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Published: August 14th 2010
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Pattie And Ron's Vacation 2010 Day 2 Crater Lake/Redwood National Forrest.
Day two dawned clear, a mild 53 degrees. Wispy white clouds floating by. We got up early and made ready for our Crater Lake Adventure. The hotel offers an expanded continental breakfast and we ate our fill, grabbed two coffees to go and headed to the car. We headed west on Route 97 for about 26 miles before turning towards the park entrance. We took a brief side tour of a small town just before the turn off. Nice bungalow type houses, neat and tidy. One can only wonder what they do to support themselves way out here. Route 97 is lined with large pine trees and from what we could see they went back a good way. There was no evidence of clear cutting, at least not there. The turn off is a two lane road about as straight as one can get but you can see that it does climb. And climb it did. Soon we reached a fork in te road, left to north park entrance and right to another lake. of course Lola, our GPS, said turn right and we did. After about 5 miles
and a sign that said next stop 81 miles, we figured she had goofed again, a quick U-turn and we passed the Y and quickly found the park entrance. With my senior national parks pass we got in for free otherwise it costs $10.00 per car. For those travelers who have been on the road for a bit there are restrooms just inside the north entrance, they were clean to boot.
You start your climb to the lake’s rim by passing large meadows flanked by majestic pine trees and granite out-croppings. There was still snow on the north side and in some places over 10 feet high. This gave credence to the heavy snow fall tales of 44 feet or more per year. Slowly you wind upwards The road narrows to a skimpy two lane road that offers no guardrails for the exposed lane. Impressive views and steep drops remind you to drive carefully. You wind and turn for several miles before coming around a counterclockwise turn to expose the north rim overlook. There was an area to park and then a short walk to the rim. We had to climb up some loose dirt for about 20 feet
before coming to the top and there was the lake. It was about 9AM when we reached the top. In that morning light our first view of Crater Lake was majestic, magical with an almost staged effect. A mist was rising from the water, still shrouded in the morning shade. The water was still, not even a ripple, and the water mirrored the caldera walls to perfection. The colors of dark purple, browns, brilliant greens and the slight hint of a deep water blue greeted. A gentile wind cooled our face, a perfect first view of a breathtaking lake. We soon realized that our car was down to two gas bars. The rim drive is 33 miles and we wisely decided to drive down to the Mazama Campgrounds, some 16 miles to the north east, and get some gas. Since we were still in Oregon we were surprised that it was a self-serve, two pump station. Some nice campgrounds with a grocery store offer the casual camper amenities and civilization if needed. After we filled up, we headed back up the road to the rim and turn right to start our rim journey. The first 5 or so miles do
not offer a view of the lake, but you are offered canyon views with waterfalls and breathtaking scenery. There are many overlooks to stop and view the lake from different angles. The rim drive takes about one hour to drive but with stops, another two to three hours should be allotted. As the morning progressed, the sun rising in the sky, the mysterious misty shroud lifted from the lake and exposed a picture perfect lake nestled 800 feet below.
Concessionaires offer boat trips on the lake. We didn't have the time to take one. Perhaps, on our next trip, We reached our original starting point and then to drive to the village, At this later hour it now resembled an active ant hill.. We drove through the entire parking lot without finding a vacant spot to park. We decided to head back out to Oregon Highway 62, head southwest towards Crescent City. Once out of the park boundaries, we were treated to a casual drive through shrouded forest, crisp air and wildlife.. Ours first was a fawn in the road which quickly ran off when we approached. Eagles and hawks soared high above, hunting for their next meal. My
son drove for about 20 miles more and then it was my turn again. Driving down the two lane road, with pines filtering the sun light from above, it gives a flickering affect to the road. In some places it made it hard to drive. Crescent City was some 126 miles ahead of us. The drive afforded us some picturesque views, canyon roads that turned 180’s, and wandered back and forth. Eventually the road turned into rolling hills reminding you of quaint western towns.
Soon we reached the Redwood National Forrest. We pulled into the information center. After a quick rest stop my son retook the wheel and we drove into the park. We were immediately greeting by massive redwoods. We noted the campgrounds that abound for future trips. It was a casual drive through that part of the redwoods, for about 10 miles. Then we came to the junction for US Highway 1. It was here that Lola got into the act again. We surmised she is programmed to take you the shortest way most of the time. This time she had her mind set to take us on the narrow partially dirt road through the heart of the forest for some forty miles. After some time we decided that perhaps this was not wise to follow Lola’s directions. The fog was rolling in, it was mid afternoon, and we did not think a drive into a dark forest was the wisest choice. We turned around, turned off Lola in the middle of her recalculating protest. We retraced our steps until we reached US Highway 1. A quick left turn and we were once again heading south to our next overnight stop, Eureka. This part of the trip was an eighty miles stint driving down the famous Coastal Highway. The dive was filled with views of the wave battered coast, inland forests and quaint fishing towns along the way. Soon we came to the Trees of Mystery, a stop that offered us a cafe, a gift shop, walking trails. We were greeted by two massive figures, Paul Bunyan and his blue ox, Babe. After a few photos we were off again heading towards the Humboldt Bay and Eureka, California
The remainder of the drive is along an almost straight two lane divided highway. Eureka is located on Humboldt Bay and looks, feels and, yes, even smells of a fishing town. It has that overcast, dim misty and foggy look most associated with sea side towns. Our hotel was on Main Street. It was a Super 8 and, although built sometime ago, it still was in an OK condition. A little musty smelling when you first open the door but once you opened a window it quickly disappeared. Of note, there are no air conditioners in this motel. The management stated that coastal hotels don't need them. Out of necessity, we had our window open most of the evening to allow for air circulation. After unpacking we drove around the town, up town and then down town, which has re-invented it's self into bistros, sea food shanties and yuppie bars. The town has Indian, Thai, Chinese, steak houses, mom and pop, Italian and Mexican eateries, we opted for Rita’s Mexican Cafe. I must say I was impressed. It had tile inlaid tables, nice decor with closed ceilings which dampened the noise level. They feature large Margarita's, the most marvelous I have ever tasted. They serve you salsa in little syrup bottles. You get to pour and mix, prepare a heat level to personal preference. The food was well prepared, served in an attractive manner and in generous portions. It was a great way to end our day.
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