Oregon

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We left Winnemucca at 6:30 am knowing we had a LONG drive. Once on the road we were very happy we took the advice of the woman at the Elko Visitor's center and found a room in Willamucca. When she said there was nothing after Winnemucca she meant there was NOTHING! We probably would have ended up sleeping in the car on the side of the road (not good for a relationship). 140 is a drive you want to do in daylight because parts of the road are very steep with switch backs plus I can't imagine how dark it must be out there. The road passes through the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge where we saw wild burros, mountain goats, prairie chickens, elk and a coyote. Other than that it was ranch after ranch and lots and lots of cattle. It sure gives you a different perspective than you have back East. Once we entered Oregon we were quickly in the Mountains. Trees again! A stop in Lakeview for breakfast and we were on our way. The best part of this drive was coming around a corner to find a real cattle drive in the middle of the road! We got lots of pictures and then the wrangler signaled us to drive through the herd. You won't find that in Massachusetts! Being so close we took a side trip to Crater Lake National Park. Crater Lake itself is known as the mountain that became a lake. The blue color you see in the pictures is the actual color of the water. It is the most incredible blue I've ever seen in nature. The lake is a "closed system" no stream runs into or out of the lake. The water comes only from rain, snow melt and springs. It is the deepest lake in the United States the second deepest in the Western Hemisphere and the seventh deepest in the world with a maximum depth of 1,943 ft and an average depth of 1,148 ft. The park is open all winter and averages 44 FEET of snow. If you visit between October and June you're advised to be prepared for snow. Once again you really need to spend more time here to take in all the park has to offer but we're glad we at least took the East Rim drive and were able to experience some of the beauty of the area. We picked up highway 5 in Roseburg next stop Corvallis.

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