An Impressive Sight at Crater Lake

We woke to a cold, damp morning in the Redwoods, and the depressing weather made us eager to leave the area.  Each mile we traveled away from the coast, brought us closer to the giant trees and away from the fog and by the time we reached the main road, the car's heat had warmed us up.  We stopped once to hike among the old trees that resided near the Newton B. Drury Parkwary in Prairie Creek Redwood State Park, which got our blood flowing before we set out for Oregon.

The 4.5 trip from the Redwoods was rather uneventful and felt long after a not-so-restful night's sleep.  We did manage to find a beautiful spot to have lunch in Grants Pass, OR just over halfway to Crater Lake,  The Tap Rock Northwest Grill offered us good food and a wonderful outdoor balcony overlooking the Rogue River.

 The Tap Rock Northwest Grill in Grants Pass, OR

The Dungeness Crab BLT Chopped Salad

Colin's Dungeness Crab BLT Chopped Salad was delicious and my BLTA (bacon, lettuce, tomato and avocado) was also very good. I'm not sure why, but the picture of my meal somehow disappeared from our camera.

We finally arrived at the Mazama Campground near Crater Lake around mid-late afternoon and secured our campsite shortly thereafter. We quickly set up our tent, hoping the slightly warm air and sun would dry the dampness from the morning, and I managed to get a nice, long, warm shower in the "upscale" campground shower facilities.  It was refreshing to be clean and I was ready to check out the lake.

Our campsite at Mazama Campground near Crater Lake

Our first view of the lake was unbelievable. People had told us that seeing Crater Lake is similar to the Grand Canyon - the beautiful images you see in photographs do not compare to the beauty and experience of seeing it in person.  We definitely felt that experience.  Even as the sun began to set, the crater's enormity and vivid blue waters were breathtaking.

Our first view of Crater Lake 

 Circumnavigating the lake near sunset

The "ship" formation in the lake

In the hour it took us to circumnavigate (one of Colin's favorite words from the trip) the lake, it got chilly as the sun dipped into the horizon.  The forecast predicted overnight temperatures in the upper 30's, so we dressed in several layers and zipped our sleeping bags together when we went to bed in the tent.  I was very grateful for our warm sleeping bags and even more grateful that we have ones that can be zipped together.  The only thing I lacked was a hat!  The dry, cold air was actually a better experience than the damp warmer weather in the Redwoods.  For some reason, I usually feel colder when it's damp than when it's cold and dry.  It also helped that we were better prepared for it to be cold.

We woke to beautiful, clear blue skies on Wednesday morning, the 4th day of our trip. Our early morning rising in the campground allowed us to spend a long morning exploring the lake.  The first stop we made was to Crater Lake Lodge where we enjoyed some breakfast, coffee, and warming up basking in the sun on the rocking Adirondack chairs, taking in the beauty of the lake.  The lodge was beautiful and the view from the lobby could not be beat.  Unfortunately, rooms were booked when we tried to reserve them and they were a tad bit out of our price range. It was still nice to enjoy a morning acting like we belonged there!

The lodge's lobby

Beautiful reflections during the morning sun

The lodge has quite a view! Glad we got to enjoy it!

Once we were sufficiently warm and full, we made our way to the northeastern side of the lake to hike down the the boat launch and swimming area.  The 700 foot descent down the crater's edge was very steep and there were many warnings at the trail's start.  The switchbacks made it easier on the knees, and going down is always easier than going up.  Each time we looked down into the water, we were awarded with views into the clear blue-green water.  Sometimes I felt like I was back in New Zealand hiking in Abel Tasman National Park.

Once we arrived at the water's edge, we threw off our socks and sneakers and got our feet in the water.  Some people near us swam in the water, indicating is was very cool, but it felt really nice with our feet in the water.  The air temperature quickly reached the upper 70's/low 80's, providing us with the most dramatic temperature change of our trip.

 Cooling down

Enjoying the warm air and cool water

Not far from where we enjoyed the shallow water, we found a group of people cliff jumping into much deeper water.  It was fun to watch these people of all ages have the courage to participate in such an exhilarating activity.  We watched as a mother and her son counted to three before jumping in together.

The "cliff" from which people jumped into the refreshing water

By late morning, we were ready to start our journey to Portland.  Stay tuned for those details!!

What is the most impressive place you've been?  Were you able to take photos that did the view justice?

Where was the coldest place you've ever camped (and what was the temp)? How did you stay warm?

The Redwoods Really Are Impressive

From Napa Valley, we headed north on Highway 101 towards the coast, where our final destination was Redwood National Park.  We knew there would be multiple campgrounds in the area and hoped some would be open when we arrived.  For that reason, we left fairly early and made just a few stops along the way.

