May 5-7,2008 - Update On Our Travels

Hey everyone. Hope you are all doing well. Mike and I have finally left CA. We traveled almost the entire length of the state. We were just 5 miles from Mexico on the southern end of the state and we traveled all the way up to Crescent City on the northern end before heading inland a bit into OR.



We left Redcrest, CA on the 5th. It was a pretty place but very tiny. I think it is really a village rather than a city. Anyone who wants to see beautiful, giant redwoods should visit the Redcrest area. They have redwood forests there that are just amazing. I did not realize that there were still so many huge redwoods in existence. The forests are so pretty with the big ferns and moss on the forest floor and the huge trees towering overhead.



We followed Hwy 101 up the coast of CA to Crescent City. There was a weather front coming in from the ocean and we had some fog along the way. There were times when we would be on the coast and had a pretty good view of the ocean and other times when it was just too foggy to see much. However, the road wound inland from time to time and we would be in beautiful sunlight and could enjoy the mountains and forests along the way. There are a lot of redwoods and huge pines along this route. There are also places where the forest comes right up to the beaches. This is very different from what we are used to on the Atlantic coast. We made several stops along the way to take pictures.



We got into Crescent City around lunchtime and decided to go into the Safeway grocery and buy some sandwich fixings instead of trying to pull the RV into a fast food parking lot. BOY, are the prices high on groceries. I don't know how those people do it. I was shocked that a small can of Bushes Baked Beans was $2.49. I think I pay under a $1 for them at home. Anyway, we only bought a few things there.

The town of Crescent City is pretty. It appears to be a logging and fishing area. The homes were modest and the town had some buildings that appear to be pretty old. The weather on the day we were there was chilly and misty. It is not a place that I think I would want to stay for long periods of time.

Leaving Crescent City, we took Hwy 62 toward Grants Pass, OR. The trip took us up into the mountains again and we followed the Smith River. This river was just one of those WOW places. The water looked more like the color of the Caribbean seas rather than a river. I think it is the rock that lines the riverbed. This rock appears to have a blue-green cast to it. Anyway, the water was just beautiful and we stopped and took some pictures of it. The river was really flowing hard. I guess the spring runoff from the snow in the mountains creates a lot of water in the rivers here at this time of the year.

We decided to not check into an RV park because we had heard that the OR state parks are very nice. Just 8 miles out of Grants Pass in Rogue River, there is a state park. The park's name is The Valley of the Rogue. There is an exit off the I-5 interstate that brings you right into this park.

We pulled in and found that the people who told us about the OR parks were not lying. This park is beautiful. The spaces are large, paved and there is grass and trees all around. The park offers full hookups which we have never seen in state parks before. Plus, the campground boarders the Rogue River. There are very nice paths down to the river. I guess that in the summer when the river is not so high that people get in the water. However, right now the water is too high and swift for anyone to be in it.

Yesterday, we took a side trip up to Crater Lake National Park. This lake is the deepest lake in the US at over 1900 feet deep in places. It is also one of the cleanest lakes in the world. The lake was created by a volcano. Actually, it is the sunken top of a volcano. There are no streams leading into the lake. All of the water comes from rain or melting snow.

Our trip up to Crater Lake took us through the town of Medford, OR which is a really nice place. It has an Olive Garden so it is OK by me. I love the Olive Garden. We did not drive around a lot in Medford, but what we saw was very nice.

Outside of Medford, we followed the Rogue River and as we went up into the Cascade Mountains. Mike saw a sign for Mill Creek Falls and we pulled off. We took the trail to the falls which was nice and wide and well maintained. However, as you get near the falls, the path narrows and there are huge boulders that you have to walk around. One place the path goes between two huge boulders. I'm glad I am not any larger than I am. It was a narrow space. On the path, we could hear the roar of the river in the distance. As we got closer the sound got much louder. It really became a ROAR. We passed around another huge boulder and got our first glimpse of the falls. As I have said, the water is really flowing in the Rogue River and so the falls were massive. Mike took a lot of pictures and I will post some for you to see.

After making our way back to the truck, we headed for Crater Lake . The drive took us through some more beautiful forests. We soon began to see snow alongside the road. The farther we drove, the more snow we saw. This area gets around 500 inches of snow each winter. This year they got 540 inches. There are stakes along each side of the road as you travel up. These stakes are probably 15 feet tall. They are there to show the snowplows the edges of the road so they know where to plow. When we finally arrived at the top of the mountain, the snow was piled up to probably 15 feet or more. The snow drifts on the side of the visitor center were up to the second story.

To see the lake, we had to climb up snow piles. It was quite a trick for me with tennis shoes on. The snow was slick. But, boy was my effort worth it. Crater Lake is more than just a WOW. It is a SUPER WOW. The water is the deepest blue you have ever seen and against the white of the snow, it is just breathtaking. You can see all the way around the lake. There is a small island which was formed by volcanic action. There are no beaches and the rim is pretty steep down to the water. In summer, they have boat rides out to the island. I don't know how you get to the boat because I did not see anywhere that you can get to the level of the lake. Maybe they have steps down that were covered by snow. People are allowed to swim in the water if they want, but few do. The temperature of the water is around 59 degrees even in summer.

We visited the gift shop and cafe and then left the lake and drove back down the mountain. We stopped at Lost Lake in the Stewart State Park. It was another beautiful OR state park. We took a picnic lunch and sat next to the lake's edge and ate. It was a bit chilly so we did not stay too long. The scenery was perfect for a picnic. We also checked out the campground at this state park and it was every bit as nice as where we are staying and maybe just a bit nicer as the spaces are even larger. There was a sign up at the gate when we drove into the camping area that said there had been a cougar in the area in August. They have a posting up that this is cougar country. I'd love to see one, but I would not want one in the campground where I am staying.

We finished our trip to Crater Lake by driving up the road to the dam along the Rogue River and looking at the lake from several different viewing spots. Then we drove down to where the water comes out from the lake and watched some people fishing. The Rogue is a salmon spawning river and the salmon are starting to come in to spawn. Mike talked to a guy there who said they catch salmon, trout and steelheads in this river.

We did make one other stop - Super WalMart in Medford. This is the first Super WalMart we have seen since entering CA. I think CA must not allow the Wal-Marts to sell groceries. It was nice to find prices on groceries more in line with what we pay back in NC.

Today, we are taking it easy. I may drive back to Medford to visit a couple of quilt shops. Then again, I may just do some reading and working with Mike to plan our next few weeks on the road. We know that we want to see more of the OR and WA coastline and we want to go and visit the winery where our favorite wine is produced - Columbia Winery in WA. We also want to visit Yellowstone and Mt. Rushmore and I want to go to the Mall of America in Minneapolis/St. Paul. We need to get all this done an be back in KY in June. I guess we need to get moving. Anyway, I need to close this blog for now and get some other stuff done today. Have a good day and enjoy our pictures.