Trip photos

The trip photos are up. Find them here.

It's Monday morning and I'm back at my desk in San Francisco. Time to do a recap of the rest of our vacation!

So... let's see. The last time I wrote, I was just about to fall asleep in a Union Creek lodge right outside Crater Lake National Park. We woke up early on Saturday morning and left the lodge around 9 am, feeling well-rested and ready to go. The drive into the park was easy since there was nobody else on the road. When we left the park later on the entrance was jammed with traffic, so it's good we got there so early. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The road up to Crater Lake winds through mountains covered with snow patches and tall trees. When the lake came into view, I gasped. I heard it was blue, but I didn't know it was that blue. In the visitor center, I learned that it was formed by the collapsing of a volcano. No rivers or streams flow in or out of it, so it's one of the cleanest bodies of water in the world. It is the deepest body of water in the United States and has one island called Wizard Island. It sounds like something out of a storybook doesn't it? 

We had a delicious breakfast in the beautiful lodge. I had pancakes with marion berry syrup. Speaking of berries, I noticed a lot of places in Oregon selling berry related items. Berries must be a major crop in that state. 

After breakfast, we hiked the Cleetwood Trail. Almost all the trails except for Cleetwood and Garfield were closed due to snow. Kind of crazy if you think about it, since it was early July and the temperatures felt like they were in the low 80's. 

The Cleetwood Trail starts off on the rim and ends at the lake. It's about a mile one way, very steep, and has many switchbacks. When we got to the lake, there were people jumping off the cliffs into the water. It was funny watching them. Almost all of them came to the surface looking shocked and unable to speak for a few seconds before they crowed "it's so cold!" I stuck my hands into the lake and it was indeed chilly. The hike reminded me of the trail down into the Grand Canyon, except not nearly as hot. Gorgeous views on the way down, huffing and puffing on the way up. Lucky for us, our legs are in pretty good shape from all the steep hills of San Francisco. 

We left the park around noon, with a loose idea of where to go next. We decided to drive down the 5 and check out Mount Shasta. I have always wanted that mountain. Once it came into view, I thought of this poem by Joaquin Miller:

"Lonely as God, and white as a winter moon, Mount Shasta starts up sudden and solitary from the heart of the great black forests of Northern California."

Mount Shasta is quite a striking sight.

One of our plans was to stop at a place called Stewart Hot Springs resort in Weed, California. Ever since our amazing experiences at onsens in Japan (hot spring fed baths) I have been trying to chase down a similar experience in California. I had read about Stewart Hot Springs online and it sounded like a nice enough place. Little did I know. 

After driving down a typical California country road, we reached the gates of the resort. As we pulled in, we immediately heard the loud drum beat and chanting of a Native American ceremony. They were situated next to a sweat lodge and surrounded by hippies swaying and dancing in time to the music. This put me off immediately because I am very suspicious of people dabbling in other people's spiritualities. It seems inauthentic and disrespectful to me. 

Various wooden buildings and shacks were scattered about the rambling property. We found the crystal adorned office and waited in line to speak to the hippie girl behind the desk. A haughty woman cut in front of us and asked the desk girl who was leading the sweat lodge ceremony that night... as if this was something she attended all the time. I tried not to roll my eyes at the lame California hippie-ness of it all. We told the clerk we were interested in possibly staying there and taking a bath in the springs. She gave us a rundown of the pricing and told us which rooms and cabins were still available. We told her we wanted to check the place out and maybe we'd be back to book a room and some spring time. 

As we wandered the property we saw them: the naked hippie people. Augh, god. No. Just NO. I noticed children playing near the naked people and got even more agitated. I decided we were not staying there and got in the car, almost backing into another car in my rush to get out of there. It doesn't matter if I spend the rest of my life in California or not... I am from the Midwest and will never be able to accept that naked hippie crap. 

We started driving back down the 5 and pulled into the little town of Mount Shasta to look at the map and get our bearings. Yes, it's true that we usually fly by the seat of our pants when we go on these road trips... but I usually do some research ahead of time of where to go and what to see. For this trip, I knew I wanted stay in Jedidiah Smith State Park and see Crater Lake National Park, but I hadn't given much thought to the last day before we drove back. Before the trip, all my time was consumed with something else going on in my personal life. 

