MSHNVM

Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument - It took some persuading but I convinced John that we should see this national treasure and I'm glad we did!

On Monday we drove from the Washington coast back into Oregon. We stopped in Astoria to view the Columbia River Maritime Museum. We particularly liked the displays about the Coast Guard.   

We then crossed the Columbia River once more to drive to Mt. St. Helens . The weather is so much nicer here! It was in the mid-70's with the sun shining in the afternoon but cool enough in the evening to enjoy a roaring fire. We are staying in the Seaquest State Park which is 45 miles from the National Park.

Right across the street from the state park is the state run Mt. St. Helen's Visitor Center. They have a great museum with the story of the eruption of Mt. St. Helens beginning with the earthquakes that started in March 1980 up to the actual eruption on May 18. Then, today we drove the 45 miles up to the National Volcanic Monument where they continued the story of the eruption and the devastation it caused. They also had stories from survivors that told of the perils of camping and living near an active volcano.

We could see the former mountain and the gap and crater created by the explosion. Mt. St. Helen began showing signs of an impending eruption in March with nearly continuous earth quakes. Then a huge bulge began showing on her north side. It grew about 5 feet everyday until it was about a mile across. Of course the people in the area had been evacuated but the day before the eruption, the government let a caravan of people return to their homes to collect belongings. Early on the morning of May 18 the eruption started with a plume of smoke and ash coming off the top but then the bulge slid down the mountain and release the magma, gas, and ash that had been building under that bulge. The explosion shot out to the north parallel to the land, not straight up as one would imaging. The hot wind, gas and ash shot out over the land at about 300 mph blowing down all the trees and scrubbing the land clean. Then the hot magma melted all the snow and hot water and mud crashed down the mountain side and into the river sweeping up the fallen trees and everything else in its path including bridges, cars, lumber trucks and people and moving it down stream at about 100 mph. The billowing ash column followed, rising over 12 miles into the air, and causing thunder and lightning. That ash eventually circled the globe. The devastation reached over 13 miles north from the volcano. Lava domes have formed inside the crater and snow is trapped there creating a glacier. A nearby lake, Spirit Lake, was pushed up the sides of the surrounding mountains over 200 feet and when the water fell back down, the mud and ash had raised the floor of the lake by 300 meters. 33 years later the lake is still clogged with fallen trees floating in the water.

We hiked the boundary trail and then went out on Harry's Ridge to get a better view of the volcano and Spirit Lake. It was a long 7 mile round trip hike over ash, basalt rocks and up, down, and along a ridge. But the flowers were beautiful and nature is trying to make a comeback.

Long Beach Peninsula

A friend and business acquaintance of John's has a beach house in Long Beach, WA and has invited us to join him and a couple other of our mutual friends for the weekend. We are staying at an RV park that is close to the beach and less than one mile from Mike's house. We arrived on Friday just in time to have a late lunch with Mike, Ray, Bart and 8 other men who were at Mike's for a business meeting. We then decided it would be fun to play 9-holes of golf at the local course. There were four guys and me but it was fun even though the weather was very cool and windy. Since we didn't start the game until after 4 PM it was after 6 when we finished. We went back to Mike's where the rest of the group joined us for drinks and then a very late dinner.

Saturday morning dawned foggy and cloudy. Despite that, John and I took off for a 3.5 mile walk along the beach. This beach is considered the "longest beach in the world" and is very broad, flat and hard. We spotted cars driving on the beach so checked it out. The beach is considered a Washington state highway with a speed limit of 25 mph. The only place we cannot drive is in front of the boardwalk in Long Beach. So we got the Jeep and took advantage of this highway and drove into town on the sand. Long Beach is your typical tourist town with lots of junk shops, restaurants, and t-shirt boutiques. Mike called about 2 pm and said their business meeting was over and that we were going to drive over to Astoria, OR for lunch at the Wet Dog Bar and Grill.

  

Astoria is only about 25 miles away and across the Columbia River on the four mile Astoria Bridge. We had a boisterous lunch. They all had to finish their meeting so John and I stayed in Astoria to explore this quaint town that is built on the hill side overlooking the river and Pacific Ocean. At times it felt like we were driving in San Francisco with lots of long, steep streets, some of which wound around the hill top. Of particular interest was the Astoria Column at the peak of a hill where we had a fantastic 360° view of the Columbia River and the valleys behind it. The column itself was covered with a spiral pictorial story of Lewis and Clark's explorations.

