We spent the night “dispersed camping” at the Rim of Crater Lake. The Mazama Campground, which is first come first serve, was full. At the Ranger station, one ranger suggested that we get a free dispersed camping permit and put it in the truck and park at the Rim.
Today we are driving east across the rest of Oregon and into Idaho. We stopped for gas in Christmas Valley and it’s was a great time. Caleb got an 8 piece family chicken finger and wedge meal to share with Isla and Joel for breakfast. I got a 44oz Mountain Dew and made toast in the trailer 😉
Driving through Oregon is very very different than all the other states so far. There is nothing except random cows with the towns very few and far between.
Know that we have left Oregon here are our thoughts:
Highlight of Oregon:
- Isla: The Big Obsidian Flow – I enjoyed seeing all the black shiny rocks from lava
- Caleb: Crater Lake – it was cool biking around part of the Lake with so much snow. Collier Logging Museum.
- Tracy: The Big Obsidian Flow – it was amazing hiking through the cooled lava. Eating huckleberry ice cream at Smith Rock State Park.
- Joel: swimming in the ocean. Watching Isla in the ocean and how much she loves it. Tracy wearing her new Smith Rock shirt at Smith Rock State Park.
What we would skip if we went back to Oregon:
- Isla: I can’t think of anything. I loved it all.
- Caleb: The second cave (Lava River) because we already did a cave. (Little does he know we are going to 4 other caves). And Del Taco.
- Tracy: I wouldn’t have tried to camp at Mazama Campground – that was no fun dealing with the worker on a power trip. We should have just went straight to the visitor center.
- Joel:Del Taco – it wasn’t good food.
What surprised me about Oregon:
- Isla: How big the chunks of Obsidian are. How blue Crater Lake is.
- Caleb: How big the cliffs were at Smith Rock. It was fun watching rock climbers climb.
- Tracy: I was expecting a more west coast hippie vibe.
- Joel: How much snow there is still.
Last thoughts on Oregon:
- Isla: I loved it
- Caleb: I really liked it
- Tracy: Everything hasn’t been what I expected – sometimes better and sometimes worse. The coast was painfully windy but the Newberry Volcanic National Monument and Smith Rock blew me away. The National Parks visitor centers are nothing compared to Utah’s…
- Joel: It had the biggest swings in daily temperature (today was 2 degrees to 31 degrees).
Side note on the truck for Dad: Joel and Caleb lowered the hitch about two inches in California and now it is towing even better than before.
