that the access road was as wide as it was as there was more than one maniac driver coming down the hill this afternoon. Not meaning to stereotype here, but the crazy drivers were all kids in pickups.
Back at the gate, Lisa volunteered to unlock and open the barrier. Lynn gave her the number and Lisa walked to the gate. And we waited. And watched. And waited. Lynn commented that Lisa did not have her glasses and probably could not see the numbers on the combination lock. Sure enough, Lisa waved for Lynn to bring her eyes to the gate.
Once back on Bald Hills Road we made one more stop at the Redwood Creek Overlook. The overlook is 2100 feet above sea level, so well above the hike we just made. While I could not tell if we could see the Tall Tree Grove from this point it at least gave us a nice perspective on the area and the type of terrain that we had just explored. The vista faces west over the valley holding Redwood Creek. We could see out over the ocean as well, mostly just the clouds and haze but we could tell where it was.
I caught up with the girls as we were completing the loop through the grove and we all walked back up the hill together. I’m not sure how we got on the subject, but we talked about tiny houses and “Buying Alaska” on hike up to the trailhead. We all agree that we don’t want live in a tiny house and while we all want to visit Alaska, it was not on anybody’s list as a permanent residence. Too many opportunities to get eaten while walking to the outhouse.
It seemed like there were more folks coming down the trail as we were hiking out, but there were fewer cars in the lot when we reached the trailhead. Not really sure how that adds up, but that’s the data. I took a few minutes to read the interpretive signs near the trailhead. The one that really caught my attention was about the Marbled Murrelet, a seabird that flies inland, maybe as far as 70 miles, to lay its eggs in the branches of the Redwoods and other conifers. Seems this birds is faced with a couple of conservation challenges. First is loss of habitat so fewer nesting sites. Second is increased harassment by Crows and Steller’s Jays which is linked to tourists. Seems that here again is another reason to NOT feed the wildlife. Crows, Ravens and Jays, corvids in general, are opportunists and we, the visitors, are drawing these birds into the area by feeding them, either overtly or accidentally. Once they were drawn in, they look for other food sources which includes the eggs and hatchlings of the Marbled Murrelet. So the message here is to help the threatened Murrelet by not feeding the corvids and not littering.
We were loaded up and leaving the trailhead area about 3:30. There were still cars coming into the area, but there was still plenty of light left to complete the hike. I was very glad that the access road was as wide as it was as there was more than one maniac driver coming down the hill this afternoon. Not meaning to stereotype here, but the crazy drivers were all kids in pickups.
Back at the gate, Lisa volunteered to unlock and open the barrier. Lynn gave her the number and Lisa walked to the gate. And we waited. And watched. And waited. Lynn commented that Lisa did not have her glasses and probably could not see the numbers on the combination lock. Sure enough, Lisa waved for Lynn to bring her eyes to the gate.
Once back on Bald Hills Road we made one more stop at the Redwood Creek Overlook. The overlook is 2100 feet above sea level, so well above the hike we just made. While I could not tell if we could see the Tall Tree Grove from this point it at least gave us a nice perspective on the area and the type of terrain that we had just explored. The vista faces west over the valley holding Redwood Creek. We could see out over the ocean as well, mostly just the clouds and haze but we could tell where it was.
We were home about 4:30 and quickly on the porch with a beer. The brew of choice this afternoon as an IPA from Mad River Brewing in nearby Blue Lake, CA. It was an average beer, nothing special. Reservations were made for dinner at Larrupin Café at 8:00, so we had plenty of time to chill a bit as still get cleaned up. We discussed the plan for Monday. There should be time for another hike in the park in the morning but we all felt that we had a good enough sampling of Redwood National Park. This is certainly a wonderful park and a beautiful area but the consensus is that it is time to move on to new adventures. So no rush tomorrow morning, we’ll just get ready and go in a leisurely fashion as we make our way to our next stop at Lassen Volcanic National Park. Check in time at our rental house in Viola is at 4:00 so we have all day. Whiskytown National Recreation Area is on the way and might make a place to break up the drive. I did a little looking on the National Parks Service website and noted that there were some nice looking waterfall hikes. We also planned to stop in Redding for lunch and to buy supplies as that is the biggest town on our route to Lassen. Google maps indicated that the drive time from Trinidad to Viola was just under four hours so we should not have to push hard on the drive.
Lynn also reminded me to compile the critter list for today. Here’s what we came up with:
Lynn also reminded me to compile the critter list for today. Here’s what we came up with:
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We left for dinner right at 8:00. Larrupin Cafe was close enough to walk but there were no sidewalks along the road so we played it safe. We were seated right away when we arrived at a table in the upstairs part of the facility. There was patio with live music, so overall a pretty happening place. The décor was a bit on the eclectic side. There were a couple of large multi-colored blown glass chandeliers that were very cool. Service was great and the food was outstanding. We started with the appetizer platter which included a plum-apricot spread, strong homemade pumpernickel bread, etc. I very nice start. Lisa had a chicken dish, Lynn the brisket which was a bit on the fatty side and I had the sockeye salmon which was quite spicy. I’ll just go with it was awesome! The twice-baked potato was also excellent. This all went well with the tasty IPA from Redwood Curtain Brewing out of Arcata, CA. Nice combination and very filling. But that did not stop us from trying the crème brule with big blueberries for dessert …amazing. I predict that this will be the best meal of the trip. The meal is a bit of an event as we were there for about an hour and thirty minutes. But there was still a good flow to the courses as we never really waited for anything and had plenty of time to enjoy each dish. We were stuffed by the time we were done, so it was straight to bed once we got home.
Day 4 – Monday, August 8 – Trinidad to Viola. Today is a perfect example of why we try to build flexibility in to our plans. Sometimes plans just go awry. Nothing bad occurred, just our timing was off throughout the day for the most part. I’ll explain as we go.
Day 4 – Monday, August 8 – Trinidad to Viola. Today is a perfect example of why we try to build flexibility in to our plans. Sometimes plans just go awry. Nothing bad occurred, just our timing was off throughout the day for the most part. I’ll explain as we go.
The day started off pretty much as expected. We were up early as usual. While having breakfast, Lynn and Lisa spotted a Banana Slug making its way across the deck. All that time in the woods and we finally find one right here at the house. I went out to get a photo of the slimy little critter and ended us walking the grounds a bit. The cabin sits on a small lot, but it is nicely landscaped and includes a water feature. There is a short trail that winds through the trees around the cabin. Heavy fog this morning. The fog and mist was hanging in the trees, giving yard a gray look. There were several birds flitting about in the trees behind the cabin, but I could not get a good look at them, so I’ll have to go with gone birds once again. Here's the photo gallery with images from around the cabin and elsewhere near Trinidad.
We were packed, loaded and ready to roll at 8:25. A little later than planned but our schedule was not hard and fast today. Our route was set and plugged into the GPS on the phone. We’ll go south on 101 then east on route 299 to Redding where we’ll connect with route 44 which will take us to Viola and our next rental house. We made two fuel stops, the first just south of Trinidad, I think in McKinleyville, then later in one of the little towns in the mountains. I’m finding that the Patriot does not have a large gas tank and as a results does not have great range.
We had a nice drive along route 299 through the mountains. Very scenic in places, although the road was a bit disconcerting at times, and this is from a guy who learned to drive on the mountain roads of southern West Virginia. In place of the coal trucks we have back home, here there are logging rigs and those guys drive like they own the road. The road is generally winding and narrow, so no real margin for error. Definitely a road that requires the complete attention of the driver. There were several pockets of construction as well. Most were just short delays, although there was only long wait at the largest operation toward the eastern end of the rolling highway not far from Whiskeytown. The construction delays added time to the trip, as did the anemic performance of the Patriot. The hamsters under the hood were getting a work out on the mountainous route and at time it seemed that the little Jeep just could not handle the climb.
We noticed that the further east we went the drier it got. Even though we were still in the mountains for most of the drive along 299, there were areas that were not green at all, other than in the deep canyons holding the rivers. Our route was often along the Trinity River, which provided some tourist and adventure opportunities. We spotted a few older resorts sprinkled through the area as well as some rafting outfitters here and there. But while dry it was also quite chilly at these higher elevations as I can attest when we stopped to feed the Patriot. Other than being brisk, the weather was beautiful as we were traveling under bright blue skies with a healthy scattering of puffy, white clouds.
The mountainous part of the drive seemed to run right up to the point where we came to the west end of Whiskeytown Lake. This is a good size like as we drove along it for six mile or so before reaching the dam and the visitor information center for Whiskeytown National Recreation Area. As we were coming to the turn into the park, we could see a set of buoys marking off a section of the lake next to the dam. Probably a no boat zone.
We pulled into the parking lot for the visitor center at 12:00, nearly an hour longer than I figured it was take to get here. The later starting time and the longer drive time a have eaten into the potential hiking period. The weather was also a key deciding factor regarding hiking as well. Driving along in the comfort of the Jeep and without the benefit of an outside air temperature reading in this basic vehicle, we did not realize how much warmer it was getting as we descended from the mountains. We still had the bright blue skies but now there was not a cloud to be seen, but the temperature here at the lower elevation was over 90 F. That might not be a lot of fun for a hike, but I went inside to ask the Rangers for a suggestion or two on short and nearby trails. That information ended up being moot as the girls had decided that due to the time of day and the current weather conditions that hiking did not sound like fun. So we just enjoyed the view of the lake for a few minutes and read the signs that provided information on the lake.
One of the signs discussed the buoys that we had spotted when we arrived. Turns out the buoys are not there to segregate boaters from swimmers but rather to separate cold water from warm water. These buoys are attached to a rubber curtain that drops 100 feet below the lake surface. A second curtain is anchored at the upper end of the lake and forces cold incoming water toward the lake bottom. The idea is to keep the cold water down and trap the sun-warmed surface water so that it cannot mix with the cold water. The cold water then flows below the curtain and exist the reservoir, bound for the Sacramento River. Now why would they go to all this trouble? The idea is to save the spawning grounds for the Chinook Salmon in the River. The eggs and fry require temperatures below 56 degrees F to survive. When the river was dammed, the water temperature started to rise and the Chinook population fell significantly. The curtain system used in Whiskeytown Lake is proving effective in cooling the water and helping the spawning salmon. Fascinating, Captain.
We were packed, loaded and ready to roll at 8:25. A little later than planned but our schedule was not hard and fast today. Our route was set and plugged into the GPS on the phone. We’ll go south on 101 then east on route 299 to Redding where we’ll connect with route 44 which will take us to Viola and our next rental house. We made two fuel stops, the first just south of Trinidad, I think in McKinleyville, then later in one of the little towns in the mountains. I’m finding that the Patriot does not have a large gas tank and as a results does not have great range.
We had a nice drive along route 299 through the mountains. Very scenic in places, although the road was a bit disconcerting at times, and this is from a guy who learned to drive on the mountain roads of southern West Virginia. In place of the coal trucks we have back home, here there are logging rigs and those guys drive like they own the road. The road is generally winding and narrow, so no real margin for error. Definitely a road that requires the complete attention of the driver. There were several pockets of construction as well. Most were just short delays, although there was only long wait at the largest operation toward the eastern end of the rolling highway not far from Whiskeytown. The construction delays added time to the trip, as did the anemic performance of the Patriot. The hamsters under the hood were getting a work out on the mountainous route and at time it seemed that the little Jeep just could not handle the climb.
We noticed that the further east we went the drier it got. Even though we were still in the mountains for most of the drive along 299, there were areas that were not green at all, other than in the deep canyons holding the rivers. Our route was often along the Trinity River, which provided some tourist and adventure opportunities. We spotted a few older resorts sprinkled through the area as well as some rafting outfitters here and there. But while dry it was also quite chilly at these higher elevations as I can attest when we stopped to feed the Patriot. Other than being brisk, the weather was beautiful as we were traveling under bright blue skies with a healthy scattering of puffy, white clouds.
The mountainous part of the drive seemed to run right up to the point where we came to the west end of Whiskeytown Lake. This is a good size like as we drove along it for six mile or so before reaching the dam and the visitor information center for Whiskeytown National Recreation Area. As we were coming to the turn into the park, we could see a set of buoys marking off a section of the lake next to the dam. Probably a no boat zone.
We pulled into the parking lot for the visitor center at 12:00, nearly an hour longer than I figured it was take to get here. The later starting time and the longer drive time a have eaten into the potential hiking period. The weather was also a key deciding factor regarding hiking as well. Driving along in the comfort of the Jeep and without the benefit of an outside air temperature reading in this basic vehicle, we did not realize how much warmer it was getting as we descended from the mountains. We still had the bright blue skies but now there was not a cloud to be seen, but the temperature here at the lower elevation was over 90 F. That might not be a lot of fun for a hike, but I went inside to ask the Rangers for a suggestion or two on short and nearby trails. That information ended up being moot as the girls had decided that due to the time of day and the current weather conditions that hiking did not sound like fun. So we just enjoyed the view of the lake for a few minutes and read the signs that provided information on the lake.
One of the signs discussed the buoys that we had spotted when we arrived. Turns out the buoys are not there to segregate boaters from swimmers but rather to separate cold water from warm water. These buoys are attached to a rubber curtain that drops 100 feet below the lake surface. A second curtain is anchored at the upper end of the lake and forces cold incoming water toward the lake bottom. The idea is to keep the cold water down and trap the sun-warmed surface water so that it cannot mix with the cold water. The cold water then flows below the curtain and exist the reservoir, bound for the Sacramento River. Now why would they go to all this trouble? The idea is to save the spawning grounds for the Chinook Salmon in the River. The eggs and fry require temperatures below 56 degrees F to survive. When the river was dammed, the water temperature started to rise and the Chinook population fell significantly. The curtain system used in Whiskeytown Lake is proving effective in cooling the water and helping the spawning salmon. Fascinating, Captain.
We loaded back into the Jeep and continued on to Redding. Well, at least the timing was good for lunch. I had done a little searching on the internet for interesting dining options, but the ones that spoke to me (brew pubs mostly) were closed on Monday. We had Baby guide us to a shopping mall area where we ended up at a Red Robin as it was convenient and relatively close to a grocery store. This is where the travel time really falls apart.
First of all, we were at Red Robin for well over an hour, closer to two hours. That’s just crazy! Usually these places are really fast at getting folks in and out, so I was a little shocked at ow ling we were there. Yes, there place was busy and there were a few larger parties, but there were also a lot of servers bustling about. No idea what was taking so long. The best theory that we had was that they were growing the chicken for Lynn’s sandwich from an egg. But while slow, the food was good and filling’ big burgers here. Since they had a local IPA on tap, I decided to have a beer (and with the long wait for lunch there was no worry about driving under the influence!). The Hexagenia IPA from Fall River Brewing right in in Redding was the best local beer I have had thus far on the trip. Good taste and a nice aroma although the feel was a little watery (I gave it a 3.5 on untappd.com).
Once we were done with our marathon lunch (about 2:00), we wound around the shopping are until we found the Safeway. I stayed with the vehicle while Lynn and Lisa went shopping. They were back shortly, telling tales of woe regarding the abysmal beer and wine selection. I thought that the northwest was supposed to be this craft beer Mecca. I mean there are tons of breweries in Oregon; maybe is just does not translate into California. I went in to see what I could find. Lynn was correct, the pickings were slim. There were some good choices but not a lot of local variety. I grabbed a six of Grapefruit Sculpin from Balast Point (a known winner) and the Apocalypse IPA from 10 Barrel Brewing out of Bend, OR, for a more local flare. That should get us through a few days. The girls had picked up a couple of deli sandwiches, cheese and crackers and restocked our breakfast supplies, so we should be good for our time in Viola, which would be our next stop.
I reckon we were finally leaving Redding about 3:00, going east on route 44. An uneventful trip the rest of the way. Lynn spotted a big hawk cruising along the road. It had two wide, dark bars on its tail. Maybe a Red-shouldered hawk? Hard to say. We noted the few stores and dining options as we drove through Shingletown. Baby guided us right to our rental house, which is tucked back off a little side road adjacent to a Christian youth camp. The time was now 4:00, so right on time for check-in, at least the timing was good there. Seven-and-a-half hours after leaving Trinidad, so have completed our journey. OK, much longer than expected even figuring in the stops, but overall, an easy trip, well, other than a little white-knuckle driving through the mountains.
The cabin was in a very nice setting on a quiet, “residential” street; just other vacation cabins. Sort of tucked into a little valley, with the hillside behind the house and a couple of ponds (part of the youth camp) across the street. We quickly unloaded our stuff and got things organized in the cabin. The place was clean, comfortable and inviting. Nice size bedrooms and a large open kitchen, dining, living area that also opened into the back patio. A very nice set up. Nancy, the owner of the rental house, had left us some goodies as well. A week or so prior to the trip, Nancy had contacted me with the final details about our stay (directions to the house, where to find the key…those important details). She also asked about our preference in terms of wine. I told her that the ladies prefer semi-sweet to dry white, like a pinot grigio or chenin blanc….whatever that means; I just relayed the data from Lynn! But I’m strictly a beer drinker and am always in the look-out for a good IPA, particularly the local craft brews. She took these notes to heart as there welcome basket with a variety of snacks (cookies, crackers, nuts and the like) and a nice bottle of white wine on the kitchen counter when we arrived. But more importantly, there was a six-pack of Torpedoes chilling in the refrigerator. While I would not call Sierra Nevada a local craft brewery, it is at least west coast and this is probably my favorite of the brews they make. Well played, Nancy! I sent Nancy a text saying that we were safely in the house, that all was well and thanking her for the treats. I was sitting on the back patio, Torpedo in hand by 4:30.
Once we had all adjourned to the back yard we settled in and enjoyed the pleasant late afternoon. Still nice and sunny with just a few clouds. Much cooler here, so jackets were needed. The bird feeder was full and was getting plenty of attention from the locals as was the little water feature next to the patio. The raucous Steller’s Jays were first to arrive and they let everyone know that they were there. Several smaller song birds were also bopping about. Juncos for the most part but we saw a few others during our stay. An Osprey sailed by overhead as well. And where there is a bird feeder there will be rodents and this was no exception with a rather plump Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel scurrying about.
We also took some time to discuss plans for tomorrow. I had a few hikes in mind for Lassen. Bumpass Hell seemed like the “must do” trail in the park, so we penciled that one in for tomorrow morning. If we’ll feeling up to it we can try Cold Boiling Lake and maybe continue on to Crambaugh Lake in the afternoon. Somewhere in there we’ll have to make our way to the visitor center for a look around. The other trail that was high on my list was the hike up Lassen Peak, about five miles round-trip, but uphill all the way to the summit at a little over 10,000 feet. Due to the elevation we’ll save that one for Wednesday to give us a day to acclimate. I also had looked the Cinder Cone Trail, but there just is not enough time to do everything and with this one being a bit more of a drive to get to the trailhead it was scratched from the list.
First of all, we were at Red Robin for well over an hour, closer to two hours. That’s just crazy! Usually these places are really fast at getting folks in and out, so I was a little shocked at ow ling we were there. Yes, there place was busy and there were a few larger parties, but there were also a lot of servers bustling about. No idea what was taking so long. The best theory that we had was that they were growing the chicken for Lynn’s sandwich from an egg. But while slow, the food was good and filling’ big burgers here. Since they had a local IPA on tap, I decided to have a beer (and with the long wait for lunch there was no worry about driving under the influence!). The Hexagenia IPA from Fall River Brewing right in in Redding was the best local beer I have had thus far on the trip. Good taste and a nice aroma although the feel was a little watery (I gave it a 3.5 on untappd.com).
Once we were done with our marathon lunch (about 2:00), we wound around the shopping are until we found the Safeway. I stayed with the vehicle while Lynn and Lisa went shopping. They were back shortly, telling tales of woe regarding the abysmal beer and wine selection. I thought that the northwest was supposed to be this craft beer Mecca. I mean there are tons of breweries in Oregon; maybe is just does not translate into California. I went in to see what I could find. Lynn was correct, the pickings were slim. There were some good choices but not a lot of local variety. I grabbed a six of Grapefruit Sculpin from Balast Point (a known winner) and the Apocalypse IPA from 10 Barrel Brewing out of Bend, OR, for a more local flare. That should get us through a few days. The girls had picked up a couple of deli sandwiches, cheese and crackers and restocked our breakfast supplies, so we should be good for our time in Viola, which would be our next stop.
I reckon we were finally leaving Redding about 3:00, going east on route 44. An uneventful trip the rest of the way. Lynn spotted a big hawk cruising along the road. It had two wide, dark bars on its tail. Maybe a Red-shouldered hawk? Hard to say. We noted the few stores and dining options as we drove through Shingletown. Baby guided us right to our rental house, which is tucked back off a little side road adjacent to a Christian youth camp. The time was now 4:00, so right on time for check-in, at least the timing was good there. Seven-and-a-half hours after leaving Trinidad, so have completed our journey. OK, much longer than expected even figuring in the stops, but overall, an easy trip, well, other than a little white-knuckle driving through the mountains.
The cabin was in a very nice setting on a quiet, “residential” street; just other vacation cabins. Sort of tucked into a little valley, with the hillside behind the house and a couple of ponds (part of the youth camp) across the street. We quickly unloaded our stuff and got things organized in the cabin. The place was clean, comfortable and inviting. Nice size bedrooms and a large open kitchen, dining, living area that also opened into the back patio. A very nice set up. Nancy, the owner of the rental house, had left us some goodies as well. A week or so prior to the trip, Nancy had contacted me with the final details about our stay (directions to the house, where to find the key…those important details). She also asked about our preference in terms of wine. I told her that the ladies prefer semi-sweet to dry white, like a pinot grigio or chenin blanc….whatever that means; I just relayed the data from Lynn! But I’m strictly a beer drinker and am always in the look-out for a good IPA, particularly the local craft brews. She took these notes to heart as there welcome basket with a variety of snacks (cookies, crackers, nuts and the like) and a nice bottle of white wine on the kitchen counter when we arrived. But more importantly, there was a six-pack of Torpedoes chilling in the refrigerator. While I would not call Sierra Nevada a local craft brewery, it is at least west coast and this is probably my favorite of the brews they make. Well played, Nancy! I sent Nancy a text saying that we were safely in the house, that all was well and thanking her for the treats. I was sitting on the back patio, Torpedo in hand by 4:30.
Once we had all adjourned to the back yard we settled in and enjoyed the pleasant late afternoon. Still nice and sunny with just a few clouds. Much cooler here, so jackets were needed. The bird feeder was full and was getting plenty of attention from the locals as was the little water feature next to the patio. The raucous Steller’s Jays were first to arrive and they let everyone know that they were there. Several smaller song birds were also bopping about. Juncos for the most part but we saw a few others during our stay. An Osprey sailed by overhead as well. And where there is a bird feeder there will be rodents and this was no exception with a rather plump Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel scurrying about.
We also took some time to discuss plans for tomorrow. I had a few hikes in mind for Lassen. Bumpass Hell seemed like the “must do” trail in the park, so we penciled that one in for tomorrow morning. If we’ll feeling up to it we can try Cold Boiling Lake and maybe continue on to Crambaugh Lake in the afternoon. Somewhere in there we’ll have to make our way to the visitor center for a look around. The other trail that was high on my list was the hike up Lassen Peak, about five miles round-trip, but uphill all the way to the summit at a little over 10,000 feet. Due to the elevation we’ll save that one for Wednesday to give us a day to acclimate. I also had looked the Cinder Cone Trail, but there just is not enough time to do everything and with this one being a bit more of a drive to get to the trailhead it was scratched from the list.
Lynn and I headed in to the park at about 6:00 with the idea of getting sunset, reflection shots of Mount Lassen around Manzanita Lake. The drive to the park entrance was only ten minutes from the cabin, so we have a very convenient location. We drove in along the park road a short distance, just taking in the views, then doubled back to the Manzanita Lake area. We parked near the campground store and walked counterclockwise around the little lake, looking for the reflection view of the peak on the water. That took us halfway around the lake, back along the park road and very near to the entrance gate. There were several other folks out along the lake shore enjoying the early evening. We spotted a pair of Mallards sitting on a log. Once to the far side of the lake there were a lot of birds flying about picking off bugs. Many were skimming the surface, so perhaps swallows, but there were others as well. We talked with a birder who was camped out on the shore near the entrance station. We same that many of the birds were Yellow-rumped Warblers. Lynn and I got a few decent photos that tend to confirm that sighting (the birds were a bit fidgety so it was hard to get a clear image).
Once around to the north point of the lake, we found the spot that we were looking for to get the reflection of Mount Lassen. The water was fairly calm, but not a mirror finish. The sky was bright blue and no clouds. The scene was quite lovely and the light was nice on the mountain. We tried a couple different locations along this stretch of the lakeshore and got some nice photos. We stayed until about 7:20 then retraced our steps around the lake to the camp store. Lynn noted that if we make this evening excursion again that we should just park along the road near the entrance station as it was very convenient to where we wanted to be. Good idea.
We were back at the house and on the back patio by 8:00. Simple dinner of cheese and crackers, accompanied by an Apocalypse 10 IPA. Not a bad way to end the day. Here’s the short critter list for today:
Once around to the north point of the lake, we found the spot that we were looking for to get the reflection of Mount Lassen. The water was fairly calm, but not a mirror finish. The sky was bright blue and no clouds. The scene was quite lovely and the light was nice on the mountain. We tried a couple different locations along this stretch of the lakeshore and got some nice photos. We stayed until about 7:20 then retraced our steps around the lake to the camp store. Lynn noted that if we make this evening excursion again that we should just park along the road near the entrance station as it was very convenient to where we wanted to be. Good idea.
We were back at the house and on the back patio by 8:00. Simple dinner of cheese and crackers, accompanied by an Apocalypse 10 IPA. Not a bad way to end the day. Here’s the short critter list for today:
Day 5 – Tuesday, August 9 - Bumpass Hell and Cold Boiling Lake. I rolled out of bed at 0530. Very quiet this morning. No birds or bugs, just silence. Still awhile until the sun comes up (sunrise is at 6:10), so maybe all the critters are just sleeping in. I spent a little time catching up on my journal, reviewing the hiking options and checked the status of the fire at Crater Lake. Looks like they are getting a handle on the Bybee Creek fire. It was mostly contained and the evacuation warning has been canceled. Sounds like it won’t be a problem, but I’ll keep an eye on the news anyway. Hopefully smoke won’t be an issue as far as the views go.
I went out on the back patio about 6:40. The birds are now awake. The Steller’s Jays are very demanding this morning but the squirrels are yakking as well. There were at least six Jays out on or under the feeder at one point. A chipmunk also showed up looking for breakfast under the feeder. Best I can figure is this is an Allen’s Chipmunk based on a range map I found on-line; amazing the stuff you can find on the Internet. The NPS website for Lassen Volcanic indicates there are three species of chipmunks in the park but does not provide details (I use the NPS website a lot, but this extra level of detail would be really useful). A hummingbird buzzed by. It landed in the waterfall for a drink. A little greenish-gold guy. Maybe an Allen’s Hummer. I’ll have to look into the identification later, but now it is time for breakfast to get the day moving. Just for curiosity, I’ll also have to see if the namesake “Allen” for the rodent and the little bird is the same person.
We were on the road to the park just before 8:00. Again, just ten minutes to the entrance gate. The Ranger there asked us if we were coming for the ceremony. Ceremony? What ceremony? Apparently the park was hosting a ceremony for folks taking the oath as newly minted U.S. citizens this morning. That’s pretty cool and what better place than a National Park to be sworn in as a citizen of the United State of America. But no, we’re not going to the ceremony as we’re all about an American as we can be. Onward into the park.
The drive time from the entrance gate at Manzanita Lake to the Bumpass Hell trailhead parking lot was about 45 minutes. Wonderful drive. Very scenic. Not exactly what I was expected, but I’ll come back to that. The drive was basically uphill from Manzanita Lake to the Bumpass Hell trailhead, along a winding park road. We were driving through forest that was thinning the higher we went. We were under a bright blue sky, let another beautiful day on our loop through the Circle of Discovery. Not a cloud in sight and visibility was basically unlimited. There were stands of wildflowers along the road and on the hillsides surrounding us. Large patches of purple were the most prominent. We could see large swaths of these flowers on the slopes of Mount Lassen as we approached the high point of the park road.
We were on the road to the park just before 8:00. Again, just ten minutes to the entrance gate. The Ranger there asked us if we were coming for the ceremony. Ceremony? What ceremony? Apparently the park was hosting a ceremony for folks taking the oath as newly minted U.S. citizens this morning. That’s pretty cool and what better place than a National Park to be sworn in as a citizen of the United State of America. But no, we’re not going to the ceremony as we’re all about an American as we can be. Onward into the park.
The drive time from the entrance gate at Manzanita Lake to the Bumpass Hell trailhead parking lot was about 45 minutes. Wonderful drive. Very scenic. Not exactly what I was expected, but I’ll come back to that. The drive was basically uphill from Manzanita Lake to the Bumpass Hell trailhead, along a winding park road. We were driving through forest that was thinning the higher we went. We were under a bright blue sky, let another beautiful day on our loop through the Circle of Discovery. Not a cloud in sight and visibility was basically unlimited. There were stands of wildflowers along the road and on the hillsides surrounding us. Large patches of purple were the most prominent. We could see large swaths of these flowers on the slopes of Mount Lassen as we approached the high point of the park road.
As we always do when in the Parks, we were watching for wildlife, as you can never be too careful when driving on the park roads. While we were watching for animals we only had one sighting, a grouse of some sort crossing the road. We saw her in plenty of time for her make is safely across, but I was able to get a nice photo of her when she paused on the opposite shoulder (this is one of my favorite photos from the trip). Now I’ll have something to use to identify her (I’m guessing it is a girl by the subdued plumage).
We saw the set up for the citizenship swearing in ceremony in the parking area for the Lassen Peak Trailhead; glad we decided to do this hike tomorrow. Not a lot of folks there yet, probably too early, but it looks like they are expecting a crowd by the number of chairs that are set up. As we neared our destination we passed Lake Helen, a blue gem with a mirror finish tucked in at the base of the peaks.
Back to the point on “not exactly what I expected.” I have a philosophy on travel, particularly to the National Parks, which is to research enough to understand the area and to have an idea of the best things to see and do, but stop short of knowing exactly what you are going to experience. It is a balancing act between being a good Boy Scout and a kid on Christmas morning (you know, Be Prepared and being surprised!). So I knew that Lassen Volcanic was a park featuring thermal areas. I was aware of its volcanic past. While I try not to look at too many photos of the parks I did see some of the reflection shots at Manzanita Lake, so that had to go on the list for things to see. I do read up on the hikes, but again I try to avoid most of the photos, just enough to get an idea of what we’re in for but not too much to maintain the mystery. Just like our first visit to Death Valley earlier this year, I think we hit that right balance with Lassen. I knew about what things I wanted to try in the park but I was not completely sure of the details that we would be seeing. Right off the bat I was seeing things that I was not completely expecting. The park was greener that I imagined; more trees and way more flowers. I think I had a more desolate landscape in mind. We did get some of that, but for the most part the park was really a thriving place. I reckon we’re just never exactly sure what we’ll get until we arrive in the park. That’s what I like and that’s just part of the fun of our National Parks.
We arrived at the trailhead parking about 8:45. It was a large parking area, and it was staring to fill up, but there was still plenty of room at present. I took a few minutes and enjoyed the views of the surrounding ridges from the edge of the parking lot. There was a big boulder there on the edge of the lot, maybe a glacial erratic or perhaps it just rolled down from the surrounding peaks. Whatever its history, it made for an interesting anchor for the panorama of the peaks arrayed in the background. What I learned from the informational signs in the area as well as from the displays at the Visitor Centers later today and tomorrow was that we are on the edge of an old caldera and the jagged peaks around us are the remains of a massive volcano named Mount Tehama that was created about half a million years ago. The history of this huge volcano was common theme as we explored the park and we got more details on it, Mount Lassen and the overall volcanic history throughout our stay. I’ll pull all those pieces together later.
We saw the set up for the citizenship swearing in ceremony in the parking area for the Lassen Peak Trailhead; glad we decided to do this hike tomorrow. Not a lot of folks there yet, probably too early, but it looks like they are expecting a crowd by the number of chairs that are set up. As we neared our destination we passed Lake Helen, a blue gem with a mirror finish tucked in at the base of the peaks.
