Crater Lake to the Dunes

May 25^th to June 1^st 

   

Crater Lake and Klamath Falls

After Farewell Bend, we continued on our way to Collier State Park which is about 45 minutes from Crater Lake. We arrived early enough so that we could get settled and go up to the Lake that afternoon.  Wow was it ever cold and windy! There were snow banks at least 8 feet high at the top and along the road. The views were spectacular. The Lake itself at its maximum width is over 6 miles wide and at its deepest point is 1,978 feet deep which makes it the deepest lake in the United States. Deep blue and crystal clear! There are no springs in the lake or rivers that lead into or out of it. Its water comes from the 44 feet of snowmelt every year and the rainfall. It was formed from a volcanic eruption of Mount Mazama and we were told that it was at least 100 times greater than the eruption of St. Helena. It is unique in that it cracked in a circle all the way around the top and thus is geologically described as a caldera (deep basin.)

We wanted to drive the perimeter of the lake, but the eastern rim, which is about 2/3^rd of the roadway, was closed due to snow. We were able to enter the south entrance and drive the western rim only.

The following day, Tim arose bright and early and walked to the Collier Memorial Logging Museum. This is an outdoor exhibit of logging equipment used in the early 1800s to present day. Tim was particularly impressed by the use of the different type of steam equipment, Mack trucks and Caterpillars. Oregon logging sure has come a long way and is still the principle industry here.

In the afternoon, we journeyed through Chiloquin and then on to Klamath Falls. We pretty much circled the Klamath Lake on our drive coming down the east side and back up the west side stopping at the Rocky Point Resort which is a very quaint old place with great marsh and lake views. The season hasn’t really started yet, so we were pretty much the only ones there other than the owners and workers.

We continued our trek the next day traveling southwest in Oregon on the old Oregon Trail into northern California Redwood Forest to get to Route 101 so we could head north up the Oregon Coast.

Harris Beach

Our first coastal stop was in Harris Beach where we were still bundled up against the wind and the cold. We did stick our feet in the Pacific Ocean, but not for long. The Ranger told us where to see the best sunset and which Viewpoints we should stop and see along the 17 mile section of the Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor. We caught the sunset that night and saved the viewpoints for the following day.

We left early the following morning to go to Gold Beach and hitch a ride on a jet boat up the Rogue River. The 1000 horsepower craft  carried about 25 shivering, bundled up folks doing about 35 miles per hour most of the way up the river. We stopped along the way to chat with the fishermen and see their catch.  Our River Pilot was the grandson of the original owner and loved to do high powered spins getting us all a little wet in the bargain. Since we were dressed appropriately, it was great fun.  The farthest we could go on the river was up to the Class V rapids.   Altogether, we traveled 104 miles round trip with a stop at a restaurant in Agnes on the way up for a restroom break and on the way down, for lunch. By then, we had stripped off the rain gear, the heavy polar fleeces, the gloves and crew caps and were in shirtsleeves and ball caps instead. That is until we were about 3 miles from the bay when we had to don the windbreakers again. Cold, cold, cold and windy! We would definitely recommend this trip to anyone. It sounds like a long trip and it was…9:00am to 3:30pm, but the boat seats were comfortable and there was lots to see along the way, deer with fawns, eagles and osprey.

On the way back to Harris Beach, we stopped at the recommended Viewpoints…Arch Rock, Natural Bridges, and House Rock. The Oregon Coast is spectacular!

Dunes

Our next stop was only about a 3 hour ride to Sunset Bay State Park. Our intent here was to be near the famous Dunes.

We first explored the area right near us..the Cape Arago Highway and the Shore Acres State Park which brought us to the Simpson Reef with bellowing Northern Elephant Seals and Harbor Seals all over the rocks; the  Botanical Gardens and views of the Cape Arago Lighthouse. We were so surprised to see the children at the beach and in the water! We had multiple layers on and they made it look like it was July in  Florida!

We traveled up the Cape Arago Highway through Coos Bay and up to Winchester Bay to view the so talked about Dunes. Once we figured out how to get down to the beach and dune access we were able to watch the ATVs zoom up, down and around. Truly, we have never seen dunes quite this large anywhere else!  We watched surfers and had lunch on the beach! Cool and crisp still..hoping to get a little warmer weather soon with a little less wind. Maybe tomorrow.