DAY 57 - 60 ~ CRATER LAKE NP (July 13 – July 16)

We are staying at Diamond Lake; about 20 miles north of Crater Lake National Park.  We will be spending four nights here, mostly relaxing.  It’s been a long and busy trip so we need some down time before we arrive home.

Crater Lake was once a mountain peak.  7,700 years ago a massive volcanic eruption blew it’s top off and left a deep basin.  Centuries of rain and snow filled the basin.  Crater Lake was not seen by white men until 1853 when gold prospectors stumbled upon it.  It was given several names, but was given its current name in 1869.  Crater Lake National Park was established in 1902.  The Lake is the deepest lake in the USA (1,943 feet).  And it is Oregon’s one and only national park.

We visited Crater Lake 3 different days viewing the crater at different times of the day and in different lights, taking many pictures.  On our last day the area smelled of smoke and there was a smoky haze over everything.  The smoke was blowing in from a fire in the Klamath Falls area.  This was not a good day to view the crater and lake.  You could see the blue lake but the rim of the crater was fuzzy with smog.  We were last here at this national park in 2009.  There were also fires in the area at that time too.  But this trip we had a few days to view it on sunny and clear days. 

Wizard Island – also a volcano

This high cliff gave researchers a good idea of the shape of the mountain peak.

Even Aliens visit Crater Lake

Clark's Nutcrackers and Blue Jay eating a marshmallow ball

Pumice Castle

 Phantom Ship

The lake is a deep blue color, but did you know that other colors of the spectrum are absorbed by the lake?  Blue wavelengths are scattered and the only color human eyes can see in the lake.

Next stop; California!

DAY 55- 56 ~ SISTERS, OREGON (July 11 – July 12)

Sisters is a quaint, country cowboy kind of town.  We last visited here in 2007.  I wanted to visit again, so we included this town in our plans.  However, the dates we choose to be here were also the dates for the 39^th annual Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show.  We decided to visit Sisters anyway.  We were able to find an RV park with space at Belknap Hot Springs Lodge and Gardens in McKenzie Bridge, about 35 miles away.  We stayed here for two nights and one day.

Belknap Hot Springs Lodge is an interesting place.  It is a resort alongside the McKenzie River in an area that has hot springs.  There are two hot mineral spring pools on the property.  Being the weekend, the place was busy, with lots of children.  This place also offers rafting, fishing, mountain biking, etc.  It is really a hot spot.  Surrounding the property are forests and woods with hiking trails and a secret garden.  It is a nice place to visit and stay at if you are staying in the lodge or one of the cabins.  However, the facilities for the campers need a lot of work.  But it was a pleasant stay.

We crossed the bridge, wondered through the woods and found the Secret Garden!

It was a very hot and muggy day when we drove to Sisters.  The car temp said 99 degrees.  There were 3 blocks that were closed to traffic.  The place was full of people; mostly women.  It is said that about 12,000 people attend this event; from all over the country and as far away as Australia, England and even South America.  There were quilts everywhere, hung up outside; on the sides of the shops, in front of the shops and inside of the shops.  There were some very colorful and beautiful quilts. About 100 of them. Many of them were for sale.  We walked around for about 2.5 hours before the heat did us in.  

Next stop; Crater Lake National Park.

DAY 51- 54 ~ PORTLAND, OREGON (July 7 – July 10)

We are staying in a RV park in Vancouver, Washington; located just over the bridge to Portland.  This is the closest RV park to Portland we could find.  We will be staying in this area for 3 days and 4 nights.  Our main goal is to explore Portland.  But we will also visit Mount St. Helens and the Columbia River Gorge.

COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE 

Lewis and Clark paddled down this River in 1804 and back up the river in 1806.  In 1986, Congress made Columbia River Gorge the second US National Scenic Area. The Columbia River runs between the states of Washington and Oregon.  The Oregon side has all the scenic waterfalls.  We drove about 25 miles east on the Columbia River Highway (Hwy 30).  

We stopped at Vista House at Crown Point that had views of the Columbia River.  This is a good place to take pictures.  At Multnomah Falls we hiked to the lower falls and waded through the crowds of people.  Ahh summer vacations.  There is a nice restaurant (Multnomah Falls Lodge) where we had a delicious lunch.  These are the most famous falls at the Gorge.  You will see pictures of the falls on postcards and any write-up on the Columbia River.   On our way back we stopped at Bridal Veil Falls and did a short hike to see the falls and take pictures.

 Columbia River Gorge

Multnomah Falls 

Bridal Veil Falls

PORTLAND 

We spent the day in Portland visiting gardens.  A beautiful summer day spent viewing many shades of color, scented blooms and lush landscaping. 

In downtown Portland, a city block surrounded by stone walls is the LAN SU CHINESE GARDEN.  The garden was a ‘gift’ from Portland’s sister city in China; Suzhou. Most of the building materials, including more than 500 tons of rock, came from China.  Sixty-five artisans from Suzhou lived in Portland for 10 months while they assembled and completed the structures that were made in China. This garden is an example of a private home and garden of a wealthy family from the 16^th century.  The garden also included a Tea House where we had a sip of tea and a tasty lunch.

In Washington Park located in the West Hills overlooking the city of Portland is the PORTLAND JAPANESE GARDEN.  This 5.5 acre garden was proclaimed by a former Ambassador of Japan to be “the most beautiful and authentic Japanese garden in the world outside of Japan”.  There are five garden styles within this garden; Strolling Pond Garden, Tea Garden, Natural Garden, Sand and Stone Garden and the Flat Garden.  We did a 45 minute guided tour and learned a lot about the meanings of the styles and important elements.  The 3 primary elements being stone (the” bones” of the landscape, water (the life-giving force), and plants (tapestry of the four seasons).  It was a relaxing and peaceful visit.

 The white fish with the orange spot has a name; Caroline.

A view of downtown Portland with Mt. Hood in the background.

Across the road from the Japanese Garden is the INTERNATIONAL TEST ROSE GARDEN.  Founded in 1917, this is the oldest continuously operated public rose test garden in the United States.  The primary purpose of this garden is to serve as a testing ground for new rose varieties.  There are over 10,000 rose bushes in this garden.

 “Hart of Gold”

 “Rock N’ Roll”

Since 1912 the Royal Rosarians have served as the official greeters for the City of Portland.  This statue marks 100 years of service to the City.  Wearing their white suits, they tip their straw hats to salute visitors spreading their slogan “For You a Rose in Portland Grows”.

MOUNT ST. HELENS 

Thirty-four years ago at 8:32am on March 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted and blew down or scorched 230 square miles of forest.  In 1982 the President and Congress created the 110,000 acre National Volcanic Monument for research, recreation, and education.  This volcano continued to erupt until 1986, quietly building a lava dome.  Today that lava dome is 920 feet high and you can see steam coming out of the crater.  It’s alive!  

 Before and After

There is a very nice visitor center with great views of the valley.  At the visitor center you can view a 17 minute film that shows the eruption and the rebirth.  With today’s technology and special effects, you are right there experiencing the power of that eruption.  When the film ends, the screen retracts into the ceiling and the curtain behind it opens up showing a spectacular and haunting view of Mount St. Helens.  Awesome!  

 Mount St. Helens today.  You can see a small cloud of steam at the edge of the crater.

Next stop; Sisters, Oregon.