Back to the point on “not exactly what I expected.” I have a philosophy on travel, particularly to the National Parks, which is to research enough to understand the area and to have an idea of the best things to see and do, but stop short of knowing exactly what you are going to experience. It is a balancing act between being a good Boy Scout and a kid on Christmas morning (you know, Be Prepared and being surprised!). So I knew that Lassen Volcanic was a park featuring thermal areas. I was aware of its volcanic past. While I try not to look at too many photos of the parks I did see some of the reflection shots at Manzanita Lake, so that had to go on the list for things to see. I do read up on the hikes, but again I try to avoid most of the photos, just enough to get an idea of what we’re in for but not too much to maintain the mystery. Just like our first visit to Death Valley earlier this year, I think we hit that right balance with Lassen. I knew about what things I wanted to try in the park but I was not completely sure of the details that we would be seeing. Right off the bat I was seeing things that I was not completely expecting. The park was greener that I imagined; more trees and way more flowers. I think I had a more desolate landscape in mind. We did get some of that, but for the most part the park was really a thriving place. I reckon we’re just never exactly sure what we’ll get until we arrive in the park. That’s what I like and that’s just part of the fun of our National Parks.
We arrived at the trailhead parking about 8:45. It was a large parking area, and it was staring to fill up, but there was still plenty of room at present. I took a few minutes and enjoyed the views of the surrounding ridges from the edge of the parking lot. There was a big boulder there on the edge of the lot, maybe a glacial erratic or perhaps it just rolled down from the surrounding peaks. Whatever its history, it made for an interesting anchor for the panorama of the peaks arrayed in the background. What I learned from the informational signs in the area as well as from the displays at the Visitor Centers later today and tomorrow was that we are on the edge of an old caldera and the jagged peaks around us are the remains of a massive volcano named Mount Tehama that was created about half a million years ago. The history of this huge volcano was common theme as we explored the park and we got more details on it, Mount Lassen and the overall volcanic history throughout our stay. I’ll pull all those pieces together later.
Back at the Jeep, we got our gear together and walked to the north end of the lot to access the trail. I started our Ramblr track just a couple minutes past 0900. This was a great hike from the moment we left the parking lot. I thought it might be sort of a ho-hum walk to the thermal area, but the views along every yard of the trail are magnificent. We immediately spotted a few critters along the initial section of the trail. First a Clark’s Nutcracker perched in the top of an evergreen tree. These guys are all over the place as we saw several along this trail as well as our other hikes in the park. Next was a Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel in the rocks right above the trail, putting on his best cuteness act, hoping for a handout. Sorry, buddy, we don’t feed the wildlife. Shortly after leaving the parking lot we were treated to views of Lake Helen, its dark blue water was nearly mirror smooth and provided reflections of the trees around its shore as well as Mount Lassen towering nearby. That view gave me a pretty good idea of what to expect tomorrow during the hike to the peak, provided that I can talk the girls into the climb.
We turned south away from the lake and the big mountain and as we did our view changed as well. The trail was clinging to the side of the hill on our left (east) and opened up with grand views of the Mount Tehama caldera. From the trail we could see down a couple hundred feet to the meadows and stands of pine below us, but the depths of the valley were not really visible from the trail due to the contours of the land around us (we were hiking along at roughly 8300 feet above sea level and the valley floor is at 7000 feet). The valley looked to be very green and lush with several creeks running down the slopes into the valley. We were in the forest at this point but there were plenty of openings in the trees along this section of the trail to provide an almost continuous panoramic view out over the valley and the peaks of the old caldera rim. Those big vistas were amazing and the colors were just so vibrant in the morning light. There was a range of greens, from the lighter colored grasses to deep forest green on the pines, coming up from the valley, the darker green trees climbing into the grey rocks of the surrounding peaks then the brilliant blue of the sky with an assortment of fluffy white clouds to top it all off. And at many points along the trail these big views were augmented with splashes of purple, dark pink and yellow wildflowers. Yeah, not exactly what I was expecting, but so pleased with the wonderful surprise!
After about 0.7 miles, we came to an overlook that was just a few paces off the trail, which provided a very nice view of the remains of Mount Tehama and had a large educational panel showing what the massive volcano might have looked like in its prime. But that was not the only, or even the most interesting item there, at least when we arrived. Lisa was walking a little ahead of Lynn and me so she got to the overlook first, but as soon as Lynn got a good view of the viewing around, she called, quietly, for Lisa to stop, which she did. Eagle-eye Lynn had spotted two more grouse like the one we saw earlier on the road. These two were standing on top of the rocks along the edge of the overlook and their grey plumage blended in very well with the rocks. No wonder that Lisa did not spot them right away. The birds were not too worried about us and just took their time making their way across the rocks and over the other side. We took in the views over the caldera as well as back from where we came as there was also a nice view of Mount Lassen looming over us.
We did not stay long here as we still had a little way to go to get to Bumpass Hell. Besides we’ll be coming right back by here on the return hike. After leaving the overlook there was still a quarter mile or so of trail to climb to get to the high point of the hike (so a mile from leaving the trailhead). This is where we crossed the ridge line and got our first glimpse of steaming thermal features of Bumpass Hell down in a little naked bowl at the base of the ridge. At this point we started about a half-mile descent into Bumpass Hell. That sounds sort of ominous, but trust me it was a pleasant walk downhill through more clumps of wildflowers and surrounded by rocky ridges. The big vistas are behind us now, blocked by the ridgeline we just crossed but the featured attraction for this hike is now coming into view as we zig-zagged down the switchbacks to the boardwalk access for the thermal area.
As we started down the final half mile to the thermal features there was a nice overlook that provided a view of Bumpass Hell. A marker here also tells the story of how the place got its name. The following is based on information taken from the signs along the trail and in the Visitor Center and other NPS sources and provides a summary of the sad history of the man who is credited with finding this area:
Kendall Vanhook Bumpass was a jack of all trades and has been described as a mountaineer, cowboy, explorer, hunter and prospector. He is credited with discovering this steaming, hissing, thumping hydrothermal area in 1864 while rounding up stray cattle. During his first visit to the thermal area, he broke through the thin crust and burned his foot. Back at the camp the other cowboys asked where he had been and he supposedly replied, “Boys, I have been in Hell.”
The editor of the Red Bluff Independent heard of the adventure and asked Bumpass to take him to the site. Here’s a quote from the editor on the events of the second visit: “Our guide [Mr. K.V. Bumpass] after cautioning us to be careful where we stepped, that the surface was treacherous, suddenly concluded that the “descent to Hell was easy” for stepping upon a slight inequality in the ground be broke through the crust and plunged his leg into the boiling mud beneath, which clinging to his limb burned him severely. If our guide has been a profane man I think he would have cursed a little; as it was, I think his silence was owing to his inability to do the subject justice….”
Bumpass and his partner, Major Pierson B. Reading had filed claim to these boiling springs with the intention of mining the minerals and developing it as a tourist attraction. However his second fall into the 240 degree F boiling mud pot resulted in burns so severe that his leg had to be amputated. This most likely put an end to his dreams.
Was there a little karma involved here? I mean, Bumpass was planning on mining the area which certainly would have dome significant damage. After falling twice in to the scalding mud those plans were abandoned. Maybe nature was just defending itself? Or maybe Mr. Bumpass just had rotten luck.
We continued down the slope to the thermal area. The sulphur smell got stronger as we approached. It was not an overbearing odor but it was definitely there! Sure, it is not a pleasant smell, but I don’t think it is as bad a folks make it out to be. We heard so many people complain about the “rotten egg” smell in the thermal areas of Yellowstone, but I never thought it was that bad. In fact, the smell here was a little stronger, I thought.
The trail split just before we reached the boardwalk. We took the left-hand branch first which took us up on top of a little rocky mound that provided a nice view out over the thermal area and gave us a good overview of the entire layout of the boardwalks. The views of the western end of the area were excellent from this elevated perch as it let us see the colors of the mineral deposits on the rocks as well as nice looks into a couple of the murky blue pools. This end of the thermal area is on a slope running down into the main basin. Yellow was the dominant color on the rocks, but it seemed that the entire spectrum was covered. The more I studied the area the more colors I saw. There were subtle patches of red, pink, orange and purple scattered about this end, plus green mixed in the little streams that crossed the area. At the base of the slope a pool or turquoise water lends itself to the collage of colors. The bonus to the geologic wonders was another critter sighting as we spotted a mule deer doe on the opposite hillside working her way through the boulders.
We did not stay long here as we still had a little way to go to get to Bumpass Hell. Besides we’ll be coming right back by here on the return hike. After leaving the overlook there was still a quarter mile or so of trail to climb to get to the high point of the hike (so a mile from leaving the trailhead). This is where we crossed the ridge line and got our first glimpse of steaming thermal features of Bumpass Hell down in a little naked bowl at the base of the ridge. At this point we started about a half-mile descent into Bumpass Hell. That sounds sort of ominous, but trust me it was a pleasant walk downhill through more clumps of wildflowers and surrounded by rocky ridges. The big vistas are behind us now, blocked by the ridgeline we just crossed but the featured attraction for this hike is now coming into view as we zig-zagged down the switchbacks to the boardwalk access for the thermal area.
As we started down the final half mile to the thermal features there was a nice overlook that provided a view of Bumpass Hell. A marker here also tells the story of how the place got its name. The following is based on information taken from the signs along the trail and in the Visitor Center and other NPS sources and provides a summary of the sad history of the man who is credited with finding this area:
Kendall Vanhook Bumpass was a jack of all trades and has been described as a mountaineer, cowboy, explorer, hunter and prospector. He is credited with discovering this steaming, hissing, thumping hydrothermal area in 1864 while rounding up stray cattle. During his first visit to the thermal area, he broke through the thin crust and burned his foot. Back at the camp the other cowboys asked where he had been and he supposedly replied, “Boys, I have been in Hell.”
The editor of the Red Bluff Independent heard of the adventure and asked Bumpass to take him to the site. Here’s a quote from the editor on the events of the second visit: “Our guide [Mr. K.V. Bumpass] after cautioning us to be careful where we stepped, that the surface was treacherous, suddenly concluded that the “descent to Hell was easy” for stepping upon a slight inequality in the ground be broke through the crust and plunged his leg into the boiling mud beneath, which clinging to his limb burned him severely. If our guide has been a profane man I think he would have cursed a little; as it was, I think his silence was owing to his inability to do the subject justice….”
Bumpass and his partner, Major Pierson B. Reading had filed claim to these boiling springs with the intention of mining the minerals and developing it as a tourist attraction. However his second fall into the 240 degree F boiling mud pot resulted in burns so severe that his leg had to be amputated. This most likely put an end to his dreams.
Was there a little karma involved here? I mean, Bumpass was planning on mining the area which certainly would have dome significant damage. After falling twice in to the scalding mud those plans were abandoned. Maybe nature was just defending itself? Or maybe Mr. Bumpass just had rotten luck.
We continued down the slope to the thermal area. The sulphur smell got stronger as we approached. It was not an overbearing odor but it was definitely there! Sure, it is not a pleasant smell, but I don’t think it is as bad a folks make it out to be. We heard so many people complain about the “rotten egg” smell in the thermal areas of Yellowstone, but I never thought it was that bad. In fact, the smell here was a little stronger, I thought.
The trail split just before we reached the boardwalk. We took the left-hand branch first which took us up on top of a little rocky mound that provided a nice view out over the thermal area and gave us a good overview of the entire layout of the boardwalks. The views of the western end of the area were excellent from this elevated perch as it let us see the colors of the mineral deposits on the rocks as well as nice looks into a couple of the murky blue pools. This end of the thermal area is on a slope running down into the main basin. Yellow was the dominant color on the rocks, but it seemed that the entire spectrum was covered. The more I studied the area the more colors I saw. There were subtle patches of red, pink, orange and purple scattered about this end, plus green mixed in the little streams that crossed the area. At the base of the slope a pool or turquoise water lends itself to the collage of colors. The bonus to the geologic wonders was another critter sighting as we spotted a mule deer doe on the opposite hillside working her way through the boulders.
After taking in the view at the elevated vantage point we retraced our steps to the point where the trial spit and took the branch leading out to the boardwalk. The boardwalk provides excellent access to the thermal features. There is a main walk that traverses across the entire area as well as a spur that extends out into the middle of the thermal and allows for additional up-close views of some of the features as well as nice overall perspectives of the area in general. This is not a huge area, certainly not as big as the main thermal areas in Yellowstone, but it is still impressive. The moniker “Hell” that Mr. Bumpass tied to the place is appropriate with the steaming pools, bubbling mud pots, the rumbling and grumbling from the thermal features and of course the sulphurous odor. But at the same time, Bumpass Hell has a beauty to it. The colors in the pools and on the rocks are quite striking, particularly when contrasted with the green of the surrounding trees and the brilliant blue sky.
While it seemed that we had the trail almost to ourselves on the way in, there were several folks scattered along the boardwalk when arrived. Guess this was partially due to the interconnected nature of the trails in the area as there is trail that connects Bumpass Hell and Cold Boiling Lake. There were a couple pairs of hikers here who had taken that route. We considered this as a hiking option but decided to make two short hikes rather than one long one. There was also a cluster of folks in brightly colored safety vests working along one section of the boardwalk. I thought at first they were a maintenance crew as I’m sure that the caustic environment here takes its toll on the boardwalk (although much of the material used was of a composite nature so maybe it stands up to the elements better than wood). But then I spotted camera equipment, so a film crew of some sort. I reckon we’ll figure it out once we get closer. There were also two Rangers monitoring the activity, so I bet they can provide us a clue.
Bumpass Hell brings all the senses into play. I’ve talked about the colors and the odors, but there was also lot of noise, with the hissing, gurgling, coughing and burping of the various thermal features. It is not a loud area, but it is certainly part of the character of the place. As for feel, we get that as well when we made it to the far end of the boardwalk. Lynn and I were standing there alone, leaning on the railing and we could feel the vibrations caused by the subterranean hydrothermal activity. It really is an amazing place. It is as if it were alive, and I reckon it sort of is.
There were a few interpretive signs along the boardwalk. One described the interconnected nature of the thermal features within the park and surrounding areas. Another gave details on the Big Boiler, one of the named thermal features in Bumpass Hell and the hottest fumarole within a non-erupting volcano in the world. The steam temperature from the Big Boiler has been recorded at 332 degrees F. For perspective the temperature of flowing lava can reach 2,000 F and the core of the Earth is more than 12,000 F. That’s hot!
As we walked by the crew in the safety vests, we could see that they were taking samples and making various measurements. The events were all being filmed. A couple of the guys were off the boardwalk, but I guess this all must be sanctioned as the Rangers were keeping a watchful eye.
I stopped and talked with Rangers Mike and Michelle. Mike had been a round a while (he was probably my vintage so 50-plus) and Michelle was relatively early in her career. I asked them about the vibrations we felt at the end of the boardwalk. The Rangers indicated that this was normal and confirmed that it is driven by the geothermal activity. Then we got into the crew working along the boardwalk. OK, pay attention, this is sort of cool. There are two teams there. The first is a pair of researchers from the University of California, Berkeley. The rest of the group is a film crew from Australian making a documentary on the UC Berkeley research project. So, what could be of such interest to bring researchers to the middle of such an extreme environment and have an Aussie film crew record their efforts? Apparently they are doing DNA research, specifically trying to determine is DNA, the basic building blocks of life, can exist in the extreme environment or the thermal features. Pretty cool. The implications are significant. How did life begin here on Earth? If similar conditions are found on another planet, then could life begin there as well? Mind boggling.
Around 10:15, give or take, we left Bumpass Hell and retraced route back to the trailhead. Returning on the same trail but facing the opposite direction gave us an opportunity to see things that we missed in the inward hike or just provides a new perspective on a view that we did take in (different lighting later in the morning or a new viewing angle). It was a pleasant return, for the most part. The sky was still bright blue and still held a collection of cumulus clouds, just fluffy white cotton balls with no threat of rain.
The only negative of the return hike was the annoying family at overlook. We stopped there for a breather and to get one more glimpse of the view. Gathered here was an extended family, I’m guessing two brothers or sisters with their spouses and the herd of kids. The adults were annoying because they were much more concerned about baseball scores and the lack of signal available to check on the status of their teams. They were also annoying for letting the kids run around like little maniacs. The kids were annoying as they were loudly plotting how to best throw their cousins and uncles from the brink of the overlook…I think even some of the adults were getting into the act on throwing kids from the edge. Hey, I’m all for fun, and all their fratricidal talk was all in jest…at least I hope so. But they were more worried about whether the Tigers or the Giants won rather than enjoying the splendor of the view. Oh, well, their loss. I gave them a “Go Tribe” as I turned to leave since Cleveland and Detroit are battling for the AL Central crown (the Indians ended up winning the division)…just couldn’t help myself.
What a great hike! Wonderful views along the trail then the other worldly spectacle of Bumpass Hell at the end of the trail. This one gets very high marks. It took us right at 2 hours to complete the 3-mile hike, so we were back at the trailhead a little after 11:00. We took a short break, had a snack, then loaded up and headed on down the mountain to the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center at the southwest entrance to the park.
Here's the photo gallery from our hike to Bumpass Hell.
The drive from the Bumpass Trailhead to the visitor center is downhill all the way and along a rather winding section of the park highway. There are a couple sets of switchbacks that actually seem like they are going to overlap each other. The views into Little Hot Springs Valley were amazing. We’re now able to see much further into its depths compared to what we could see from the Bumpass Hell Trail. But this was a road on which to take your time due to the twists, turns and steep descent, plus you never know what might be lying around the next turn. Today that turned out to be bicyclists, as there was some sort of rally that started up at the Bumpass Trailhead with the bikers riding down to the visitor center. There were scores of them at the trailhead parking lot when we were getting back from our hike, and once we determined that they would be going our way down the hill we did not dilly-dally too long so that we could get in front of the pack. I’m not sure how many bikers participating but there were a couple support vans and trailers that brought the riders up the hill (hey, no way that I could ride a bike up this steep mountain!). We did get out in front of most of the cyclists, but there were a few that we had to watch out for. Most of them were cruising down the hill and really did not cause any delay (but we were taking our time). There was one young lady that seemed a bit intimidated by the steep grade and negotiating the road with traffic in both lanes. We agreed that she really wanted us to go around her, but there just was never an opportunity due to the curves or oncoming traffic, so I just lagged behind and gave her some space. Hey, we’re on vacation and in no hurry. We did finally get an opening and slowly passed our worried cyclist and all was well.
While it seemed that we had the trail almost to ourselves on the way in, there were several folks scattered along the boardwalk when arrived. Guess this was partially due to the interconnected nature of the trails in the area as there is trail that connects Bumpass Hell and Cold Boiling Lake. There were a couple pairs of hikers here who had taken that route. We considered this as a hiking option but decided to make two short hikes rather than one long one. There was also a cluster of folks in brightly colored safety vests working along one section of the boardwalk. I thought at first they were a maintenance crew as I’m sure that the caustic environment here takes its toll on the boardwalk (although much of the material used was of a composite nature so maybe it stands up to the elements better than wood). But then I spotted camera equipment, so a film crew of some sort. I reckon we’ll figure it out once we get closer. There were also two Rangers monitoring the activity, so I bet they can provide us a clue.
Bumpass Hell brings all the senses into play. I’ve talked about the colors and the odors, but there was also lot of noise, with the hissing, gurgling, coughing and burping of the various thermal features. It is not a loud area, but it is certainly part of the character of the place. As for feel, we get that as well when we made it to the far end of the boardwalk. Lynn and I were standing there alone, leaning on the railing and we could feel the vibrations caused by the subterranean hydrothermal activity. It really is an amazing place. It is as if it were alive, and I reckon it sort of is.
There were a few interpretive signs along the boardwalk. One described the interconnected nature of the thermal features within the park and surrounding areas. Another gave details on the Big Boiler, one of the named thermal features in Bumpass Hell and the hottest fumarole within a non-erupting volcano in the world. The steam temperature from the Big Boiler has been recorded at 332 degrees F. For perspective the temperature of flowing lava can reach 2,000 F and the core of the Earth is more than 12,000 F. That’s hot!
As we walked by the crew in the safety vests, we could see that they were taking samples and making various measurements. The events were all being filmed. A couple of the guys were off the boardwalk, but I guess this all must be sanctioned as the Rangers were keeping a watchful eye.
I stopped and talked with Rangers Mike and Michelle. Mike had been a round a while (he was probably my vintage so 50-plus) and Michelle was relatively early in her career. I asked them about the vibrations we felt at the end of the boardwalk. The Rangers indicated that this was normal and confirmed that it is driven by the geothermal activity. Then we got into the crew working along the boardwalk. OK, pay attention, this is sort of cool. There are two teams there. The first is a pair of researchers from the University of California, Berkeley. The rest of the group is a film crew from Australian making a documentary on the UC Berkeley research project. So, what could be of such interest to bring researchers to the middle of such an extreme environment and have an Aussie film crew record their efforts? Apparently they are doing DNA research, specifically trying to determine is DNA, the basic building blocks of life, can exist in the extreme environment or the thermal features. Pretty cool. The implications are significant. How did life begin here on Earth? If similar conditions are found on another planet, then could life begin there as well? Mind boggling.
Around 10:15, give or take, we left Bumpass Hell and retraced route back to the trailhead. Returning on the same trail but facing the opposite direction gave us an opportunity to see things that we missed in the inward hike or just provides a new perspective on a view that we did take in (different lighting later in the morning or a new viewing angle). It was a pleasant return, for the most part. The sky was still bright blue and still held a collection of cumulus clouds, just fluffy white cotton balls with no threat of rain.
The only negative of the return hike was the annoying family at overlook. We stopped there for a breather and to get one more glimpse of the view. Gathered here was an extended family, I’m guessing two brothers or sisters with their spouses and the herd of kids. The adults were annoying because they were much more concerned about baseball scores and the lack of signal available to check on the status of their teams. They were also annoying for letting the kids run around like little maniacs. The kids were annoying as they were loudly plotting how to best throw their cousins and uncles from the brink of the overlook…I think even some of the adults were getting into the act on throwing kids from the edge. Hey, I’m all for fun, and all their fratricidal talk was all in jest…at least I hope so. But they were more worried about whether the Tigers or the Giants won rather than enjoying the splendor of the view. Oh, well, their loss. I gave them a “Go Tribe” as I turned to leave since Cleveland and Detroit are battling for the AL Central crown (the Indians ended up winning the division)…just couldn’t help myself.
What a great hike! Wonderful views along the trail then the other worldly spectacle of Bumpass Hell at the end of the trail. This one gets very high marks. It took us right at 2 hours to complete the 3-mile hike, so we were back at the trailhead a little after 11:00. We took a short break, had a snack, then loaded up and headed on down the mountain to the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center at the southwest entrance to the park.
Here's the photo gallery from our hike to Bumpass Hell.
The drive from the Bumpass Trailhead to the visitor center is downhill all the way and along a rather winding section of the park highway. There are a couple sets of switchbacks that actually seem like they are going to overlap each other. The views into Little Hot Springs Valley were amazing. We’re now able to see much further into its depths compared to what we could see from the Bumpass Hell Trail. But this was a road on which to take your time due to the twists, turns and steep descent, plus you never know what might be lying around the next turn. Today that turned out to be bicyclists, as there was some sort of rally that started up at the Bumpass Trailhead with the bikers riding down to the visitor center. There were scores of them at the trailhead parking lot when we were getting back from our hike, and once we determined that they would be going our way down the hill we did not dilly-dally too long so that we could get in front of the pack. I’m not sure how many bikers participating but there were a couple support vans and trailers that brought the riders up the hill (hey, no way that I could ride a bike up this steep mountain!). We did get out in front of most of the cyclists, but there were a few that we had to watch out for. Most of them were cruising down the hill and really did not cause any delay (but we were taking our time). There was one young lady that seemed a bit intimidated by the steep grade and negotiating the road with traffic in both lanes. We agreed that she really wanted us to go around her, but there just was never an opportunity due to the curves or oncoming traffic, so I just lagged behind and gave her some space. Hey, we’re on vacation and in no hurry. We did finally get an opening and slowly passed our worried cyclist and all was well.
We rolled into the visitor center parking lot right at 11:30. Not very crowded. There were a few cyclists milling about having completed their downhill ride. The visitor center looks like a classic National Park structure, but I think it is a newer build. Plenty of natural materials used on the façade with big timbers around the entrance and river rock accents. The exterior color scheme matches so many other park building, brown walls, green shingles, and white trim on the windows. Inside the place is light and open, quite inviting. We were greeted by the Rangers at the information desk as we came in. There were a few other visitors in line for info, so I decided to wait a bit before asking a few questions. We meandered through the gift store and the various displays. I found the survey marker pin for Lassen Peak, but opted not to buy it since we had not completed the hike; with my luck I would by the pin now and the girls would veto the hike. I’ll play it safe as I think it will be a great hike for tomorrow.
Once the line at the information desk had dissipated, I walked over and talked with the two young lady Rangers. This was a common theme with the Rangers here at Lassen as there was a lot of youth in the Ranger corp. Lots of guys and gals in their 20s working as Rangers. A good thing, I think, as it gives the Parks Service the succession planning and hopefully also speaks to the next generation of park visitors. I had swapped hats before coming in the visitor center and the Rangers both commented on my NPS 2016 Centennial baseball cap that I had purchased early this summer at Cuyahoga Valley National Park (our backyard park). I showed them the photo of the grouse we had spotted early today. Sooty Grouse. Ranger Ana said that they are everywhere in the area. Her roommate hit one on the road a week or so earlier; Ana said that she should have brought it home for dinner! I like the way she thinks!
I had spotted a sign about the hiking challenge they were conducting so I asked for details on that. Basically they want folks to track the time for each of their hikes, then calculate the number calories burned. They gave me a form to track progress. They have the hikes categorized by type of hike (lakes, volcanos, thermal areas, etc.) and challenge level in order to get more folks involved. So a fun way to get folks on the trail and to get them to think about exercise and their health. The carrot for completing the challenge and sharing your results with the Rangers at one of the visitor centers is a bandana with the 2016 hiking challenge logo. OK, I really don’t need a bandana, but I’ll play.
Last question was if there is a nice park sign at this entrance to the park as there is only a small sign where we’ve come in on the west side. Yep, just a short distance past the visitor center. Perfect.
Once the line at the information desk had dissipated, I walked over and talked with the two young lady Rangers. This was a common theme with the Rangers here at Lassen as there was a lot of youth in the Ranger corp. Lots of guys and gals in their 20s working as Rangers. A good thing, I think, as it gives the Parks Service the succession planning and hopefully also speaks to the next generation of park visitors. I had swapped hats before coming in the visitor center and the Rangers both commented on my NPS 2016 Centennial baseball cap that I had purchased early this summer at Cuyahoga Valley National Park (our backyard park). I showed them the photo of the grouse we had spotted early today. Sooty Grouse. Ranger Ana said that they are everywhere in the area. Her roommate hit one on the road a week or so earlier; Ana said that she should have brought it home for dinner! I like the way she thinks!
I had spotted a sign about the hiking challenge they were conducting so I asked for details on that. Basically they want folks to track the time for each of their hikes, then calculate the number calories burned. They gave me a form to track progress. They have the hikes categorized by type of hike (lakes, volcanos, thermal areas, etc.) and challenge level in order to get more folks involved. So a fun way to get folks on the trail and to get them to think about exercise and their health. The carrot for completing the challenge and sharing your results with the Rangers at one of the visitor centers is a bandana with the 2016 hiking challenge logo. OK, I really don’t need a bandana, but I’ll play.
Last question was if there is a nice park sign at this entrance to the park as there is only a small sign where we’ve come in on the west side. Yep, just a short distance past the visitor center. Perfect.
By now Lynn and Lisa were ready to go. We made the short detour to the Lassen Volcanic National Park entrance sign for our passport photo then retraced the winding park road back up past the Bumpass Trailhead parking, Lake Helen and Mount Lassen. We were ever watchful for wildlife and cyclists, but the animals stayed out of the road and the bikers in their lane. We continued on to the Kings Creek Picnic Area for the Cold Boiling Lake trailhead, arriving at about 12:30. The joint was jumping as the lot was pretty much full but there were a few parking slots remaining at the upper end of the lot. Based on the number of folks we would see on the trail (less than ten) most of these folks were actually here to picnic.
Our hike this afternoon was completely different in character from the morning trek to Bumpass Hell. First of all, this was a fairly level trail. There was a short, steep start to the hike but after that it was basically flat to Cold Boiling Lake. There was some elevation change as we went on to Crumbaugh Lake with a gradual descent to the lake and then the unavoidable climb back, but that was only about 200 feet over the 0.6 mile between the two lakes. The other major difference was this morning we were on the side of the mountain with big vista views across on into the adjoining valley. This afternoon we were hiking through meadows and along creeks and looking up at the ridge line to the north and west. This actually made for a nice, complimentary pair of hikes. We were also at lower elevation on our lake hike compared to the trail to Bumpass Hell, about a thousand feet lower. That difference in elevation changed the types of flowers we were seeing. It also seemed drier here as well, as some of the fields we hiked by were not very lush and the flowers had gone to seed, although there were other areas closer to the creeks that were very green. The trail was well marked as there were several signs that pointed us in the right direction as gave the distances to each destination. However, I did note on one sign that the Parks Service might need to use spell checker. Pretty sure there is an “a” in “Meadow.” No worries, I’m not much of a speller either.
Our hike this afternoon was completely different in character from the morning trek to Bumpass Hell. First of all, this was a fairly level trail. There was a short, steep start to the hike but after that it was basically flat to Cold Boiling Lake. There was some elevation change as we went on to Crumbaugh Lake with a gradual descent to the lake and then the unavoidable climb back, but that was only about 200 feet over the 0.6 mile between the two lakes. The other major difference was this morning we were on the side of the mountain with big vista views across on into the adjoining valley. This afternoon we were hiking through meadows and along creeks and looking up at the ridge line to the north and west. This actually made for a nice, complimentary pair of hikes. We were also at lower elevation on our lake hike compared to the trail to Bumpass Hell, about a thousand feet lower. That difference in elevation changed the types of flowers we were seeing. It also seemed drier here as well, as some of the fields we hiked by were not very lush and the flowers had gone to seed, although there were other areas closer to the creeks that were very green. The trail was well marked as there were several signs that pointed us in the right direction as gave the distances to each destination. However, I did note on one sign that the Parks Service might need to use spell checker. Pretty sure there is an “a” in “Meadow.” No worries, I’m not much of a speller either.
We arrived at Cold Boiling Lake in after about 20 minutes at a leisurely pace. A very nice setting with the small lake nestled in a curve of the surrounding ridge. There was a young family enjoying the scene from a log at the edge of the lake. Another pair of hikers followed us in from the trail and continued on around the lake. We could see them making the climb up the trail heading towards Bumpass Hell. Looking at the map later, this seems to be the harder route to get to the thermal area as it is longer and has a lot more elevation change than the trail we took. Look like the trail climbs about 800 feet from Cold Boiling Lake to Bumpass Hell.
So why the name, Cold Boiling Lake? The water is not hot, but it looks like it is boiling due to the bubbles seen near the surface of the lake. The bubbles are formed by cold gases that bubble up through the water giving the appearance that the water is boiling.
So why the name, Cold Boiling Lake? The water is not hot, but it looks like it is boiling due to the bubbles seen near the surface of the lake. The bubbles are formed by cold gases that bubble up through the water giving the appearance that the water is boiling.
We continued on to Crumbaugh Lake. The trail works downhill through a wooded area then levels out again and opens up in meadows around the lake. There were a few birds flitting about in the fields and among the trees. Mostly gone birds, but a few Robins as well. I spotted one grey bird in the trees that I thought might have been a Shrike, but it would not sit still long enough for a portrait. The blurry photo that I did get was of little help. It just seemed smaller than the plentiful Clark’s Nutcrackers that we had seen all morning. Once I got home I contacted Lassen through Facebook and asked if they have Shrikes in the park. The Ranger Shanda checked with their wildlife biologist who indicated there have been no confirmed sightings but it was not outside the realm of possibility. Since the photo was of no help, I just had to go with “indeterminate” but after review I’m thinking it was a Clark’s Nutcracker after all.
