Oregon - Beaver State
Oregon is close to California, and we had been there many times before, on business and to attend conferences, but these trips were primarily on our own, not together. This trip was to visit some places we had seen before, but not together, and to visit some new places where we had never been.
We drove the first day to Jacksonville, where I had traveled with girlfriends several years before. We stayed in the same boutique hotel, Elan Guest Suites, and ate dinner at the same next-door restaurant called Gogi’s where the food was excellent. But we were especially lucky to be there this time when there was a concert, within walking distance of our hotel, featuring one of our favorite singers, Shawn Colvin, who was performing with Steve Earle in an outdoor amphitheater. They were great and it was an unexpected but perfect way to begin our trip. We spent the next day walking around Jacksonville and nearby Ashland, which included a stroll through gorgeous Lithia Park with its acres of forested canyonland around Ashland Creek, and its many curved paths surrounded by flowers.
Leaving Jacksonville, we headed north through wine country until we came to Crater Lake. Wow! This lake is eye-popping in its splendor. Crater Lake was formed by a now collapsed volcano, Mount Mazama. I had not been able to get reservations at Crater Lake Lodge – they were booked up months in advance – but we did walk in to see the huge fireplace in the Great Hall and the view of the lake from the back deck after enjoying a delicious lunch. We drove to Diamond Lake Resort where we had a reservation for two nights. This rustic resort was built in the 1920’s and served as a fishing lodge, and that’s about the only thing there is to do there. The lake itself is very pretty, with a lovely boat harbor, but our cabin left something to be desired. We therefore decided to check out after breakfast the following morning.
We spent the next day driving the Rim Drive, a road that surrounds the lake, taking photos from every vista point. With a depth of 1,949 feet, Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States. No rivers flow either into or out of the lake. Evaporation is replaced by snow and rainfall, such that the total amount of water is replaced every 250 years. We were amazed by that bit of trivia, and we were also amazed that some scientist or geologist was able to figure that out! That would make a good Jeopardy question. There are two islands in the lake, one called Phantom Ship, which consists of a natural rock formation pillar that, from one angle, bears a close resemblance to a ghost ship. We took a hike on Plaikni Falls Trail, a route that winds through old-growth fir and hemlock forest, past a series of rugged bluffs, to the base of the falls. Plaikni is a Klamath Indian word meaning from the high country, reflecting the origin of the falls high on the slopes of the volcano.
That evening we checked into Sunriver Resort near Bend. We came here to attend a reunion of Andy’s ROTC Class at Seattle University. This was the 50th reunion of this group of guys, most of whom went to Vietnam. We were very lucky that Andy was stationed with NATO in France, then later in Holland. This was the first time that Andy attended one of these reunions, so he had not seen most of his former classmates for many years. There were several reunion events to attend, but we also had free time to explore the area. We particularly enjoyed The High Desert Museum, which exhibits an interesting combination of regional wildlife, culture, art and natural resources to promote a better understanding of the heritage of North American high desert country. We were able to get up close and personal with some fascinating animals, such as a very chubby porcupine, a few colorful poisonous snakes, a gigantic tortoise, a variety of raptors, and playful otters. The museum wildlife team did a great job of exhibiting the animals and showing them off for the education and entertainment of visitors. The cultural and art exhibits, including a gold mine and stagecoach, were also very interesting.
We did some hiking on the Deschutes River Trail which was just beautiful. On our last full day, we drove into downtown Bend to have lunch and explore. We had a small world experience when we ran into a friend of mine who was having lunch at an outdoor café when we walked by.
Our focus on this trip was to Eastern Oregon, particularly since the ROTC reunion was taking place at Sunriver Resort. We have traveled in the past to the western part of the state, too, which is completely different but equally marvelous in its own way.
