From Turmoil to Tranquility

Much better. Much, much better.

Rather than hating all things Oregonian with the burning white-hot heat of a thousand suns, I've narrowed my disdain to the following two peeves: Oregon drivers & Portland ('nuff said). We found the southern part of the state to be much more hospitable (our dining experience in Eugene was quite nice) and the staff at the hotel we stayed at was very accommodating.

We began our day with drive to Crater Lake.

[pause here for a moment of silence]

It was...refreshing.

[insert some stuttering...then more silence]

Crater Lake is considered the cleanest and clearest body of water (of that size) in the world. It's the 7th deepest lake in the world and the deepest in America (just shy of 2000 feet deep. It was formed ~7700 years ago when Mount Mazama had such a terrific eruption that its emptied magma chamber collapsed forming a 5000' deep caldera atop what once was a 12000' mountain. The visibility into the lake is 144' (I repeat, 'lake').

Most of our time spent there was in private solitude (each found there own spot from which to take in the view). The kids enjoyed playing in the snow (yup, there was still plenty of it) as much as the lake itself. The whole scene had a unique impact on the grown folks.

After spending all the time we could reasonably allow, we got back on the road and headed to Northern California. I booked a spot at a state park campground months ago. We had some difficulty finding it (campground & state park had different names), but what a treat we had in store when we finally arrived.

Those of you who've been reading this post for awhile know what kind of camping appeals to me. Suffice to say that for a campground with over a hundred campsites, or one with less than ten for that matter, I couldn't have chosen a more ideal spot. It was secluded, cozy, and completely enclosed by a ten-foot-tall hedge of salmon-berries (yes, those were the ones by the beach). Even though it's sunset, the temperature is still pleasant - and I pitched our tents atop a level mound of moss (not joking). Of course I should mention that we're camping amongst 300' tall trees less than five miles from the ocean.

I could get used to this. Thanks for reading.