We looked at the map and it wasn't good. Beyond Mount Shasta, it was miles of the boring part of California - endless stretches of flat farmland. It was either drive back to SF and get home at 2 am or find a place in Mount Shasta. We decided on the latter. We drove around a bit and checked out our options, finally settling on a place called the Strawberry Valley Inn. The owner told us he would give us a good deal since his properties were less than half full. He also told us he was the party planner on the reality show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Ok, whatever you say guy.

We left for San Francisco early on Sunday morning. The drive was long and got pretty gnarly once we hit wine country. Holiday traffic I guess. Driving over the Golden Gate Bridge back into San Francisco was a relief and a letdown. Happy to be back home where my bed is familiar and the bathroom is nearby, disappointed to be back in the cold foggy weather and no longer on vacation with my best friend. 

But that's okay. My Wisconsin vacation is coming up soon. I CAN'T WAIT to see my family and relax in that sweet Wisconsin summer heat. 

Stay tuned for the pictures from the trip! 

Further Up the Fog Belt

Sorry I haven't posted sooner... it was hard to find an internet connection and time to blog. We are home now. The following blog was written on Friday, July 6th. Tomorrow I'll be writing another entry and posting photos. 

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The last time I wrote, it was Thursday morning. We were planning on leaving Jedidiah Smith State Park and heading north to Crater Lake. We changed our plan and camped in Jedidiah Smith another night. We wanted to spend more time amongst the redwoods and weren't too keen on spending two nights in Crater Lake (it can be snowy and cold even in July.) 

We had to move campsites because our original site was booked that night. Our new neighbors played blues and jazz music all day; specifically the kind with wailing saxophone and noodling guitar solos. It was really annoying, but I thought to myself "at least they don't have a yippy dog, or a screeching child, or a loud generator." Later on when we went to bed, Bluesy McJazz snored loudly all night. I could hear the snores even with earplugs and a pile of clothes on my head. Good times. 

We relaxed around the campsite for awhile before heading to the nearby town of Crescent City to stock up on groceries and get a little something to eat. We stopped for veggie tacos at a taco stand. They were not good and nothing like the amazing tacos back in SF. Crescent City seemed to be a pretty economically depressed place; we saw a lot of people that looked like they were on drugs. It was still interesting though. 

When we got back to the campground we went for a hike along the Smith River. It was really beautiful and there were a lot of gorgeous redwoods. The river was pristine and seemed like a fisherman's dream. Jack, have you fished there?

After dinner, we went to the ranger's talk about redwood trees. It was sad and surprising. Hearing that only 5% of the original coastal redwoods are left is a truly horrifying fact. Seeing photographs and hearing stories about the lumber industry that felled so many proud giants was interesting but so depressing. But, learning about the anatomy of a redwood was delightful. Shrimp-like creatures and salamanders live at the top. Their branches are the size of trees. It was so weird seeing pictures of what goes on up there.

We left Jed Smith relatively early this morning with the destination of Crater Lake in mind. We stopped at Stout Grove to see more redwoods... I can't get enough of those trees! We crossed the Oregon border this afternoon and stopped at Oregon Caves for a tour. The caves were neat and now I can say I have walked inside a mountain. We had lunch in the park's 1930's era diner and saw a really gnarly scorpion crawling around on the floor.

Tonight we are staying at a lodge in a tiny town called Union Creek, right outside Crater Lake National Park. In fact, I don't think there is anything in Union Creek besides this lodge, the diner across the street, and an ice cream shop. We decided on the lodge because we didn't want to camp in the frigid conditions. The lodge is pretty bare bones but the we're happy with it. It was built in the 30's and has a lot of character.

This whole trip we've been singing Twin Peaks songs. All the scenery looks like its straight out of the show. I swear we drove past Leo Johnson's house today.

Well, it's tired and I'm going to bed now. Hopefully I can find some wi-fi tomorrow. 

Through the Redwood Curtain

Yesterday we left San Francisco around noon. We had planned on leaving earlier, but we're a slow moving pair. At least it's that time of year when the day lasts longer. When heading towards a campsite, I always feel like its a rush to beat the sun. Setting up camp in the dark is difficult. 