We spent the evening at Mike's, drinking his wine and sharing our tall tales and stories.

Broadmoor Golf

A very nice gentleman from this RV park organizes a golf outing for every Thursday so I signed John and I up to play today. It was a beautiful day to play with the temperature in the low 80's and a nice breeze from the west to keep us cool. The trees lining the fairways at Broadmoor were awesome. Mother Nature had trimmed some of them into perfect cone shapes while others looked like they were sporting feathery leaves. The fairways were straight and long with few obstacles but since we hadn't played for about 6 weeks, that didn't help our scores much. One very interesting fairway had two greens, one for the forward tees and a different one for the back tee boxes. This had me really confused for a while.

We ended the day eating at one of Portland's higher rated seafood restaurants and had a great meal.

Mt. Hood

We visited Mount Hood today. As we were driving eastward this morning the sky was gray and clouds were hanging pretty low to a point where we couldn't see the mountain. We almost turned around to head home when the clouds parted then lifted and we spotted the mountain close up. It is magnificent. The whole area surrounding the base of the mountain and part way up is ski, snowboard and snow mobile country. The towns are ski villages and there are many parking areas for the snow mobiles along with paths to travel. We thought of trying one of those paths with the Jeep but signage warned us off.

  

We found some gravel roads winding up one side of the mountain to a point where we could spot Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helen and Mt. Adams in Washington to the north of us. Later, at the Timberline Lodge Ski Area we spotted Mt. Jefferson to the east of us. All are snow capped and tower over the 11,000 foot mark.

At the Timberline Lodge we ate lunch with a view of Mt. Jefferson and then we watched the skiers and snowboarders coming down the mountain. This is the year-round training area for the Olympic ski team and other professional skiers as well as a training area for youth and other groups. At 6,000 feet hiking up the mountain was hard for me, especially since we did it right after lunch. John had the opportunity to stand in some snow which he absolutely hates! Ha Ha!

Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area

We picked the perfect day to explore the Columbia River Gorge Highway as it was cloudy but warm. This makes for better pictures and pleasant sightseeing. Our route took us on the old Historic Scenic Highway for most of the drive. It was a narrow, winding road (have I said that before?) that mostly followed the Columbia River Gorge.

We stopped at several view points along the road. One of these is called The Crown Point Vista House which was built in the 1920's as a rest area for the tourists and was refinished in 2004. The highway circles around a three story round house with a balcony viewing area at the top. It is all marble and stained glass windows for a very elegant resting place. And the views of the river really are awesome.

There are about 11 waterfalls along this route but we only stopped at three of them as we didn't want to get caught up in the tourist crowds. Plus John has a saying, "You've seen one waterfall, you've seen them all!" We saw Latourell Falls, Shepperds Dell and Multnomah Falls. At 620 feet, Multnomah is the second highest year-round waterfalls in the country. We chose to hike up the mountain to view the falls from the top down. It was about a 1.5 miles hike and seemed pretty strenuous going up with 11 switchbacks. Even though this falls is very tall, it does not have a high volume of water, but that doesn't stop it from being spectacular.

After a picnic lunch we stopped at the famous Bonneville Lock and Dam which spans the Columbia River from Oregon to Washington, built in four sections with three islands in-between. Not only does it provide power for 900,000 homes but also features a lock to move barges up and down the river and a set of fish ladders which is used not just by salmon but by many other fish such as steelhead trout, sturgeon, and lamprey. There is a viewing room in the visitor center where one can watch the fish underwater 'climbing' the ladder. We also got to watch a barge going through the locks from the lower to upper river.

A short drive to the town of Hood River, a short drive through town and we turned around and headed home. We had originally planned to drive around Mount Hood and back but ran out of time.

Downtown Portland

The mass transit system for Portland is very well run and very extensive. They have trains, buses and trolleys that can be used on one day pass. We drove four miles to a train stop and rode the train to downtown Portland in about 45 minutes. No hassles fighting traffic and finding parking places. After a stop at the visitor center to get a map we walked around Pioneer Square and then headed for the Pearl District where we wanted to stop in an R.E.I. store. Along the way, a stranger directed us to a nice coffee shop and made a lunch recommendation for us. She was very friendly.