We stopped at Crumbaugh Lake, pausing long enough to enjoy the views of the meadows and the surrounding ridge. We discussed continuing on for a ways to check out the meadows beyond the lake as these were listed a prime wildlife areas. But that idea was nixed since we have not had much success with critter sightings thus far on the trail, probably just the wrong time of day, and we were thinking that a break and a snack were in order. So we reversed our heading and started back up the trail. Uneventful return trip. No critters and only a couple other hikers. We just enjoyed the views and the wildflowers on the way back to the trailhead. We were back at the Jeep a little after 2:00. Once there, we loaded up and headed toward home.
Here are the links to the photo gallery and our Ramblr track for the Cold Boiling and Crumbaugh Lakes hikes.
We stopped at Crumbaugh Lake, pausing long enough to enjoy the views of the meadows and the surrounding ridge. We discussed continuing on for a ways to check out the meadows beyond the lake as these were listed a prime wildlife areas. But that idea was nixed since we have not had much success with critter sightings thus far on the trail, probably just the wrong time of day, and we were thinking that a break and a snack were in order. So we reversed our heading and started back up the trail. Uneventful return trip. No critters and only a couple other hikers. We just enjoyed the views and the wildflowers on the way back to the trailhead. We were back at the Jeep a little after 2:00. Once there, we loaded up and headed toward home.
Here are the links to the photo gallery and our Ramblr track for the Cold Boiling and Crumbaugh Lakes hikes.
We did make a stop at the Manzanita Visitor Center just to see what they had to offer. Small facility, but with some nice displays on the history of the park. The displays started outside with a sign introducing us to Benjamin F. Loomis and his contributions to the establishment of Lassen Volcanic National Park. In fact the buildings in in the immediate area were built by Loomis and donated along with 40 acres to the Park Service. Loomis was something of an amateur scientist, although he did have formal training in scientific fields (as well as some “not so much” science, like phrenology). His photographs and detailed descriptions of the eruption of Mount Lassen helped to draw interest to the area and led to the establishment of the park. Loomis and his wife Estella built a seismograph station and a museum to house his photos and artifacts on the volcanic activity in the area. The museum now houses the Manzanita Visitor Center. The seismograph station is a great lead in to the displays in the visitor center.
While small, the Manzanita Visitor Center packs in a lot of information. There are large panels that display Loomis’s photos of the May 30, 1914, eruption of Mount Lassen, a volcano that up to this point was considered to be extinct. These images are really outstanding in terms of the detail considering the equipment used and the conditions under which they were shot. This was a man with serious dedication to be that close to the eruption. The quote from Loomis from the introductory sign sums up his commitment:
“In 1914…I climbed to the top of Lassen Peak six times…taking pictures…I realized that if the mountain should blow off while I was looking into…the crater, I would not be there to tell the tale. But for all that I never experienced the feeling of fear. For I was there to take pictures, and that pictures were the principal object of my thoughts.”
The news of the eruptions and the famous photos by Loomis sparked the interest of the Nation and pushed the effort to establish the area as a National Park on August 9, 1916.
The photos certainly have a lot of historic value and I’m sure scientific as well. I also collected some more information on Mount Tehama. There was a nice display in the museum that discussed the volcanic past and future of the area. It seems that we have a much better understanding of the past as there are many geologic clues about what has happened with all the volcanos in the area. Of course Mount Tehama is a key point of discussion in the displays in the Visitor Center as it shaped so much of what is Lassen Volcanic National Park.
Mount Tehama, or Brokeoff Volcano, was once the dominant feature of the Lassen area. Between 600,000 and 400,000 year ago, the composite volcano erupted and grew dramatically to immense size. The largest of the eruptions during this period was 50 times more powerful than the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption. At its peak, Mount Tehama had a base between 11 and 15 miles wide and topped out at 11,000 feet. Hydrothermal activity and glacial erosion then removed most of the volcano. The huge mountain ultimately fell in on itself leaving a large caldera. The remnants of Mount Tehama are the peaks around the old caldera including Brokeoff Mountain, Mount Diller, Pilot Pinnacle, and Mount Conrad.
So much to learn….
“In 1914…I climbed to the top of Lassen Peak six times…taking pictures…I realized that if the mountain should blow off while I was looking into…the crater, I would not be there to tell the tale. But for all that I never experienced the feeling of fear. For I was there to take pictures, and that pictures were the principal object of my thoughts.”
The news of the eruptions and the famous photos by Loomis sparked the interest of the Nation and pushed the effort to establish the area as a National Park on August 9, 1916.
The photos certainly have a lot of historic value and I’m sure scientific as well. I also collected some more information on Mount Tehama. There was a nice display in the museum that discussed the volcanic past and future of the area. It seems that we have a much better understanding of the past as there are many geologic clues about what has happened with all the volcanos in the area. Of course Mount Tehama is a key point of discussion in the displays in the Visitor Center as it shaped so much of what is Lassen Volcanic National Park.
Mount Tehama, or Brokeoff Volcano, was once the dominant feature of the Lassen area. Between 600,000 and 400,000 year ago, the composite volcano erupted and grew dramatically to immense size. The largest of the eruptions during this period was 50 times more powerful than the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption. At its peak, Mount Tehama had a base between 11 and 15 miles wide and topped out at 11,000 feet. Hydrothermal activity and glacial erosion then removed most of the volcano. The huge mountain ultimately fell in on itself leaving a large caldera. The remnants of Mount Tehama are the peaks around the old caldera including Brokeoff Mountain, Mount Diller, Pilot Pinnacle, and Mount Conrad.
So much to learn….
We went back to the cabin to relax for the rest of the afternoon, which is when we discovered one of our very few (maybe the only) SNAFU for the trip: where’s the house key? Well, turns out that it is now in a garbage receptacle at the Bumpass Hell Trailhead parking lot. For “safe keeping” Lynn placed the key in the center console of the Jeep. She was also putting trash in the same location rather than having it float around the car and thereby reducing the chances of it becoming litter in the park. Good thinking but the execution was lacking. After the Bumpass Hell hike she decided to dump the trash and cleaned out the debris in the console as well….including apparently the house key. No worries about getting in as there was still the key in the lockbox. I texted the owner about the miscue and told her just to deduct the cost of the replacement from the security deposit. She replied not to sweat it; seems this was not the first time a key has been misplaced.
We spent the rest of the day mostly hanging out on the back patio. We just snacked for dinner, finishing up the deli sandwiches that we had purchased in Redding and nibbling on whatever else we had around the kitchen. There was plenty of critter activity out in the backyard to entertain us. The beyond chubby ground squirrels were foraging under the bird feeder. I think the one was trying to set the Guinness record for most seeds stuffed into the cheeks of a rodent. There were also very large grey squirrels frolicking in the trees further up the hillside. I think these were Western Grey Squirrels. Lynn saw a yellow bird with some black on face and wings. Maybe a warbler of sort. Of course the Juncos and Steller’s Jays were in and out as well.
After we settled in for the evening I had a chance to research hummingbird identification. Based on the range information that I found, the hummer I saw this morning was most likely NOT an Allen’s as they are only found very near to the coast. I’ll go with the sighting being a Rufous Hummingbird as their range covers all of northern California. One of the birding websites that focuses on hummingbirds went in to detail on how to tell Allen’s from Rufous. The coloration does not cut it. Turns out that the way to relay tell the two apart is by the tail feathers; the Rufous has a notch in the feather next to the center feather. Seriously? OK, I’ll just go with green and gold humming bird and call it good.
By the way, once I was home I remembered to check out the “Allen” in Allen’s Chipmunk and Allen’s Hummingbird. Not the same person. The hummingbird is named after Charles Ander Allen (1841-1930) who first noticed the species in the U.S. He was a collector and taxidermist. The Chipper was named for Joel Asaph Allen (1838-1921) when he identified the species in 1890. J.A. Allen was an American zoologist, mammologist and ornithologist.
Lynn and I complied the daily critter list. We did pretty well with sightings today:
We spent the rest of the day mostly hanging out on the back patio. We just snacked for dinner, finishing up the deli sandwiches that we had purchased in Redding and nibbling on whatever else we had around the kitchen. There was plenty of critter activity out in the backyard to entertain us. The beyond chubby ground squirrels were foraging under the bird feeder. I think the one was trying to set the Guinness record for most seeds stuffed into the cheeks of a rodent. There were also very large grey squirrels frolicking in the trees further up the hillside. I think these were Western Grey Squirrels. Lynn saw a yellow bird with some black on face and wings. Maybe a warbler of sort. Of course the Juncos and Steller’s Jays were in and out as well.
After we settled in for the evening I had a chance to research hummingbird identification. Based on the range information that I found, the hummer I saw this morning was most likely NOT an Allen’s as they are only found very near to the coast. I’ll go with the sighting being a Rufous Hummingbird as their range covers all of northern California. One of the birding websites that focuses on hummingbirds went in to detail on how to tell Allen’s from Rufous. The coloration does not cut it. Turns out that the way to relay tell the two apart is by the tail feathers; the Rufous has a notch in the feather next to the center feather. Seriously? OK, I’ll just go with green and gold humming bird and call it good.
By the way, once I was home I remembered to check out the “Allen” in Allen’s Chipmunk and Allen’s Hummingbird. Not the same person. The hummingbird is named after Charles Ander Allen (1841-1930) who first noticed the species in the U.S. He was a collector and taxidermist. The Chipper was named for Joel Asaph Allen (1838-1921) when he identified the species in 1890. J.A. Allen was an American zoologist, mammologist and ornithologist.
Lynn and I complied the daily critter list. We did pretty well with sightings today:
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I went back out for sunset at Manzanita Lake at 8:00; the girls opted to stay home. I parked along the side of the road just beyond the entrance gate to cut down the distance to where we were last evening. Nice light on the mountain; subtle shades of pink and purple in the clouds. Looking away from the lake there were more dramatic colors through the trees; the sky was a dark blue to violet with bright pink in the clouds. A very pretty sunset. However, while the clouds made for a nice end of the day view, the building cover meant that there would be no star gazing tonight.
Day 6 - Wednesday, August 10 - To the top of Mount Lassen. Today we are going to try our big hike for the trip, well, as long as the girls are up for it. We put in about six easy miles yesterday between Bumpass Hell and the Cold Boiling-Crumbaugh Lakes so we should be good and loose for something more strenuous today. While I have been keeping them apprised of the plan, there was still a little of that "let's see what we feel like in the morning" attitude. But they were both ready for the challenge once we were up and discussing options. Excellent! We were loaded up and rolling toward the park at 0810.
Another lovely day in the making. A little cooler and more cloud cover compared too yesterday but perfect for hiking. The drive to the trailhead took 40 minutes, so about 30 minutes from the park entrance and Manzanita Lake to the trailhead. Not a lot of action in the parking lot. It is a big lot but only about a quarter full this morning. The early start again is paying dividends. We were geared up and on the trail at 9:05. Good idea to visit the little houses before we started the climb as there is absolutely no place to take a break along the trail.
The Mount Lassen trailhead parking is just off the main road (this is where we saw the citizenship ceremony setup yesterday morning) and situation at about 8400 feet above sea level. The trail we were taking this morning will climb right at 2000 feet over about 2.5 miles to the top of Mount Lassen, which measures in at 10,463 feet. It is uphill all the way along long grades and switchbacks. Lynn and Lisa were a little hesitant over this hike due to the altitude and the elevation change, but they were troopers. The only hesitancy was as we starting the hike and Lynn spotted the scar of a social trail going straight up the mountain side (more on that in a moment). She stated if that’s the trail, then I’m turning around now. I already knew the story, so I assured here that was not the trail and we kept on going. No issues after that, just lot of breaks to catch our breath.
The trail starts with an uphill grade and never really lets up all the way to the top. As mentioned, Lynn was a bit concerned as the trail appears to be straight up the mountain but it is an optical illusion of sorts. There is a scar from an old social trail that extends from the official trail and goes straight up the side of the mountain. The turn in the trail at this point is not really visible from the lower part of the trail so I understand Lynn's concern, but I had inside information on the route so I just said that we'll have to get to that next trail marker and figure it out. The marker was the first of many information placards along the trail providing points-of-interest along the trek up the mountain. This one showed a Photoshopped image of the mountain side sans scar. The scar was created by hikers who felt that the trail was not for them and decided to make their own route up the slope. Years of this disregard by these thoughtless folks had created the scar which will take decades to heal, provided that future hikers stick to the maintained trail. The message on the sign also indicated that “future of this trail is in our hands” as the Park Service will close the trail to all but guided hikes to ensure there will be no further damage. That would be a shame, but if that is what is necessary to protect the fragile landscape then so be it. The message also encouraged visitors to politely ask hikers who were off the trail to return to it and to report any flagrant abuse of the trails. Did we just get deputized? In addition to the informational sign there was an “Area Closed” sign and a low wall built between the official and social trail, so someone would have to blatantly ignore a set of warnings to take that trail, but there are plenty of folks out there who think the rules don’t apply to them. But the good news was that we saw no one attempting this steep climb today. The other good news was that once Lynn realized that we were not going that way she was good with continuing. OK, only 4.5…plus…miles to go!
Another lovely day in the making. A little cooler and more cloud cover compared too yesterday but perfect for hiking. The drive to the trailhead took 40 minutes, so about 30 minutes from the park entrance and Manzanita Lake to the trailhead. Not a lot of action in the parking lot. It is a big lot but only about a quarter full this morning. The early start again is paying dividends. We were geared up and on the trail at 9:05. Good idea to visit the little houses before we started the climb as there is absolutely no place to take a break along the trail.
The Mount Lassen trailhead parking is just off the main road (this is where we saw the citizenship ceremony setup yesterday morning) and situation at about 8400 feet above sea level. The trail we were taking this morning will climb right at 2000 feet over about 2.5 miles to the top of Mount Lassen, which measures in at 10,463 feet. It is uphill all the way along long grades and switchbacks. Lynn and Lisa were a little hesitant over this hike due to the altitude and the elevation change, but they were troopers. The only hesitancy was as we starting the hike and Lynn spotted the scar of a social trail going straight up the mountain side (more on that in a moment). She stated if that’s the trail, then I’m turning around now. I already knew the story, so I assured here that was not the trail and we kept on going. No issues after that, just lot of breaks to catch our breath.
The trail starts with an uphill grade and never really lets up all the way to the top. As mentioned, Lynn was a bit concerned as the trail appears to be straight up the mountain but it is an optical illusion of sorts. There is a scar from an old social trail that extends from the official trail and goes straight up the side of the mountain. The turn in the trail at this point is not really visible from the lower part of the trail so I understand Lynn's concern, but I had inside information on the route so I just said that we'll have to get to that next trail marker and figure it out. The marker was the first of many information placards along the trail providing points-of-interest along the trek up the mountain. This one showed a Photoshopped image of the mountain side sans scar. The scar was created by hikers who felt that the trail was not for them and decided to make their own route up the slope. Years of this disregard by these thoughtless folks had created the scar which will take decades to heal, provided that future hikers stick to the maintained trail. The message on the sign also indicated that “future of this trail is in our hands” as the Park Service will close the trail to all but guided hikes to ensure there will be no further damage. That would be a shame, but if that is what is necessary to protect the fragile landscape then so be it. The message also encouraged visitors to politely ask hikers who were off the trail to return to it and to report any flagrant abuse of the trails. Did we just get deputized? In addition to the informational sign there was an “Area Closed” sign and a low wall built between the official and social trail, so someone would have to blatantly ignore a set of warnings to take that trail, but there are plenty of folks out there who think the rules don’t apply to them. But the good news was that we saw no one attempting this steep climb today. The other good news was that once Lynn realized that we were not going that way she was good with continuing. OK, only 4.5…plus…miles to go!
Once through the initial switchbacks, we got a short break as the trail climbed gently through a couple meadows and some sparse trees. Then the serious uphill hike started as we worked steadily upward through a seemingly never ending series of switchbacks. But as we climbed we were rewarded with wonderful views of big vistas as well as interesting scenes right along the trail plus more nuggets of information from the signs scattered along the trail. The following is a list of random thoughts and sightings during our hike to the summit:
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We made it! We're at the peak of Mount Lassen. Well sort of. The point where the trail dumps out is almost at the top and has a few more interpretive signs and affords wonderful views. But it is not the high point. According to the Ramblr track it took us about 2:24 to make the 2.3 mile climb, gaining about 2000 feet in elevation along the way to get to this point. To reach the official summit, there is a snow field to traverse and a final scramble to the peak. Lynn heard a group of hikers talking about the scramble and opted out of the final little ascent. But I figured that I was this close so I'll give it a go. Lynn and Lisa went back across the snow to wait on the big rocks near the trail signs while I went on upward.
This final stretch was short but steep and rocky. The route was just a goat trail, really. But I made it easily. There were a dozen or so other intrepid folks up here as well, including the kids and their teachers we had been leap-frogging on the way up. Most everyone was taking a break and having a snack. Great idea. So I found a spot to take a load off as well. I did not want to take too much time up here since the girls were waiting for me, but I did take the time to enjoy my granola bar while taking in the views. I snapped a few photos for the surrounding views as well as of the survey marker at the high point. The kids and their teachers were gathering for a group shot so I helped out by taking their photo. I also noticed an odd concrete structure just on the other side of the high point, perhaps some sort of viewing platform? Whatever it was, I opted not to investigate due to its exposed location. The views were fine from where I was anyone. One last look and then I headed back down the rocky slope.
I caught up with the girls. They were sitting on a rock bench, just were I had seen then from the peak. I took a minute to read the signs here at this point. One of them talked about the butterflies that migrate through this area and cross the peak. Right on cue, a flock of these same butterflies (California Tortoiseshells) blew in across the peak and headed toward a stand of wildflowers adjacent to the trail. They would not pause long enough for a portrait, however, as the wind was blowing pretty steady at this point. The sign pointed out that the steep volcanic dome creates powerful wind currents affect the migration of birds and other flying critters like these butterflies. It mentioned that the thermal lift from the mountain is an aid to birds like Sandhill Cranes during their long migrations.
The other signs here on top of Mount Lassen continued the discussion on the volcanic activity in the region. The Lassen Volcanic Center is part of the vast network of volcanic activity of the Pacific Ring of Fire, the series of volcanoes that surrounds the Pacific Ocean. The volcanic activity is linked to the slow grinding of the continental plates drifting across the surface of the planet. Volcanism in the greater Lassen area has been active for about three million years. Lassen’s current volcanic domes are part of the most recently active Lassen Volcanic Center, which began to erupt 825,000 years ago. Recently the region has seen eruptions from Cinder Cone (about 350 years ago) and Lassen Peak (about 100 years ago). The steam vents, boiling springs and bubbling mudpots are direct evidence that the volcanic center still smolders. No one can say when or where the next eruption will occur, only say that it will.
Particularly interesting was that all four types of volcanoes found in the world (shield, composite, cinder cone and plug dome) are found within Lassen Volcanic National Park. In fact examples of each (or at least the remnants) were visible from the top of Mount Lassen. Unlike other Cascade volcanoes, Lassen’s large plug dome and composite volcanoes are in close proximity to the smaller cinder come volcanoes that surround the volcanic center. I thought this quote from one of the signs really summed of the nature of the Lassen area: “The prolific and enduring character of this area had created a complex of volcanoes superimposed upon the wreckage of its volcanic past.” Another interesting point from the signage was that every rock in Lassen originated from volcanoes. The fact that I was standing on top of a volcano (granted it was not doing anything at the moment) sort of put all this data into perspective.
The other signs here on top of Mount Lassen continued the discussion on the volcanic activity in the region. The Lassen Volcanic Center is part of the vast network of volcanic activity of the Pacific Ring of Fire, the series of volcanoes that surrounds the Pacific Ocean. The volcanic activity is linked to the slow grinding of the continental plates drifting across the surface of the planet. Volcanism in the greater Lassen area has been active for about three million years. Lassen’s current volcanic domes are part of the most recently active Lassen Volcanic Center, which began to erupt 825,000 years ago. Recently the region has seen eruptions from Cinder Cone (about 350 years ago) and Lassen Peak (about 100 years ago). The steam vents, boiling springs and bubbling mudpots are direct evidence that the volcanic center still smolders. No one can say when or where the next eruption will occur, only say that it will.
Particularly interesting was that all four types of volcanoes found in the world (shield, composite, cinder cone and plug dome) are found within Lassen Volcanic National Park. In fact examples of each (or at least the remnants) were visible from the top of Mount Lassen. Unlike other Cascade volcanoes, Lassen’s large plug dome and composite volcanoes are in close proximity to the smaller cinder come volcanoes that surround the volcanic center. I thought this quote from one of the signs really summed of the nature of the Lassen area: “The prolific and enduring character of this area had created a complex of volcanoes superimposed upon the wreckage of its volcanic past.” Another interesting point from the signage was that every rock in Lassen originated from volcanoes. The fact that I was standing on top of a volcano (granted it was not doing anything at the moment) sort of put all this data into perspective.
We were at the top of the mountain for about 40 minutes or so before we started the return hike. The trip down was easy and allowed us to continue to enjoy the views in all directions. The number of hikers coming up the trail had dramatically increased since this morning. The clouds had also increased as well, and they had a darker look to them. It did not look like a storm was really brewing but still I was glad to be heading down instead of up under that sky.
The friendliness rating for this trail was still deservedly high. Most everyone was smiling even as they were toiling up the hill. Folks were sharing the trail, saying "hi" to one another or “I like your shirt” and of course the always present “how much further?” One young couple noticed the "Trip Advisory" logo, as they called it, on my jacket and asked if I worked for TA. "Nope, I'm just on the site a lot as part of the community." The young lady said that she did the same thing on Yelp. They looked like they wanted a breather, I get that, so we chatted about the community aspect of the regular contributors on these types of sites. I told them about the Utah Trip Advisor Herd and how we met through TripAdvisor and our now annual meet-ups. "That's crazy," was her reply, but I think it was a good crazy.
I saw another NASA shirt on the trail but again the wearer did not work for NASA. That’s two meatballs on the trails counting the one I spotted one the way back from Bumpass Hell yesterday. That guy got his from his from his brother who works at SpaceX.
I was impressed with the hikers out on this trail. I think that everyone I saw at least looked prepared for the hike with proper foot gear, water and proper clothing (Ok, there were a few of the young adults who might have needed an extra layer given the temperature, but otherwise they looked like they were ready for the hike). The only exception was a 20-something that we passed on the initial uphill section of the trail; we were almost done while he and his group were just starting. He was wearing flip-flops. Really, flip-flops. I could not help myself and suggested to him that he might want to get some better shoes for the coming hike. He just laughed and trotted on up the trail. I doubt that he'll be laughing later.
We made pretty good time back down the trail arriving back at the parking lot at 1:30. We were watching the kids throwing snowballs on the big snow piles around the parking lot as we exited the trail. That put me in mind of the big family trip “out west” when I was a kid. I can still remember being somewhere in Yellowstone in July and playing in the snow. The parking was quite a bit more packed now, but still not full. I reckon there were maybe ten cars here when we arrived this morning but now there were forty or more and a couple more rolling is just as we finished.
Great hike! Tough, yes, but well worth the effort to see those views and just to be able to say you were at the top of a volcano. This was the only hike that Lynn and I used our trekking poles. But with the constant uphill (then back down the hill) I was certainly glad that we brought the poles with us. They really helped on this trail. The hike took us just under 4:30 covering 4.9 miles, about 2:15 to get to the top and 1:20 for the return trip. The map a little higher up the page shows the track, plus here’s the link to the Rambler track. Here are the photos from our hike on Mount Lassen.
On the way back toward Manzanita Lake I asked Lynn and Lisa if they wanted to stop at any other points of interest but they were happy with a driving tour through the park. However they were very interested in stopping at Manzanita Lake once I mentioned buying ice cream at the camp store! Plenty of folks at the Kings Creek Trailhead; lots of cars and lots of folks meandering about. Obviously a popular spot. Otherwise the road was fairly quiet with not a lot of traffic. No critter sightings of note.
The friendliness rating for this trail was still deservedly high. Most everyone was smiling even as they were toiling up the hill. Folks were sharing the trail, saying "hi" to one another or “I like your shirt” and of course the always present “how much further?” One young couple noticed the "Trip Advisory" logo, as they called it, on my jacket and asked if I worked for TA. "Nope, I'm just on the site a lot as part of the community." The young lady said that she did the same thing on Yelp. They looked like they wanted a breather, I get that, so we chatted about the community aspect of the regular contributors on these types of sites. I told them about the Utah Trip Advisor Herd and how we met through TripAdvisor and our now annual meet-ups. "That's crazy," was her reply, but I think it was a good crazy.
I saw another NASA shirt on the trail but again the wearer did not work for NASA. That’s two meatballs on the trails counting the one I spotted one the way back from Bumpass Hell yesterday. That guy got his from his from his brother who works at SpaceX.
I was impressed with the hikers out on this trail. I think that everyone I saw at least looked prepared for the hike with proper foot gear, water and proper clothing (Ok, there were a few of the young adults who might have needed an extra layer given the temperature, but otherwise they looked like they were ready for the hike). The only exception was a 20-something that we passed on the initial uphill section of the trail; we were almost done while he and his group were just starting. He was wearing flip-flops. Really, flip-flops. I could not help myself and suggested to him that he might want to get some better shoes for the coming hike. He just laughed and trotted on up the trail. I doubt that he'll be laughing later.
We made pretty good time back down the trail arriving back at the parking lot at 1:30. We were watching the kids throwing snowballs on the big snow piles around the parking lot as we exited the trail. That put me in mind of the big family trip “out west” when I was a kid. I can still remember being somewhere in Yellowstone in July and playing in the snow. The parking was quite a bit more packed now, but still not full. I reckon there were maybe ten cars here when we arrived this morning but now there were forty or more and a couple more rolling is just as we finished.
Great hike! Tough, yes, but well worth the effort to see those views and just to be able to say you were at the top of a volcano. This was the only hike that Lynn and I used our trekking poles. But with the constant uphill (then back down the hill) I was certainly glad that we brought the poles with us. They really helped on this trail. The hike took us just under 4:30 covering 4.9 miles, about 2:15 to get to the top and 1:20 for the return trip. The map a little higher up the page shows the track, plus here’s the link to the Rambler track. Here are the photos from our hike on Mount Lassen.
On the way back toward Manzanita Lake I asked Lynn and Lisa if they wanted to stop at any other points of interest but they were happy with a driving tour through the park. However they were very interested in stopping at Manzanita Lake once I mentioned buying ice cream at the camp store! Plenty of folks at the Kings Creek Trailhead; lots of cars and lots of folks meandering about. Obviously a popular spot. Otherwise the road was fairly quiet with not a lot of traffic. No critter sightings of note.
Once back at Manzanita Lake I kept to my word and sprung for ice cream. I had noticed that they had ice cream when we stopped the other day. They actually have a good selection of frozen treats as well as just about everything else you might need for your time in the park. We looked around a bit just to see what souvenirs they might have that would be of interest. No joy on the Mount Lassen survey marker pin; the closest they had was an “I climbed the volcano” button, but I really did not want one of those (a photo sufficed). We got our ice cream and adjourned to a picnic table out on the lawn under the shade of a big tree. Nestle chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich, you know, two big chocolate chip cookies use as the bread of the sandwich with vanilla ice cream stuffed between. A well-earned reward.
One last stop in the park at the visitor center. I went in to collect on the hiking challenge and for one last shot at the Mount Lassen pin. Again, no luck on the pin; I guess I should have purchased it yesterday at Kohm Yah-mah-nee. But I did collect the bandana for completing the hiking challenge. I’ll stuff that in the backpack as you never know when it might come in handy. Time to go home for a little chill time back patio, definitely a beer and probably a nap….
One last stop in the park at the visitor center. I went in to collect on the hiking challenge and for one last shot at the Mount Lassen pin. Again, no luck on the pin; I guess I should have purchased it yesterday at Kohm Yah-mah-nee. But I did collect the bandana for completing the hiking challenge. I’ll stuff that in the backpack as you never know when it might come in handy. Time to go home for a little chill time back patio, definitely a beer and probably a nap….
After a short siesta, the girls informed me that it was time for dinner. Works for me. Since there is not a lot shaking in the area in terms of restaurants, we decided to try carry out from Pioneer Pizza. How bad could it be, right? So we placed and order for a large pizza, just a veggie for the girls. I asked about the sizes available and I think they said 14 and 16 inch, so I went with the larger size. I also threw in an order of jalapeno poppers, just 'cause I like 'em. I am always on the lookout for some place that makes poppers that can at least come close to the ones I got at the Arizona Room on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon during our first visit many moons ago. Those were the best ever and to this day I have not found any that come close. Maybe today is the day.
They said the order would be ready in about 40 minutes. OK, it's about 15 minutes or so back to Shingleton, so I have time to get there and have a beer at the local bar which is next to the pizza joint. Lynn and Lisa were quite happy to send me on this errand solo as they were working their way through a bottle of wine, so I loaded up and headed west on route 44.
Once out of the trees right around Viola and on the open road I had a nice view in my rearview mirror of Mount Lassen. There were huge clouds building up over the peak and starting to catch the early evening light. Quite impressive. Looks like a nice sunset in the making.
I rolled into Pioneer Pizza about 25 minutes after placing the order. Sort of an unassuming place and it did not really instill a lot of confidence in terms of its culinary expertise. But the young lady behind the counter was very friendly and cheerfully informed me that my order was ready. Wow, that was the shortest 40 minutes ever. I think they went to the Montgomery Scott school of estimating (Kirk: Mr. Scott, do you always multiple your repair estimates by a factor of three? Mr. Scott: Aye, Captain. How else can I maintain my reputation as a miracle worker?) So he decision now is a beer in the bar or get the pizza home to the girls while it is still hot. I took the high road, paid the bill ad headed back to Viola.
On the way back I snacked on the poppers. Neither Lynn nor Lisa appreciate spicy food, so these were all mine. Not bad, but they did not infringe on my memory of the excellent poppers in the Arizona Room. I'll keep searching.
The other thing I noticed on the return trip was that the clouds over Lassen at completely dispersed (ws that the case or was it when we went back for photos?). But it still looks like a wonderful sunset is possible, as the sky is blue, and winds are calm and the lighting is promising. Probably worth one last trip to Manzanita Lake after dinner.
Back at the house, I found Lynn and Lisa still on the patio; good place to be, so the pizza and I joined them. I grabbed plates, a beer and other implements of destruction and we dove into the pizza. OK, this is a big pie, at least a 16-inch and maybe 18. Way more than we need, but we'll give it the old college try. Very good pizza. Thin but soft sort of doughy crust which was the best part (I'm a bread guy). The sauce and toppings were also very edible. Overall, a very good pizza. And we did pretty good damage to it as well, but could not eat it all. Well, there's an option for breakfast, everybody's favorite dorm room snack, cold pizza.
We hung on the back patio until the mosquitos chased us inside at about 6:40. This was the first time all trip that the little Kamikazes had really annoyed us. I was a double-ace before we had to retreat. We tried the front porch for a while, lighting the citronella lamps that surrounded the area, they were only partially effective but kept the little bloodsuckers at bay for the most part.
At a little after 7:00 I declared it time for one last sunset trip to Manzanita Lake. Lynn decided to go tonight but Lisa again passed. The Christian youth camp was quiet except for a lone mule deer doe grazing on the lawn. She paused to look at us when we paused to look at her, but otherwise was not too concerned about us. Looks like the campers have all gone home as there was no activity anywhere. Not that the kids were loud, but it will be more peaceful this evening. We made the short drive and parked at the first wide spot inside the park entrance. No one else was around yet, so we had our pic of perches around the lake. We settled into a nice wide spot with an unobstructed view of Mount Lassen out over the nearly mirror surface of Manzanita Lake. At this time we were still in the last of the afternoon light, so the sky was brilliant blue, the trees were green, albeit in shadow, and the mountain was grey with white patches of snow. But as the minutes ticked by and the sun started to set the colors started to morph, providing orange then pink casts across Mount Lassen as well as the tops of the trees. The tall clouds that were hovering in the area a few hours ago were indeed gone, or they would have made an outstanding backdrop particularly when they caught the colors from the evening rays. But even without that added dimension it was a lovely final evening in Lassen Volcanic National Park.
