Day 21: Redding to Bend via Crater Lake; 378 miles

We started off at 7:38 and soon passed by Lake Shasta.  There was some water (but very low) to the south, but the northern part of the lake was dry or nearly dry.  We drove around and saw a houseboat launch area that was completely dry.

After leaving the lake, we started to encounter great snow-covered views of Mt. Shasta.  The snow was thin, but better than what we had seen two weeks ago.  We stopped at a vista point which had a trail of footprints in the cement with factiods about the volcano every so often.  We learned that the last eruption was in the 1700's and that you can see Mt. Shasta from 150 miles away.

We pulled off the highway at Castle Crags State Park and took a windy 1-lane road up the hill to a trail head for a view point.  Too many trees here to have an unobstructed view.  The trail was only 1/4 mile so we took off camera in hand.  It was a curvy trail through the woods, but we were rewarded at the end with a great view of the rocky Castle Crags and Mt. Shasta.

Back on the highway, we passed "Truck Villiage."  I thought T had made that up, but that is the real name.  At the villiage you pass by a number of multi-colored trucks.  We entered Butte Valley National Grasslands and soon spotted the giant flag at Dorris, letting us know we were close to Oregon

When we reached Klamath Falls, we decided to go along the back side of the lake.  We went by Moore Park (where T was married) and north to the Fort Klamath area where T had lived when she first joined the Forest Service.  Near Fort Klamath we saw a sign that said," 36 miles to Crater Lake."  T and I looked at each other.  T said, " how many pictures do you have left on your card?"  I said, "How much gas do we have?"  Concluding that we had both picture space and gas, we turned left and headed for Crater Lake.

There was no snow on the road, but that changed by the time we got to the park.  By the time we got to the ridge, the snow was piled up over our heads (although the road was nicely cleared).  We were worried that we wouldn' t be able to see the lake.  We parked in the lot which was cleared and started following footsteps in the snow.  Once we got on top, there it was.

And it was beautiful.  The reflections were so clear and the snow beautifully framed the lake.

We spent some time tennis shoe-ing in the snow, sinking down to our knees from time to time, but the effort was rewarded with great views and hopefully some good pictures.

On the way back to highway 97, we passed the Klamath Agency, where T lived when she first came to the area.  We stopped for gas at the Kla-mo-ya Casino again and headed north to Bend.  I noticed that there had been some significant clearing of trees along the highway.  T said they had been doing that to make a clearing so deer wouldn't just junp out of the trees into the road.  You had a chance to spot them.  It also made the view from the road less clastrophobic.

Soon we passed the fake police car, then Sun River and we were at T's house. Some take out from "Thai on the Fly" and it feels good to be home (for one of us). I'll take the bus back to Portland Wed. morning after some R and R (rest and re-packing).