More pictures of the Redwoods and the Pacific Coast 9/7/2011

Visiting the Redwoods in California!!

After the great visit to Crater Lake it was time to move on down the coast to see the Redwoods. We stopped in Crescent City, California and stayed at the Village Camper Inn. It's a nice campground with plenty of shade. California is our 12^th state to visit on our trip and the coast and redwoods are really something to see. Crescent City has some beautiful coast and we enjoyed seeing the ocean. The fog was heavy on our drive down the coast and you were really deprived of seeing the ocean the majority of the time. But when you did see the ocean, the views were really fantastic. There was a tsunami in March 2011 that hit the coast of Crescent City with an 8ft surge of the ocean. We ate at a restaurant at the harbor and saw pictures of the tsunami damage. The restaurant wasn't damaged but the docks and boats were washed ashore. There is a piece of the old dock where sea lions and seals now gather. It was neat to eat and watch the sea lions and seals from our table.

If you want to read more about the tsunami, click on the link below
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/03/11/national/main20042243.shtml

The Redwood National and State Parks are really great. The groves of redwoods are mostly named after people who have either donated or given the area to the park system. The park is very big and runs down the coast of California, so there are many areas to visit. Some of the places to visit are private, like Tour of Tree, which you drive thru and Trees of Mystery, with some very large trees. We did several of the Scenic drives, the coastal Drive Loop, which takes you by the old World War II radar station, disguised as a humble farmhouse and barn. The fog was so thick we could not see the coast that day. We also drove the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway which takes you by some of the redwoods, some close to 2000 years old. There are also some nice trailheads which gave us some nice views of the redwood forest. You really don't get the whole effect as to the size of the redwoods unless you get out there and walk among them. It is really fantastic!! On our way down the coast to our next campground in Ukiah we drove the Avenue of the Giants a 32 mile scenic drive. It has the largest remaining old growth coast redwood forest in the world. This scenic drive you can take your camper on, the others are not for campers.

Overall a great visit to the Redwood National and State Parks. Put this place on you bucket list of places to visit. Also Hwy 101 would be a great ride on a motorcycle.

 

More Pictures of Crater Lake

The blue water is FABULOUS!!!

Crater Lake September 1, 2011

It was time to leave Myrtle Creek, Oregon and head to Crater Lake National Park. It was a nice drive with lots of wonderful views. We ended up at a campground in Prospect, Oregon called Crater Lake and Prospect RV Park. This is a very nice campground, with plenty of shade from the nice big trees. The owners had a nice celebration for Labor Day by having homemade cinnamon rolls on Saturday morning, then they had a hot dog roast over an open fire, with cake and ice cream for desert on Saturday night. Entertainment was provided by a brother and sister from a family of 8, with great singing. They even wrote their own songs and were very talented. It was a great ending to a perfect day at Crater Lake. But that wasn't all they did, Sunday morning they cooked pancakes, along with sausage for all the campers. You don't find this very often at a campground. What a nice place!!

We arrived early in the afternoon at the campground and took a little drive to see the town of Prospect., all on one short street of maybe a mile, with a post office, 2 restaurants and a grocery/gas station. We took the road out of town to find some waterfalls and do some short hikes. All in all a nice day!

The next morning it was time to drive and see Crater Lake National Park. WOW is all you can say about this great lake. It is 5 miles wide and rests in the shattered remnants of a volcano called Mount Mazama, which erupted and collapsed into itself 7,700 years ago. Crater Lake is only filled by rain and melted snow and is 1,943 feet deep. It is the deepest lake in the United States and one of the deepest in the world. The lake is at an average elevation of 6,173 feet and you look down on the lake from another 1,200 feet above. If that is not enough the most fascinating thing about this lake is the color. It is the most intense blue you will ever see. Suzanne and I have never seen anything like this before. We had a very sunny day, which made the color even more radiant. It is so beautiful, pictures don't do it justice.

There is only one place that you can get to the water and it is also where you can take a boat ride around the lake. We were lucky and had a reservation as the tours are all most always sold out. To get down to the lake you must take a nice long hike with a very steep decent, easy, but don't forget what goes down, must go up, and yes, it was another “free stress test” hike. Seeing the lake from the boat gives you some very beautiful scenery along with some waterfalls that can only be seen from the water. What still amazes me is the color of the lake from the boat. The water is so blue, it is really amazing. If you get a chance to visit this National Park you will not be disappointed.

We wanted to see the lake again and take some hikes to give us some different views of the lake so a second day was in order. We took a hike, with snow on the trail, to a fire lookout, Watchman Peak, which gives you spectacular views in all directions. We drove all the way around the rim of the lake and stopped at almost every overlook. It was a fantastic drive and each overlook gave you a different perspective on this fantastic lake. The last place before we left the park was to the Pinnacles Overlook. It is off the main road but worth seeing. The Pinnacles are a collection of 100 foot tall spires. The spires are “fossil fumaroles,” each marking a spot where volcanic gas rose up through hot ash deposits, cementing the ash into solid rock.

We will be on the road again, Sunday 9/4. We must head to the California coast and the Redwood Trees!!

We are so happy that David is back safe and sound in Germany after his tour in Kuwait and Iraq. We are so proud of him and can't wait to see him at Nicole's wedding. Let us never forget the other service men and women still in Iraq and Afghanistan. Keep them in your prayers.

Visiting the Myrtle Creek area

We had Wednesday to explore the city and decided to head over to Winston, Oregon to visit the Wildlife Safari. The park opened in 1973 and is located on over 600 acres. You actually drive your vehicle 4 miles through the wildlife park. Most of the animals are roaming free with only certain ones contained. We even saw an elephant spraying a car with water and using a sponge:) This was a wonderful park and the animals looked healthy and almost happy to be there. If you are ever in the area of Winston, stop by and visit Wildlife Safari. Suzanne and I had a great time!
On our drive around Myrtle Creek, which isn't a very big town, we did find a covered bridge built around 1939 that is still being used. We had an early dinner and then went to win our fortune at the Seven Feathers Casino. Well we did leave with more money than we started out with, a whole 60 cents more:)  We enjoyed our visit in Myrtle Creek, but now on the Crater Lake and some wonderful sites.

Myrtle Creek, Oregon 8/30 and 8/31

Had a great drive along the coast. It is everything you anticipate it to be. Just like in the movies. We stopped at Depoe Bay, the world's smallest bay and also home of a whale center. They had spotted 23 whales for the month of August, mostly blue whales. But we didn't get to see any:(
We made a visit to the Sea Lion Caves, The World's Largest Sea Cave, the interior is 12 story high and stretches the full length of a football field. You take an elevator to the cave over 200ft down. There were stellar sea lions in the cave. It is really a cool place to visit.  We finally made it to Myrtle Creek and to a very nice campground, Tri City RV Park. It takes a little longer to drive the coastal road because of the mountains and curves. Slow going!!