We picked our own lunch stop, however, and were disappointed. We explored the shopping area a little more and then caught the train to go to Washington Park where I wanted to visit the International Rose Test Garden. Washington Park and its extension, Forest Park is the largest forested natural area within a city limit. It covers over 5000 acres of hills and ravines, forest land and undergrowth with no vehicles allowed in the park and over 70 miles of trails through the forest. Washington park is home to the Rose Garden, Zoo, Veterans Memorial and a couple of other attractions. We got off of the train at one of the stations near the zoo and ended up walking about 2 miles on one of the trails to get to the Rose Garden.

The walk was through a nice shaded forest so was cooler than the city streets. But the rose garden was fabulous! Such beautiful flowers and such a variety of sizes, shapes and colors. We rode a bus back to the train and then an hour ride back to our stop. Long, hot day.

Portland OR

It was only a 64 mile drive from McMinnville to the Portland Fairview RV Park in NE Portland but we hitched up the Jeep anyway. We heard on the news that part of a freeway we would have traveled on was going to be closed over the weekend and we weren't sure what the traffic would be like. So instead of getting separated, we joined up.

We arrived at the RV park before lunch so had time to figure out what we could do today after John fiddled with the cable TV hook up for over an an hour. We rode our bikes along the Columbia River and explored the area we are living in for the next five days. It is unseasonably warm for Oregon so the heat and wind beat us down. An 11 mile ride was good enough for the day. The river was very busy with boats and jet-skis, the shores crowded with sun bathers and the picnic area was packed. Portlanders must lover their river! The bike trail, unfortunately for us, was along the marine highway, so we did not get to the path that was just past where we turned off and headed back to the RV. We'll leave that for another day.

Wine, Wine, Wine

We were only going to try three wineries this afternoon but ended up trying four. First we had some really good hamburgers at the Golden Valley Brewery. They raise all their own beef and produce. One can count on it being healthy and good. 

Last night we had a very good Pinot Noir with dinner so we stopped at that winery first. Penner-Ash Wine Cellars are putting out some very nice Pinots so a mixed case will arrive at our house this fall.  

Next stop was  Bergstrom Wines where we had the best Chardonnay we've ever tasted. Guess what we'll find on our doorstep in the fall plus some more Pinot. Adelsheim Vineyards was right down the hill and, again we tried some nice wines. Their Syrah tickled our fancy so we got a couple of bottles for the RV. 

We passed Domaine Trouvere and tried their offerings but did not buy anything. 

When we left home about 35 days ago we had 42 bottles of wine in the RV. Today we have 39 bottles. I KNOW we have drank more than 3 bottles on this trip!!

Good thing this is our last day because you really can have too much of a good thing, besides it's getting kinda expensive. 

Spruce Goose

Since we don't like to start our wine tasting until early afternoon, we had the whole morning to explore the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum where Howard Hughes' all wood "Spruce Goose" is now housed. The museum is actually three buildings, one housing the Spruce Goose along with numerous other aircraft, one an I-Max theater and the third is the space museum. The fourth building in the complex is the Wings and Waves Waterpark which has two water slides exiting from an actual 747 airliner located on the roof of the enclosed water playground.

Our family had been thru the Spruce Goose when she was housed in Long Beach, CA alongside the Queen Elizabeth II cruise ship so it was fun to see it again in her new setting. There were lots of other aircraft from the very early days up to present times. Some were actual planes and others were reproductions or models. We skipped the movies in the theatre but did take in the space museum which had a complete history of outer space flight by all countries involved - US, Germany and Russia. It was all quite interesting.

After our picnic lunch we headed to the wineries. Our first stop was at Archery Summit Winery then to Domaine Serene. Both of these wineries are in the Dundee AVA and, personally, I think we don't care for that wine. It seemed to taste like dirt, limestone and was very acidic. Our last winery stop was at Roco Winery. The young lady who waited on us was originally from Kansas City and attended school at MU. I tasted one wine there that I liked but the grapes were not from their vineyard. John liked the taste of their Private Stash 2011 and may order some at a later time.

On our way back to the RV we stopped at the Carlton Farms Meat market and got what we hope will be really good bacon, pork chops and a monster rib steak. By the time we fought rush hour traffic to get to the RV, we had to turn right around and head to Joel Palmer Restaurant for our excellent dinner! Best mushroom tart, mushroom soup and mushroom and filet stroganoff we have ever had! Plus an excellent bottle of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir.