Just as the light show was getting ready to start we were joined at our vantage point by a lady and her son. She was also out for sunset shots. Plenty of room here so we invited them to join us. Nice folks. We talked about our travels. She and her family were also National Park fans. They were from the general region so had visited all the parks around here. I asked her advice about the best route from here to Crater Lake, particularly what were the best things to see and do. While she liked the idea of Heart Lake, she thought that even just a drive through of Lava Beds National Monument would be the best place to explore even if just for a few hours. She said it was one of their favorite places to visit. She made a quite convincing argument for visiting Lava Beds. OK, I'll have to look into this this evening and see if we want to alter the plan.
We were at Manzanita Lake long enough to watch the lighting and colors on the mountain as the sun dropped behind us. When we arrived the scene was still in the daylight, so we were seeing the nice contrasts of the blue sky and lake with the well lite green trees and the grey mountain. The lake was smooth so the reflections were very near mirror like. As the evening passed we started getting the subtle lighting changes that brought in the pink and orange highlights on the mountain, as the trees around the lake fell into shadow. By the time we were ready to leave the mountain was bathed in a reddish glow. I think we got some decent shots; hey, you take what Mother Nature offers. Speaking of Mother Nature, she gave us a extra treat tonight as an Osprey was soaring overhead as the light show was getting started. The big bird perched in an evergreen just across the little arm of the lake from where we were stationed. Just on the edge of good camera range for me. Like the mountains, the bird was also getting a color bath from the last light of the day. It is always a bonus to see the big raptors. We left after sundown but there was still plenty of light to see as we made our way along the trail back to the car. We passed several photogs coming into the lake trail on our way out; I think they are a little too late. Here's the collection of images from our three sunset trips to Manzanita Lake
They said the order would be ready in about 40 minutes. OK, it's about 15 minutes or so back to Shingleton, so I have time to get there and have a beer at the local bar which is next to the pizza joint. Lynn and Lisa were quite happy to send me on this errand solo as they were working their way through a bottle of wine, so I loaded up and headed west on route 44.
Once out of the trees right around Viola and on the open road I had a nice view in my rearview mirror of Mount Lassen. There were huge clouds building up over the peak and starting to catch the early evening light. Quite impressive. Looks like a nice sunset in the making.
I rolled into Pioneer Pizza about 25 minutes after placing the order. Sort of an unassuming place and it did not really instill a lot of confidence in terms of its culinary expertise. But the young lady behind the counter was very friendly and cheerfully informed me that my order was ready. Wow, that was the shortest 40 minutes ever. I think they went to the Montgomery Scott school of estimating (Kirk: Mr. Scott, do you always multiple your repair estimates by a factor of three? Mr. Scott: Aye, Captain. How else can I maintain my reputation as a miracle worker?) So he decision now is a beer in the bar or get the pizza home to the girls while it is still hot. I took the high road, paid the bill ad headed back to Viola.
On the way back I snacked on the poppers. Neither Lynn nor Lisa appreciate spicy food, so these were all mine. Not bad, but they did not infringe on my memory of the excellent poppers in the Arizona Room. I'll keep searching.
The other thing I noticed on the return trip was that the clouds over Lassen at completely dispersed (ws that the case or was it when we went back for photos?). But it still looks like a wonderful sunset is possible, as the sky is blue, and winds are calm and the lighting is promising. Probably worth one last trip to Manzanita Lake after dinner.
Back at the house, I found Lynn and Lisa still on the patio; good place to be, so the pizza and I joined them. I grabbed plates, a beer and other implements of destruction and we dove into the pizza. OK, this is a big pie, at least a 16-inch and maybe 18. Way more than we need, but we'll give it the old college try. Very good pizza. Thin but soft sort of doughy crust which was the best part (I'm a bread guy). The sauce and toppings were also very edible. Overall, a very good pizza. And we did pretty good damage to it as well, but could not eat it all. Well, there's an option for breakfast, everybody's favorite dorm room snack, cold pizza.
We hung on the back patio until the mosquitos chased us inside at about 6:40. This was the first time all trip that the little Kamikazes had really annoyed us. I was a double-ace before we had to retreat. We tried the front porch for a while, lighting the citronella lamps that surrounded the area, they were only partially effective but kept the little bloodsuckers at bay for the most part.
At a little after 7:00 I declared it time for one last sunset trip to Manzanita Lake. Lynn decided to go tonight but Lisa again passed. The Christian youth camp was quiet except for a lone mule deer doe grazing on the lawn. She paused to look at us when we paused to look at her, but otherwise was not too concerned about us. Looks like the campers have all gone home as there was no activity anywhere. Not that the kids were loud, but it will be more peaceful this evening. We made the short drive and parked at the first wide spot inside the park entrance. No one else was around yet, so we had our pic of perches around the lake. We settled into a nice wide spot with an unobstructed view of Mount Lassen out over the nearly mirror surface of Manzanita Lake. At this time we were still in the last of the afternoon light, so the sky was brilliant blue, the trees were green, albeit in shadow, and the mountain was grey with white patches of snow. But as the minutes ticked by and the sun started to set the colors started to morph, providing orange then pink casts across Mount Lassen as well as the tops of the trees. The tall clouds that were hovering in the area a few hours ago were indeed gone, or they would have made an outstanding backdrop particularly when they caught the colors from the evening rays. But even without that added dimension it was a lovely final evening in Lassen Volcanic National Park.
Just as the light show was getting ready to start we were joined at our vantage point by a lady and her son. She was also out for sunset shots. Plenty of room here so we invited them to join us. Nice folks. We talked about our travels. She and her family were also National Park fans. They were from the general region so had visited all the parks around here. I asked her advice about the best route from here to Crater Lake, particularly what were the best things to see and do. While she liked the idea of Heart Lake, she thought that even just a drive through of Lava Beds National Monument would be the best place to explore even if just for a few hours. She said it was one of their favorite places to visit. She made a quite convincing argument for visiting Lava Beds. OK, I'll have to look into this this evening and see if we want to alter the plan.
We were at Manzanita Lake long enough to watch the lighting and colors on the mountain as the sun dropped behind us. When we arrived the scene was still in the daylight, so we were seeing the nice contrasts of the blue sky and lake with the well lite green trees and the grey mountain. The lake was smooth so the reflections were very near mirror like. As the evening passed we started getting the subtle lighting changes that brought in the pink and orange highlights on the mountain, as the trees around the lake fell into shadow. By the time we were ready to leave the mountain was bathed in a reddish glow. I think we got some decent shots; hey, you take what Mother Nature offers. Speaking of Mother Nature, she gave us a extra treat tonight as an Osprey was soaring overhead as the light show was getting started. The big bird perched in an evergreen just across the little arm of the lake from where we were stationed. Just on the edge of good camera range for me. Like the mountains, the bird was also getting a color bath from the last light of the day. It is always a bonus to see the big raptors. We left after sundown but there was still plenty of light to see as we made our way along the trail back to the car. We passed several photogs coming into the lake trail on our way out; I think they are a little too late. Here's the collection of images from our three sunset trips to Manzanita Lake
We were back at the house about 8:25. I checked the NPS website about Lava Beds and looked at Google maps for the driving route options. Time-wise it was about a wash between going to Crater Lake via Lava Beds compared to Heart Lake. Right now I’m leaning toward Lava Beds, but I’ll sleep on this and we’ll discuss it in the morning. Lisa and I went out for a star check at 9:00 but the moon was dominating the sky. I tried using Google Sky to get some sense of what was what but the app had crashed. But is was a nice, quiet evening, particularly since the camp was closed. If the moon had not been out the area adjacent to the little lakes just across the road from the cabin would have been ideal for star gazing. Oh well, maybe we’ll have better luck at Crater Lake. Back inside I troubleshot Google Sky; I think it is working now. Lynn and I finalized the critter list from today (we had been adding to it each time we went out it seemed):
We also saw several gone birds on during the hike on Mount Lassen including a small gray bird on Lassen Peak trail (smaller than a Robin but bigger than a Junco). By definition of a gone bird there were no useful photos so no chance of a better identification. Can’t win ‘em all.
Day 7 - Thursday, August 11 - On to Crater Lake by way of Lava Beds. I was up and about at 6:05, waiting for the girls to stir. This is our transition day to Crater Lake, so an early start would be nice since we have a longish drive and would like to explore along the way. I'm rethinking the original plan of hiking to Heart Lake as we would not arrive there until late morning at the earliest, knowing that the ladies will not be motivated to get moving too early, so the light there will not be ideal for photos. Perhaps it would be better to take the advice received last evening at Manzanita Lake and drive through Lava Beds National Monument. The lady we talked to last evening made a strong case for Lava Beds. I resumed my research on the NPS.gov website and looked at the options. Seems that there is a lot to see and do there. Plenty of variety which again fits the theme of this trip: the lava beds and tubes, Native American history, the adjacent wildlife refuge and some WWII history with Tule Lake segregation camp. Seems like we could see a good bit of the park with a short visit and therefore legitimately check it off the list. That would mean that we would have had at least a brief stop six of the seven Parks Service units around the Circle of Discovery. Once they were up and cognizant, I laid out the revised play. Unanimous agreement on rerouting via Lava Beds.
We got packed and cleaned up the house, which took about five minutes since we never made a mess. We just cleaned out the fridge and collected the garbage. We had not placed anything in the freezer but checked it nonetheless. Bummer, the owners had iced some beers mugs for us. Totally missed that. OK, lesson learned; always check the freezer for beer mugs. Here are a few photos of our time at the Viola Cabin.
Day 7 - Thursday, August 11 - On to Crater Lake by way of Lava Beds. I was up and about at 6:05, waiting for the girls to stir. This is our transition day to Crater Lake, so an early start would be nice since we have a longish drive and would like to explore along the way. I'm rethinking the original plan of hiking to Heart Lake as we would not arrive there until late morning at the earliest, knowing that the ladies will not be motivated to get moving too early, so the light there will not be ideal for photos. Perhaps it would be better to take the advice received last evening at Manzanita Lake and drive through Lava Beds National Monument. The lady we talked to last evening made a strong case for Lava Beds. I resumed my research on the NPS.gov website and looked at the options. Seems that there is a lot to see and do there. Plenty of variety which again fits the theme of this trip: the lava beds and tubes, Native American history, the adjacent wildlife refuge and some WWII history with Tule Lake segregation camp. Seems like we could see a good bit of the park with a short visit and therefore legitimately check it off the list. That would mean that we would have had at least a brief stop six of the seven Parks Service units around the Circle of Discovery. Once they were up and cognizant, I laid out the revised play. Unanimous agreement on rerouting via Lava Beds.
We got packed and cleaned up the house, which took about five minutes since we never made a mess. We just cleaned out the fridge and collected the garbage. We had not placed anything in the freezer but checked it nonetheless. Bummer, the owners had iced some beers mugs for us. Totally missed that. OK, lesson learned; always check the freezer for beer mugs. Here are a few photos of our time at the Viola Cabin.
We were pulling out of the driveway at 0835, pretty much on schedule for our revised plan. We passed through Lassen Volcanic National Park one last time, but bypassing entrance station that we had used for past couple of days and moving into new territory for us. We encountered a variety of landscapes along our route. Much of the trip was through National Forests, first Lassen as we left the National Park then Modoc around Lava Beds and finally along the edge of Fremont-Winema. There were large areas of fire damage north of Lassen from several different fires. Signs along the way indicated the dates of the blazes which ranged over the past several decades, as I recall. Mount Shasta kept watch over us the entire trip. We spotted a mule deer in the Big Valley not too far north of Lassen Volcanic, a very big buck. In general the region was very bucolic through much of the drive with lots of cattle and a plenty of hay being made.
We arrived at Lava Beds via the backdoor and made a series of stops here in the park as well as the surrounding area. We obviously did not have time to take in all that the park had to offer, but I think we did a good job a hitting several of the highlights and seeing a nice cross section of Lava Beds (map of the park). Here’s the list of the things we saw:
We arrived at Lava Beds via the backdoor and made a series of stops here in the park as well as the surrounding area. We obviously did not have time to take in all that the park had to offer, but I think we did a good job a hitting several of the highlights and seeing a nice cross section of Lava Beds (map of the park). Here’s the list of the things we saw:
- Lava Beds Entrance Sign: I was snapping the passport photo at the south entrance right at 11:30 (actually got one of Lava Beds and Modoc National Forest at the same stop). Of course we had to get the passport stamp for visiting the park. This sort of becomes an obsession with me when we visit a new park (OK, even parks we have visited numerous time). But this one was easily checked off the list.
- Visitor Center: A very nice little visitor center but it had all the primary requirements covered: small gift shop, interesting educational displays covering the geologic and human history of the area, both of which are quite fascinating, and of course the information desk staffed with another set of early career Park Rangers (again the kids were doing a wonderful job!). We picked up a map, a park pin and some helpful pointers from the Rangers then headed out to explore. It was a bit warmer here than when we left Viola, probably well into the 70s and climbing under a cloudless blue sky.
- Mush Pot Cave: While in the Visitor Center we saw several families getting suited up for caving, but that was just not in the cards for us due to lack of time and honestly lack of interest as none of us wanted to go crawling around in the lava tubes then have to drive a few more hours in the car. But we did take the short walk from the Visitor Center to check out one of the few tubes in the park that you can explore without the need of a helmet and other protective gear, Mush Pot Cave. This is a short cave and very easy to access via a set of stairs and has a paved and well-lit trail into the cave. The lava tube caves were created by flows of smooth lava from the Medicine Lake Shield Volcano between 10,500 and 65,000 years ago. As the lava flowed it began to cool around the edges and solidified on the top and sides forming the shell of the tube. Once the eruption ceased the tube emptied and drained so only the hard shell, the lave tube cave is left. A very cool natural occurrence.
- Flenner Chimneys: After leaving the visitor center we drove north on the park road and made our second stop the Flenner Chimneys. This did make for a very nice, short stop and provided an elevated platform for seeing the surrounding area. Plus the colors and contours of the rocks of the chimneys were very pretty. At first glance from the parking lot this just looked like a dark grey pile of rocks but up close inspection proved otherwise. The colors in particularly were very nice and in spots quite beautiful. There was a wide range of hues and shades in the formation, some being rather subtle. From the signs near the formation, we learned that we were standing on a fault and that for two million years lava has erupted periodically through this weakness, slowly building the Medicine Lake volcano. The “chimneys” were “built up as hot gases propelled globs of lava high into the air like lumpy oatmeal boiling over the pot.” This lava formed a hollow spatter cone as it fell back to the ground. The massive Devils Homestead lava flow was formed later when less explosive lava flowed out of the chimneys created the 3.5-mile long lava bed to the north of the chimneys. The magma that formed both the chimneys and the lava flow came up through a long fissure in the ground that runs along Gillem Bluff just to the west. The signs also outlined the history of visitors dropping rocks and trash into the chimneys to see how deep they are, something that had occurred since the start of travel to the area. So much stuff was dumped in the chimneys that they were eventually filled! In 1990-1991 a volunteer crew removed nearly 35 tons of material, once bucketful at a time, to open only one chimney. Gates and fences are now in place to keep the process from repeating as well as to protect the tourists from falling into the openings. By the way, the deepest is about 50 feet.
- Devils Homestead Lava Field: We continued north from the chimneys and the road rolled along and crossed the lava flow that emanated from the Flenner Chimneys. We made two stops at the overlooks adjacent to the flow. This lava flow was laid down about 12,000 years ago. The flow was created by an eruption of the ginormous Medicine Lake Shield Volcano. We were standing on the northern flank of this enormous volcano, which is the largest volcano by surface area and volume on the Cascade Range.
- Canby Cross: After leaving the lava flow, we passed the northern entrance station and turned east along the park road. Our next stop had nothing at all to do with volcanic activity, although I guess the resulting volcanic formations did play a major role in the chapter of United States history that unfolded here. This is the story of the Indian War that United States waged against the Modoc in the early 1870s. Back in the visitor center there were displays that provided the back story of the Modoc War: “Facing an onslaught of land-hungry settlers, the Modoc reluctantly accepted a US Government relocation to Oregon. They were placed on a reservation occupied along with two other tribes. Friction and harassment broke out between the groups. When the officials operating the reservation did nothing to solve the problem, half of the tribe – 169 men, women and children – led by a young chief named Kintpuash, also known as Captain Jack, decided to return to their homeland and make a stand for freedom in what become known as the Modoc War. Fifty-eight warriors took refuge in the natural fortress of the lava beds and repeatedly outwitted a much larger force of US soldiers. Although the Modoc were eventually worn down and defeated, their historic resistance became legend.” So what’s up with the cross? It marks the end of a very sad tale. Per the informational signs near the cross, months of peace talks to end the Modoc War had proved futile. It was now April 1973 and the leaders of both sides, Kintpuash and US Army General E.R.S. Canby were caught between peace and war factions. General Canby stuck between President Grants Indian Peace Policy and some settlers who wanted the Army to wipe out the Modoc. Kintpuash was getting pressure from members of his tribe who argued, based on Modoc tradition, that killing the leaders of the Army would mean the soldiers would retreat. While Captain Jack disagreed with plan to kill the peace commissioners he was eventually shamed into this action by members of the Modoc tribe. Canby agreed to lead the peace talks even though he had been warned that the Modoc might engage in treachery. The cross marks the spot where eight Modoc with hidden weapons attacked the commissioners, killing General Canby and Reverend Eleazar Thomas and seriously wounding Indian Agent Alfred Meacham. This marked the end of Grant’s Indian Peace Policy. Canby was the only General killed during any Indian War (before you ask, George Armstrong Custer was a Lieutenant Colonel in the regular army when he was killed during the Battle of Little Big Horn in 1876; his rank of Major General during the Civil War was in the US Volunteers). The strategy of the Modoc backfired. Word of the killings spread quickly and public sentiment swiftly turned against them. The Army defeated the Modoc by the fall. Captain Jack was captured and he and several others were convicted of the murders of General Canby and Reverend Thomas. On October 3, 1873, Captain Jack and three other leaders of the Modoc were executed. Canby’s Cross marks the spot were Canby and Thomas died. The original was constructed in 1882 by a U.S. soldier (the current cross is a replica) with the inscription “Gen. Canby USA was murdered here by the Modocs, April 11, 1873.” A nearby marker provides some opinions about the cross: “Although the inscription on the cross may elicit strong emotions in some modern visitors, it illuminates the point that people see events through the lens of their own culture and time. In 1873, what some Modocs considered a justifiable war tactic, the U.S. Army considered murder. No monument commemorates the places where Modocs may have felt their attempts to live peaceably were betrayed. More than any other Modoc War site, Canby Cross represents the vast gulf between the perceptions of the two sides during wartime, and challenges us to look beyond history to the assumptions of our own cultures. As in all wars, there were no innocent parties in this conflict.” While the history is sad, the area is lovely with big views over the grassy fields and the volcanic rocks along the path covered with brightly colored lichens.
- Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge overlooks: We just did a drive by of Captain Jack’s Stronghold then changed gears once again by turning our attention to the two overlooks that provided views across the Tule Lake Wildlife Refuge. These vantage points not only gave us good looks into the wetlands of the refuge but also of the surrounding grasslands, the ridges that surround them and the peak of Mount Shasta off in the distance. But the highlight was truly the array of birds that were cruising about on the water. At the west overlook were several White Pelicans, dozens of American Coots and a smattering of other water bird, including Pied-billed Grebes, Eared Grebe and Ring-necked Ducks (it took a while to figure some of these out from the post-trip inspection of long distance photos but I am now pretty darn certain of these identifications). There were also lots of butterflies flitting about in flowering shrubs along the trail; Monarchs, Swallowtails, Cabbage Whites plus yellow ones and tiny blue ones that I could not identify. The east view point provided more views out over the water with pelicans and a verity of waterfowl, but for the most part they were out of the range of my bridge camera. One of the few times when a little more optical reach would have been useful. The best views were along the park road as we were leaving the refuge area, as road was right along the edge of the wetlands. It was here that we spotted a White-faced Ibis wading in the shallows, then a second one a bit further down the road. As we were stopped to grab a photo of this second Ibis a flock of ten or so of these birds flew over on final approach. So we went from never having seeing any of this type of bird to now seeing a dozen in the last few minutes. A plethora as we often say.
- Petroglyph Point: Our final stop for Lava Beds National Monument was at the Petroglyph Point section of the park. This is a separate little section of the park just a short drive from the main area and the wildlife refuge. The access road took us through another rather bustling agricultural area; looks like the crew was staring to harvest whatever it was they were growing. Wait, there are crates with stenciling…what does that say? Garlic. So this is where it comes from. A little cattle ranching here as well since we saw the big, boss bull, a pretty red and white dappled dude hanging out in the pasture along the road, obviously king of all he surveys. I spied an interesting old truck parked at processing plant; if we come back this way I’ll stop for a quick pic. But the focal point of this section of the park is a low, nobby hill containing the petroglyphs. The sign near the parking area stated that for thousands of years this hill was an island in ancient Lake Modoc. Over time, the water from the lake scoured the cliffs around the edges of the island. Later, the Native Americans canoed to the cliffs to carve symbols in the soft volcanic tuff. The Modoc people still tell stories of Kamookumpts, the creator of the world, who sleeps on the hill. Now the lake is gone, but the cliff and the long panels of carved petroglyphs remain. There were hundreds of symbols and runes on the cliff. What they mean is still mostly a mystery but they are pretty cool to see. The site was also good for critter sightings. There were several sets of apparently abandoned cliff swallow nests. We saw a hawk cruising overhead, maybe a Red-tail. And there was one little lizard keeping an eye on us as we were exploring the panel. We walked the length of the panel and had the place to ourselves for most of the time. However, by the time we reached the far end and were starting to walk back to the car two other loads of tourists arrived. I reckon we’re just trend setters. We loaded up and continued on our way. Oh, and I did get the photo of the interesting old truck.
Tule Lake Segregation Center: We just did a drive-by of the site of the Tule Lake Segration Center, which is a Unit of the WWII Valor in the Pacific National Monument. This is one of the camps where Japanese Americans were interned following the attack on Pearl Harbor which thrust the United States into the Second World War. Not much left here now, just a few building in a large fenced in area. We missed the tour for today so we just drove past and snapped a photo of the historical marker placed at the site by the State of California and the Japanese American Citizens League in 1979. The marker read: “Tule Lake was one of ten American concentration camps established during World War II to incarcerate 110,000 persons of Japanese ancestry, of whom the majority were American citizens, behind barbed wire and guard towers without charge, trial or establishment of guilt. These camps are reminders of how racism, economic and political exploitation and expediency can undermine the constitutional guarantees of United States Citizens and Aliens alike. May the injustices and humiliations suffered here never recur.” Like the Canby Cross, there are different perspectives on any historical event based on culture and time. Not saying what is right and what is wrong, just that there are multiple facets to every moment of the complex history of the United States of America.
After our drive by of Tule Lake site, we continued into town then north toward Crater Lake. I was looking for the Tule Lake Visitor Center but must have blinked and missed it. No worries as it is really time to get moving. Lava Beds is a very nice little National Monument. So glad that we chose that right turn and spent a few hours in the area. Sure I would have like to have seen Heart Lake but there is just no way to see and do everything during a single trip. Perhaps that stop will be a priority if we ever come back this way. Always a possibility. Here’s the link to the photo gallery from our time in and around Lava Beds National Monument.
We just cruised north from this point on, letting Baby guide us on our way. Pretty scenery with stretches of forest, farm or ranch land, small towns, one good size berg and along a big lake. The lake was Upper Klamath near the town of Klamath Falls and was somewhat of an oddity for us. The highway paralleled the water for several miles but we saw no evidence of any recreational activity anywhere in this span. No boats out on the water, no marinas, no beach access...nothing. And no signs regarding any such activity, for or against, either. I later looked this up on the web, just out of curiosity. Turns out there is fishing, canoeing and kayaking on the lake but there are water quality concerns as well that impact the fish populations. The Fish and Wildlife Service is working the situation it seems.
We made decent time to Crater Lake. Road construction was minimal. We hit a few small sections of road work but at most the traffic flow was only slightly effected. There was only one area were resurfacing work was taking place that we had any measurable delay and even then it was only ten minutes or so. The odd thing on this trip was that we always seemed to get stuck behind a large truck. The trucks were moving right along, so they did not really delay us, but having a semi, or tanker or road construction support truck right in front of me most of the drive sort of impacted the view out the front windshield. There were several times that I figured we would get out from the behind the offending vehicles as we were turning from one backwoods road onto a seemingly more obscure country pike like when we were heading into Lava Beds, only to have the truck make the same turn. What's up with that? You might ask why I didn’t just pass these vehicles. Oddly enough there were not a lot of opportunities to pass. There was just enough oncoming traffic that took away the easy passing zone options and most of the rest of the road was marked as no passing zones. All I could think of at this point was Gandalf yelling "YOU CANNOT PASS!" at the Balrog as the Fellowship was trying to escape Dwarf hall and mines of Moria. I'm a geek.
We're in the home stretch now, quickly approaching Crater Lake. Only a very short line at the entrance station, but that means that somehow we missed the entrance sign. Lynn vetoed going back for the passport photo, so we'll have to make sure to get it on the way out I guess. Once in the park we made a quick stop for gas at the Mazama Village. At $2.72 it was cheaper than most places we saw and was self-service as well which was a bonus for me. I reckon since the full service only gas pumps is a state thing, the Park Service can set their own rules on Federal land.
Once we left the gas station, our drive was uphill all the way to the Rim Village. Shoot it was pretty much uphill since we entered the park. It was a bit of a haul from the park boundary to the lake and the anticipation was building a bit as we went. The view of Crater Lake and its deep, blue water is one of the most famous within the US National Parks. While we had been driving all day under clear blue skies and there was no hint of smoke from the forest fires that had been burning near the lake at the point of our drive, I was still a little worried about smoke and haze obscuring the vista. Well, there was no need for concern for as we climbed the final little stretch of the road into the Rim Village we caught our first glimpse of the lake, a shimmering sapphire of blue reflecting the surrounding walls of the caldera and catching the bright rays of the late afternoon sun. This is what we came to see.
After our drive by of Tule Lake site, we continued into town then north toward Crater Lake. I was looking for the Tule Lake Visitor Center but must have blinked and missed it. No worries as it is really time to get moving. Lava Beds is a very nice little National Monument. So glad that we chose that right turn and spent a few hours in the area. Sure I would have like to have seen Heart Lake but there is just no way to see and do everything during a single trip. Perhaps that stop will be a priority if we ever come back this way. Always a possibility. Here’s the link to the photo gallery from our time in and around Lava Beds National Monument.
We just cruised north from this point on, letting Baby guide us on our way. Pretty scenery with stretches of forest, farm or ranch land, small towns, one good size berg and along a big lake. The lake was Upper Klamath near the town of Klamath Falls and was somewhat of an oddity for us. The highway paralleled the water for several miles but we saw no evidence of any recreational activity anywhere in this span. No boats out on the water, no marinas, no beach access...nothing. And no signs regarding any such activity, for or against, either. I later looked this up on the web, just out of curiosity. Turns out there is fishing, canoeing and kayaking on the lake but there are water quality concerns as well that impact the fish populations. The Fish and Wildlife Service is working the situation it seems.
We made decent time to Crater Lake. Road construction was minimal. We hit a few small sections of road work but at most the traffic flow was only slightly effected. There was only one area were resurfacing work was taking place that we had any measurable delay and even then it was only ten minutes or so. The odd thing on this trip was that we always seemed to get stuck behind a large truck. The trucks were moving right along, so they did not really delay us, but having a semi, or tanker or road construction support truck right in front of me most of the drive sort of impacted the view out the front windshield. There were several times that I figured we would get out from the behind the offending vehicles as we were turning from one backwoods road onto a seemingly more obscure country pike like when we were heading into Lava Beds, only to have the truck make the same turn. What's up with that? You might ask why I didn’t just pass these vehicles. Oddly enough there were not a lot of opportunities to pass. There was just enough oncoming traffic that took away the easy passing zone options and most of the rest of the road was marked as no passing zones. All I could think of at this point was Gandalf yelling "YOU CANNOT PASS!" at the Balrog as the Fellowship was trying to escape Dwarf hall and mines of Moria. I'm a geek.
We're in the home stretch now, quickly approaching Crater Lake. Only a very short line at the entrance station, but that means that somehow we missed the entrance sign. Lynn vetoed going back for the passport photo, so we'll have to make sure to get it on the way out I guess. Once in the park we made a quick stop for gas at the Mazama Village. At $2.72 it was cheaper than most places we saw and was self-service as well which was a bonus for me. I reckon since the full service only gas pumps is a state thing, the Park Service can set their own rules on Federal land.
Once we left the gas station, our drive was uphill all the way to the Rim Village. Shoot it was pretty much uphill since we entered the park. It was a bit of a haul from the park boundary to the lake and the anticipation was building a bit as we went. The view of Crater Lake and its deep, blue water is one of the most famous within the US National Parks. While we had been driving all day under clear blue skies and there was no hint of smoke from the forest fires that had been burning near the lake at the point of our drive, I was still a little worried about smoke and haze obscuring the vista. Well, there was no need for concern for as we climbed the final little stretch of the road into the Rim Village we caught our first glimpse of the lake, a shimmering sapphire of blue reflecting the surrounding walls of the caldera and catching the bright rays of the late afternoon sun. This is what we came to see.
We arrived at the lodge at 4:45, grabbed our stuff and walked up to the lodge. There was quite the herd of folks milling about in front of the lodge loading luggage on carts for check in. They seemed to be part of a bicycle tour. Fortunately they were still getting their ducks in a row so we were able to get to the front desk ahead of them so we were quickly checked-in and into our rooms, just a little after 5:00. The reservations were just as requested, as our rooms had nice lake views (ours was a bit obstructed by the trees right behind the lodge, but still wonderful; actually the view from the bathroom window was a bit better than from the bedroom) and there was a shower in each room. Lynn and I were right above the back patio as we could hear the low chatter from the tourists enjoying the view below our window. We got the room arranged to our liking and were out to explore at 5:35.
We did not have a lot of time to look around right now, as our dinner reservation in the lodge was at 6:00, but we still strolled along the rim and got the lay of the land in the Rim Village. Wonderful views out over the lake all along the path along the rim. There were some dead trees right along the edge that provided a nice contrast and some photographic interest with their silver trunks against the bright blues of the lake and sky. I had a little fun with them but I bet a real landscape photog could get some really cool images.The parking lot was fairly well packed at present, although folks were starting to head out so there were a few slots opening up. We spotted the hikers still working their way up Garfield Peak trail even this late in the day. Maybe they are going up there for sunset.
We did not have a lot of time to look around right now, as our dinner reservation in the lodge was at 6:00, but we still strolled along the rim and got the lay of the land in the Rim Village. Wonderful views out over the lake all along the path along the rim. There were some dead trees right along the edge that provided a nice contrast and some photographic interest with their silver trunks against the bright blues of the lake and sky. I had a little fun with them but I bet a real landscape photog could get some really cool images.The parking lot was fairly well packed at present, although folks were starting to head out so there were a few slots opening up. We spotted the hikers still working their way up Garfield Peak trail even this late in the day. Maybe they are going up there for sunset.
We wandered back to the lodge for dinner at 6:00. We were seated along the outside wall or the dining hall adjacent to one of the doors exiting out to the back porch, so a partial view of the lake. The dining hall is a classic National Park setup, with the high ceiling and completely constructed from natural materials; no modern industrial chic here! While it is a fairly large room, it still has a warm and inviting feel. The staff, many of who are from outside the US including several from Eastern Europe, were all very friendly and helpful. The menu had a nice variety and featured a few game choices. There were also a few interesting local craft beers listed. Tonight I went with the I Love Oregon pale ale from Standing Stone Brewing. For dinner, I started with the Pacific Northwest clam chowder which was excellent (it was the thick, white, creamy chowder, sort of like New England). For my entree I selected the Elk chops which included mashed potato and asparagus. Delicious! I really liked the berry glaze on the elk. Dinner was more than filling so we skipped dessert.
We were done about 6:45 so still plenty of daylight left so we walked down to the village store in part to check out what was there but more so to walk off dinner! Typical mix of merchandise in the gift shop from touristy trinkets to nice artwork and handcrafted jewelry. Lisa was scoping out tee shirts but could not find her size in the style she wanted so one of the helpful staff folks checked the stock room and found exactly what she was looking for. We did not notice until we were almost back to the lodge that parcel actually had three shirts. Oops! About face and back to the store to straighten out this little SNAFU.
