Oregon - Part 2
We did so much whilst in Oregon that we had to split the posts! Our initial plan was to stay in the state for ~7 days but in total we stayed for 11!
After spending a chilly night in the forest we set off toward Diamond Lake. The visitors centre we intended to visit was closed however once there we did meet a couple who were volunteering in the area for the summer, they had set off from Boston a whole year ago in a van slightly smaller than ours! We had a great chat about life on the road before going down to the lake in search of kayaks.
We hired a tandem and set out across the exceptionally clear water, we paddled quietly along the shoreline watching the wildlife. At the point we turned around, Mike went for aswim paddle in the frigid waters.
The paddling on the return was significantly quicker as we noticed that the kayak was taking on water and we were slowly sinking! Lots of hard paddling and 2 wet bums later we were back on dry land.
Next up was Crater Lake National Park, despite travelling only a few miles we moved from hot June sunshine to 4-6 ft snow drifts!
Crater Lake is one of the deepest and bluest lakes in the world and has an island (Wizard Island) which is actually a volcano within a volcano (somewhat disappointingly it does not also have a lake)!
The National Park itself was a bit underwhelming, probably because everything was closed! We had planned to camp in the National Park but as the road to the site was closed still due to snow we stayed at a nearby Sno-Park instead (parking area for winter recreation such as snomobiles, skiing etc) complete with log cabin shelter which happily contained electrical outlets for charging the camera and laptop!
Our next stop was to be the city of Bend where there was a hostel which provided a 'dirtbag' package for travellers which for $15 each included a shower, laundry, free breakfast, check-in beer and free use of their facilities, bargain!
On our way to Bend we enjoyed the scenery along the highway - ranches backdropped by mountains and the occasional crystal clear creek. As we grew hungry we stopped at a village store for lunch, we were glad to find it had a great deli and free wi-fi, further along the road we saw this really cool abandoned cinema.
Arriving at the hostel we were very happy to have access to 'normal' furniture, we spent the evening relaxing and our first shower for a little too long. In the morning we made full use of the facilities (WAFFLE MACHINE!!!) before catching up with the blog (Washington and Oregon Part 1) and then treating ourselves to a restaurant launch and possibly the best Gelato in the world at Bontà.
Our time in Bend was up and we set off towards our next state, Idaho, taking highway 26 which took us past the John Day Fossil Beds. In the evening we stopped by the Painted Hills site, see photo below as words cannot do justice.
After splashing out in Bend we opted for a free nights camping up in the hills, on our way we stopped to watch an incredible sunset, the golden light covering the trees and mountains.
Waking in the forest to the sound (and a quick glimpse) of woodpeckers we enjoyed breakfast and then a short walk surrounded by the trees.
We headed onwards to the John Day Fossil Beds Paleontology Museum which had a fantastic display of fossils found in the many fossil beds around the area, the display was enhanced by artist impressions which helped visualise what the area was like millions of years ago (post dinosaur).
At the same site was a historic ranch where we discovered two more hazards to add to the growing list, rattlesnakes and a privy full of wasps!
This was also our first encounter with what we have named the "R2D2" bird due to the distinct call it makes, we still have no idea what this bird is.
After a hike around the Blue Basin we treated ourselves to an 'American afternoon tea' which comprised of iced tea and oreos, yum!
Feeling energised we hiked a few more trails including the "trail through time" and the "flood of fire" before heading on to our next campsite.
All along Highway 26 we had passed cyclists, we had wondered if there was some kind of race but the lack of numbers suggested not. On our way to the night's camp we stopped at a viewpoint which along with amazing views of Strawberry Mountain also had an over sized waggon replica which happened to have a cyclist camping underneath. This was James, we asked where he was cycling to expecting the answer to be the next town further along the road but in fact the answer was "Virginia"! James and the other cyclist we had passed were 117 competitors in the Trans America Bike Race, a 4200 mile bikepacking endurance race from Astoria on the West Coast to Virginia on the East. James happily accepted our offer of some oreos and we wished him good luck in the race, as he'd ridden 160 miles that day he was keen to sleep! We were keen to sleep too so headed to our camp which was only $4.