The first stop we made was a bathroom break/tourist stop at the Real Goods Solar Living Institute, a 12-acre demonstration site for permaculture.  One of my travel books suggested it was worth a visit, and we were not very impressed. One cool feature was a bicycle that converted human force into energy.  

A bicycle that converts human energy to usable energy

It reminded me of my science teacher friend who has talked about creating this in his classroom.  I think it’s a brilliant idea and it was cool to see it at work in this institute.  The work this Institute does and what they stand for is really awesome, but we found the grounds difficult to navigate. We arrived too early for their tours and the visitor information center was still closed, so maybe our experience would have been better had we arrived later.

Heading north, we continued on Highway 101 until reaching Humboldt Redwoods State Park and the Avenue of the Giants.  The name refers to the giant redwood trees that line the road as you drive.  We had planned to stop at the giant tree in this area that you can literally drive through, but we missed the turn and didn’t want to backtrack (we were still thinking about campsites that might be filling up).  Instead, we continued about 30 miles on this leisure road that runs parallel to Highway 101, stopping along the way to take pictures and stand among the awe-inspiring trees. 

Colin looks so small among these trees

Enjoying a picturesque drive along the Avenue of the Giants

From Avenue of the Giants, we kept heading north through the beautiful mountains that were enhanced by the sunny skies.  Once we reached the coast, the scene was dramatically different.  The cool air and fog made the coastal towns of Eureka and Arcata look depressing.  During our very brief stop at a dollar store in Eureka (to pick up some bottled water and a can opener), we saw signs of a depressing economy.  We didn’t make the time to visit areas of Eureka off Highway 101, so there may have been better areas to this town.

Checking to see just how cold the water is in northern California

The final leg of our journey to Redwood National Park from Eureka brought us more views of a foggy coast.  Our depressed attitude continued when rangers at the visitor center discouraged us from the campground I had been hoping for on the beach.  We decided to get a “backcountry” camping permit just in case we didn’t find an available site at the campgrounds.  Most national parks have “first come, first serve” campgrounds which can not be reserved in advance. Since it was still fairly early in the day and we didn’t have any grand plans of doing serious hiking in the foggy, cool weather, we decided to drive the 5 miles on the winding dirt road, in our Chevrolet Sonic rental, to the Gold Bluffs Beach Campground to see if any spots were available. 

The drive was worth the trip when we found multiple open sites.  I had read that this campground offered nice campsites on the beach, with showers and clean bathrooms, and this was all true.  Unfortunately, the skies remained overcast, but the afternoon was less foggy and not unbearably cool.

Out campsite with the beach in the background

Colin preparing dinner near the picnic table and metal food storage container

We decided to hike 3-4 miles of trails into the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park where we hoped to see elk (from a safe distance).  Though we did not see any elk, we continued to be impressed with the Redwood trees, and somehow stumbled upon a beautiful area of the park called Fern Canyon.  Walking on the wooden planks around the canyon’s river, and admiring the vibrant green ferns that surrounded us was magical. 

 Look closely - that's me at the bottom

Surprisingly, our necks were not sore from looking up all the time

Entering Fern Canyon

Getting over and around the water in Fern Canyon

From Fern Canyon, the end of our inland hiking expedition, we walked almost 1 mile back to the campground along the beach.  As I have overheard Colin describe the experience to others, the walk and the campground in general had a very “post-apocalyptic” feel because the sky broke neither blue nor sunlight and each campsite contained a solemn camper with obligatory fire.  The skies remained overcast (though we did catch a glimpse of a sliver of the sun as it dipped into the horizon), and the weather remained cool and damp during our entire 22 hour stay.  On the hike and in the canyon we did not experience the same dreariness as on the beach.

Colin's "post-apocalyptic" experience on the beach

The glimpse of sun as it dipped into the horizson

After indulging in lots of local delicacies in Napa Valley, our lunch, dinner, and breakfast in the Redwoods were comprised of food we brought with us.  I was very grateful for the metal food storage containers provided by the park service at the campsite after posted notices reminded me that bears inhabit the area.  One of our first stops in San Jose, after In-and-Out Burger, was at Costco to stock up on canned sardines, salty chips, mixed nuts and Clif Bars for our days in the parks.  We quickly learned how to make a satisfying meal by crushing the chips and adding them to the sardines in tomato sauce.  It was like having a fish stew.  Throughout the course of the 15 days, we went through about 20 small cans (6 oz each) of sardines, 2 large Costco size bags of chips, a large canister of mixed nuts and 20 Clif Bars. 

Stocking up on sardines, Clif Bars, nuts, and chips at Costco

What experiences have you had on the coast in Northern California? Did it resemble a post-apocalyptic scene?

What staple food items do you buy when you are traveling on the road and/or when camping?