During our after dinner walk we saw a couple who had taped off a section of the rim walk along the edge as their own private viewing platform. They had stretched yellow "CAUTION" tape across a little alcove along the rim and set up their camp chairs there. We had been standing in that very spot before dinner so this was obviously not a closed area, these two special people were just hogging for themselves. It takes all kinds I reckon. I thought about mentioning this at the lodge, but it passed from my mind as we enjoyed the views further along the rim. Besides, I doubt that the Xanterra folks would have done anything anyway; I would have needed to inform a Ranger.
We were done about 6:45 so still plenty of daylight left so we walked down to the village store in part to check out what was there but more so to walk off dinner! Typical mix of merchandise in the gift shop from touristy trinkets to nice artwork and handcrafted jewelry. Lisa was scoping out tee shirts but could not find her size in the style she wanted so one of the helpful staff folks checked the stock room and found exactly what she was looking for. We did not notice until we were almost back to the lodge that parcel actually had three shirts. Oops! About face and back to the store to straighten out this little SNAFU.
During our after dinner walk we saw a couple who had taped off a section of the rim walk along the edge as their own private viewing platform. They had stretched yellow "CAUTION" tape across a little alcove along the rim and set up their camp chairs there. We had been standing in that very spot before dinner so this was obviously not a closed area, these two special people were just hogging for themselves. It takes all kinds I reckon. I thought about mentioning this at the lodge, but it passed from my mind as we enjoyed the views further along the rim. Besides, I doubt that the Xanterra folks would have done anything anyway; I would have needed to inform a Ranger.
The back porch of the lodge overlooking the lake was packed this evening but we found three rockers down on the end of the porch behind the trees. Not a big view of the lake from our vantage point but still a nice setting to relax for a bit. Lynn and I reviewed the critter list; it was fairly long with the birds we had spotted at Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Service was a little slow on the porch, due to the crowd and that there were only two servers working the area, so I went to the bar in the great room and bought a round of drinks. Nice way to end the day. We stayed out until about 9:45 to enjoy the sunset and the start of the star show. Nice stars but the moon was too bright for a really great spread or to provide that deep, dark night sky backdrop. We did see a few “shooting stars” from the Perseids. The back porch was a zoo this evening and the tourists were rather loud until well past 10:00. I think that many of the folks were part of the bike tour. They were having a grand old time.
This was the first night of the trip that I did not sleep well. The revelers down on the porch were not really an issue as they packed it in by 11:00. Maybe it was in part the lack of exercise as this was the first day without any significant hiking, but the bigger issue was that the room was quite warm and there was no real airflow even with the bedroom and bathroom windows open. Sort of surprising to be complaining about warmth here at over 8000 feet above sea level. I woke up at 1:30 and could not get back to sleep so I went out for some stargazing at 2:00 AM. OK, this certainly was worth losing a little sleep over. The stars were wonderful! Best of the trip. The moon had set by now, but there was still some ambient lunar light which did take away a little from the view. There was enough light to throw shadows from the trees and the other tourists which had sort of an eerie feel to it. The light reduced the visible star field, so this was not the horizon-to-horizon blanket of stars that we have witnessed in Yellowstone or at Bear Paw Camp in Sequoia. However, looking straight up were the zillion stars of the Milky Way. As usual, the longer I looked the more I saw. That is one of my favorite things. Talk about putting things in perspective. I reckon I saw a dozen or more meteorites across the heavens in the 20 minutes that I was watching. Yeah, well worth it.
Here's the critter list today. Still some birds to try and identify from the photos taken at Tule Lake plus more Gone Birds and butterflies that I'll never figure out.
This was the first night of the trip that I did not sleep well. The revelers down on the porch were not really an issue as they packed it in by 11:00. Maybe it was in part the lack of exercise as this was the first day without any significant hiking, but the bigger issue was that the room was quite warm and there was no real airflow even with the bedroom and bathroom windows open. Sort of surprising to be complaining about warmth here at over 8000 feet above sea level. I woke up at 1:30 and could not get back to sleep so I went out for some stargazing at 2:00 AM. OK, this certainly was worth losing a little sleep over. The stars were wonderful! Best of the trip. The moon had set by now, but there was still some ambient lunar light which did take away a little from the view. There was enough light to throw shadows from the trees and the other tourists which had sort of an eerie feel to it. The light reduced the visible star field, so this was not the horizon-to-horizon blanket of stars that we have witnessed in Yellowstone or at Bear Paw Camp in Sequoia. However, looking straight up were the zillion stars of the Milky Way. As usual, the longer I looked the more I saw. That is one of my favorite things. Talk about putting things in perspective. I reckon I saw a dozen or more meteorites across the heavens in the 20 minutes that I was watching. Yeah, well worth it.
Here's the critter list today. Still some birds to try and identify from the photos taken at Tule Lake plus more Gone Birds and butterflies that I'll never figure out.
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Day 8 – Friday, August 12 - Garfield Peak and a drive around the Crater Lake. As I was pulling together the notes for this probably overly detailed journal, there was a statement in my notebook that really summed up today: “Friday was an excellent day!” That’s quite a note to write considering that we have had a series of excellent days so far on this trip (Endert’s Beach, Bumpass Hell, Mount Lassen, lots of critter sightings). But today was our first full day at the park that I was most interested in seeing and it was worth waiting for. Reminded me of the old saying “saving the best for last.” We had a full day with, you guessed it, a lot of variety and still time to chill and enjoy the vibe of the park. That makes for a most excellent day. Here’s how it all played out.
I finally got a little sleep but was still up at 0605 and out for pictures at 0630. I just walked along the rim trail between the lodge and the Garfield Peak trailhead for about an hour. I met a nice older lady from Mill Valley. She was quite excited to be here, to the point of being giddy. She said that she was an artist and was snapping photos of the sunrise for future inspiration. She was extremely enthusiastic about the views, and I definitely understand what she was feeling. We chatted about a variety of subjects, including folks falling from high places while in the parks, like here at the rim of the caldera as she jumped up on the rock wall for a better look. Fortunately she did not become another statistic. We eventually parted company as she continued to check out the views from the trail and I went back to the lodge to meet the girls for breakfast.
On the way back to the lodge I found a nice overlook point. This was really just a little siding off the main trail but it set in a secluded alcove of pine trees just above an open area of the caldera wall so there were unobstructed views of the lake including Wizard Island. I paused here and sat on the rock wall separating the trail from the edge just taking it all in. The lake was dead calm. The sky was clear and blue. The steep walls of the caldera were reflecting on the mirror surface of the water. There was no one else around and very little in the way of sound. Just the morning singing of the birds of which there were plenty: Juncos, Clark's Nutcrackers, Mountain Chickadee, a warbler of some sort and the ever present gone birds. This is what vacationing in a National Park is all about.
I finally got a little sleep but was still up at 0605 and out for pictures at 0630. I just walked along the rim trail between the lodge and the Garfield Peak trailhead for about an hour. I met a nice older lady from Mill Valley. She was quite excited to be here, to the point of being giddy. She said that she was an artist and was snapping photos of the sunrise for future inspiration. She was extremely enthusiastic about the views, and I definitely understand what she was feeling. We chatted about a variety of subjects, including folks falling from high places while in the parks, like here at the rim of the caldera as she jumped up on the rock wall for a better look. Fortunately she did not become another statistic. We eventually parted company as she continued to check out the views from the trail and I went back to the lodge to meet the girls for breakfast.
On the way back to the lodge I found a nice overlook point. This was really just a little siding off the main trail but it set in a secluded alcove of pine trees just above an open area of the caldera wall so there were unobstructed views of the lake including Wizard Island. I paused here and sat on the rock wall separating the trail from the edge just taking it all in. The lake was dead calm. The sky was clear and blue. The steep walls of the caldera were reflecting on the mirror surface of the water. There was no one else around and very little in the way of sound. Just the morning singing of the birds of which there were plenty: Juncos, Clark's Nutcrackers, Mountain Chickadee, a warbler of some sort and the ever present gone birds. This is what vacationing in a National Park is all about.
I did have a couple of funny sightings this morning while roaming about. More “funny” strange but a little “funny” ha-ha as well. The first was a backpacker coming down from the Garfield Peak trail. He was loaded for a serious hike but just ambling back toward the lodge. A younger guy, well, certainly much younger than me, but puffing away on a cigarette. I guess that just seemed like an odd combination to me, being out outdoors and obviously getting some serious exercise yet burning a cancer stick. Speaking of odd combinations, I saw one in the parking lot when I walked out the meadow adjacent to the lodge to enjoy the view. Parked in the lot was late model Land Rover with a “Feel the Bern” sticker emblazoned on its bright white bumper. The term juxtaposition sprang to mind for both of these sightings.
I met the girls in the great room of the lodge at 7:30 and we went into the dining hall for breakfast. I just had a parfait, but it was quite good but could have used a little more yogurt at the bottom of the cup to mix in with the last of the granola. Lynn at the crème brule French toast which looked fabulous and she said tasted great. I’ll have that later this weekend! We discussed the plan for today. First up we will try the hike up nearby Garfield Peak, then we’ll just explore around the rim with a side trip to the stores at Mazama Village to check out that gift shop. Maybe we’ll get in a couple additional short hikes or walks (I was thinking that the Pinnacles might be interesting and if we do go that way we could hike to Plaikin Falls, as Lisa has indicated an interest in waterfalls). We’re going to take the cooler with us and look for a picnic spot for later in the day as well. OK, that should keep us busy for the day.
After breakfast we got our gear in order then reconvened a little before 0900 in the lodge great room. We meandered downhill from the lodge to the trailhead, which would be the last downhill we would have until the return hike. I paused briefly at the sign marking the start of the trail which gave a little preview of what we would be encountering: “This route follows the rugged rim of Crater Lake to the top of Garfield Peak, where you may enjoy commanding views of the lake, Wizard Island and Phantom Ship. To the south you can see the Klamath Basin and the tip of Mount Shasta. At its beginning, the trail passes through meadows of wildflowers and stands of hemlock and fir before climbing along a series of switchbacks through rocky volcanic terrain. Spectacular views await at each turn of the trail.” That sounds like a great hike! The sign listed the distance as 3.4 miles roundtrip with an average hiking time of 2-3 hours for the strenuous trail. We’ll have to see how well we do against the average.
I met the girls in the great room of the lodge at 7:30 and we went into the dining hall for breakfast. I just had a parfait, but it was quite good but could have used a little more yogurt at the bottom of the cup to mix in with the last of the granola. Lynn at the crème brule French toast which looked fabulous and she said tasted great. I’ll have that later this weekend! We discussed the plan for today. First up we will try the hike up nearby Garfield Peak, then we’ll just explore around the rim with a side trip to the stores at Mazama Village to check out that gift shop. Maybe we’ll get in a couple additional short hikes or walks (I was thinking that the Pinnacles might be interesting and if we do go that way we could hike to Plaikin Falls, as Lisa has indicated an interest in waterfalls). We’re going to take the cooler with us and look for a picnic spot for later in the day as well. OK, that should keep us busy for the day.
After breakfast we got our gear in order then reconvened a little before 0900 in the lodge great room. We meandered downhill from the lodge to the trailhead, which would be the last downhill we would have until the return hike. I paused briefly at the sign marking the start of the trail which gave a little preview of what we would be encountering: “This route follows the rugged rim of Crater Lake to the top of Garfield Peak, where you may enjoy commanding views of the lake, Wizard Island and Phantom Ship. To the south you can see the Klamath Basin and the tip of Mount Shasta. At its beginning, the trail passes through meadows of wildflowers and stands of hemlock and fir before climbing along a series of switchbacks through rocky volcanic terrain. Spectacular views await at each turn of the trail.” That sounds like a great hike! The sign listed the distance as 3.4 miles roundtrip with an average hiking time of 2-3 hours for the strenuous trail. We’ll have to see how well we do against the average.
Great day for a hike. Crystal clear blue skies, with not a cloud to be seen. Temperature was pleasant and there was no wind to speak of so shorts and t-shirts were the uniform for this morning. The lake had mirror finish, at least when we started the hike. Later the boats were out taking hikers to Wizard Island and around the periphery for the guided tour so their wakes kind of ruined the mirror effect but the views were still amazing.
So the weather was ideal and made for a perfect pairing as this was just an outstanding hike. As mentioned, the trail works downhill for a short section from the lodge and just past the trailhead sign but then it is a constant uphill march all the way to the top. At this elevation (starting at about 7100 feet and topping out at 8,054 feet above sea level at the peak) the oxygen is getting a little hard to catch, so it was a rather strenuous hike. But the trail is well maintained and easy to navigate (there are a couple social trails but they are easy to differentiate from the main route). Very few rocks or roots on the along the lower part of the trail, so the trip hazards are minimal, although there were more nearer to the peak. There are a few points where the trail is close to the edge of the caldera, but even someone like me with a healthy respect for edges and steep drops had no issues at any point along the hike. But that access to the rim was one of the things that made the hike great in terms of the views out over the lake. The higher we went the better the vistas. But there were wonderful views every step of the way even when the lake was out of sight. When on the south side of the ridgeline we could look back at the Rim Village and the Lodge or out over the landscape to the south. But wait, there’s more! There is seemingly something for everyone on this trail. In addition to the views in all directions, right along the trail for nearly the entire hike were stands of wildflowers in a great range of colors: purple, yellow, red and white. Plus there were plenty of critters out this morning including marmots in the meadows, pikas, chipmunks and ground squirrels in the rocks along the trail, and several birds including Ravens, Clark’s Nutcrackers and of course gone birds. The wildflowers were drawing in many butterflies, mostly big orange ones with brown stripes; pretty sure these were Sagebrush Checkerspots. We paused at a couple points along the route to watch raptors flying over the ridges to the south of the trail. One was fairly large and dark with white trim; never did figure out what it was. A smaller one we saw could have been a Peregrine Falcon. And we were getting to enjoy all of this mostly on our own as the traffic was pretty light this morning, even with our sort of later start (at least by my standards). But the folks that we did see on the trail were all chipper and just out enjoying the trail and the day. There were a very few folks coming back down the hill and we saw a few folks going up. Most of the hikers out this morning taking their time on the trail were but there was one lanky young fellow with a long stride who motored right by us during the hike up to the peak.
So the weather was ideal and made for a perfect pairing as this was just an outstanding hike. As mentioned, the trail works downhill for a short section from the lodge and just past the trailhead sign but then it is a constant uphill march all the way to the top. At this elevation (starting at about 7100 feet and topping out at 8,054 feet above sea level at the peak) the oxygen is getting a little hard to catch, so it was a rather strenuous hike. But the trail is well maintained and easy to navigate (there are a couple social trails but they are easy to differentiate from the main route). Very few rocks or roots on the along the lower part of the trail, so the trip hazards are minimal, although there were more nearer to the peak. There are a few points where the trail is close to the edge of the caldera, but even someone like me with a healthy respect for edges and steep drops had no issues at any point along the hike. But that access to the rim was one of the things that made the hike great in terms of the views out over the lake. The higher we went the better the vistas. But there were wonderful views every step of the way even when the lake was out of sight. When on the south side of the ridgeline we could look back at the Rim Village and the Lodge or out over the landscape to the south. But wait, there’s more! There is seemingly something for everyone on this trail. In addition to the views in all directions, right along the trail for nearly the entire hike were stands of wildflowers in a great range of colors: purple, yellow, red and white. Plus there were plenty of critters out this morning including marmots in the meadows, pikas, chipmunks and ground squirrels in the rocks along the trail, and several birds including Ravens, Clark’s Nutcrackers and of course gone birds. The wildflowers were drawing in many butterflies, mostly big orange ones with brown stripes; pretty sure these were Sagebrush Checkerspots. We paused at a couple points along the route to watch raptors flying over the ridges to the south of the trail. One was fairly large and dark with white trim; never did figure out what it was. A smaller one we saw could have been a Peregrine Falcon. And we were getting to enjoy all of this mostly on our own as the traffic was pretty light this morning, even with our sort of later start (at least by my standards). But the folks that we did see on the trail were all chipper and just out enjoying the trail and the day. There were a very few folks coming back down the hill and we saw a few folks going up. Most of the hikers out this morning taking their time on the trail were but there was one lanky young fellow with a long stride who motored right by us during the hike up to the peak.
One thing we never did figure out (and I forgot to ask about at the lodge) was a rock structure built into side of the mountain, sort of below ground and right along the trail maybe a third of the way along the trail. In fact, the roof of the structure was even with the trail and became sort of a viewing platform looking back toward the lodge. There was a large pipe sticking up through the roof of the structure as well. My guess was a cistern but that’s all it is, a guess.
We reached the top about 10:15 so just under an hour-and-a-half from the lodge to the peak. We could have made better time but there was just so much to see along the trail with plenty of opportunities to stop and gawk at the views or get a photo of the flowers or the critters…and of course catch a breather! But the hike is worth if for the views which are tremendous from up here. We could just about the entire lake from this vantage point, including Wizard Island and the Phantom ship. The tour boats were cruising about the lake. We’ll be out on one of those tomorrow. I zoomed in one of the boats; yep, just what I was expecting, an open boat. A hat and sunscreen for sure (not there was any doubt about those items anyway).
We paused a while at the peak just taking it all in. The only one other person at the peak while we were there, the tall, lanky hiker who passed us on the way up. He was meditating or otherwise communing with nature under a tree at the summit when we arrived. The wildflowers here were lower to the ground, clinging to the earth in this more exposed environment. Several butterflies were flitting about the low flowers, adding a splash of orange to the colorful palate. Looking away from the lake at the sloping outside rim of the caldera had a bit of a golf course feel to it as there were large meandering tracks of open meadow outlined with tall pines. Maybe I’m going through withdrawal since I have not played since we were in Death Valley back in March but it just looked like the parallel tracks of adjacent fairways.
We reached the top about 10:15 so just under an hour-and-a-half from the lodge to the peak. We could have made better time but there was just so much to see along the trail with plenty of opportunities to stop and gawk at the views or get a photo of the flowers or the critters…and of course catch a breather! But the hike is worth if for the views which are tremendous from up here. We could just about the entire lake from this vantage point, including Wizard Island and the Phantom ship. The tour boats were cruising about the lake. We’ll be out on one of those tomorrow. I zoomed in one of the boats; yep, just what I was expecting, an open boat. A hat and sunscreen for sure (not there was any doubt about those items anyway).
We paused a while at the peak just taking it all in. The only one other person at the peak while we were there, the tall, lanky hiker who passed us on the way up. He was meditating or otherwise communing with nature under a tree at the summit when we arrived. The wildflowers here were lower to the ground, clinging to the earth in this more exposed environment. Several butterflies were flitting about the low flowers, adding a splash of orange to the colorful palate. Looking away from the lake at the sloping outside rim of the caldera had a bit of a golf course feel to it as there were large meandering tracks of open meadow outlined with tall pines. Maybe I’m going through withdrawal since I have not played since we were in Death Valley back in March but it just looked like the parallel tracks of adjacent fairways.
We did not stay long at the peak as we still had a lot to see today, so we snapped our final photos and retraced our route back down the trail to the lodge. There were more folks on the trail when we were coming down. This is a pretty good trail for most anyone and we saw quite the cross section of folks from seniors to families with younger kids. Folks were setting a pace that was comfortable for them and everyone seemed to be sharing the trail and more importantly sticking to the official trail rather than the shortcuts and other social trails. Another great trail with a high friendliness rating.
We continued to enjoy the sights along the trail on the hike back down from the peak. While we were traversing the same ground we were getting the reverse perspective from the hike up, but the lighting was different and thus highlighting different things or given us a new look at things we did see on the way up. There were a few patches of dead trees along the trail, their silver trunks contrasting sharply with the green of the pines surrounding them. We also names a couple of the rocks along the trail, once in particularly reminded me of a gorilla although it also bore a slight resemblance to a rhinoceros albeit it needed a longer horn. And of course there was that amazing blue lake.
Here’s the links to the Ramblr track of our hike to Garfield Peak and to the photo gallery from the hike.
We were back at the lodge about 11:30. Just a little more than 2:30 hiking time, so we hit the almost exactly the average hiking time. We still had in mind a picnic at some point around the Rim Drive, so there was no stop for lunch right now although I’ll have to grab a snack at Mazama Village, which was our next destination (I think that the grand deal we got on the jackets back in Redwood have the ladies thinking they should check for additional potential deals!). Not much to say about that little side trip. We stopped at the gift store then the camp store. The girls shopped but did not buy anything and I found a hat, another version of the 2016 National Parks Service Centennial baseball cap, but this one was “personalized” for Crater Lake (actually, I think I got the hat at the camp store). One can never have enough hats. We scored our snacks and resumed our explorations.
As mentioned, the plan for the afternoon was to simply cruise around the Rim Drive and take in the sights with perhaps a picnic stop somewhere along the drive. Usually when faced with entering a circular tour route we’ll turn left and proceed clockwise around the loop. We developed this habit based on advice we received prior to our first trip to Disney World. The theory is that when you enter the park, most folks will go straight ahead to turn to the right, so turning left will be the less crowded direction. You know, that actually worked, so we have sort of stuck with it. However today we turned right onto the East Rim Drive so that we could get to the Pinnacles Road earlier in the drive to check out the Pinnacles and perhaps Plaikni Falls. We also figured that going this direction would give us an easy gage of the driving time from the Cleetwood Cove trailhead back to the Rim Village so we can get our departure time set for tomorrow morning.
Speaking of tomorrow morning’s departure time to get to the boat dock for the 0830 hiker’s shuttle to Wizard Island, that was a point of some debate during our drive this afternoon. On the one side there is me with the position that let’s just get up and get over there to avoid any chance of missing the boat Conversely, Lynn and Lisa are stating that they are on vacation and don’t want to get up at the crack of dawn. But here’s the concern. The information I received when I made the reservations for the boat ride then confirmed at the lodge this morning was to figure on 90 to 105 minutes from the Rim Village to the boat dock, which includes the drive halfway around the lake and the hike down the Cleetwood Cove trail. Plus we had to check-in at the kiosk station at the trailhead parking (so at the top of the trail before walking down to the dock) and as had to be at the dock at least 15 minutes before departure. So best case is being on the road at 6:45 from the Rim Village. Being the kind of guy who hates to be in a rush particularly on vacation, I was pushing more to the worst cast, so a 6:15 departure. But there’s more to the story. Turns out that there is a road race tomorrow morning as well and the West Rim Drive will be closed from the Watchman all the way past Cleetwood Cove starting at 7:00 so we had to be past the starting line by that time and traffic was predicted to be a bit of a mess. Just another reason to get rolling early. My starting bid was 0530, which I knew was extreme. If I had not been driving they would have thrown me from the car. After a spirited discussion we settled on 6:30 for our departure time. That should work, even if it is a little later than I would have liked. However, by the time we finished our drive around the lake this afternoon, I was pretty comfortable with that plan since we had encountered very little traffic on the road this afternoon and the drive time from Cleetwood Cove back to the Rim Village was about 50 minutes. If we do that well tomorrow then we’ll have nearly an hour to hike down to the dock which should be more than ample time for a 1-mile, downhill trail, so plenty of time. While checking the timing at the lodge, I also confirmed that there is a Crater Lake sign at the west entrance to the park which is where we will exit on Sunday, so we can get our passport photo then. OK, nothing left to fret about.
As you might expect, the Rim Drive is a winding road that is built along the contours of the outside of the caldera. It is a relatively narrow road and for much of its length there are no guardrails. The theory on the lack of guardrails that we heard from a Ranger was that they give drivers a false sense of security, so they drive faster than they should assuming that the guardrails will keep them on the road in case of an accident. Seems this is a bad assumption. So the lack of guardrails should mean that drivers will be more cautious and drive slower since they no longer have the security afforded by the guardrails. OK, I guess that makes some sense, but I’m still not buying it completely. I do know that I was driving in a very controlled fashion.
We took the side trip the Pinnacles Road. Where the Rim Drive was winding, the Pinnacles Road was basically dead straight (not really, but relatively speaking). Shortly after making the right turn off of the Rim Drive the road ran straight down the slope of the caldera wall and extended as far as we could see. Sort of reminded me of the log flume ride at an amusement park (I never likes those as I was always the one who got soaked). We drove to the end of the road (about 6 miles or so from the junction with the east Rim Road) to a crowded parking area but found a spot for the Jeep near the trailhead for the short walk along the Pinnacles trail.
This is about as easy a walk as we have had this trip. The trail is flat, the surface is packed and easy to negotiate. It is listed as wheelchair accessible; I’d buy that. It is less than a mile round trip. The trail parallels the adjacent valley which contains Wheeler Creek and provides outstanding views of the spires known as The Pinnacles. These tall, slender, pointed formations line both sides of the valley wall, although there did seem to be more of them on the trail side of the valley.
We continued to enjoy the sights along the trail on the hike back down from the peak. While we were traversing the same ground we were getting the reverse perspective from the hike up, but the lighting was different and thus highlighting different things or given us a new look at things we did see on the way up. There were a few patches of dead trees along the trail, their silver trunks contrasting sharply with the green of the pines surrounding them. We also names a couple of the rocks along the trail, once in particularly reminded me of a gorilla although it also bore a slight resemblance to a rhinoceros albeit it needed a longer horn. And of course there was that amazing blue lake.
Here’s the links to the Ramblr track of our hike to Garfield Peak and to the photo gallery from the hike.
We were back at the lodge about 11:30. Just a little more than 2:30 hiking time, so we hit the almost exactly the average hiking time. We still had in mind a picnic at some point around the Rim Drive, so there was no stop for lunch right now although I’ll have to grab a snack at Mazama Village, which was our next destination (I think that the grand deal we got on the jackets back in Redwood have the ladies thinking they should check for additional potential deals!). Not much to say about that little side trip. We stopped at the gift store then the camp store. The girls shopped but did not buy anything and I found a hat, another version of the 2016 National Parks Service Centennial baseball cap, but this one was “personalized” for Crater Lake (actually, I think I got the hat at the camp store). One can never have enough hats. We scored our snacks and resumed our explorations.
As mentioned, the plan for the afternoon was to simply cruise around the Rim Drive and take in the sights with perhaps a picnic stop somewhere along the drive. Usually when faced with entering a circular tour route we’ll turn left and proceed clockwise around the loop. We developed this habit based on advice we received prior to our first trip to Disney World. The theory is that when you enter the park, most folks will go straight ahead to turn to the right, so turning left will be the less crowded direction. You know, that actually worked, so we have sort of stuck with it. However today we turned right onto the East Rim Drive so that we could get to the Pinnacles Road earlier in the drive to check out the Pinnacles and perhaps Plaikni Falls. We also figured that going this direction would give us an easy gage of the driving time from the Cleetwood Cove trailhead back to the Rim Village so we can get our departure time set for tomorrow morning.
Speaking of tomorrow morning’s departure time to get to the boat dock for the 0830 hiker’s shuttle to Wizard Island, that was a point of some debate during our drive this afternoon. On the one side there is me with the position that let’s just get up and get over there to avoid any chance of missing the boat Conversely, Lynn and Lisa are stating that they are on vacation and don’t want to get up at the crack of dawn. But here’s the concern. The information I received when I made the reservations for the boat ride then confirmed at the lodge this morning was to figure on 90 to 105 minutes from the Rim Village to the boat dock, which includes the drive halfway around the lake and the hike down the Cleetwood Cove trail. Plus we had to check-in at the kiosk station at the trailhead parking (so at the top of the trail before walking down to the dock) and as had to be at the dock at least 15 minutes before departure. So best case is being on the road at 6:45 from the Rim Village. Being the kind of guy who hates to be in a rush particularly on vacation, I was pushing more to the worst cast, so a 6:15 departure. But there’s more to the story. Turns out that there is a road race tomorrow morning as well and the West Rim Drive will be closed from the Watchman all the way past Cleetwood Cove starting at 7:00 so we had to be past the starting line by that time and traffic was predicted to be a bit of a mess. Just another reason to get rolling early. My starting bid was 0530, which I knew was extreme. If I had not been driving they would have thrown me from the car. After a spirited discussion we settled on 6:30 for our departure time. That should work, even if it is a little later than I would have liked. However, by the time we finished our drive around the lake this afternoon, I was pretty comfortable with that plan since we had encountered very little traffic on the road this afternoon and the drive time from Cleetwood Cove back to the Rim Village was about 50 minutes. If we do that well tomorrow then we’ll have nearly an hour to hike down to the dock which should be more than ample time for a 1-mile, downhill trail, so plenty of time. While checking the timing at the lodge, I also confirmed that there is a Crater Lake sign at the west entrance to the park which is where we will exit on Sunday, so we can get our passport photo then. OK, nothing left to fret about.
As you might expect, the Rim Drive is a winding road that is built along the contours of the outside of the caldera. It is a relatively narrow road and for much of its length there are no guardrails. The theory on the lack of guardrails that we heard from a Ranger was that they give drivers a false sense of security, so they drive faster than they should assuming that the guardrails will keep them on the road in case of an accident. Seems this is a bad assumption. So the lack of guardrails should mean that drivers will be more cautious and drive slower since they no longer have the security afforded by the guardrails. OK, I guess that makes some sense, but I’m still not buying it completely. I do know that I was driving in a very controlled fashion.
We took the side trip the Pinnacles Road. Where the Rim Drive was winding, the Pinnacles Road was basically dead straight (not really, but relatively speaking). Shortly after making the right turn off of the Rim Drive the road ran straight down the slope of the caldera wall and extended as far as we could see. Sort of reminded me of the log flume ride at an amusement park (I never likes those as I was always the one who got soaked). We drove to the end of the road (about 6 miles or so from the junction with the east Rim Road) to a crowded parking area but found a spot for the Jeep near the trailhead for the short walk along the Pinnacles trail.
This is about as easy a walk as we have had this trip. The trail is flat, the surface is packed and easy to negotiate. It is listed as wheelchair accessible; I’d buy that. It is less than a mile round trip. The trail parallels the adjacent valley which contains Wheeler Creek and provides outstanding views of the spires known as The Pinnacles. These tall, slender, pointed formations line both sides of the valley wall, although there did seem to be more of them on the trail side of the valley.
So what exactly are we looking at, what are these Pinnacles? They are basically fossilized fumaroles. OK, this is where the history lesson for Crater Lake begins. Mount Mazama was the huge volcano that erupted and collapsed to form Crater Lake (more on this during the boat tour of the lake). Prior to the collapse, pumice and ash were deposited in the area. These deposits were 200 to 300 feet in depth. As the hot pumice cooled, steam and gases were released from the hot rocks underneath. The steam and gases worked their way through vents and tubes in the pumice and at the same time welded these passages to a cement hardness. Over the eons as the surrounding softer material was eroded these hardened ancient vents remained standing. As these are the fossilized remains of the fumaroles, many of the pinnacles are hollow. Nature never ceases to amaze me!
The cool thing was how these grey spires sort of matched the rest of the surroundings, especially when looking at the tall, slender pines that boarder the valley and the trail. While the green of the trees and the gray of the pinnacles were in stark contrast, the shapes where right in line with one another. We walked along the easy trail stopping at the overlooks and taking in the views into and across the valley. The trail ends at the park boundary (OK, the trail continues in to the neighboring National Forest, but this is the end as far as Crater Lake is concerned). There is a small “Entering Crater Lake National Park” sign here, since it is a park boundary, so I technically I got my passport photo, just not of the more grandiose signage I’m hoping for along the main entrance. Apparently there used to be a bigger sign here as a stout stone obelisk is still there but the Crater Lake sign that used to hang there is gone. I wonder if it is hanging in some tourist’s garage.
On the return trip a stopped again at one of the overlook points. There was a nice stand of yellow flowers, rabbit brush I think, that had attracted several little butterflies. I spent a few minutes here hoping that one of the little guys would pause long enough for a portrait so that I might be able to identify it later. I did finally get lucky then scurried on to catch the girls who had given up on me. As for the identification, I after the trip I submitted the photo to BAMONA and their experts said that the little guy was a Juba Skipper (Hesperia juba). This a very helpful website for butterfly and moth IDs and easy to use as well.
Back at the trailhead parking area things were a bit more jammed up. There was a large RV parked behind us, just barely off the road, and a fellow in a big pick-up towing a huge fifth-wheel camper trying to negotiate his way through the tight area. I didn’t think he had a hope but this was obviously not his first rodeo as he cruised through with nary a nick to his our any of the surrounding vehicles. Or maybe Professor McGonagall owes him five points for “pure dumb luck.”