Willamette Valley

We have been pronouncing Willamette the wrong way for so long that we have to use the following saying to remember the correct way. It is "Will-am-it - Damn It!" (note the accent on 'am').

Now that we have that straightened out, on to the wines. The Willamette Valley is well known for its Pinot Noir wines. We have been told by several sommeliers that it is due partly to the soil but mostly its the cool weather that favors the pinot grape. When it does get warm, like now, the cool winds from the ocean are channeled into the valley at night to cool things down again. When it gets hot, the pinot grapes shut down and don't grow but as it cools off, they come alive again. There are 7 AVA's (American Viticultural Areas) each one having different soil properties and weather so that a Pinot Noir from one area will taste different than those from another area. Even vineyards next door to each other can have distinct differences to the experienced palate.   Our inexperienced palates can't tell the difference in the AVA's but we can differentiate between wineries and even some wines. We have also tasted Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Riesling.

We arrived in the Willamette Valley and our RV park outside of McMinnville about noon on Wednesday after shopping at Costco, Safeway and Walgreens in Salem. We struggled setting up as the first site they gave us was too narrow and close to our neighbor so when when we reset the slides, I didn't see the slide roll into John's captain chair and tilt it over. Now he sits at an angle and not sure he'll be able to drive that way. The trials of RV ownership.

Our first stop was in the town of Carlton where we tasted wine at the Troon Tasting Room, Ken Wright Cellars and Carlton Cellars. We had a nice visit with the lady at Scott Paul tasting room but they were not having a tasting. She directed us to a local meat shop which was closed by the time we got there. But we intend to shop there as they grow their own bacon! We stopped in McMinnville for dinner at LaRambla after having a beer at The Golden Valley Brew Pub. Both of these places were recommend by almost everyone we asked.

Today we tasted at Ponzi Wine Bar before having lunch at the adjacent Dundee Bistro. Then Argyle Winery that features lots of bubbly wines, Lange Estate Winery, Carlton Winemaker Studio where 12 individual vintners come to make their wines and Alexana Estate Vineyards. This last had the best Pinot Noir that we have tasted so far. In two days we have bought 4 bottles of wine to take with us and are having 2 cases shipped home. So far. . .

As we were driving into Dundee today we saw snow-capped Mt. Hood in the distance and took the picture from the Lange Vineyard patio. What a beautiful site!

Howard Creek, Buck Mtn., Smith Creek Loop Trail

Shortly after we arrived at this park, I questioned a park ranger about the best trails for bike riding, explaining that we didn't want a mountain trail but it didn't have to be really easy either.  I think she totally misunderstood me!

Late this morning we were ready to take off on what we thought would be a short but pleasant ride in the forest. And it did start off that way with some hill climbing and some down hill cruising. But then we started climbing more and then it got really steep and rocky. When we hit the 'cut-off trail' we thought it would be an easier trail but we were wrong again. We both hiked our bikes about a mile and a half up a steeper grade before we got to Smith Creek. We think we made a 1000 foot climb!  Luckily it was a smoother down hill ride but I still rode my brakes all the way down this very narrow dirt path. 

The ride was only 7 miles but it took us over 2 1/2 hours to make the trip. We were both drained of energy this afternoon. And I'll bet we go to bed early!

Summertime Weather

Today has been a wonderfully warm and pleasant summer day -- one we haven't experienced very often on this trip.

We changed sites early in this morning and lucked out to get one open for 2 more days, probably because it is a non-electric site but we don't care. After a lazy morning we rode our bikes about 6 miles on a paved trail through a lush, green, shadowed and flowered forest. The pink lupine and white daisies are in full bloom, I tasted salmonberries and was awed by the many varieties of fern covering the forest floor. John, on the other hand, speeds ahead and has to stop and wait on me.

This afternoon we napped, we planned the next week or so of our trip and read books or magazines. John split wood and built me a great fire for the evening. This is what camping is all about!

Waterfalls Galore

We called Silver Falls State Park last night and they indicated they have 7 sites available today so we did not make a reservation thinking we could pull in before lunch and get a site just like that! Well, our thinking is going to have to change while we are in Oregon. We did get a site but only for one night and then we will have to check in at registration to see if they have anything for Monday night and then we will have to move again. What a hassle!