We took the 101 North almost all the way here. We passed through the hot golden hills of Sonoma's wine country. When we hit Willits, a colorful arch transversed the road reading "Gateway to the Redwoods."  The landscape had taken a turn for the green and the temperatures dipped. Massive ferns and giant redwood trees came into view. The air was pungent with the scent of arboreal life. As we went further up the 101, gift shops selling smoked salmon, redwood carvings, and burls started popping up. What is a burl? I'm not exactly sure, but it seems like a living piece of a redwood tree that you can grow moss on. We stopped at one of the shops that had a house made out of one log. Crazy!

Along the way, we took a detour off the 101 on a road called "The Avenue of the Giants." It wound through groves of GIANT and I mean GIANT redwood trees. I tried to take pictures, but just like any other majestic beautiful natural thing I've tried to capture with my camera, it just doesn't do it justice. The forests up here are so dense and tall that they blot out the sun, so you have to turn your car lights on while driving through them. 

There was a period of time in history when these trees were cut down. That makes me so sad. They're so beautiful. I am glad some people had the sense to stop before all these majestic giants were gone.

We got to Crescent City around 7:30. This was the area I wanted to be, since there are several great campgrounds. I really wanted to stay in Jedidiah Smith State Park since the reviews on Tripadvisor were so glowing.  I knew that getting to the campground so late with no reservations (and on a holiday no less) was really pressing our luck. When we got to the entrance the ranger told us that he was leaving in about 15 minutes, but we were in luck since he had one site left. I was so thankful. Our alternatives were a bland KOA campground or a budget motel. YES! I wanted to camp under the redwoods and I got my wish! 

The ranger station had signs with bear warnings. We asked him how bad they were this year and he said they hadn't had any problems... yet. Like true Wisconsinites, we had a dinner of Johnsonville Better with Cheddars with some cans of High Life. We were careful to keep our food and toiletries bag locked up in the car and the sites bear box. I slept soundly although it was pretty cold and I was wearing many layers. 

Now It's about 9 am and I'm sitting in the campsite. I'm hearing bird calls I've never heard before and seeing fat slimy banana slugs. It's overcast and about 60 degrees, so I'm a bit chilly. Mike is off exploring the campground and the gorgeous lazy river that runs next to it. When he gets back we'll have some bagels and pack up camp. Today we'll hike around here somewhere for a bit and then head across the Oregon border towards Crater Lake. Hopefully we'll find a good campsite and it won't be too cold and wet. Whatever happens, we're prepared. 

One more thing... when we go on these road trips we like to listen to audio books. It helps the miles fly by. Currently we're listening to Rob Lowe's autobiography. It's really good and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes movies and California. 

Almost time to go!

Tomorrow we're planning on hitting the road and heading north. We have a lot of packing and grocery shopping to do, but I'm not too stressed about it. Whenever we travel, we're rather casual about it. Well, at least when we travel within the country. International travel requires a lot of preparation.  

We won't be gone for long and since we're not going anywhere fancy I don't have to pack many clothes. To quote my mom, "this isn't a fashion show." The camping supplies are in storage near the car, so it won't be a problem to quickly load them up. 

Food is always a wild card on these trips. I almost always enjoy the food we cook over a fire for dinner or breakfast. I will never forget being in Joshua Tree, sitting on a boulder, watching a beautiful desert sunset with my favorite person in the whole world while eating a delicious burger hot off the campsite grill. That memory is definitely filed in the happiest memories of my life folder.

Then there's the food memories that aren't as positive. On these trips we usually get a loaf of bread and some peanut butter and live off that for lunch. It gets pretty boring after awhile. I remember being in the Kelso Dunes and it was over 100 degrees in the shade. I was watching a lizard and trying to choke down a dry peanut butter sandwich to stave off the hunger pangs. Ha. Now that I remember it, it doesn't seem as bad as it was at the time. Funny how time makes unpleasant memories seem humorous.

I hope the weather cooperates... I don't have high hopes to be honest. I imagine it's going to be like what we've been experiencing here in San Francisco, only wetter. I'll be packing jeans, sweatshirts, and my raincoat. 

I should mention that we've decided to cut Lake Tahoe out of the itinerary. After reading in Sunset Magazine about 4th of July Lake Tahoe traffic jams and hearing admonitions from our friends, we've decided it's a bad idea. Maybe some other time.