The cool thing was how these grey spires sort of matched the rest of the surroundings, especially when looking at the tall, slender pines that boarder the valley and the trail. While the green of the trees and the gray of the pinnacles were in stark contrast, the shapes where right in line with one another. We walked along the easy trail stopping at the overlooks and taking in the views into and across the valley. The trail ends at the park boundary (OK, the trail continues in to the neighboring National Forest, but this is the end as far as Crater Lake is concerned). There is a small “Entering Crater Lake National Park” sign here, since it is a park boundary, so I technically I got my passport photo, just not of the more grandiose signage I’m hoping for along the main entrance. Apparently there used to be a bigger sign here as a stout stone obelisk is still there but the Crater Lake sign that used to hang there is gone. I wonder if it is hanging in some tourist’s garage.
On the return trip a stopped again at one of the overlook points. There was a nice stand of yellow flowers, rabbit brush I think, that had attracted several little butterflies. I spent a few minutes here hoping that one of the little guys would pause long enough for a portrait so that I might be able to identify it later. I did finally get lucky then scurried on to catch the girls who had given up on me. As for the identification, I after the trip I submitted the photo to BAMONA and their experts said that the little guy was a Juba Skipper (Hesperia juba). This a very helpful website for butterfly and moth IDs and easy to use as well.
Back at the trailhead parking area things were a bit more jammed up. There was a large RV parked behind us, just barely off the road, and a fellow in a big pick-up towing a huge fifth-wheel camper trying to negotiate his way through the tight area. I didn’t think he had a hope but this was obviously not his first rodeo as he cruised through with nary a nick to his our any of the surrounding vehicles. Or maybe Professor McGonagall owes him five points for “pure dumb luck.”
Pinnacles links: photos and Ramblr track.
We retraced our track along the Pinnacles Road to the Plaikni Falls trailhead (about 5 miles between the Pinnacles and Plaikni Falls parking areas). This was obviously another popular trail as the parking area was almost full but there were a couple slots open so we pulled in to check it out. The overview stated that this was a short (just over two miles round trip) and very easy hike to a pretty waterfall, so we decided to give it a go. Surprisingly, traffic was light along the trail as we only passed a few other hikers coming and going from the falls. At the falls was a different story as there were a maybe 20 folks scattered about enjoying the view, including a couple of families enjoying a picnic at the end of the trail.
Like the Pinnacles Trail, the trail to Plaikni Falls is level, smooth and wide. The only grade is along the last short section to the falls (total elevation change along the trail is well less than 200 feet). The majority of the trail runs through woods, again along level ground. After about a half mile the trail starts to follow the base of the slope of the caldera and continues works along the slope up into the little valley holding Sand Creek. The odd thing we saw along the trail was a dead evergreen; the way that its branches had dried and curled around the truck looked like a dark brown net had been tightly tied to the tree. While the hike out to the falls is really just an average “walk in the woods” the payout at the end of the trail is absolutely worth the short walk.
Exiting from the forest, we went from the shade of the trees into the open area in the valley around the waterfall. We were again under a bright, blue and cloudless sky. The vegetation from the top of the falls all along the creek and back down to the forest was just lush and thick with a wide assortment of plants and flowers. Just like this morning along the trail to Garfield Peak we were shown a wide array of colors in the flowers. The waterfall is not huge, but does take a nice drop the rumbles through a long series of cascades down the slope before returning to a calm stream flowing through the woods. The water from the falls and creek and the spray created by the falling water have obviously set up a great environment for the wildflowers. It is really a lovely little area.
We retraced our track along the Pinnacles Road to the Plaikni Falls trailhead (about 5 miles between the Pinnacles and Plaikni Falls parking areas). This was obviously another popular trail as the parking area was almost full but there were a couple slots open so we pulled in to check it out. The overview stated that this was a short (just over two miles round trip) and very easy hike to a pretty waterfall, so we decided to give it a go. Surprisingly, traffic was light along the trail as we only passed a few other hikers coming and going from the falls. At the falls was a different story as there were a maybe 20 folks scattered about enjoying the view, including a couple of families enjoying a picnic at the end of the trail.
Like the Pinnacles Trail, the trail to Plaikni Falls is level, smooth and wide. The only grade is along the last short section to the falls (total elevation change along the trail is well less than 200 feet). The majority of the trail runs through woods, again along level ground. After about a half mile the trail starts to follow the base of the slope of the caldera and continues works along the slope up into the little valley holding Sand Creek. The odd thing we saw along the trail was a dead evergreen; the way that its branches had dried and curled around the truck looked like a dark brown net had been tightly tied to the tree. While the hike out to the falls is really just an average “walk in the woods” the payout at the end of the trail is absolutely worth the short walk.
Exiting from the forest, we went from the shade of the trees into the open area in the valley around the waterfall. We were again under a bright, blue and cloudless sky. The vegetation from the top of the falls all along the creek and back down to the forest was just lush and thick with a wide assortment of plants and flowers. Just like this morning along the trail to Garfield Peak we were shown a wide array of colors in the flowers. The waterfall is not huge, but does take a nice drop the rumbles through a long series of cascades down the slope before returning to a calm stream flowing through the woods. The water from the falls and creek and the spray created by the falling water have obviously set up a great environment for the wildflowers. It is really a lovely little area.
We enjoyed the area at the base of the falls for several minutes, trying to digitally capture the beauty of the little valley then we started the short walk back to the trailhead. There were a few more hikers on the trail on the return trip, including an older gentleman on an electric scooter and a young family pushing baby strollers, so folks were taking advantage of the accessible nature of the trail. As usual I was walking behind Lynn and Lisa as I tend to stop for photos but can easily catch up with them. With her hair down and wearing a baseball cap, Lisa bore an uncanny resemblance to Cousin It from "The Adams Family." Hey, I call ‘em like I see ‘em.
The Ramblr track listed this little walk at 2.1 miles from the trailhead to the waterfall and back, and took us right at an hour. When we got back to the trailhead the parking was completely jammed and there were a couple cars slowing trolling along the road waiting for an opening. We did not dilly-dally and just jumped in the Jeep and got out of the way to make room for the next tourists. A young lady in a little SUV just crammed with camping gear claimed our spot as soon as we cleared out. Good for her; I hope she enjoys the hike as much as we did.
Back on the East Rim Drive we continued working our way counterclockwise around Crater Lake. Our plan to check out the vista points and find a picnic area for some cheese and crackers and perhaps a beer and glass of wine evolved as we went. We did make one stop at the Cloudcap Overlook, but otherwise this began just a quiet driving tour around the lake. Perhaps we were getting a bit tired after tacking Garfield Peak plus two other easy walks. We just cruised on around, taking in the views and enjoying the afternoon. We just never found a place that spoke to us for our picnic. We drove through the area of the very recent forest fires to the west of the lake. There were still a few wisps of smoke rising in the distance from the mop-up activities, plus a couple of fire-fighting vehicles parked along the road apparently ready for action but not needed today. As we got on around to the west side of the lake I suggested stopping about The Watchman, but that idea was nixed as it was late in the afternoon and time for get back to the lodge for a little chill time before dinner. I think that it was about here that I had an inspired idea. The whole idea of the picnic somewhere along the rim was to find someplace and enjoy a different perspective of the lake in hopefully a peaceful setting. I told the girls about the little overlook I had found this along the trail between the lodge and the Garfield Peak trailhead and suggested that this could be the ideal spot for us to sit for a while this afternoon. They were up for the plan.
The Ramblr track listed this little walk at 2.1 miles from the trailhead to the waterfall and back, and took us right at an hour. When we got back to the trailhead the parking was completely jammed and there were a couple cars slowing trolling along the road waiting for an opening. We did not dilly-dally and just jumped in the Jeep and got out of the way to make room for the next tourists. A young lady in a little SUV just crammed with camping gear claimed our spot as soon as we cleared out. Good for her; I hope she enjoys the hike as much as we did.
Back on the East Rim Drive we continued working our way counterclockwise around Crater Lake. Our plan to check out the vista points and find a picnic area for some cheese and crackers and perhaps a beer and glass of wine evolved as we went. We did make one stop at the Cloudcap Overlook, but otherwise this began just a quiet driving tour around the lake. Perhaps we were getting a bit tired after tacking Garfield Peak plus two other easy walks. We just cruised on around, taking in the views and enjoying the afternoon. We just never found a place that spoke to us for our picnic. We drove through the area of the very recent forest fires to the west of the lake. There were still a few wisps of smoke rising in the distance from the mop-up activities, plus a couple of fire-fighting vehicles parked along the road apparently ready for action but not needed today. As we got on around to the west side of the lake I suggested stopping about The Watchman, but that idea was nixed as it was late in the afternoon and time for get back to the lodge for a little chill time before dinner. I think that it was about here that I had an inspired idea. The whole idea of the picnic somewhere along the rim was to find someplace and enjoy a different perspective of the lake in hopefully a peaceful setting. I told the girls about the little overlook I had found this along the trail between the lodge and the Garfield Peak trailhead and suggested that this could be the ideal spot for us to sit for a while this afternoon. They were up for the plan.
We were back at the lodge right about 4:00. We ditched our gear in the room then I went back out, grabbed the cooler from the back of the Jeep and walked down to my hidden overlook to wait for the girls. As I had hoped, the overlook was abandoned. The rock walk made the perfect place to sit as well as an impromptu table for our drinks. We were just very careful not to drop anything or knock any bottles off the edge as there were be no recovery of the little as it tumbled down the steep, exposed slope toward the lake. But we had no issues like that as we enjoyed the views and the solitude from the secluded little overlook. It was only after we were settled in that I realized that I had not ended the Ramblr track following the Plaikni Falls hike (we were rushing to get out of the lot to make room for the girl in the SUV that I didn’t take the time and then just forgot about it). Well now I’ve got a track of most of our trip around the lake.
I think having happy hour at this little overlook was an outstanding alternative to a picnic table somewhere along the rim drive and probably a better gig overall due to the view and the seclusion. Plus now we are within walking distance of the lodge. We had a great view in the shade, with plenty of birds and not many tourists. There were a few folks walking along the trail, but most bypassed the overlook. We did chat with a young couple from Seattle who wondered into our Happy Hour. Like us they were just here to enjoy a little quiet time in the park. They declined our offer of a beer and continued along their way.
I think having happy hour at this little overlook was an outstanding alternative to a picnic table somewhere along the rim drive and probably a better gig overall due to the view and the seclusion. Plus now we are within walking distance of the lodge. We had a great view in the shade, with plenty of birds and not many tourists. There were a few folks walking along the trail, but most bypassed the overlook. We did chat with a young couple from Seattle who wondered into our Happy Hour. Like us they were just here to enjoy a little quiet time in the park. They declined our offer of a beer and continued along their way.
What a great way to end our tour around the lake, perched here on the rim overlooking the cobalt blue water, under an azure sky with nary a cloud in sight. A cold beer in hand, just enjoying the view. The bird du jour this afternoon seems to be a House Finch, its bright red noggin providing a striking contrast to the blue water and the green pines on the slope below us. The conditions were ideal as then have been all day. These are the moments that I truly treasure in the National Parks.
We stayed out at our Happy Hour spot until about 5:15 then returned to the lodge to get cleaned up for our 6:30 dinner reservation. Once back downstairs, I checked in with the hostess for the dining hall and adjusted tomorrow night’s dinner reservation to 7:00 to give us a little more leeway after the day on the lake. We were again seated along the outside wall of the dining hall so we had a nice view. Dinner was again outstanding. I had the chowder again (it was that good) and the filet Oscar. Filet mignon, crab meat, asparagus, hollandaise sauce, mashed potatoes, and a Rogue Pendleton Pale Ale, quite the combinations. Tender, juicy, tons of flavor…just a great meal. We have eaten pretty well on this trip and while Larrupin Café still gets to claim the top spot, Crater Lake Lodge is proving to be a close second with meals like tonight and yesterday.
After dinner we walked about the village a bit, taking in the views along the rim on our way to the gift shop. Lynn had pointed out a necklace that she liked during our visit yesterday, so I was planning on snagging the matching earrings for her as a surprise but the flow of events at the store meant that I had to spill the beans on my plan but she ended up with the trinkets that she wanted so all is well.
We ended up on the back porch of the lodge about 8:20 for one last drink. It was a very quiet night on the lodge veranda and we had our pick of the rockers. Odd as this was Friday and that last night was a zoo. Maybe the mosquitoes were driving people away was Lynn’s theory. I really did not think there was much of a bug problem. Also the bike tour had moved along which reduced the crowd a bit. Whatever the reason it was a nice, quiet time. Wispy clouds were catching the last light of day off to the west, painting the sky in bright pastel shades of pink and lavender. We had our prime spots along the front row of the porch, feet up on the wall, kicked back in our rockers and drinks at the ready. Yep, life is good. The only downside was that the clouds that were adding to the lovely sunset are continuing to build so there will be no starry night sky views this evening.
We stayed out at our Happy Hour spot until about 5:15 then returned to the lodge to get cleaned up for our 6:30 dinner reservation. Once back downstairs, I checked in with the hostess for the dining hall and adjusted tomorrow night’s dinner reservation to 7:00 to give us a little more leeway after the day on the lake. We were again seated along the outside wall of the dining hall so we had a nice view. Dinner was again outstanding. I had the chowder again (it was that good) and the filet Oscar. Filet mignon, crab meat, asparagus, hollandaise sauce, mashed potatoes, and a Rogue Pendleton Pale Ale, quite the combinations. Tender, juicy, tons of flavor…just a great meal. We have eaten pretty well on this trip and while Larrupin Café still gets to claim the top spot, Crater Lake Lodge is proving to be a close second with meals like tonight and yesterday.
After dinner we walked about the village a bit, taking in the views along the rim on our way to the gift shop. Lynn had pointed out a necklace that she liked during our visit yesterday, so I was planning on snagging the matching earrings for her as a surprise but the flow of events at the store meant that I had to spill the beans on my plan but she ended up with the trinkets that she wanted so all is well.
We ended up on the back porch of the lodge about 8:20 for one last drink. It was a very quiet night on the lodge veranda and we had our pick of the rockers. Odd as this was Friday and that last night was a zoo. Maybe the mosquitoes were driving people away was Lynn’s theory. I really did not think there was much of a bug problem. Also the bike tour had moved along which reduced the crowd a bit. Whatever the reason it was a nice, quiet time. Wispy clouds were catching the last light of day off to the west, painting the sky in bright pastel shades of pink and lavender. We had our prime spots along the front row of the porch, feet up on the wall, kicked back in our rockers and drinks at the ready. Yep, life is good. The only downside was that the clouds that were adding to the lovely sunset are continuing to build so there will be no starry night sky views this evening.
While wrapping up the day on the back porch we reviewed the highlights and updated the critter list; nice variety of animal sightings today although we could not identify all the birds that we spotted.
Day 9 – Saturday, August 13 - Day on the Lake. After hitting the sack relatively early again last night I was up this morning at 0530. Again a restless night as it is just a bit too warm and stuffy in the room even with the windows open and the fan going. But we awoke to a beautiful sunrise. I was out about 5:50 to enjoy the scene and get a few photos but I did not have long as it was very quickly time to prep for the day. I’m glad that I had the few minutes to enjoy this amazing sunrise as it was probably the best of the trip. The lake again was plane of glass and was capturing the ever changing colors from the sky and wispy clouds. This was almost a continuation of the lightshow that closed the day last night. The first view was from the window of our room. The rim of the caldera and the surrounding trees were all in silhouette, the sky was a dark blue that was mimicked by the lake but right along the edge of the caldera rim were streaks of bold reds, oranges and yellows. There were faint hints of clouds floating above but they were not yet part of the act. After getting a few shots from the window I grabbed my hat and jacket and headed out to the back porch to get the bigger view. The light was changing but the sun had not yet broken over the horizon. It was crisp and quiet here on the deck, just perfect for enjoying the show. A few other tourists were sharing the view, sipping their coffee and just taking in Mother Nature’s latest work of art. The sky was turning a lighter shade of blue and the lake was keeping pace, but now the clouds were getting in on the act. While along the horizon the hard streak of deep red and burnt orange still dominated, overhead the abstract shapes of the clouds were covered by a softer palette of hues ranging from pale yellow to peach to dust rose. It took three images to cover the span of the sunrise over the lake, but the resulting panoramic image was probably my favorite landscape of the trip so it got the nod for the banner image of this journal. The colors were starting to fade by the time I abandoned the rim just a little after 6:00, but it was time to get ready for a full day on the lake.
Back in the room, Lynn and I got our gear together then went back down to the great room to meet Lisa. We were on the road at 0630 to the boat dock. So far we are right on schedule. We left the Rim Village and continued out along the West Rim Drive. Pretty quiet this morning around the lodge and along the road until we got near the Watchman were preparations for this morning’s race along the rim were underway. Not a monstrously huge crowd but still plenty of folks of all shapes, sizes and assumed skill levels were meandering about, stretching and otherwise getting ready for their run around the lake. Most of the folks looked like they were out for a serious sporting event, but there were a few that seemed to be here just for the heck of it. There was one old guy in blue jeans and tennis shoes wearing a race number. Hey, good for him for getting out on track, even if he will be walking the course. Lisa is the runner of our group and she was dismayed at the apparent lack of preparation and organization. She commented that there did not seem to be sufficient water stations along the part of the route that we drove and the ones that were there were not yet staffed much less set up. But the good news for us was that we were around the loop and beyond the starting line well before the race started. No delay for us.
I did not check the exact time but we were probably pulling into the parking lot just a little after 7:00. The parking area at the Cleetwood Cove trailhead was buzzing with activity this morning, but there was still plenty of space when we arrived. As it is a large lot but was being used as a staging area for race volunteers plus the lower part of the lot was taken up with construction equipment. I think we were about the first to arrive for the boat ride but there were soon other nautical tourists milling about. We had all followed the advice about getting to the trailhead early but we were too early it seems as the ticket kiosk (more of a trailer) was not open. So we all waited for the crew to arrive and set up shop. The outfitter staff rolled in closer to 7:30 and quickly had their operation up and running. I snagged the tickets for our two boat excursions and then we walked across the Rim Drive to the trailhead. We were starting down the sloping trail right at 7:30. Still plenty of time to get to the marina so we can enjoy the hike.
I did not check the exact time but we were probably pulling into the parking lot just a little after 7:00. The parking area at the Cleetwood Cove trailhead was buzzing with activity this morning, but there was still plenty of space when we arrived. As it is a large lot but was being used as a staging area for race volunteers plus the lower part of the lot was taken up with construction equipment. I think we were about the first to arrive for the boat ride but there were soon other nautical tourists milling about. We had all followed the advice about getting to the trailhead early but we were too early it seems as the ticket kiosk (more of a trailer) was not open. So we all waited for the crew to arrive and set up shop. The outfitter staff rolled in closer to 7:30 and quickly had their operation up and running. I snagged the tickets for our two boat excursions and then we walked across the Rim Drive to the trailhead. We were starting down the sloping trail right at 7:30. Still plenty of time to get to the marina so we can enjoy the hike.
Here’s the schedule for the boat trips along with some of the logistical details. As I mentioned earlier while discussing the planning for this trip, the combination trip that included the hiker’s shuttle to Wizard Island followed by the narrated tour around the lake was not available for whatever reason. However, the reservation agent at Xanterra put together two separate tours that achieved the same purpose. First we were out on the 8:30 shuttle to Wizard Island. The Xanterra agent said that this trip will get us back to the Cleetwood Cove marina right at 1:00 so perfect timing for the 1:15 lake tour. OK, seems a little tight, but she assured me that this is a common practice so I signed us up. She was right, even with a slight behind schedule return from Wizard Island, we were still back at the marina just before 1:00 so we were in great shape for making the 1:15 tour. She also predicted that we would be back at the parking area after the boat tour by 4:00 so that we could plan our dinner reservations accordingly for that evening, thus I made our reservation for 6:30. Turns out she nailed that timing as well. So the plan for the day worked out well in terms of the timing. As the details below will show, it was a fun and educational day on the lake!
There was not a lot of traffic on the trail down to the marina this morning. The folks who were in line at the ticket kiosk with us were of course on the trail, but overall it was really pretty quiet this morning. Well except for the herd of teenybopper race volunteers who came charging down the trail. Probably a dozen or so teenage girls laughing and giggling as they trotted past us. Where the heck are they going? There is certainly nothing race-related down here. We got our answer a little while later as they were trudging back up the hill, but still laughing and giggling for the most part. Some of them were down to their athletic wear or bikini tops but almost all of them were soaked. Apparently they had come down this morning for a quick dip in the lake before their race duties. OK, that explains that. Turns out that there is a beach of sorts down here at Cleetwood Cove just beyond the boat dock and it is a pretty popular place.
About the trail, I was a bit concerned about the short hike down to the water as it was reported to be a steep trail and I was worried that it might also have a lot of uneven steps as that is a problem for Lynn’s knees. I asked about this point on TripAdvisor and the descriptions I received set my mind at ease and turned out to be completely accurate. The trail is certainly downhill all the way from the starting as soon as we crossed the West Rim Drive from the trailhead parking area right down to the edge of the water. But while downhill it really is not that steep as it works through a series of switchbacks as it works down the inside edge of the caldera. The trail is just a series of inclined planes so no steps at all, just a continuous flat surface sloped down the hill. The trail was also in very good shape. No trip hazards to speak of (loose rocks or exposed roots), but there were a couple spots where the hillside had slid that were due for serious maintenance (in fact, this was the last weekend that the trail and the boat rides were open for the season so that the trail repairs could get underway). The trail was well shaded as it zig-zagged back-and-forth down the slope through a wooded area. These pines would be about the only shade that we would get today other than on the lower part of Wizard Island. The rest of the time we would be out in the open under a bright blue and almost cloudless sky. We had already slathered on the SPF 100 and our hats were firmed planted on our noggins. Once again, weather was not an issue. Really another ideal day for exploring in a National Park.
There was not a lot of traffic on the trail down to the marina this morning. The folks who were in line at the ticket kiosk with us were of course on the trail, but overall it was really pretty quiet this morning. Well except for the herd of teenybopper race volunteers who came charging down the trail. Probably a dozen or so teenage girls laughing and giggling as they trotted past us. Where the heck are they going? There is certainly nothing race-related down here. We got our answer a little while later as they were trudging back up the hill, but still laughing and giggling for the most part. Some of them were down to their athletic wear or bikini tops but almost all of them were soaked. Apparently they had come down this morning for a quick dip in the lake before their race duties. OK, that explains that. Turns out that there is a beach of sorts down here at Cleetwood Cove just beyond the boat dock and it is a pretty popular place.
About the trail, I was a bit concerned about the short hike down to the water as it was reported to be a steep trail and I was worried that it might also have a lot of uneven steps as that is a problem for Lynn’s knees. I asked about this point on TripAdvisor and the descriptions I received set my mind at ease and turned out to be completely accurate. The trail is certainly downhill all the way from the starting as soon as we crossed the West Rim Drive from the trailhead parking area right down to the edge of the water. But while downhill it really is not that steep as it works through a series of switchbacks as it works down the inside edge of the caldera. The trail is just a series of inclined planes so no steps at all, just a continuous flat surface sloped down the hill. The trail was also in very good shape. No trip hazards to speak of (loose rocks or exposed roots), but there were a couple spots where the hillside had slid that were due for serious maintenance (in fact, this was the last weekend that the trail and the boat rides were open for the season so that the trail repairs could get underway). The trail was well shaded as it zig-zagged back-and-forth down the slope through a wooded area. These pines would be about the only shade that we would get today other than on the lower part of Wizard Island. The rest of the time we would be out in the open under a bright blue and almost cloudless sky. We had already slathered on the SPF 100 and our hats were firmed planted on our noggins. Once again, weather was not an issue. Really another ideal day for exploring in a National Park.
Were arrived the little marina just before 8:00, so well ahead of the 8:15 check-in time. There were a few other folks already waiting and others arriving, some coming down the trail and others coming over from the rocky beach area. Looks like we’ll have a full boat for the ride out to Wizard Island this morning. As is often the case, where there are tourists sitting around, there will be little furry beggars looking for a hand-out. The Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels in this area were very bold in their search for treats. Unfortunately the tourists here were more than happy to oblige the little rodents. There were a couple families with little kids who were feeding the varmints Goldfish crackers. It was bad enough that the parents were letting their little girls feed the animals, but they adults were really encouraging the behavior. Plus they were letting the squirrels take the food right from their hands. Such a bad idea on so many levels. Yeah, the squirrels are cute, but they are still wildlife so unpredictable and they have very sharp teeth. Unfortunately there was no Ranger around to explain the error of their ways. But no one got bit, this time.
About 8:15 we queued-up to board the boat. Most of the crew at the dock were in their 20s, but there were a few seasoned veterans as well. The older guys were the captains of the little flotilla of tour boats. Our Skipper this morning was a big guy with a hearty laugh. He and the crew quickly has us settled in on the Klamath. The boat was open which was great for the tour as it provided unobstructed views in all directions, but provided no shade, so again a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen were in order for the tour. I reckon the boat is about 30 feet long and held about 40 tourists without feeling like we were crammed on the little vessel. The Captain provided the safety briefing (can’t go anywhere without a safety briefing these days), but it was short and to the point with a little levity thrown in. The main points were that there was an inflatable life raft at the stern of the boat and it you saw the crew exiting the boat that you might want to follow.
We had quite the crowd on the boat. Sure it was a full boat, but I meant in terms of the collection of characters. There were the families with the preteen girls who were feeding the squirrels back at the dock of course. Several younger couples plus a larger group of twenty-somethings. At least one set of grandparents and grandkids were also heading out to explore the island. From the discussions, it seemed that about half were going swimming, half heading to the summit with a few planning on doing both. The young couple sitting in front of us were hiking to the top, so we’ll see them on the trail. They looked like they were old pros at this based on their well-worn boots and wide-brimmed hats. She had an interesting inscription tattooed at the base of her neck that I could just see under her shortly cropped brunette locks, but I never got a clear enough look to really figure out what it was. Seemed to have some Greek symbols so I was trying to make an equation out of the runes. I’m sure it made sense to her. Another nearby younger couple had their day planned for the water as I spied the peach tie of her swimsuit peeking out over the top of her sweatshirt collar. And there were a few folks carrying rods and reels. Something for everyone it seems. Most everyone seemed to be going out to the island just for the three-hour stay, but the few folks with fishing gear were staying for the day and would catch a later boat back to the Cleetwood Cove dock.
About 8:15 we queued-up to board the boat. Most of the crew at the dock were in their 20s, but there were a few seasoned veterans as well. The older guys were the captains of the little flotilla of tour boats. Our Skipper this morning was a big guy with a hearty laugh. He and the crew quickly has us settled in on the Klamath. The boat was open which was great for the tour as it provided unobstructed views in all directions, but provided no shade, so again a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen were in order for the tour. I reckon the boat is about 30 feet long and held about 40 tourists without feeling like we were crammed on the little vessel. The Captain provided the safety briefing (can’t go anywhere without a safety briefing these days), but it was short and to the point with a little levity thrown in. The main points were that there was an inflatable life raft at the stern of the boat and it you saw the crew exiting the boat that you might want to follow.
We had quite the crowd on the boat. Sure it was a full boat, but I meant in terms of the collection of characters. There were the families with the preteen girls who were feeding the squirrels back at the dock of course. Several younger couples plus a larger group of twenty-somethings. At least one set of grandparents and grandkids were also heading out to explore the island. From the discussions, it seemed that about half were going swimming, half heading to the summit with a few planning on doing both. The young couple sitting in front of us were hiking to the top, so we’ll see them on the trail. They looked like they were old pros at this based on their well-worn boots and wide-brimmed hats. She had an interesting inscription tattooed at the base of her neck that I could just see under her shortly cropped brunette locks, but I never got a clear enough look to really figure out what it was. Seemed to have some Greek symbols so I was trying to make an equation out of the runes. I’m sure it made sense to her. Another nearby younger couple had their day planned for the water as I spied the peach tie of her swimsuit peeking out over the top of her sweatshirt collar. And there were a few folks carrying rods and reels. Something for everyone it seems. Most everyone seemed to be going out to the island just for the three-hour stay, but the few folks with fishing gear were staying for the day and would catch a later boat back to the Cleetwood Cove dock.
We were the first boat out this morning, so we’re the ones that will tarnish the mirror finish on the lake, not that it was a perfect sheet of glass on the surface this morning anyway. Just a slight breeze to go with our ideal conditions. Still the reflections of the caldera rim on the lake surface were phenomenal. Such a wonderful array of colors, patterns and textures. Yeah, not quite a mirror finish in the lake but close enough for some very interesting images. The Skipper was making a bee-line for Wizard Island this morning so not a lot of chatter from him or the crew, but that’s OK as we’ll get the details during the afternoon tour. The only exception was when we stopped to sample the lake, reported to be the cleanest water on the planet. The crew filled bottles for anyone on board that wanted to try the lake water. We passed on the opportunity. Otherwise, we just sat back and enjoyed the views as we cruised along at about 12 mph (or just over 10 knots since this is a boat trip).
The trip from Cleetwood Cove to Wizard Island took about 30 minutes, maybe a little less. Before debarking, we were given the general lay of the land, which was pretty straightforward. Once off the dock, turn right for the outhouses and emergency facility. The trails are a little further up the shore and well-marked. Turn right and up the hill for the summit or left to Fumarole Bay for the swimmers. We got our daypacks in order and started up the side of the hill.
Our choice for the day on Wizard Island was to hike to the top of the old volcanic cinder cone and get the views from the top looking out over Crater Lake. The hike to the top was about 1.1 miles. This was another trail that was uphill all the way working through a series of switchbacks to gain the summit. That seems to be another theme of this trip. It was not an overly steep trail, really more of a constant rise to the top. While the hillside we were traversing was littered with the volcanic rocks, the trail itself was and devoid of trip hazards and actually decently wide. Surprisingly it was not very crowded on the trail, even though everyone coming this way left the boat at the same time. More surprising was that we were some of the faster hikers on the trail today. Perhaps since we were on a schedule to get to the top and get back to the dock for the return trip there was a little more effort in accelerating the pace. Whatever it was, I liked it! Shoot we were passing most of the other hikers and no one was gaining on us, except for one of the twenty-somethings from the boat, the guy who was with the with the girl with the trigonometry tattoo. Well, I thought they were together anyway, but he was making serious tracks to the top of the hill and she was nowhere in sight. She did catch and pass us near the top of the trail as well, but I guess I had assumed that she and the guy from the boat were a couple.
The trip from Cleetwood Cove to Wizard Island took about 30 minutes, maybe a little less. Before debarking, we were given the general lay of the land, which was pretty straightforward. Once off the dock, turn right for the outhouses and emergency facility. The trails are a little further up the shore and well-marked. Turn right and up the hill for the summit or left to Fumarole Bay for the swimmers. We got our daypacks in order and started up the side of the hill.
Our choice for the day on Wizard Island was to hike to the top of the old volcanic cinder cone and get the views from the top looking out over Crater Lake. The hike to the top was about 1.1 miles. This was another trail that was uphill all the way working through a series of switchbacks to gain the summit. That seems to be another theme of this trip. It was not an overly steep trail, really more of a constant rise to the top. While the hillside we were traversing was littered with the volcanic rocks, the trail itself was and devoid of trip hazards and actually decently wide. Surprisingly it was not very crowded on the trail, even though everyone coming this way left the boat at the same time. More surprising was that we were some of the faster hikers on the trail today. Perhaps since we were on a schedule to get to the top and get back to the dock for the return trip there was a little more effort in accelerating the pace. Whatever it was, I liked it! Shoot we were passing most of the other hikers and no one was gaining on us, except for one of the twenty-somethings from the boat, the guy who was with the with the girl with the trigonometry tattoo. Well, I thought they were together anyway, but he was making serious tracks to the top of the hill and she was nowhere in sight. She did catch and pass us near the top of the trail as well, but I guess I had assumed that she and the guy from the boat were a couple.
The views got better as we went higher up the cone. Most of the way up is through forest that finally thins at the top of the trail where the views really become spectacular. Looking back through the breaks in the trees toward the lake provides a great mix of vibrant colors; the deep blue of the lake framed by the dark green of the evergreens or the occasional lime green to chartreuse of the mosses growing on some of the dead snags. The trail works up the south side of the island, until the very top where it wraps around the cone and exits on top at the northwest quadrant of the summit. At the summit, the trail makes a loop along the rim of the crater of the cinder cone. I really did not think of this at the time, but while at the top of Wizard Island we were at the rim of one old volcanic cone that was sitting in the middle of another huge volcano. Maybe it is just as well that I did not figure that out at the time. Still, pretty cool!
