We left South Jetty in Florence at 10:13 on Monday August 10, Acey’s mileage is 65456. The drive today was quite scenic – we went south on 101 to route 35 to 135 – the Umpqua River Scenic Byway – before getting on I-5
A very scenic drive with basically no shoulder on the road.
They are working on replacing this bridge – it was a bit narrow and 2 trucks went past us going the other direction – a tight squeeze; glad Jim was driving!
And we continued to follow along the Umpqua River…
More beautiful countryside as we headed down I-5
We arrived at the Southern Oregon RV Park in Central Point, Oregon at about 2:30 and we have said goodbye to the cold weather – it is 90F here. It feels strange to be wearing shorts! On arrival, Acey’s mileage is 65,640.4 and Thor has 70,283 miles.
Tuesday we drove over to see Crater Lake. Linda’s ankle seems OK as long as she doesn’t put pressure on the bone that sticks out (whatever that is called!), so she has been wrapping her foot and ankle – and wearing Teva sandals as they don’t rub on that bone like her shoes do; we knew we would want to do a lot of walking at the National Park. On the way, we stopped at the Rogue Gorge on the Rogue River. This sign shows some of the history of both Crater Lake and the Gorge – volcanic activity and collapsed lava tubes.
We started our “tour” at the bottom of the gorge where there were busy rapids flowing.
The water flow was really crazy thru the gorge!
We saw a lava tube along the side of the river as it flows through the gorge
The top of the gorge was interesting with a short waterfall
And then we went on to see beautiful Crater Lake!
Proof we were there – another selfie!
Coincidentally, Chuck was at Crater Lake the previous Tuesday – he was forced to take a week off work and he loves to travel!
Linda’s first visit to Crater Lake was in July of 1962 – it was a bit colder that day! Here’s Laura, Eve, Ted, Mom and Linda – did you look at the earlier blog of her family’s epic trip in 1962?!
We went part way up the Garfield Peak Trail to find this bench. It is a memorial bench that was placed to honor Cameron Parnell who had a tragic accident further up the trail in April of 2014.
The view from the bench!
Wizard Island is a volcanic cinder cone rising about 755 feet above the average surface of the lake.
Its a long way down to water level – and the water is so clean and clear!
There were some patches of snow still hanging on around the park.
Lots of people at the park today – this is the only wild life we saw!
We drove the 33 mile rim route around the lake – such an unbelievably deep shade of blue!
LLao Rock protrudes high above the lake.
One of the more colorful features, other than the blue water. is the Pumice Castle.
And “the other island” in Crater Lake is Phantom Ship. Though it looks really small, it is as tall as a 16-story building!
We drove the 6 mile road to see the pinnacles overlook. These pinnacles are “fossil fumaroles” where volcanic gases once rose up through a layer of volcanic ash, cementing the ash into solid rock. Impressive!
Our last stop in the park was Vidae Falls.
After dinner we sat outside and watched for the Persied Meteor shower. We saw a few meteors even though the park we are in had bright lights all over the place. One meteor was quite a bit closer and was a bright fiery ball. Of course – no photos.
Wednesday, Linda tested out her ankle– riding her bike in the RV park this morning.– she was glad to be able to get back on my bike! There is a really nice 26 mile paved trail – the Bear Creek Greenway – a that ends right in front of the RV park. We rode 9 miles today. After over 2 weeks of not riding, it was great to get active again! Saturday it will be 3 weeks since she fell at the lighthouse.
This gazebo was a nice place for a short water and rest break.
Thursday we rode again before it got too hot. We rode out 7 miles and back again. Here is Bear Creek.
We rode under a very large overpass by a park and saw these painted trestles.
We noticed there was a Growers Market going on at the park, and planned to drive back over to check it out – Jim wanted to gas up Thor at Costco anyway…
Friday – Linda played Bridge online with her friends in Nashville using Trickster Cards – she began learning the game just a couple of years ago and is still learning! While she played, Jim went off to Home Depot and got a roll of Reflectix Insulation to put in the front windshield to help keep the heat of the sun out. We will likely need to use the rest of the roll when we go to Alaska next year – it doesn’t get dark there during the summer! The stuff he got is kind of like the shields you use in your car windshield when parking in the sun. Its really warm here and that will help keep Acey cool when we are parked!
Hate that it blocks the view…
We went for a late morning bike ride after that – only rode 7.6 miles as it was rather sunny and warm – and we were hungry too!
After lunch, we went into Medford – the home of Harry and David! Over the years, we have sent and received many of their gift packs, so we thought we would check out their store. We got some cherries, pears, apples and plums – and the prices were actually better than the grocery store! My glasses keep sliding down my nose, so I got them adjusted while we were out.
We will leave in the morning to head to Green Acres RV Park in Redding, CA.
Love your blog! Glad your ankle is better & you can ride your bike again.
Thanks for reading – and commenting! I never know who reads it unless they comment! The weather was wonderful in Medford – its petty hot in California; we’ll have to get up early if e are going to ride – and if the air quality isn’t too bad.