Our first stop in Oregon was to be Crater Lake National Park, but wait! We were fortunate to be able to stop by the home of a family friend literally right on the way. Steve & Betty live in Shady Cove, OR, conveniently located about an hour south of Crater Lake. We “mooch-camped” in their driveway (and yes, they generously offered us their guest bedroom). Steve, who said he first met me when I was in high school, was a part of the Mavericks square dance group my parents were deeply involved in (and yes, I also square danced for a bit). Many of the connections my parents made through the group became cherished, lifelong friends.
Steve and Betty moved to Shady Cove about four years ago, and Steve has been busy transforming their home and grounds, including installing a fantastic pool. Murphy (and I) was thrilled to take a refreshing dip in the pool and Steve and I had lots of fun on the slide. We went out for a great dinner; the restaurant on the banks of the Roque River. We had great fun watching the rafts float down the river and even went back the next morning for breakfast before we headed out. But, did I remember to take a photo at the restaurant? Nope, and we were there twice! Too busy enjoying the great company. Dave and I thoroughly enjoyed our time together and appreciated their hospitality. Murphy was quite pouty after we left. He really enjoyed what he thought was a doggy resort!
Our journey continued to a campground on Diamond Lake, conveniently located about 20 miles northwest of Crater Lake. Guess what our first adventure was. Yep, you guessed it, Crater Lake National Park.
Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States at 1,943 feet deep, surpassing second-place Lake Tahoe by 300 feet. It is the deepest lake in the world formed by volcanic activity. The stunning deep blue lake fills the caldera of Mount Mazama, a collapsed volcano. The mountain once stood about 12,200 feet tall, but its summit imploded after a major eruption approximately 7,700 years ago. In just a few days, vast quantities of ash and pumice were ejected from the magma chamber, which could no longer support the weight of the mountain above it. The eruption was 100 times that of the 1980 Mount St. Helens blast. This is what it is thought Mount Mazama would have looked like.
Within 30 minutes of leaving our campsite, we reached the rim road on the north end of the lake. Our first glimpse of Crater Lake below was absolutely stunning Typically, you can take a scenic drive all the way around the rim, but a large portion of the east rim was closed for road maintenance. Fortunately, we were able to drive around the west rim and take terrific photos and the visitor’s center, where I got my Passport book stamped! Because it is a national park, the hiking trails and boat rides on the lake were not dog-friendly, so we opted just to take in the scenery from the rim, knowing we had some great dog-friendly hikes lined up for the following day.
Waterfalls. Lots of majestic waterfalls. The Central Oregon Cascade Mountain Range, a region shaped by volcanic activity, has created an environment for the creation of waterfalls, where streams cut through volcanic rock. Within 20 minutes of our campground, there were six stunning waterfalls and all were on dog-friendly trails. Some of the trails provided a bit more of a challenging hike to see the waterfall (which of course Murphy loved). Each waterfall was beautiful in its own way. There is just something inspirational watching a waterfall. I also learned there are twelve main types of waterfalls and we were able to see quite a variety. The first falls visited, Toketee Falls, were classified as “tiered” as they form a distinct series of separate falls.
Watson Falls, pictured below, are considered plunge falls as they lose contact with the bedrock surface. Watson Falls plunge 293 feet – the third highest falls in the state of Oregon.
Whitehorse Falls are punchbowl falls, flowing from a constricted width of a stream into a pool below. Murphy went “off trail” and found the waterfall pool.
Clearwater Falls are segmeneted; the stream diverges into 2 or 3 parts.
Lemolo Falls was Dave and my favorite (even though it was the longest hike…all uphill on the way back). They are classified as horsetail falls as they maintain some contact with the bedrock surface as the stream falls. Murphy was able to be off leash for most of the hike, so this was his favorite too!
Earlier I mentioned we were staying at a campground on Diamond Lake. The lake was formed in a hollow created by glacial erosion. It sits between Mount Bailey and Mount Thielsen. Both mountains are extinct shield volcanos, with Mount Thielsen having a striking sharp spire. It is often called the “Lightning Rod of the Cascades” for an obvious reason. Between Crater Lake, the surrounding mountains, fields, and waterfalls, this area provided spectacular views. Murphy and I had a beautiful walk each morning along the lake with Mount Bailey in the background.
The campground had beautiful wildflowers growing throughout and many were the same ones we saw in Canada and Alaska, namely Fireweed and Cow Parsnips. Seeing them brought back so many great memories of our RV trip to Alaska last year. Dave noted that this area does have a bit of an Alaskan feel to it. Beautiful lakes, snow capped mountains, waterfalls, and now Fireweed! Since the Fireweed blooms as the summer season progresses and blooms at the top when winter is close, it looks like this area has many more weeks of summer.
Just about half a mile from our campsite, down a paved trail along the lake sits the all-season Diamond Lake Resort, which began as a small fishing lodge in the 1920’s. And guess what type of group was having their annual festival? Square Dancers!! Too funny. Their main program started on Thursday morning, which was the day of our departure. Dratz! I was able to see a bit of mainstream dancing they had for early arrivals on Wednesday night. Murphy and I walked down on our departure morning to catch a Plus Instruction session. Boy, did that bring back fun memories. Hum….Square Dancing in St. Petersburg?
Our next few Oregon stops are along the coast. Dog-friendly beaches!!!
Oregon is off to a fantastic start Brenda, a hint of Alaska Dave, and when can we go back to Steve’s Murphy
P.S. Dave is now posting his travel videos on the YouTube Channel “Slo Pace Adventures”. Check them out and subscribe if you like what you see.
Stunning!! I love Oregon!!
Another beautiful state! Waterfalls and wildflowers. What more could you ask for? A bakery ?!