Once at the top, we started looking for a place to take a team photo. That was harder than I thought it would be due to the angle of the sun, the difficulty in finding a suitable place to set up the camera (I only had my Gorillapod so I was a bit height limited for the shot) and the impatience of my models. We tried a couple of quick shots, the second one being the better, catching us on the summit with the caldera rim and the lake in the background. We continued clockwise along the trail looping the rim of the crater, taking in the views in all directions. The trees are very sparse here at the top. Along the trail there are several dead hulks, bleached to a silver-grey. The living pines are down the slope in the crater, perhaps they fare better there as they are sheltered a bit from the winter winds. The twisted, grey trunks and limbs of the dead trees made for interesting subjects as we strolled along the crater rim, adding stark contrast to the blue sky and the brick red rock scattered along the rim of the crater.
We were looking for a place to take a break and have a snack, but there were not a lot of good options. First of all, due to the rather barren nature along the rim, there was not much in the way of shade. Second, when we did find a comfortable looking place to sit down we were quickly overrun by the ever present Golden Mantled Ground Squirrels. Seems that the rodents on the island are even worse than their cousins back at Cleetwood Cove as they were relentless in their pursuit of handouts. So we just kept walking along the rim and taking in the views. As we were making our way around we spotted the speedy hiking couple from the boat. Now I understand the rush up the trail. He had gotten up here as quickly as he could and set up a hammock in the dead trees with a lovely view out over the lake. He and Tattoo Girl were now reunited, and snuggled up in their nylon cocoon enjoying the vista from their comfortable perch. Nicely done, Kids.
Once at the top, we started looking for a place to take a team photo. That was harder than I thought it would be due to the angle of the sun, the difficulty in finding a suitable place to set up the camera (I only had my Gorillapod so I was a bit height limited for the shot) and the impatience of my models. We tried a couple of quick shots, the second one being the better, catching us on the summit with the caldera rim and the lake in the background. We continued clockwise along the trail looping the rim of the crater, taking in the views in all directions. The trees are very sparse here at the top. Along the trail there are several dead hulks, bleached to a silver-grey. The living pines are down the slope in the crater, perhaps they fare better there as they are sheltered a bit from the winter winds. The twisted, grey trunks and limbs of the dead trees made for interesting subjects as we strolled along the crater rim, adding stark contrast to the blue sky and the brick red rock scattered along the rim of the crater.
We were looking for a place to take a break and have a snack, but there were not a lot of good options. First of all, due to the rather barren nature along the rim, there was not much in the way of shade. Second, when we did find a comfortable looking place to sit down we were quickly overrun by the ever present Golden Mantled Ground Squirrels. Seems that the rodents on the island are even worse than their cousins back at Cleetwood Cove as they were relentless in their pursuit of handouts. So we just kept walking along the rim and taking in the views. As we were making our way around we spotted the speedy hiking couple from the boat. Now I understand the rush up the trail. He had gotten up here as quickly as he could and set up a hammock in the dead trees with a lovely view out over the lake. He and Tattoo Girl were now reunited, and snuggled up in their nylon cocoon enjoying the vista from their comfortable perch. Nicely done, Kids.
While we were at the top of the island, we were still below the rim of the caldera. Wizard Island rises 6,933 feet above sea level and is about 755 feet above the surface of Crater Lake. It is a nice platform for views across the lake, although at this time of day the views to the east are back into the sun and a bit washed out. But in other directions and into the crater here at the top of the island were wonderful. The water was a beautiful dark blue out in the depths away from the island but in the shallow edges around the edge the colors ranged to lighter shades of blue to turquoise and green. The crater, dubbed Witches Cauldron, is about 500 feet across and 90 feet deep. There are a few trees in the scatter about in the crater, but it is more barren than not. Plenty of birds flitting about as well, also probably looking for goodies dropped by the hikers. Several Cassin’s Finches, the males with their bright red heads and the more mundane females, and at least one Mountain Bluebird were busy foraging around the area.
We completed our walk around the rim of the crater. We never did find a place for a little picnic, so we just snacked on trail mix as we walked along. Just before we completed the loop we spotted this odd pile of rocks in the trail. Of course there was a ground squirrel in the pile of rocks. Upon further inspection the pile really seemed to be from one rock that was just crumbling over time. It reminded me of a 3-dimensional puzzle the way the various chunks of volcanic debris all fit together. As we walked back down from the rim, we passed a Ranger leading a group of hikers up to the summit. I was lagging behind taking pictures and looking at the details along the way, as usual, when Lynn and Lisa stopped to chat with the Ranger. He stated that there were 40 black bears in the park. He also reiterated that the water in the lake is the cleanest on earth and that he has been drinking nothing but the lake water for ten weeks with no ill effect.
Since we did not pause for a picnic at the top we were running ahead of schedule so we decided to scoot back down from the summit and take a side trip to the beach area just to see what was out there. Once back down the side of the cone and following a detour to the facilities near the dock, we took the trail leading to Fumarole Bay. The character of this trail was completely different than the one we traversed up the side of the cinder cone. That trail was well defined and clear of debris but this trail on the lower part of this island was right through lava rock field and not a clear path in many places. We were picking our way across the tumble of black rocks as we neared the edge of the island. It was pretty slow going but a very interesting hike. There were more birds in the trees here, including a Western Wood-Pewee, so another new species for our list.
We were starting to pass the swimmers coming back from their day at the beach. I spotted the girl in the peach bikini (bikini and hiking boots, that’s a fashion statement! While she was the trend setter, I did see that combination later in the summer on Santa Cruz Island during my day trip to the Channel Islands). As we passed by, I asked if the water was cold. “My heart stopped for a second,” was her reply. Yeah, that would be cold!
We turned back before we reached the swimming area, but we did see it from a distance. There were still plenty of folks there enjoying a cold dip in the lake, but it seemed that most were starting to pack up for the hike back to the boat dock. We retraced our route back through the lava rocks, arriving well before the appointed departure time. We found a nice log in the shade to take a break while waiting for the boat to return. The ground squirrels were again out begging for food as there was a high concentration of tourists and too many were feeding the varmints. Again there were several kids feeding the squirrels right from their hands and Mom was encouraging them. They named one squirrel “Fatty” as it was quite plump; probably due to all the goldfish the kids feed it. Once her supply of crackers was depleted, little girl left the litter of the treat bags along the trail. Lynn picked it up and handed back to the little girl to dispose of properly. Nicely played, Lynn.
Since we did not pause for a picnic at the top we were running ahead of schedule so we decided to scoot back down from the summit and take a side trip to the beach area just to see what was out there. Once back down the side of the cone and following a detour to the facilities near the dock, we took the trail leading to Fumarole Bay. The character of this trail was completely different than the one we traversed up the side of the cinder cone. That trail was well defined and clear of debris but this trail on the lower part of this island was right through lava rock field and not a clear path in many places. We were picking our way across the tumble of black rocks as we neared the edge of the island. It was pretty slow going but a very interesting hike. There were more birds in the trees here, including a Western Wood-Pewee, so another new species for our list.
We were starting to pass the swimmers coming back from their day at the beach. I spotted the girl in the peach bikini (bikini and hiking boots, that’s a fashion statement! While she was the trend setter, I did see that combination later in the summer on Santa Cruz Island during my day trip to the Channel Islands). As we passed by, I asked if the water was cold. “My heart stopped for a second,” was her reply. Yeah, that would be cold!
We turned back before we reached the swimming area, but we did see it from a distance. There were still plenty of folks there enjoying a cold dip in the lake, but it seemed that most were starting to pack up for the hike back to the boat dock. We retraced our route back through the lava rocks, arriving well before the appointed departure time. We found a nice log in the shade to take a break while waiting for the boat to return. The ground squirrels were again out begging for food as there was a high concentration of tourists and too many were feeding the varmints. Again there were several kids feeding the squirrels right from their hands and Mom was encouraging them. They named one squirrel “Fatty” as it was quite plump; probably due to all the goldfish the kids feed it. Once her supply of crackers was depleted, little girl left the litter of the treat bags along the trail. Lynn picked it up and handed back to the little girl to dispose of properly. Nicely played, Lynn.
Our ride back to Cleetwood Cove was running a bit behind schedule, but the Umpqua eventually arrived at the dock to deposit the next load of visitor and to collect us. Our Captain for this leg of the trip was a particularly the grizzled old gentleman. He really looked the part of the skipper, as he had that stereotypical nautical appearance: not tall but still an imposing figure with a white beard, deeply tanned and weathered face. Sort of a banty rooster based on his size and the fact that he was clearly in charge. The trip back to Cleetwood Cove was slightly longer as we did a little sightseeing, but we were still back at the marina in time to make our connecting flight. Not quite the clockwork precision that the agent claimed but still better than needed to keep the schedule so it all worked out.
Here are the links to the photos from our time on Wizard Island as well as the Ramblr track of our hike down to Cleetwood Cover and on the island as well as the boat trip to and from the island.
Here are the links to the photos from our time on Wizard Island as well as the Ramblr track of our hike down to Cleetwood Cover and on the island as well as the boat trip to and from the island.
Once back at Cleetwood Cove we got off the Umpqua and queued up for the lake tour while the crew got the next vessel in order. I think we were on the Rogue for the afternoon lap around the lake. The crew got us situated in the boat. Captain Mark, another seasoned veteran, was in charge of the cruise. Ranger Stephanie was our tour guide for the trip. Stephanie kept the theme of young Park Service Rangers going for the trip as I reckon she was right around 30, give or take a little. She was a very nice young woman with a healthy hank of long, blonde, hair in a long, thick braid hanging from under her NPS baseball cap. The odd thing was that during the course of our less-than-two-hour ride around the lake, Stephanie must have gone through at least six different hair styles and she seemed to be continually fussing with her hair. At one point she had it down so that it was just blowing in the wind which must have been very distracting since she quickly went to a bun. But the end of the tour she was back to the long braid.
Our route for the afternoon took us in a counterclockwise direction around the lake and we stayed fairly close to the edge for the entire trip. The Ramblr track indicated that this cruise was paced a little slower than the trip to Wizard Island, closer to 10 mph. Lynn, Lisa and I were seated at the back of the boat hoping that we’ll get some unobstructed views over the stern. As usual, diverse (emphasis on the first syllable and a long “I” pronunciation for the probably West Virginian inflection) is the term to describe the tourists on the boat with us. Mostly just average folks from all over the globe, I reckon. There was a flock of Japanese twenty-somethings enjoying the day on the lake. One of young ladies had dyed her hair a blue-green color that matched the hues of the water in the swallow areas near the edge of the lake. Certainly not a typical hair color but she pulled it off nicely. Seated next to us was a young Indian couple with a selfie stick. I think they took as many photos as I did during the cruise, but I’m guessing that they were in every one of their shots while I was trying to keep all the out of my images. I guess it all depends on what memories you what to record.
Stephanie was a great guide and imparted a lot of information about the formation, geology, biology and history of Crater Lake. She and Captain Mark made a great team and played off each other nicely. Here are the points that I recalled from the trip around the lake:
Our route for the afternoon took us in a counterclockwise direction around the lake and we stayed fairly close to the edge for the entire trip. The Ramblr track indicated that this cruise was paced a little slower than the trip to Wizard Island, closer to 10 mph. Lynn, Lisa and I were seated at the back of the boat hoping that we’ll get some unobstructed views over the stern. As usual, diverse (emphasis on the first syllable and a long “I” pronunciation for the probably West Virginian inflection) is the term to describe the tourists on the boat with us. Mostly just average folks from all over the globe, I reckon. There was a flock of Japanese twenty-somethings enjoying the day on the lake. One of young ladies had dyed her hair a blue-green color that matched the hues of the water in the swallow areas near the edge of the lake. Certainly not a typical hair color but she pulled it off nicely. Seated next to us was a young Indian couple with a selfie stick. I think they took as many photos as I did during the cruise, but I’m guessing that they were in every one of their shots while I was trying to keep all the out of my images. I guess it all depends on what memories you what to record.
Stephanie was a great guide and imparted a lot of information about the formation, geology, biology and history of Crater Lake. She and Captain Mark made a great team and played off each other nicely. Here are the points that I recalled from the trip around the lake:
Video of the little rock slide; best to go to full screen viewing to actually see anything!
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I reckon it was about 3:15 or so when we were back at the Cleetwood Cove dock. We could see that rocky beach area near the marina was the happening place. While there were a few folks there this morning, this afternoon the crowd was huge. Lynn speculated that this might be the gathering spot for the park workers, a place for the younger folks to hang-out when not on the clock. This must be Crater Lake’s answer to the beach party scene at the top of Nevada Falls in Yosemite. As we were hiking back up the trail we passed LOTS of folks still hiking down to the beach. Looks like the party was just getting started! Here's the photo gallery from our boat tour around Crater Lake.
We were back at rim at 4:00 just as predicted by the reservation agent. That was a fine piece of planning on her part. We jumped in the Jeep and cruised back to the lodge via the West Rim Drive. No issues or delays along the way. All traces of this morning’s race were gone. We made great time and were back at the Rim Village in record time. The cooler was restocked and we were out for a beer at our favorite overlook at 4:40. There were still four Torpedoes, an Apocalypse and one Mad River to dispose of. We were up to the task.
We took our seats on the low rock wall right on the edge of the caldera rim. What a great way to end yet another wonderful day. The view out over the lake was beautiful. Blue was the dominant color between the sky and the lake. Not much in the way of clouds this afternoon, just a few patches of white hanging on the horizon. Chatted with some folks returning from Garfield Peak. They had done the run this morning and confirmed that it was a cluster flop, as Gunny Highway stated in the sanitized version of "Heartbreak Ridge."
We were back at rim at 4:00 just as predicted by the reservation agent. That was a fine piece of planning on her part. We jumped in the Jeep and cruised back to the lodge via the West Rim Drive. No issues or delays along the way. All traces of this morning’s race were gone. We made great time and were back at the Rim Village in record time. The cooler was restocked and we were out for a beer at our favorite overlook at 4:40. There were still four Torpedoes, an Apocalypse and one Mad River to dispose of. We were up to the task.
We took our seats on the low rock wall right on the edge of the caldera rim. What a great way to end yet another wonderful day. The view out over the lake was beautiful. Blue was the dominant color between the sky and the lake. Not much in the way of clouds this afternoon, just a few patches of white hanging on the horizon. Chatted with some folks returning from Garfield Peak. They had done the run this morning and confirmed that it was a cluster flop, as Gunny Highway stated in the sanitized version of "Heartbreak Ridge."
While sitting on our wall enjoying the late afternoon quiet, we decided to cancel our dinner reservations and eat on the back porch. We sat on our little wall until after 6:00 then headed up to the lodge. It was 6:20 when we reconvened on the porch and snagged a set of three rockers in a prime location with a wonderful view out over the lake. It was a little crowded out there when we arrived as another bike tour had checked in today, but it seemed to clear out soon after we arrived. Certainly not the madhouse we observed on Thursday evening. Just sort of interesting that Thursday was a zoo out here, Friday evening was very quiet and tonight was busy early then died off.
The excellent setting on the porch and the ideal location of our chairs clinched the deal for just hanging here the rest of the evening. I canceled our dinner reservation and we started reviewing the appetizer menu. I started with a bowl of the chowder which was again excellent (must have been good as I had it three nights in a row!) and the girls split a cheese plate, then we ordered a Quesadilla. Since it was so good and we were still a little hungry we got seconds on the Quesadilla! We also split one of the big pretzels but it was a bit on the salty side. This all went very well with the Pine Drops IPA from Deschutes that I was sipping on as my last beer of the evening. We then split the Marionberry cobbler for dessert. It was excellent. Really more like a cake with a berry topping. Great meal in a setting that just cannot be beat.
The excellent setting on the porch and the ideal location of our chairs clinched the deal for just hanging here the rest of the evening. I canceled our dinner reservation and we started reviewing the appetizer menu. I started with a bowl of the chowder which was again excellent (must have been good as I had it three nights in a row!) and the girls split a cheese plate, then we ordered a Quesadilla. Since it was so good and we were still a little hungry we got seconds on the Quesadilla! We also split one of the big pretzels but it was a bit on the salty side. This all went very well with the Pine Drops IPA from Deschutes that I was sipping on as my last beer of the evening. We then split the Marionberry cobbler for dessert. It was excellent. Really more like a cake with a berry topping. Great meal in a setting that just cannot be beat.
So besides the wonderful location on the back porch, the great meal and one last beer, we also had a lovely evening. We enjoyed watching the sky progress from late afternoon through sunset to evening as we ate through each course of our makeshift dinner. The sky was a little hazy at first but the high cirrus clouds that had moved in while we were at our happy hour spot had now cleared out. As the evening progressed, a few clouds rolled back in from west. As the sun sank, these clouds turned a turned pink and purple, giving us a nice pastel vista for our final sunset at Crater Lake.
The folks out on the porch were quite friendly and chatty this evening. Talked to several fellow tourists, some who were staying here at the lodge and a few who were just where to enjoy the view before heading back to lodging or campgrounds elsewhere in the area. There were a young couple taking a vacation from their mink farm. Lisa was talking to the frugal guy from Seattle who was having a wonderful vacation but not breaking the bank. I was talking to a young lady named Raven who could have been anywhere from 12 to 25 years old…seriously. She was working on the junior ranger activities book, so probably on the younger end of the scale. I’m just hoping that the older guy with her was her dad). But that’s just a sampling for the folks we saw on the porch. Again a diverse set of tourists, but we were all there just to take in Mother Nature’s handiwork.
While on the porch we reviewed the day and made plans for tomorrow. Lisa and I decided to take a power hike up Garfield Peak in the morning just to get some exercise before the drive back to Medford. I was hoping that we could squeeze in The Watchman as that is one of the classic views of the lake, but the girls weren’t feeling it. Oh, well, you can’t do everything in each park. Who knows, maybe we’ll be back these way again someday. We’re in no rush to get on the road in the morning as we’re taking the red-eye home, so we’ll have plenty of time to get where we need to be.
The critter list was sort of short since we were out on the water for a large part of the day, but we did see a few birds including a new one for our all-time list.
The folks out on the porch were quite friendly and chatty this evening. Talked to several fellow tourists, some who were staying here at the lodge and a few who were just where to enjoy the view before heading back to lodging or campgrounds elsewhere in the area. There were a young couple taking a vacation from their mink farm. Lisa was talking to the frugal guy from Seattle who was having a wonderful vacation but not breaking the bank. I was talking to a young lady named Raven who could have been anywhere from 12 to 25 years old…seriously. She was working on the junior ranger activities book, so probably on the younger end of the scale. I’m just hoping that the older guy with her was her dad). But that’s just a sampling for the folks we saw on the porch. Again a diverse set of tourists, but we were all there just to take in Mother Nature’s handiwork.
While on the porch we reviewed the day and made plans for tomorrow. Lisa and I decided to take a power hike up Garfield Peak in the morning just to get some exercise before the drive back to Medford. I was hoping that we could squeeze in The Watchman as that is one of the classic views of the lake, but the girls weren’t feeling it. Oh, well, you can’t do everything in each park. Who knows, maybe we’ll be back these way again someday. We’re in no rush to get on the road in the morning as we’re taking the red-eye home, so we’ll have plenty of time to get where we need to be.
The critter list was sort of short since we were out on the water for a large part of the day, but we did see a few birds including a new one for our all-time list.
What a great day this was, bordering on ideal. Wonderful weather, a great hike out on Wizard Island, educational boat tour around the lake, happy hour beer with a view and finally a great dinner here at the historic porch at the lodge. It just does not get any better than this. The clouds continued to roll in. No starry night sky tonight. We called it a night around 9:00. |
Day 10 – Sunday, August 14 - Back up Garfield Peak then on to Medford
I was up this morning at 0555. I slept better last night but still a bit warm in the room. Just no way to get good airflow in here.
Looks like a beautiful morning in the making. There were a fair number of clouds dotting the sky, but nothing ominous looking about them at all. I grabbed a camera and went out to the rim for sunrise shots before our last hike of the trip. Oops, I did not notice that I had grabbed Lynn’s camera until I was outside, but that’s OK (it used to be my camera before I upgraded and Lynn got the hand-me-down!). Yes, a cloudy morning but made for a nice sunrise as the clouds were catching the colors and making some interesting reflections on the lake. In fact the deep blue of the lake was much more subdued this morning with all the white reflecting from the clouds. This was not the gloriously colorful sunrise that we were treated to yesterday, but it was still pretty darn good.
I watched the colors advance across the sky for a while and tried to capture a reasonable representative image or two, but the photos just pale in comparison to actually being there are the rim overlooking the lake, it in the quiet and calm of the morning. There were a few other folks out enjoying the spectacle but they were also just soaking in the silence. Just the sound of the morning birds, but that just seems to add to the peace of the setting.
I scurried back up the room about to get my pack and exchange cameras. I'm only carrying the pocketable SX710 HS this morning as this will be a "power hike" up Garfield Peak with Lisa. Based on sunrise time of 0615 this morning, we decided to meet at 0630 to start our hike. I got a couple more photos of the now even more spectacular sunrise once I was back down behind the lodge. Lisa arrived shortly thereafter. Looks like we have ideal hiking conditions once again with comfortable temperatures, mostly blue sky with scattered white clouds and just a touch of a breeze. We were off.
Looks like a beautiful morning in the making. There were a fair number of clouds dotting the sky, but nothing ominous looking about them at all. I grabbed a camera and went out to the rim for sunrise shots before our last hike of the trip. Oops, I did not notice that I had grabbed Lynn’s camera until I was outside, but that’s OK (it used to be my camera before I upgraded and Lynn got the hand-me-down!). Yes, a cloudy morning but made for a nice sunrise as the clouds were catching the colors and making some interesting reflections on the lake. In fact the deep blue of the lake was much more subdued this morning with all the white reflecting from the clouds. This was not the gloriously colorful sunrise that we were treated to yesterday, but it was still pretty darn good.
I watched the colors advance across the sky for a while and tried to capture a reasonable representative image or two, but the photos just pale in comparison to actually being there are the rim overlooking the lake, it in the quiet and calm of the morning. There were a few other folks out enjoying the spectacle but they were also just soaking in the silence. Just the sound of the morning birds, but that just seems to add to the peace of the setting.
I scurried back up the room about to get my pack and exchange cameras. I'm only carrying the pocketable SX710 HS this morning as this will be a "power hike" up Garfield Peak with Lisa. Based on sunrise time of 0615 this morning, we decided to meet at 0630 to start our hike. I got a couple more photos of the now even more spectacular sunrise once I was back down behind the lodge. Lisa arrived shortly thereafter. Looks like we have ideal hiking conditions once again with comfortable temperatures, mostly blue sky with scattered white clouds and just a touch of a breeze. We were off.
Getting on the trail early is always the best as you will be ahead of 99% of the tourists and there is so much more potential for great animal sightings. Shoot getting on the trail early ranks right up there with getting the first tee-time of the day; no one in front of you so no one to slow you down. And that was exactly what we had this morning, absolutely no one was on the trail in front of us and we did not pass a single hiker on our way to the summit. Lisa was a bit jazzed that we might be the first ones up to the top this morning. That is sort of a cool feeling, kind of like you own the place.
I opted not to carry the “big” camera (not that my SX50 is very big) as I knew this would be a power hike. No, we’re not going to set any land speed records but I was figuring that we would set a good constant pace up the ridge…..and we did. Easy to do under these conditions which were perfect for an early morning hike. We just took in the views on the move and made it to the summit in about fifty minutes, so we almost cut the time to the top in half compared to our first hike to the top. We paused at the top to take in the views and memorialize our feat with a few photos. More cirrus and cirrocumulus clouds had rolled in over the lake (OK, maybe cirrus and altocumulus? I have no idea…Damn it, Jim, I’m and engineer not a meteorologist! How about high, white wispy clouds plus a few more puffy ones mixed in). Whatever the type, the slight overcast dimmed the brilliant blue of the lake but produced an interesting vista with the reflections of the clouds on the surface of the water. While it was cloudy right over the lake off to the south the sky was nearly clear, with just a couple of white streaks against the blue background. We did indeed have the summit to ourselves, so we’re going with the theory that we were the first ones up to the top today. I think that tickled Lisa, being the first up the trail for the day. We took one last look across the lake then retraced the trail back down the mountain to the lodge.
OK, while I made it to the top without taking any photos along the trail, coming back down there were a couple of critter sightings that were worth pausing for and these were not until we were almost back down to the trailhead. During our previous hike along this trail, Lynn had seen a Pika but they were too skittish for a photo. This morning the little varmints were bolder as one was scurrying about in a rock field adjacent to the trail. Rather than run and hike when we approached, the furry little guy came closer and posed for us. He was a vocal little critter and scolded Lisa when she got too close. Just s few paces further down the trail I spotted a marmot out sunny itself on the rocks, basking in the early morning sun. The birds were also becoming more active. As we made one turn through a meadow at the lower part of the trail there was a small flock of birds flitting from perch to perch in the shrubs and lower tree branches. They were not cooperating at all in terms of sitting for a portrait so they could have easily fallen in the gone bird category except that they were so distinctively marked. These were small birds with dark bodies that had lots of bars and white outlines on the wings, back and tail, white breast but its little noggin was completely yellow, and I mean bright yellow. OK, that might be one I can identity without a photo. Too help be remember I just thought to myself that this looking like a nuthatch wearing a yellow ski mask. Once we were off the trail I listed this sighting in my journal notes. When got home I pulled out the bird book to see if I could figure it out. I guessed it might be a warbler of some sort due to the size and colors. I quickly zeroed in on the most likely candidate, a Hermit Warbler. The range looked to be correct as well. While I’m no expert on birds, I’m going with that ID until someone tells me otherwise.
OK, while I made it to the top without taking any photos along the trail, coming back down there were a couple of critter sightings that were worth pausing for and these were not until we were almost back down to the trailhead. During our previous hike along this trail, Lynn had seen a Pika but they were too skittish for a photo. This morning the little varmints were bolder as one was scurrying about in a rock field adjacent to the trail. Rather than run and hike when we approached, the furry little guy came closer and posed for us. He was a vocal little critter and scolded Lisa when she got too close. Just s few paces further down the trail I spotted a marmot out sunny itself on the rocks, basking in the early morning sun. The birds were also becoming more active. As we made one turn through a meadow at the lower part of the trail there was a small flock of birds flitting from perch to perch in the shrubs and lower tree branches. They were not cooperating at all in terms of sitting for a portrait so they could have easily fallen in the gone bird category except that they were so distinctively marked. These were small birds with dark bodies that had lots of bars and white outlines on the wings, back and tail, white breast but its little noggin was completely yellow, and I mean bright yellow. OK, that might be one I can identity without a photo. Too help be remember I just thought to myself that this looking like a nuthatch wearing a yellow ski mask. Once we were off the trail I listed this sighting in my journal notes. When got home I pulled out the bird book to see if I could figure it out. I guessed it might be a warbler of some sort due to the size and colors. I quickly zeroed in on the most likely candidate, a Hermit Warbler. The range looked to be correct as well. While I’m no expert on birds, I’m going with that ID until someone tells me otherwise.
We were back at the lodge at 8:10. Fifty minutes up and forty minutes for the return (the Ramblr track had our time at 1:39, so nearly an hour quicker than our sightseeing hike). Here are the few photos that I took during our second hike on the Garfield Peak trail. We finally passed a few hikers heading up the trail once we were well down from the summit. Just not a lot of traffic early on a Sunday morning.
Back at the lodge, we met Lynn in the lobby. I ran back up to the room to ditch my pack then we reconvened downstairs for breakfast. I had been eating light for breakfast throughout the trip but decided to splurge this morning since our hiking for the day was done. I went with the crème brule French toast since it looked so good the other day when Lynn had it and she had given the dish high marks. Well-deserved high marks as this was a great meal to start the day. Granted I was hungry following our morning jaunt up Garfield Peak but the French toast was outstanding. In fact the food in general here in the Crater Lake Lodge dining hall was excellent (review).
After breakfast, Lisa went upstairs to pack and get ready for the drive. Lynn and I took a short walk. First stop was the bookstore but we resisted the urge to make and purchases this morning since we had already purchased a Crater Lake pin. We then visited the Sinnott Memorial Overlook. We had climbed the steps down to the viewing area earlier in our stay but it was closed at that time, but today the gate was unlocked. This turned out to be both a great location for a pretty view as well as an educational stop as well as there is a small natural history museum build into the caldera rim behind the viewing platform. We decided to start with the inside exhibits as there was a group of twenty-somethings out of the viewing deck taking selfies. The one tall, lanky lad had the grand idea for the group to set up a panoramic shot and he would be in each frame. I’ll give him points for creativity.
The plaque next to the door of the museum provided the historical background of the building which was dedicated on July 16, 1931. The official name of the facility is the Nicholas J. Sinnott Memorial Observation Station and Museum, in honor of Nicholas J. Sinnott who represented eastern Oregon in the United States House of Representatives from 1913 to 1928. Sinnott was chairman of the House Public Lands Committee, and had actively supported Crater Lake National Park. He died in 1929 shortly after retiring from Congress. The observation deck and museum were funded by a $10,000 appropriation from Congress. $10K wouldn’t fund the study on the project today.
While small, the indoor museum area is packed with interesting information, some in more formal displays and some less so but more current. The exhibits that I found most interesting were about the geology and volcanic activity of the area. Of course there was a sign there with the basic stats on Crater Lake. I doctored the photo of the sign a bit to make it more readable. There were also a couple signs on Mount Mazama and volcanic activity in general which I found to be very interesting.
One sign gave the statistics on Mount Mazama. Mount Mazama was a stratovolcano estimated to be about 12,000 feet high. It erupted about 7,700 years ago producing the largest eruption in the Cascade Mountains. This was also the largest eruption in North America during the past 600,000 years since the last major volcanic event in Yellowstone. The eruption produced 12 cubic miles of magma, which is enough to cover the state of Oregon eight inches deep in ash. The actual airborne ash fall covered 500,000 square miles with a measurable about and the ash flows reach more than 30 miles The eruption of Mount Mazama caused the mountain to collapse, the event that formed Crater Lake. The collapse of Mount Mazama reduced the height of the mountain to about 7,100 feet at the site of present day Rim Village.
There was a very interesting graphic that that compared several volcanic eruptions into perspective. I remember the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens and Lynn and I visited that site back in 2004. The devastation of the area was immense. The historical record of the eruption is well documented. But on the grand scheme, that was a small eruption at least relatively speaking and according to the display in the museum. One of the placards in the museum was called “Impact Zone” and it compared the size of several historically well-known volcanic eruptions. The sign specifically looked at the amount of ash produced from the various eruptions and tried to scale then in relative volumetric comparisons. The conclusion was that Mount St. Helens was a drop in the bucket compared to Mount Mazama. The sign stated that the “eruption of Mount Mazama was over 100 times greater than the May 18, 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. Its ashfall scattered over what is now eight states and three Canadian provinces. Some 5,000 square miles north and eat were covered with at least six inches of ash. In the Pumice Desert, north of Crater Lake, ash and pumice lie fifty feet deep.”
Back at the lodge, we met Lynn in the lobby. I ran back up to the room to ditch my pack then we reconvened downstairs for breakfast. I had been eating light for breakfast throughout the trip but decided to splurge this morning since our hiking for the day was done. I went with the crème brule French toast since it looked so good the other day when Lynn had it and she had given the dish high marks. Well-deserved high marks as this was a great meal to start the day. Granted I was hungry following our morning jaunt up Garfield Peak but the French toast was outstanding. In fact the food in general here in the Crater Lake Lodge dining hall was excellent (review).
After breakfast, Lisa went upstairs to pack and get ready for the drive. Lynn and I took a short walk. First stop was the bookstore but we resisted the urge to make and purchases this morning since we had already purchased a Crater Lake pin. We then visited the Sinnott Memorial Overlook. We had climbed the steps down to the viewing area earlier in our stay but it was closed at that time, but today the gate was unlocked. This turned out to be both a great location for a pretty view as well as an educational stop as well as there is a small natural history museum build into the caldera rim behind the viewing platform. We decided to start with the inside exhibits as there was a group of twenty-somethings out of the viewing deck taking selfies. The one tall, lanky lad had the grand idea for the group to set up a panoramic shot and he would be in each frame. I’ll give him points for creativity.
