Lava Beds

Hey! We finally visited the famous Lava Beds. Strangely enough, we never did it in California. Looking at the map we realized that it is actually closer to Oregon than to any big town in California. We also made several visits to this place. 

This park is great to visit. It is not crowded as all even during high tourist season because it is so far off the beaten track. It is rather hot in the summer and not many good short trails to walk. But it has a great drive with several view stops.

The main attraction of this park are caves formed by lava. We actually visited several, all the easy ones. The caves are roughly subdivided into three categories: easy, medium and hard. As we had neither equipment not desire to crawl through the hard ones we just chose the easy ones. After the while they all start looking the same. The vexing part was climbing down the long, narrow and very steep stairs only to be confronted with a dead end. Of course we never saw any bats. They make a big deal about bats and some disease was rampant during our visit.

To explore the caves one is required to carry a flashlight and we got a couple of really nice ones. One cave is illuminated and paved: it is a good introduction to the caves in general. The hard one actually require a map which you can buy at the visitor's center.

The Lava Beds are full of desert plants and is a nice place to view a wildlife. We saw a coyote and a hawk carrying a small animal in its claws on the way to the park. 

Black basalt field

Schonchin Butte

Crater Lake Revisited

Crater Lake

Well, we actually visited Crater Lake again. And again some time later. The second time was not too good as it was the 3d of July and you can guess what that means. Yes, it was a zoo. Why everyone suddenly decided to go to that park on a certain national holiday is still a mystery to me. The park was very crowded and it was not much fun. We got to see the lake and hike part of a trail.

The next visit was much better. It was still high summer, July but it was a far better experience. Some roads were still closed but we managed to hike a wildflower trail and get a glimpse at one of the waterfalls (Vidae waterfall is right next to the road. And we finally saw the famous Phantom Ship. Well, it's actually just a rocky formation sticking from the ground, too small and too rough to be called a proper island but the shape indeed resembles a ship if you don't look too close. I especially liked that there were some tree growing on that rock.

Phantom Ship

On out next visit all the roads were finally open and we took a drive around the whole caldera. We saw Pinnacles: the long rocky formations that stick out of the ground. Unfortunately that day a wildfire started and thick smoke very quickly covered the whole lake so we did not get to see the view from different viewpoints. Nevertheless we saw the only trail that goes to the edge of the lake. It was crowded. Part of the reason no doubt was that they have summer boat tours so some people came for that. The trail was very steep and we did not feel like climbing a mile on a steep slope only to have a view of a smoke. Of course it would be fun to take a boat tour but again it should be done on a clear day.

Pinnacles

 Vidae Waterfall

Crater Lake National Park

Crater Lake in the winter

One of the things we decided to do while inn Oregon is to visit its numerous national parks and forests as we enjoy occasional outing. We are not hardcore outdoor camper types though and prefer to travel by small car and spend night in a motel. To our joy we found out that Crater Lake was only an hour drive from KF.

On the way there we saw snow on the sides of the road. If you used to living in California seeing snow can be quite exciting but to tell you the truth I did not miss it. It was also high enough in the mountain to feel some chill in the air. But the drive was surprisingly easy with no traffic whatsoever all the way to the park.

We only saw cars and lots of them when we reached the lake. Some out of state licenses and even a few foreigners. The short climb to see the lake was extremely slippery and we did not have the proper shoes. But no matter.

The view, of course, was spectacular. The crater lake is not really a lake but a caldera formed when water fills a collapsed volcano. Some secondary cones form island the most famous of which is Wizard island. There is also a Phantom Ship but we have not seen this one yet. The view was pretty much like they show in documentaries and in the postcards. You can even get a license plate featuring Crater Lake and as a matter of fact we got one for our car. They are quite beautiful.

The park feature the usual activities: snowshoes tracking, skiing and similar stuff. However some roads are closed during the winter and some activities are limited to fair weather. They say even viewing the lake is not always possible as sometimes a thick fog cover the caldera and thus hides it from view. They recommend you phone in advance to find out about the weather.

By the time we arrived the visitor center was closed so we did not get any information except for the little newspaper featuring the park info.

As the ground was still covered with snow it was not a good time for an amateur botanist to do her thing so we plan to return in the summer and compare the summer view with a the one in the spring.

So if you happen to be in KF or Medford, visit this park. The view is quite spectacular and the drive is fairly short, about an hour or two.

Oregon

So here we are in Oregon. Surprisingly it took us only 2 days to drive all the way from Paso Robles to Klamath Falls with a stop for the night in Los Banos. We were surprised at how big Los Banos looked but I think it is because the town is mainly stretched along the highway. It is 5 miles to the east of major freeway but it has several small neighbouring communities.

By the time we reached Klamath Fals (KF for short) it became dark. As usual we got lost like one often does in a strange city without a map. We had a reservation for a motel and an approximate idea where it was but like I said we usually get lost. So when we saw motel 6 we decided to stay there for a night.

Downtown street in Klamath Falls

Motel 6 is a typical cheapskate motel that offers only the very basic amenities. The interesting thing about is that no matter where you are the faucet never seem to work well. The showers are barely functional and the sink is just a disaster. Of course do not expect any luxuries like a mini fridge or a microwave. But it is okay for what is is.

This particular motel 6 was right next to a restaurant called the Black Bear. Now it is a pretty good restaurant serving typical American food, whatever that is. We went there and by accident discovered a secret of Black Bear that make it look much more attractive than other restaurants. And I am going to reveal this secret to you.

The secret is this: you can order just one portion on the menu and share it (I presume you don't go to a restaurant by yourself). The portions are really just that huge. If you share a dish you get just enough food for half the price. As their prices are average, imagine that you paid half and for two people it makes a much better deal. We went there a few more times, always shared and never left hungry. There is plenty on one plate for two. And coffee refills are unlimited too.

America's Best Western Inn

So the next day we went to the motel for which we had reservation, America's Best Value Inn. The place was run by Indians. We actually came a day earlier but they did not care. They gave us a room with even a bigger bed and a very nice room it was. For only $5 bucks more than Motel 6 you get to enjoy a much nicer room with a fridge and microwave, a real breakfast and the best shower and sink faucet I have seen in any motel so far in this price range. The front desk people were very helpful and cancelled my reservation as I did not know how to do this. The breakfast was terrific: cereal or toast, coffee or cocoa. Good tea was available all day long. The only thing that was not true in their little advertising was a lake view. That view was blocked by another motel and storage place (which we used) across the street.

 The "lake view" from the motel

It is possible that there was a view in the old days. Garden setting was a bit of an exaggeration too unless a parking lot can be considered a garden. In general we were very satisfied and would definitely recommend this motel for passing through or staying for a while.

Frog

Egret on the Marsh

Egret

Lagoon at low tide

Marshes

We live fairly close to the marsh that is a great place to walk on trails far from any kind of traffic. The trails are unpaved. There are lots of plant and animal species. This particular march is bird watchers paradise and they even have their godwit days. In case you don't know, godwit is a bird. What was surprising to discover was that lots of plants that I though were suitable for dry climate really strived in these wet lands. Poison hemlock was especially abound.