We planned this trip pretty loosely, just wanting to know how much in fuel it was going to take to visit all the places we wanted to go, and still be able to eat and have a little fun. Of course, with Arizona being "so close" to Moab, UT, we had to make 4x4 adventures a part of it, and this meant that both Jeeps got to go! We decided on a somewhat circular route: From Seattle down through Portland and then stop by and visit Crater Lake on the southern side of Oregon, then spend the night in Medford, OR. The next day rise early and head to Gilroy, CA to visit family that we have not seen in WAY too many years. Spend a couple of days/nights there visiting the surrounding areas (Monterey, San Francisco) and then head to Arizona. Drop our daughter off in Tucson, then head up to The Grand Canyon for a day. After thoroughly exploring that area, we were planning on heading straight up to Moab, UT...the MECA for the off road enthusiast! We planned on spending several days here and then head off through Salt Lake City to Lake Tahoe and explore the Rubicon Trails. Couple of days here, and then head home. We had 12 days of vacation in which to make this all happen. Total trip (minus any side trips) was going to run right around 3,500 miles! Easy Peasy right?!?
After leaving home early Wednesday morning, we set our GPS units and headed straight for Crater Lake, OR.
Crater Lake National Park is a United States National Park located in southern Oregon. Established in 1902, Crater Lake National Park is the fifth oldest national park in the United States and the only one in the state of Oregon. The park consists of 183,224 acre's, encompassing the nearly symmetrical 4,000-foot (1,200 m) deep caldera formed 7,700 years ago during the violent climactic eruptions and subsequent collapse of Mount Mazama, plus the surrounding hills and forests. The lake is 1,943 feet (592 m) deep at its deepest point, which makes it the deepest lake in the United States, the second deepest in North America and the ninth deepest in the world.
The caldera rim itself ranges in elevation from 7,000 to 8,000 feet (2,100 to 2,400 m). The elevation of the lake surface itself is 6,178 feet (1,883 m). Crater Lake has no streams flowing into or out of it. All water that enters the lake is eventually lost from evaporation or subsurface seepage. The lake's water commonly has a striking blue hue, and the lake is re-filled entirely from direct precipitation in the form of snow and rain.
Due to the extensive fires that have engulfed both Washington and Oregon, we were not able to enter the park by the North Entrance as it was closed for fire operations related to the Crescent Fire. So, we headed to the South Entrance via U.S. 97 to Route 422 at Chiloquin, then Route 62. Quite a longer route than originally anticipated, but we got there all the same. The air was very thick and heavy with smoke from the fires surrounding the area, so our pictures of the park were not as clear as I had hoped for.
Still very beautiful, and well worth the visit!
On the way to Medford, OR to find a puppy friendly place to spend the night we drove right into a spectacular sunset. Unfortunately, the reason it was so spectacular was again, due to the fires in the area. Got into Medford, got a hotel, and hit the hay...ready for another long day of driving tomorrow!
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