By the time we got set up and ate lunch it was after two but we decided to take the 8.7 mile Trail of the 10 Falls hike anyway. The geology of this area is such that waterfalls are plentiful. In this park there are 10 waterfalls along a six mile canyon. We walked by 9 of the 10 falls but were too tired to hike the additional mile to see the last one. We only photographed six of the falls since the other 3 were more or less obscured by trees. It seemed like a very long hike since we are so out of shape but we made it back to the RV before supper, even if we had to eat late.

We took pictures of the following waterfalls: The South Falls are the most famous in the park and drop 177 feet. We walked behind the falls along with a lot of other people. The Lower South Falls drop 93 feet and we walked behind these falls as well. The Lower North Falls have a 30 foot drop. The Double Falls drop 178 feet and even though it has a double drop, it is the largest in the park. The over hang produced a neat place to walk under the falls for the picture of John. And the last falls we visited were the North Falls with a thundering drop of 136 feet. The trail led us into a huge cavern under the creek and behind the falls before climbing a lot of steps to trek out of the canyon.

Oregon Coast to Newport

After a late morning, we started our drive to Newport with the intention of going to their Farmer's Market. But along the way we were sidetracked several times with scenic pull overs, loop drives and one lighthouse.

In Otter Rock we found a couple of scenic areas with great views of the Pacific Ocean rolling into high tide. The waves were crashing with big swells pushing them onto rocks and sand. Cape Foulweather aka Otter Crest was first discovered by Captain James Cook in 1178. It is reported that winds can blow as high as 100 mph along the coast, thereby its name. On one side of the point was a large beach where we watched surfers riding the waves, well, one or two actually caught a wave, the rest were just floating in the water. But there were a lot of them and maybe the waves would get better.

We then drove a short way to Devils Punch Bowl. This rock formation had two huge arched openings into a bowl like area that spouts the water into the air during storms and high tides. Again, there was a large flat beach that soon filled up with people from the nearby state park.

Our third stop was at Yaquina Head Lighthouse. It was the seventh of ten lighthouses built along the Oregon coast in the early 1900's and was used to not only warn sailors of rocks but to keep tabs on the weather, report forest fires, and during WWII, look for submarines or other incursions by Japan. Today it is electric and run by the US Coastguard.

We finally made it into Newport and to the Farmer's Market just as they were getting ready to close but I did get some great produce including cherries and Marion Berries. These berries are a cross between blackberries and raspberries and can only be found in Oregon and are very sweet. We had lunch on the bay front at a highly recommended restaurant so we had to wait for a table but that gave us a chance to explore the nearby shops.

We took another route home, happy for a chance to explore the inland area. We followed the Yaquina Bay River for about 20 miles inland before turning back toward the 101 Hwy. It is very densely forested and in fact, we came across a huge paper mill. The wind is not nearly as bad inland and it warmed up to almost 68°! Back at the RV it is only 60°. I'm ready for some warm inland sunshine!

All the Campgrounds Are Full!

We really should know better, we've been around the block a few times but we did not think ahead to the 4th of July Weekend and we did not make any reservations or even check reservations for the state park campgrounds and some of the commercial campgrounds. Almost all of them are full -- no vacancy! We were beginning to think we would have to sleep on the side of the road and incur the wrath of the highway patrol at 2 AM, forcing us to move onward, when we found a marina and campground in Waldport, just south of Newport, OR. Just a small coastal town on the Alsea River with lots of fishing and crabbing. But we camped in an open area where a north wind is blowing at about 20 mph.

After making a few phone calls we found another campground on Friday in Depoe between Newport and Lincoln City but still on the coast. We'll stay here until Sunday when we hope campgrounds will clear out some after the holiday weekend and we can find another state park to stay in. It's not a bad place to stay although noisy from busy highway 101. We can cross the highway and walk about two blocks and be on the beach. Depoe is just a short drive from the campground and has several claims to fame. It has the smallest working harbor in the world, it is the Whale Watching Capital of Oregon, and is the home of one of three blow holes along this coast.

After supper we waked to the motel down the road. It appears they have the only bar in this area with a view of the ocean. Unfortunately we did not see the sun set because of the clouds but did enjoy the view.

Honeyman, I'm Here!

Sunday morning we regretfully left Melrose Vineyards and drove westward towards the Oregon coast. Our route followed Elk Creek and Umpqua River around steep hills and through green valleys. One valley held a large herd of elk wondering along the roadway. We came through the mountains and to the coast at Reedsport in the middle of the Oregon Dunes National Recreational Area. These sand dunes run for 35 miles along the coast with some of the dunes as deep as three miles from the ocean.

