Rev. 06/27/01
Alaska & beyond - continued 6/25
Crater Lake to Tillamook, OR
Fog,
thick and right down into the pines, was what the morning brought. As
we climbed up from Mazama Village to the rim, it got thicker. And driving
north along the rim of Crater Lake it was "pea soup" much of the time, still
broken by stretches where we could see the lake down in the crater. Then,
as we left the park we finally got under the clouds and could see the surrounding
views, relax a bit from the "white knuckle" driving in the fog.
We followed the North Umpqua River down, rapidly dropping elevation. The river is a beautiful trout stream, and stretches of it are inviting to run with a raft. Wild flowers abound along the road, making patches of color as we drove by.
It
was still overcast and raining softly, the light drizzle so common along
the coast. Not my "cup of tea" but my granddaughter said she loves
it.
At Reedsport, we turned north. Finally came to a spot where we could see the ocean. My granddaughter said it was the first time she'd seen the Pacific -- Hawaii is in the middle so it doesn't count.
We stopped to visit Sea Lion Cave, a "must see" spot along the Oregon Coast.
Further north we stopped at Agate Beach. The tide was
low so there was a very broad expanse of sand. Of course we searched
for agates -- no luck this time.
Of course she had to play tag with the waves, running toward
them as they recede, then scampering back as the next one rolled up the sand.
Finally it made sense to her to take her shoes off. That freedom
allowed her to chase the large flocks of Sea Gulls, who thought they were
safe by being across a shallow stream -- and they all took to flight.
Wet from the drizzle, with her pant legs wet from the sea, she finally agreed to hike back to where we'd parked the RT.
From there we drove north, up the coast, to Tillamook.
Bob & Carol Graham's Home Page