The plaque next to the door of the museum provided the historical background of the building which was dedicated on July 16, 1931. The official name of the facility is the Nicholas J. Sinnott Memorial Observation Station and Museum, in honor of Nicholas J. Sinnott who represented eastern Oregon in the United States House of Representatives from 1913 to 1928. Sinnott was chairman of the House Public Lands Committee, and had actively supported Crater Lake National Park. He died in 1929 shortly after retiring from Congress. The observation deck and museum were funded by a $10,000 appropriation from Congress. $10K wouldn’t fund the study on the project today.
While small, the indoor museum area is packed with interesting information, some in more formal displays and some less so but more current. The exhibits that I found most interesting were about the geology and volcanic activity of the area. Of course there was a sign there with the basic stats on Crater Lake. I doctored the photo of the sign a bit to make it more readable. There were also a couple signs on Mount Mazama and volcanic activity in general which I found to be very interesting.
One sign gave the statistics on Mount Mazama. Mount Mazama was a stratovolcano estimated to be about 12,000 feet high. It erupted about 7,700 years ago producing the largest eruption in the Cascade Mountains. This was also the largest eruption in North America during the past 600,000 years since the last major volcanic event in Yellowstone. The eruption produced 12 cubic miles of magma, which is enough to cover the state of Oregon eight inches deep in ash. The actual airborne ash fall covered 500,000 square miles with a measurable about and the ash flows reach more than 30 miles The eruption of Mount Mazama caused the mountain to collapse, the event that formed Crater Lake. The collapse of Mount Mazama reduced the height of the mountain to about 7,100 feet at the site of present day Rim Village.
There was a very interesting graphic that that compared several volcanic eruptions into perspective. I remember the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens and Lynn and I visited that site back in 2004. The devastation of the area was immense. The historical record of the eruption is well documented. But on the grand scheme, that was a small eruption at least relatively speaking and according to the display in the museum. One of the placards in the museum was called “Impact Zone” and it compared the size of several historically well-known volcanic eruptions. The sign specifically looked at the amount of ash produced from the various eruptions and tried to scale then in relative volumetric comparisons. The conclusion was that Mount St. Helens was a drop in the bucket compared to Mount Mazama. The sign stated that the “eruption of Mount Mazama was over 100 times greater than the May 18, 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. Its ashfall scattered over what is now eight states and three Canadian provinces. Some 5,000 square miles north and eat were covered with at least six inches of ash. In the Pumice Desert, north of Crater Lake, ash and pumice lie fifty feet deep.”
One of the less formal displays, basically typed pages pinned to a bulletin board, provided additional details on one of the points that Ranger Stephanie discussed during the lake tour, how the introduced Signal Crayfish are impacting a native species of newt. The material was titled “Crayfish: Scourge of Crater Lake.” That definitely does not sound like a positive message. The short story is that the crayfish…OK, crawdads….were introduced into Crater Lake around 1915 to feed the non-native fish that had also been introduced into the lake. The problem is that the crawdads have flourished and their range has expanded to cover 75% of the rock shoreline habitat. The problem is that this success of the crawdad and their expansion in Crater Lake is coming at the expense of native species. The Mazama Newt is one native amphibian species that is being particularly impacted by the introduced crayfish. The Mazama Newt is a subspecies of the rough-skinned newt and is found only within the caldera of Crater Lake. The Mazama Newt is genetically, physically and chemically different from rough-skinned newts that live beyond the lake and these differences indicate that the newt s living in Crater Lake have been isolated for thousands of years. The crayfish are not threatening the existence of the Mazama Newt. A study conducted but the Park Service in 2012 investigated the interactions of crayfish and the newts by placing them together in tanks. The crayfish were observed out-competing the newt for food, chasing the newts from their hide-outs so that they were an easier target for fish and even eating the newts. These tests might explain why the Mazama Newts vanishing from sections of the shoreline colonized by crayfish. Where there are no crayfish, the newts are still abundant. The Park Service are trying to reduce crayfish populations but early results are not promising. The question still remains if the spread of the Signal Crayfish within Crater Lake can be stopped and stopped in time to save the indigenous Mazama Newt.
We exited the museum and took in the amazing view. The selfie kids had completed their photoshoot, so we had the vista point nearly to ourselves. The viewing area provides an unobstructed view of the entire lake and the signs lining the area define the major geological features. The sky was still on the cloudy side, so the lake was not the brilliant blue that we experience on the first day, but the view was still just amazing. Signage here at the observation point reminded us that we were inside a volcano and pointed out six volcanic cones that are visible from the rim of Crater Lake. From the observation deck, we could see some but not all of these features, but Hillman Peak, Wizard Island (of course), Mount Thielsen (just barely visible in the distance beyond the northern rim of the caldera) and Mount Scott where in view. From this vantage point below the rim of the caldera, we could not see Redcone or Timber Crater.
We exited the museum and took in the amazing view. The selfie kids had completed their photoshoot, so we had the vista point nearly to ourselves. The viewing area provides an unobstructed view of the entire lake and the signs lining the area define the major geological features. The sky was still on the cloudy side, so the lake was not the brilliant blue that we experience on the first day, but the view was still just amazing. Signage here at the observation point reminded us that we were inside a volcano and pointed out six volcanic cones that are visible from the rim of Crater Lake. From the observation deck, we could see some but not all of these features, but Hillman Peak, Wizard Island (of course), Mount Thielsen (just barely visible in the distance beyond the northern rim of the caldera) and Mount Scott where in view. From this vantage point below the rim of the caldera, we could not see Redcone or Timber Crater.
Crater Lake is quite the photogenic model. We got several nice images of the lake from around the Rim Village, particularly at sunrise and sunset, plus a few birds photos as well. I’ve collected those shots in this gallery.
After our short walk, we met Lisa back at the lodge about 10:00. The girls went to the gift shop while I finished packing and got a shower. We checked out at 10:50 and on were quickly on the road. We had a great stay at Crater Lake Lodge (review) and a wonderful time in the park in general. This is a beautiful setting and overall very relaxing. We saw a lot, learned a lot and had a lot of chill time as well. While the entire trip was outstanding, I think we saved the best for our final stop along the Circle of Discovery
After our short walk, we met Lisa back at the lodge about 10:00. The girls went to the gift shop while I finished packing and got a shower. We checked out at 10:50 and on were quickly on the road. We had a great stay at Crater Lake Lodge (review) and a wonderful time in the park in general. This is a beautiful setting and overall very relaxing. We saw a lot, learned a lot and had a lot of chill time as well. While the entire trip was outstanding, I think we saved the best for our final stop along the Circle of Discovery
I was thinking that we would just look around Crater Lake for most of the day, but the girls felt that we had covered the park in sufficient detail and wanted to head toward Medford. So we took our last look at this sapphire blue jewel, loaded our gear in our blue Patriot and started the last leg of our drive to complete the big loop through northern California and southern Oregon. We left the park via route 62 through north entrance. Our last stop in the park was to get the passport photo of the park sign. The signpost was a bigger version of the one we saw at the park boundary at the end of the Pinnacles trail, but this one had the “Crater Lake National Park” sign in place. Granted the sign was hanging a bit crooked but that matters not. The final photo in the park marks this as a successful trip in the odd wiring of my little brain.
The drive to Medford was easy, pleasant and scenic. Once out of the park, we were cruising through the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. Plenty of shade along much of this route, which really made it easy on the eyes. Our only stop before reaching Medford was at Beckie’s Café to try the pie. This was a stop that was highly recommended on TripAdvisor, so we went in with high expectations. To be fair, we also went in with a very high bar for any place featuring pies to clear. Lynn, Lisa and I all grew up with great cooks and even better bakers so we have very high standards. And when it comes to apple pie, Lynn’s mom made the best…period.
We arrived right at noon and the little café was mobbed. We were lucky to find a parking spot around to the side of the building. There was a lady standing outside the entrance taking names for lunch. Since we just wanted pie she told us to go on in and walk up to the counter to place our order. There was quite the variety of pies available, but we quickly came to our decision: Lynn had apple, Lisa picked peanut butter and I tried pecan). Once we placed the order, the girls went outside to scout out a picnic table while I paid the tab and collected our goodies. I found Lynn and Lisa around the side of the building sitting at one of the tables under the shade of a big tree. Nice setting. Now for the pie. OK, it was good pie, but not great. Certainly not up to our expectations based on the hype from TA. Plus the serving size was on the small side. The peanut butter was probably the best of the three that we tried. The pecan was just OK. The apple was completely lackluster. But it was a nice setting and gave us a short break from driving. Here’s my review.
We made no other stops until we reached Medford. I was not planning on doing anything in Medford other than perhaps dinner, so I had done very minimal research on things to see and do here. Once in town I did a little searching on the phone. Most things were closed. There were no museums of interest. It was too hot to hike with temperatures well over 90 under sunny, clear skies. We did drive out to Table Rock for the view, but there was not much to see from the trailhead parking lot. I finally convinced the girls to go to a movie. Another quick search on the phone showed that our best bet was the 4:00 showing of Secret Life of Pets. We cruised back into town, past the airport then the hotel we stayed at on the first night of the trip, so I guess we really did come full circle. We were early for the show, but the air conditioned theater was a pleasant place to kill time. This isn’t the first time that Lynn and I have gone to the movies while on a trip. During our first trip to the Smokys back in 1993 we saw "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade." We saw "The Scorpion King" while in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2002. So killing a little time in the theater was not a big deal. This was a cute little animated flick. I figured it might appeal to the three of us since we all have several pets. Lynn and I thought it was hilarious. Lisa didn’t seem to enjoy it as much as we did (hey, it was laugh-out-loud funny at times).
The drive to Medford was easy, pleasant and scenic. Once out of the park, we were cruising through the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. Plenty of shade along much of this route, which really made it easy on the eyes. Our only stop before reaching Medford was at Beckie’s Café to try the pie. This was a stop that was highly recommended on TripAdvisor, so we went in with high expectations. To be fair, we also went in with a very high bar for any place featuring pies to clear. Lynn, Lisa and I all grew up with great cooks and even better bakers so we have very high standards. And when it comes to apple pie, Lynn’s mom made the best…period.
We arrived right at noon and the little café was mobbed. We were lucky to find a parking spot around to the side of the building. There was a lady standing outside the entrance taking names for lunch. Since we just wanted pie she told us to go on in and walk up to the counter to place our order. There was quite the variety of pies available, but we quickly came to our decision: Lynn had apple, Lisa picked peanut butter and I tried pecan). Once we placed the order, the girls went outside to scout out a picnic table while I paid the tab and collected our goodies. I found Lynn and Lisa around the side of the building sitting at one of the tables under the shade of a big tree. Nice setting. Now for the pie. OK, it was good pie, but not great. Certainly not up to our expectations based on the hype from TA. Plus the serving size was on the small side. The peanut butter was probably the best of the three that we tried. The pecan was just OK. The apple was completely lackluster. But it was a nice setting and gave us a short break from driving. Here’s my review.
We made no other stops until we reached Medford. I was not planning on doing anything in Medford other than perhaps dinner, so I had done very minimal research on things to see and do here. Once in town I did a little searching on the phone. Most things were closed. There were no museums of interest. It was too hot to hike with temperatures well over 90 under sunny, clear skies. We did drive out to Table Rock for the view, but there was not much to see from the trailhead parking lot. I finally convinced the girls to go to a movie. Another quick search on the phone showed that our best bet was the 4:00 showing of Secret Life of Pets. We cruised back into town, past the airport then the hotel we stayed at on the first night of the trip, so I guess we really did come full circle. We were early for the show, but the air conditioned theater was a pleasant place to kill time. This isn’t the first time that Lynn and I have gone to the movies while on a trip. During our first trip to the Smokys back in 1993 we saw "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade." We saw "The Scorpion King" while in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2002. So killing a little time in the theater was not a big deal. This was a cute little animated flick. I figured it might appeal to the three of us since we all have several pets. Lynn and I thought it was hilarious. Lisa didn’t seem to enjoy it as much as we did (hey, it was laugh-out-loud funny at times).
The show was over just past 5:30 which put is on a good schedule for dinner then the airport. I was checking nearby dining options while waiting for the movie to start. Unfortunately all the interesting places that I found were closed. On Sunday. What’s up with that? We settled for Olive Garden. This ended up being a good pick. We med it in just before the dinner crowd arrived, the service was outstanding and the food was very good (hey, it’s hard to screw up standard Italian fare). Plus it is hard to beat the salad and breadsticks! And they had some interesting beers on tap so I got to sample one last Oregon beer for the trip. The RPM IPA from Boneyard Beer Company out of Bend, Oregon, was pretty darn, with a nice aroma and lots of citrus and overall a great flavor. I gave it a 4 out of 5 on untappd.com.
We finished dinner at 7:00 so it was time to scoot to the airport. Pit stop to get the fuel gage to read about half full to match what I had at the start of the trip. I guessed three gallons would cover it. The attendant pumped the gas (I’m not going to miss the no self-service gas stations). OK, maybe a skosh under half a tank, but close enough for government work. We pulled into the rental car return at the airport and dropped our little blue Patriot. Best $35 I spent on this trip dropping the car at the airport really made the logistics a lot easier this evening. Shoot, I’m not sure that I got charged for the drop-off fee after reviewing the receipt after we got home.
We were checked in with United, through security and at the gate by 7:45. Pretty darn quick. I guess that’s an advantage of a small airport. No issues with our flight to SFO, so the first step to getting home is done. This is where we said goodbye to Lisa as she was on a different flight to get back to Pittsburgh. Once Lynn and I were heading to our gate, I got a text notification from United that the San Francisco to Chicago leg of the trip was delayed by 30 minutes and the seats had been shuffled due to a plane change. Great. When I bought the tickets we only had one stop, Medford-SFO-CLE, but United in its infinite wisdom had changed our route to include a stop at O’Hare, I guess just for fun. I also upgraded out seats on the original SFO-CLE leg so that we might be a little more comfortable and have a better chance of getting some sleep during the redeye flight. So we walked back to the United customer service desk to make sure we were all on the same page. While United as a company has lost the concept of customer service, the individual agents are still looking out for Joe Traveler. The lady we spoke with was very helpful and friendly. She looked at the options. Turns out that the flights we originally booked, the direct SFO to CLE, was still on the docket for tonight. I figured that it had been canceled weeks ago and that was why we were no flying through Chicago. Seems that there was a computer glitch that switched the flights. But all’s well that ends well as we ended up back on the direct SFO-CLE flight with our additional legroom. Our bags had to take the scenic tour via Chicago, but United would see that they were delivered to us, so not a problem. We would just have to check in with the baggage folks at CLE. Once we had out flights in order we spotted Lisa walking up to the counter. Seems that her flights were also SNAFU’d but like us she was able to get back on the more direct route to PIT. Go figure. But it all worked out.
Back at the gate we had some time to kill. I texted Ed and Vic that we were on an earlier flight so we’ll have to adjust the airport pick-up time accordingly. The earlier time probably put Ed in play as taxi driver as he is the early-bird of the group. Lynn and I also reviewed the critter list for today, which was short but included a new bird for our overall list.
We finished dinner at 7:00 so it was time to scoot to the airport. Pit stop to get the fuel gage to read about half full to match what I had at the start of the trip. I guessed three gallons would cover it. The attendant pumped the gas (I’m not going to miss the no self-service gas stations). OK, maybe a skosh under half a tank, but close enough for government work. We pulled into the rental car return at the airport and dropped our little blue Patriot. Best $35 I spent on this trip dropping the car at the airport really made the logistics a lot easier this evening. Shoot, I’m not sure that I got charged for the drop-off fee after reviewing the receipt after we got home.
We were checked in with United, through security and at the gate by 7:45. Pretty darn quick. I guess that’s an advantage of a small airport. No issues with our flight to SFO, so the first step to getting home is done. This is where we said goodbye to Lisa as she was on a different flight to get back to Pittsburgh. Once Lynn and I were heading to our gate, I got a text notification from United that the San Francisco to Chicago leg of the trip was delayed by 30 minutes and the seats had been shuffled due to a plane change. Great. When I bought the tickets we only had one stop, Medford-SFO-CLE, but United in its infinite wisdom had changed our route to include a stop at O’Hare, I guess just for fun. I also upgraded out seats on the original SFO-CLE leg so that we might be a little more comfortable and have a better chance of getting some sleep during the redeye flight. So we walked back to the United customer service desk to make sure we were all on the same page. While United as a company has lost the concept of customer service, the individual agents are still looking out for Joe Traveler. The lady we spoke with was very helpful and friendly. She looked at the options. Turns out that the flights we originally booked, the direct SFO to CLE, was still on the docket for tonight. I figured that it had been canceled weeks ago and that was why we were no flying through Chicago. Seems that there was a computer glitch that switched the flights. But all’s well that ends well as we ended up back on the direct SFO-CLE flight with our additional legroom. Our bags had to take the scenic tour via Chicago, but United would see that they were delivered to us, so not a problem. We would just have to check in with the baggage folks at CLE. Once we had out flights in order we spotted Lisa walking up to the counter. Seems that her flights were also SNAFU’d but like us she was able to get back on the more direct route to PIT. Go figure. But it all worked out.
Back at the gate we had some time to kill. I texted Ed and Vic that we were on an earlier flight so we’ll have to adjust the airport pick-up time accordingly. The earlier time probably put Ed in play as taxi driver as he is the early-bird of the group. Lynn and I also reviewed the critter list for today, which was short but included a new bird for our overall list.
We left SFO on time, heading east. The extra legroom was worth the cost.
Day 11 – Monday, August 15 – Home. On time arrival at Cleveland Hopkins. I got a little sleep on the plane so I’m not too punchy. I think Lynn was out before we started to taxi away from the gate at SFO, so good for her. |
Once on the ground in Cleveland I texted Ed and Vic for an earlier airport shuttle pick-up. No issues. Ed was indeed the driver this morning. The Amigos Airport Shuttle worked like a charm; a nice little quid pro quo that we have worked out over the years and ends up saving us all some bucks in airport parking. We stopped by the United baggage claim office and got the luggage delivery sorted out. They are very thorough in terms of the description of the bags and the contents. I reckon they just want to make sure that the correct bags are delivered to the right folks. After that short detour I let Ed know that we were ready and he was shortly over in our Edge to collect us. We cruised away from the airport, dropped Ed back at the lab and were home before 0900. Our bags arrived at noon. We were unpacked at 1:15. OK, that means the trip is officially over. Now for the photos, reviews, journal, photobook….we’ve made a LOT of memories, now it is time to record them…
By the numbers. While we go on these trips to see and do new things, to learn and explore, as a numbers guy I like to rack and stack the trip. Enjoying the sunrise over Crater Lake, or a beer at sunset, is really what these trips are all about, I still have to add up the mileage and the bird count at the end, just to see how we did. There are no goals set for how many miles we’ll hike, this is just the answer to a curiosity question. So here are some of the numbers:
By the numbers. While we go on these trips to see and do new things, to learn and explore, as a numbers guy I like to rack and stack the trip. Enjoying the sunrise over Crater Lake, or a beer at sunset, is really what these trips are all about, I still have to add up the mileage and the bird count at the end, just to see how we did. There are no goals set for how many miles we’ll hike, this is just the answer to a curiosity question. So here are some of the numbers:
- We drove 1,207 miles through southern Oregon and northern California. I think the little blue Jeep is well broken in by now.
- We at least touched on six of the seven National Park units that makes up the Circle of Discovery. The only one that we did not at least drive by was Oregon Cave. If I had been aware of the Circle of Discovery prior to the trip I probably would have made plans to visit all seven units.
- We drove through at least six National Forests (listed below in the order in which we visited, I think):
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- We saw a lot of wildlife on this trip, including several animals that we had not seen in the wild before. Quite the variety particularly considering the sea life from the tidal pools at Enderts Beach. Here’s the link to the complete list of critters that we were able to identify. There were a few butterflies and several gone birds that we never did figure out what they were. Maybe the number of note for this is that we added nine birds to our all-time list, bringing our life-list total to 298 immediately following the trip (we added a few more during the course of 2016 to edge over the 300 mark).
- One number I never look at is the total cost. I just don’t care to know. We’re not extravagant in our travels, but the airfare was on the high side and lodging in and around the National Parks is sometimes expensive (but VRBO cabins are a great deal!).
- This was a great trip for beer sampling. Since we had never explored this region before, there were a lot of new options for us to try. In fact, most of the beers that I had during the trip were ones that I had not tried before (there were a couple of old favorites like the Grapefruit Sculpin and Pinedrops, but for the most part there were first timers on the list). By my count we tried eleven new brews, including the two lackluster English beers we had at The Pub back at the Cleveland airport to start the journey. Of course most of the beers were IPAs or pale ales as Lynn and I are hop heads. Most of these were pretty good (I think most of the new beers we tried we scored in the 3.5 range on untappd). The highest score we gave one of our first time beers was the RPM IPA from Boneyard which got a 4.0.
- As usual, we did a lot of hiking. We were on the trail every day of the trip. Lots of shorter hikes, but very interesting trails with great views and fascinating destinations. I counted 14 hikes (combining the to and from Cleetwood Cove) totaling 38 miles. Here’s the list. Certainly not our highest mileage tally during a vacation but several high quality trails.
- Number of typed pages of this journal: 82.
Final thoughts…. What a great trip. I seem to say that about most of our excursions, but it is true. Anytime we go to the National Parks, we have a great time. So much to see and do. Wonderful hikes, amazing vistas, lots of critters and we just seem to learn so much new stuff. Granted it takes some planning, like over a year in advance planning, to make these trips really work, but it is well worth the time and effort.
This trip went off without a hitch. Not even minor annoyances, well, other than full service gas pumps and a few stupid people tricks. We had great places to stay, found excellent places to eat, the forest fire at Crater Lake ended up being a nonissue and the weather (the one thing that no amount of planning can account for) was ideal the entire trip. While “variety” was a definite theme for the trip that term did not apply to the weather it was nearly ideal every day. Sure there were some hot spots (90 degrees F or more) at Whiskytown, Redding and Medford, but these were just places we passed through. Even though the temperatures were scorching the sky was bright blue with a few clouds so still very nice days. Where we were really spending our time the weather was truly lovey. Along the coast the highs were in the mid to upper 60 with overnight lows about 50 so very comfortable overall. There was some fog in the morning but the skies would clear at some point during the day. I was comfortable in long pants and a jacket. We had beautiful weather the entire time we were in Lassen. Mostly blue skies, generally clear except for the day we hiked up Mount Lassen. The cloud cover did roll in toward evening which nixed the night sky viewing. Day time highs were in the mid-70s while the overnight lows were in the mid to low 40s. Again very comfortable. A bit cooler in the higher elevation areas of the park but that just made for better hiking conditions. The sun was out most of the time but there was usually a little breeze so all together the conditions were ideal. We were given a beautiful blue sky day when we visited Lava Beds, although it was a bit on the warm side with temps probably in the mid-80s, maybe close to 90, but not a cloud in the sky. And finally at Crater Lake we again had ideal weather. High temperature in the 75-80 F during the day. Blue skies with a few clouds which provided the nice sunset and sunrise vistas. Overnight lows were in the upper 40s. Evening time was very comfortable on the back porch, but sometimes a jacket was needed. This was the only place that I wore shorts the entire trip. The moon was more the issue for night sky viewing, but the clouds did have an impact as well. Usually a nice breeze which made hiking even more comfortable.
We traveled our circular route counterclockwise so that we would start along the coast. I set this up on purpose as I felt like Crater Lake would be the highlight of the trip and wanted to save it for last. That worked out well as for me the time at Crater Lake was the highlight of the trip but all the places we visited were outstanding. Actually, there were highlights all along our route:
I think the biggest surprise of the trip was Lassen Volcanic National Park. While I had read up on the park prior to the trip and knew about the history and the primary things to see and do, I was taken aback by the rugged beauty of the landscape and (here’s the word again) the variety of features in the park. Sure, everything tied back to the volcanic nature of the region but these explosive forces of nature carved a wide assortment of natural wonders into a relatively small area. Plus there was plenty of wildlife all along the trails and the wild flowers were just gorgeous particularly along the Bumpass Hell and Mount Lassen trails.
So what did we miss that I would have like to have done? Of course there are always other hikes to do. Fern Canyon in Redwood sounded interesting. And I was hoping to get up to the top of the Watchman while at Crater Lake. There is just not enough time to do “it all” and I think that we sampled each park well enough that we got a great cross section at each. Also since we opted for the right turn and Lava Beds, we missed Heart Lake. Again, can’t see and do everything. Lava Beds was the great addition and I think the girls enjoyed it more than they would have hiking to Heart Lake at midday. My one “if I had known then what I know now” thought is that if I had found out about the Circle of Discovery prior to the trip, I probably would have made a stronger case for a stop at Oregon Cave so that we could have checked all the boxes for the National Parks units along the route. However, I have no regrets about any of the places that we could have gone as we visited many wonderful places, saw loads of fascinating stuff and still worked in our chill time each day. That’s the vacation formula that Lynn and I prefer.
Our tour around the Circle of Discovery was a smashing success. We covered a lot of ground and saw a lot of amazing natural wonders. I’m not sure that we’ll get back this way again anytime soon as we have so many other places to explore and I feel like we covered the region in pretty good detail. We had plenty of time to sample what the region has to offer. And I’m glad that every day we got the same thing…VARIETY!
What’s next? For me a business trip to Long Beach, CA, that included a day trip to the Channel Islands. Lynn and I next traveled to Bluff, UT, for the 2016 UTAH Meet-up then spent time in Mesa Verde and Moab.
This trip went off without a hitch. Not even minor annoyances, well, other than full service gas pumps and a few stupid people tricks. We had great places to stay, found excellent places to eat, the forest fire at Crater Lake ended up being a nonissue and the weather (the one thing that no amount of planning can account for) was ideal the entire trip. While “variety” was a definite theme for the trip that term did not apply to the weather it was nearly ideal every day. Sure there were some hot spots (90 degrees F or more) at Whiskytown, Redding and Medford, but these were just places we passed through. Even though the temperatures were scorching the sky was bright blue with a few clouds so still very nice days. Where we were really spending our time the weather was truly lovey. Along the coast the highs were in the mid to upper 60 with overnight lows about 50 so very comfortable overall. There was some fog in the morning but the skies would clear at some point during the day. I was comfortable in long pants and a jacket. We had beautiful weather the entire time we were in Lassen. Mostly blue skies, generally clear except for the day we hiked up Mount Lassen. The cloud cover did roll in toward evening which nixed the night sky viewing. Day time highs were in the mid-70s while the overnight lows were in the mid to low 40s. Again very comfortable. A bit cooler in the higher elevation areas of the park but that just made for better hiking conditions. The sun was out most of the time but there was usually a little breeze so all together the conditions were ideal. We were given a beautiful blue sky day when we visited Lava Beds, although it was a bit on the warm side with temps probably in the mid-80s, maybe close to 90, but not a cloud in the sky. And finally at Crater Lake we again had ideal weather. High temperature in the 75-80 F during the day. Blue skies with a few clouds which provided the nice sunset and sunrise vistas. Overnight lows were in the upper 40s. Evening time was very comfortable on the back porch, but sometimes a jacket was needed. This was the only place that I wore shorts the entire trip. The moon was more the issue for night sky viewing, but the clouds did have an impact as well. Usually a nice breeze which made hiking even more comfortable.
We traveled our circular route counterclockwise so that we would start along the coast. I set this up on purpose as I felt like Crater Lake would be the highlight of the trip and wanted to save it for last. That worked out well as for me the time at Crater Lake was the highlight of the trip but all the places we visited were outstanding. Actually, there were highlights all along our route:
- Enderts Beach. This was one of Lynn’s favorites and for good reason. Who doesn’t like a walk on the beach? And this was a great walk on the beach, along the tidal pools with all the colorful sea life. This was a very cool excursion.
- Larrupin Café. I was not expecting this to be a particularly memorable trip in terms of the culinary arts, but we actually had several very good dinners along the route. I think every meal we had at Crater Lake Lodge was outstanding. The best dining find was definitely Larrupin Café in Trinidad. That was just an excellent overall dining experience. Truly a hidden gem.
- Tall Trees. The reason to go to Redwood National Park, as the name implies, is to see the big trees. The Tall Trees Trail provides a great opportunity for seeing these behemoths. I will say that I prefer the hikes through the huge tress in Sequoia National Park.
- Bumpass Hell. This was a great hike from the moment we left the parking area. Wonderful views everyone step of the way, great flora and fauna along the trail and of course the payoff at the end with the thermal area. The few hours we spent on this trail again proved that the main theme of the trip was indeed variety.
- Mount Lassen. This ended up being the “big hike” for the trip. While not that long, it was an uphill haul. Great views from all along the trail, both the big vistas and the up-close views of the rocks, wildflowers and critters. I think this is considered one of the iconic hikes in Lassen, so I’m glad that we were able to include in…and complete it!
- Lava Beds National Monument. I think we made the correct choice by turning right and including Lava Beds National Monument as part of our itinerary. In the few hours that we spent exploring the park we saw lava tubes, lava fields, petroglyphs, learned about bit about the Indian Wars and added a new bird to our overall list.
- Garfield Peak. This was such a nice hike that Lisa and I did it twice. Like Bumpass Hell and Mount Lassen, there were outstanding views every step of the way, plus a few interesting wildlife sightings and plenty of flowers along the trail. Of course the awesome vista over Crater Lake from the top of the trail was the ultimate pay out for completing the hike. It was worth doing twice and if we ever visit Crater Lake in the future, I would make this hike again.
- Day on the Lake. This was just fun. From the hike down to Cleetwood Cove, the shuttle to Wizard Island, the hike to the top of the cone and the guided bout tour around the lake, this was a nice way to spend the day.
- Chill time along the rim of Crater Lake. Ever since our first trip “out west” to the Bay Area in 1998 when we went nonstop from morning to night, we have tried to slow our pace a bit and enjoy our surroundings a bit. Stop and smell the roses as it were. While we were successful with this every day of the trip, the afternoons and evenings at Crater Lake were particularly nice. Whether spending time at our happy hour spot right on the rim trial or on the back porch of the lodge, we really enjoyed having the time to sit and stare at the beautiful blue lake while sipping on an adult beverage or two…or three.
I think the biggest surprise of the trip was Lassen Volcanic National Park. While I had read up on the park prior to the trip and knew about the history and the primary things to see and do, I was taken aback by the rugged beauty of the landscape and (here’s the word again) the variety of features in the park. Sure, everything tied back to the volcanic nature of the region but these explosive forces of nature carved a wide assortment of natural wonders into a relatively small area. Plus there was plenty of wildlife all along the trails and the wild flowers were just gorgeous particularly along the Bumpass Hell and Mount Lassen trails.
So what did we miss that I would have like to have done? Of course there are always other hikes to do. Fern Canyon in Redwood sounded interesting. And I was hoping to get up to the top of the Watchman while at Crater Lake. There is just not enough time to do “it all” and I think that we sampled each park well enough that we got a great cross section at each. Also since we opted for the right turn and Lava Beds, we missed Heart Lake. Again, can’t see and do everything. Lava Beds was the great addition and I think the girls enjoyed it more than they would have hiking to Heart Lake at midday. My one “if I had known then what I know now” thought is that if I had found out about the Circle of Discovery prior to the trip, I probably would have made a stronger case for a stop at Oregon Cave so that we could have checked all the boxes for the National Parks units along the route. However, I have no regrets about any of the places that we could have gone as we visited many wonderful places, saw loads of fascinating stuff and still worked in our chill time each day. That’s the vacation formula that Lynn and I prefer.
Our tour around the Circle of Discovery was a smashing success. We covered a lot of ground and saw a lot of amazing natural wonders. I’m not sure that we’ll get back this way again anytime soon as we have so many other places to explore and I feel like we covered the region in pretty good detail. We had plenty of time to sample what the region has to offer. And I’m glad that every day we got the same thing…VARIETY!
What’s next? For me a business trip to Long Beach, CA, that included a day trip to the Channel Islands. Lynn and I next traveled to Bluff, UT, for the 2016 UTAH Meet-up then spent time in Mesa Verde and Moab.