Grant's Pass (Crater Lake)

This morning I drove the two and a half hours out to Crater Lake National Park . It did not even occur to me to check conditions as I was not thinking about the fact that it is both at elevation and away from the coast. I arrived to two feet of snow and road and trail closures. The visitor center was closed, but fortunately, the cafe and gift shop were open. As always, capitalism rules. The trail around the lake was completely snowed in and iced over. And the snow was even with or over the retaining wall. I put on my trusty cleats and walked a short distance along what would have been the trail around the lake. Fortunately the gift shop and cafe were built specifically to accommodate the view, so I was able to get some clear shots.

As there was nothing more I could do, I headed back down with the intention of stopping at a couple of places I had noted on the way up. I first stoped at Rogue River Gorge . It was a beautiful area, but between the fence and the foliage it was difficult to get any sort of aesthetic shot. I then stopped at the Mill Creek Falls scenic area. Both Mill Creek Falls and Bear Creek Falls are located within about a half mile hike from the parking lot. Pearsony Falls looked like a longer hike and I decided to leave it for another time. I did not want to risk driving again in the dark and it was pushing 3 PM.

I knew that K’s son and wife were coming with their new puppy to help decorate the tree. K’s partner J also joined us. We had a wonderful potluck dinner of soup and homemade sourdough. And I got to spend some time alone with K after everyone else left, which we had not yet been able to do.

This is my last night in Oregon. Tomorrow I drive south to cross back into California.