Day 2 (full version)

Day 2 – Wednesday – June 26, 2013

0558 Rise and shine!  It rained all night long.  Bella’s sleeping bag is completely soaked and Ryan’s is definitely damp as well. Rocco thinks we’re all crazy.  But hey – at least we’re together, right?

0728 Camp is torn down and car is loaded. Everything is wet, wet, wet!

0731 Off we go.

0749 Ron, Ryan and I did the ½ mile vista hike at the park.  Girls and Rocco waited in the car.  They made the right decision.  The trail was wet and the fog prevented us from seeing anything beyond a couple pine trees and some power lines headed down the hill.

0805 Oh look – the Sacramento River again.

0811 Patches of blue sky and a rainbow but still can’t see Mt. Shasta. Also, it’s still raining.

0816 Black Butte Summit, 3917 ft.

0818 Weed, CA. Population 3,000

0835 Leaving McD’s.  Dogs in a parked car barked at Rocco so loud they set off their car alarm.  As we’re leaving, a seagull is walking in the middle of the road and just won’t move.  Taking his own sweet time… Don’t look now but we can see a glimpse of Mt. Shasta with clouds covering the top.  Gas, $3.99/gallon.

0850 Leaving McD’s again. I left my purse there – oops! – but thankfully got it back.  Whew!

0900 It is much drier on this side of the mountain.  Sunny and more desert-like. We have a great view of Mt. Shasta now.

0908 Klamath National Forest

0912 Elevation 5000 ft.

0928 Ranger station – the fire danger today is low.  Must be all that rain.

0935 Butte Valley National Grassland

0942 Dorris, CA.  What is there to do in Dorris?  Drink coffee and eat tacos.  Oh and there is a nice lodge and you can also rent the arena.

0947 Oregon

0959 Klamath River

1008 Starbucks stop at Safeway.  Didn’t sleep too well last night for some reason…

1021 Leaving Klamath Falls.  My turn to drive again.

1100 Wow – real cowboys and cowdogs working a herd of cattle.  Cattle and logging seem to be the industries of this area.

1133 Arrive at Crater Lake National Park visitors center.  It is cloudy, cold, and wet here.  Rocco saw snow for the first time during his walk around the parking lot.

12:10 p.m. Lake overlook. We can barely see the water.  So disappointing.  I have heard that this is one of the most beautiful lakes in the world.  Not today though.  Now for our new feature.  Instead of “what was the best part” we now have “what did you learn?”

Bella – The diameter of the lake is 4.7 miles North to South and 6.1 miles East to West

Felisa – The fish that live in the lake are rainbow trout and Kakane salmon

Ryan – After Charles Dutton’s expedition of the lake, he sunk his 26-foot wooden boat, “Cleetwood”. It was later rediscovered near Wizard Island.

Ron – Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the US and the 9^th deepest in the world.

Rocco – Snow is cold.

Sheila – This area gets an average of 533 feet of snow each year.

 

12:19 p.m. Listening to the rainy day mix on my MP3 player.  Seems appropriate for today.  First up, “Here Comes the Rain Again” by the Eurythmics

12:22 p.m. Fog + Snow = Really hard to see

12:32 p.m. Looking at the map of the park.  The Pacific Crest Scenic Trail  goes through the park.  Looks like it would be an interesting trail.

12:33 p.m. Pumice Desert

12:40 p.m. We are out of Crater Lake park and are now in Winema National Forest.

1:56 p.m. Lava rocks

2:01 p.m. High Desert Museum sign. Wildlife and living history – sounds cool.

2:12 p.m. Bend, OR. Detour around a closed road.  We are looking for a Laundromat to dry the wet sleeping bags.

2:20 p.m. Schlotzsky’s for lunch.  Gas, $3.99/gallon.

3:14 p.m. Leaving our lunch and laundry stop.  Happy tummies, full gas tank, and dry sleeping bags!

3:37 p.m. Shoe Tree on the side of the road. Lots of pairs hanging from its branches.

4:48 p.m. Warm Springs Fish Hatchery sign

4:50 p.m. Crossed the 45^th parallel. Halfway between the equator and the north pole.

5:11 p.m. Blue Box Pass, elevation 4024 feet.  We can’t see Mt. Hood today. It is covered in clouds.

6:22 p.m. Columbia River stop.  It is nice and sunny here.  We can see Mt. Adam on the other side of the river. It is tall and snowy.  We also saw lots of big lumber yards on our way down.

6:31 p.m. Safeway.  Pick up ice for the cooler and sausage for dinner.

6:46 p.m. On the highway – I84 West.  25 miles to the campground.

7:02 p.m. Sign for Bridge of the Gods.  I wonder where that goes…

7:06 p.m. Bonneville Dam and locks

7:15 p.m. Ainsworth State Park.

Unload and set up camp. Spaghetti for dinner.

9:00 p.m. Done and cleaned up.  Getting ready for bed.  It’s not raining at the moment but…  The mosquitos are crazy here too.  Showers for Ron, Ryan and I before bed.  Rocco barked when I came back to the tent.  He settles down after we are all “home” and the lights are out for the night.