July 31 Klamath Falls - Crater Lake - Mt. Bachelor

Our site in the morning.

 

We headed out early so we had time to visit Crater Lake and do one of the Oregon Scenic Byways.

Driving through Oregon is amazing. There are mountains everywhere. And surprisingly still a lot of snow on the ground, despite the 25 degree weather.

We found our way to Crater Lake with ease. Breathtaking.

So much snow!

Can you spot the helicopter access only house??

We wanted to hike here, but there was still so much to see today. We found the markings for our scenic byway "Cascades", and started backwards. We drove through dormant lava flows that crushed through forests and lakes, quick moving rivers and mountains of course!

The Deschutes River

The perfect place for a swim. I had to hold onto a log to keep in the same spot, but it was quite refreshing on a hot day. We continued on our search for the perfect lake.

Mt. Bachelor

We found it at Elk Lake

 We found this day use beach at Elk Lake on the Cascade Scenic Byway drive. We noticed some RV's and tents across the lake, so we drove to check it out. There was a self-serve campground here called Point. You put your money in an envelope and into the box then set up in your spot. We found a beautiful spot, very buggy, but beautiful, and set up camp. We had to visit Lava Lake Lodge to get a few groceries for dinner. There is nothing else around for miles. We also had a chance to see the lake there. It did not compare to Elk Lake. The water was fresh and clean, and there is barely anyone here! Mind you our campground was full by the end of the night.

What we liked about Oregon, aside from the gorgeous scenery, were the plentiful campgrounds. These don't show up on web searches, but are very well labeled on the highways.

July 30 Westport - Klamath Falls Oregon

An early start for a long day of driving. We were leaving California today and heading into Central Oregon. We kept our sanity by stopping at the Trees Of Mystery. It is a section of the Redwood Forest, where you can take a ski lift-style cable ride, that allows you to view the forests from above. You can also hike. The real show stealer here was the 80ft Paul Bunyan and Blue, who spoke to us and waved. 

We had to stop and eat in Grants Pass because we were starving. This landed us in a terrible diner, where the food was cheap, plentiful and tasteless. Shay ordered chicken fried steak just to see what the heck chicken fried steak was. I ordered this Mexican supreme dish, which was essentially every Mexican food you could possibly want covered with beans, sauces, and cheese. It was one saucy mess served on 3 dinner sized plates. We did not feel great leaving that restaurant.

We arrived at the Rocky Point Resort late, but a lady came out of the bushes and directed us to our camping spot for the night. So many stars.