We landed at the Jessie M. Honeyman State Park near the small town of Florence in the heart of sand buggies and dune crawlers, but also near two fairly large freshwater lakes. We snagged a spot for two nights under the condition that we would have to move on Tuesday for another two nights and they were completely booked for the 4th of July so we would have to find another place to stay. Knowing we would have to move, Monday morning found us driving up the coast in the Jeep scouting out other state parks and National Forest campgrounds. We also did some sightseeing as this coastline is very wild and beautiful.

We also spent some time in the Old Town of Florence under their historic bridge and along the Siuslaw River. We tried two different times to eat at the most highly recommended restaurant in town but could never find a seat so we ended up at the second rated and excellent Bridgewater Fish House and Zebra Bar where we dined on appetizers and salads with martinis and wine. We drove home v e r y carefully.

After changing sites on Tuesday morning, John got the kayak out and went fishing in the Cleawox Lake while I grocery shopped. Later we rode our bikes around Woahink Lake and explored some of its forest pathways. Wednesday found John fishing from around 9 to 2 while I got my hair cut and the laundry washed. It has been a very lazy four days which I think we really needed after all the driving we've been doing.

We wish all of you a safe and happy Independence Day!

Melrose Place

It's not a TV show in Oregon but a really nice vineyard gracious enough to let us spend the night in their parking lot.

We left Crater Lake late morning for the, supposedly, short drive to Roseburg where the vineyard is located. We ended up on a scenic by-way which translates into narrow and curvy but it did follow the Umpqua River and made for a pretty drive. After reading about a waterfall along this road we decided to stop and see it for ourselves. Toketee Falls were worth the hike but not worth the trouble we had in the parking lot. The turn around at the end of the lot was too short for our RV and we had to stop, un-hitch, move, and re-hitch the Jeep. In all the years that we have towed a car behind an RV, this is the second time in this coach we have gotten ourselves in that predicament. So, instead of a 3 hour drive, we ended up on the road for 4.5 hours.

We pulled into the Melrose Vineyards in plenty of time to taste and buy some of their wines. We belong to a group called Harvest Host who line up vineyards, orchards and farms where RVers can request the opportunity to spend one night on their property at no cost. This winery is set up as an event destination. They have a huge, lush green yard surrounded by their vineyards. Near the tasting room is the outdoor event center with lovely patio and fountain. The tasting room itself has a couple of patio's and pathways through the yard. Once everyone leaves for the day, we have the whole place to ourselves. It is so quiet and peaceful after a long stressful drive.

Inside a Crater

We left the campsite earlier than we needed to catch the boat tour of the lake but it gave us an opportunity to drive the Rim Road one more time and to have a nice picnic lunch sitting on a log swatting mosquitoes.

The Crater Lake Boat Tour was definitely the highlight of this trip. Again today we had to hike a mile down (and back up) to the lake's edge where we boarded a boat that circled the lake while Ranger Mike gave us descriptions of what we were seeing and answering questions. The day was sunny and hot but on a cold lake surface, it was very pleasant.

There are many features of the rock walls that geologists interpret were caused when the volcano erupted. It happened over 7700 years ago and may have been witnessed by native Americans. There were actually 5 volcanos that made up this mountain with lava tubes and vents all around the lake. After the initial eruption which would have lasted about a week, the collapse of the mountain top only took a few hours. Later other smaller lava flows and eruptions left new volcanos inside the crater, one of which is an island visible in the water.

Wind, rain and snow have changed the landscape and will continue to do so. In one of the pictures you will see Wizard Island towering 700 feet over the water. Pumice Castle is due to erosion, and Phantom Ship is a small island made of lava rocks and is actually as tall as a 16 story building.

We learned about the scientific reason the lake is so blue but suffice it to say it involves the purity of the water and the depth of the crater and the way light is refracted in the water. You will find no purer water or air in the USA and no other lake will ever be this blue.

We had a delightful dinner at the Crater Lake Lodge but then the mood of the evening was ruined when the Jeep refused to start due to a totally dead battery. The park maintenance man tried to jump it once, it wouldn't start so he took us to the RV. That's when we discovered we had left the keys in the Jeep so back up to the Lodge, 13 miles of curvy roads. The maintenance man then drove to his personal pickup truck, got a spare battery out of it and jumped the Jeep. This is an employee who went above and beyond the call of duty!