Waking again in the forest we heard more woodpeckers, ate breakfast and headed to Idaho! The highway that took us to Idaho was exceptionally uneventful as the land was barren and we passed only a few farms. The only slightly interesting point is that there were no trees at all!
Next Post - Idaho Part 1
After spending a chilly night in the forest we set off toward Diamond Lake. The visitors centre we intended to visit was closed however once there we did meet a couple who were volunteering in the area for the summer, they had set off from Boston a whole year ago in a van slightly smaller than ours! We had a great chat about life on the road before going down to the lake in search of kayaks.
We hired a tandem and set out across the exceptionally clear water, we paddled quietly along the shoreline watching the wildlife. At the point we turned around, Mike went for a
The paddling on the return was significantly quicker as we noticed that the kayak was taking on water and we were slowly sinking! Lots of hard paddling and 2 wet bums later we were back on dry land.
Next up was Crater Lake National Park, despite travelling only a few miles we moved from hot June sunshine to 4-6 ft snow drifts!
Crater Lake is one of the deepest and bluest lakes in the world and has an island (Wizard Island) which is actually a volcano within a volcano (somewhat disappointingly it does not also have a lake)!
The National Park itself was a bit underwhelming, probably because everything was closed! We had planned to camp in the National Park but as the road to the site was closed still due to snow we stayed at a nearby Sno-Park instead (parking area for winter recreation such as snomobiles, skiing etc) complete with log cabin shelter which happily contained electrical outlets for charging the camera and laptop!
Our next stop was to be the city of Bend where there was a hostel which provided a 'dirtbag' package for travellers which for $15 each included a shower, laundry, free breakfast, check-in beer and free use of their facilities, bargain!
On our way to Bend we enjoyed the scenery along the highway - ranches backdropped by mountains and the occasional crystal clear creek. As we grew hungry we stopped at a village store for lunch, we were glad to find it had a great deli and free wi-fi, further along the road we saw this really cool abandoned cinema.
Arriving at the hostel we were very happy to have access to 'normal' furniture, we spent the evening relaxing and our first shower for a little too long. In the morning we made full use of the facilities (WAFFLE MACHINE!!!) before catching up with the blog (Washington and Oregon Part 1) and then treating ourselves to a restaurant launch and possibly the best Gelato in the world at Bontà.
Our time in Bend was up and we set off towards our next state, Idaho, taking highway 26 which took us past the John Day Fossil Beds. In the evening we stopped by the Painted Hills site, see photo below as words cannot do justice.
After splashing out in Bend we opted for a free nights camping up in the hills, on our way we stopped to watch an incredible sunset, the golden light covering the trees and mountains.
Waking in the forest to the sound (and a quick glimpse) of woodpeckers we enjoyed breakfast and then a short walk surrounded by the trees.
We headed onwards to the John Day Fossil Beds Paleontology Museum which had a fantastic display of fossils found in the many fossil beds around the area, the display was enhanced by artist impressions which helped visualise what the area was like millions of years ago (post dinosaur).
At the same site was a historic ranch where we discovered two more hazards to add to the growing list, rattlesnakes and a privy full of wasps!
This was also our first encounter with what we have named the "R2D2" bird due to the distinct call it makes, we still have no idea what this bird is.
After a hike around the Blue Basin we treated ourselves to an 'American afternoon tea' which comprised of iced tea and oreos, yum!
Feeling energised we hiked a few more trails including the "trail through time" and the "flood of fire" before heading on to our next campsite.
All along Highway 26 we had passed cyclists, we had wondered if there was some kind of race but the lack of numbers suggested not. On our way to the night's camp we stopped at a viewpoint which along with amazing views of Strawberry Mountain also had an over sized waggon replica which happened to have a cyclist camping underneath. This was James, we asked where he was cycling to expecting the answer to be the next town further along the road but in fact the answer was "Virginia"! James and the other cyclist we had passed were 117 competitors in the Trans America Bike Race, a 4200 mile bikepacking endurance race from Astoria on the West Coast to Virginia on the East. James happily accepted our offer of some oreos and we wished him good luck in the race, as he'd ridden 160 miles that day he was keen to sleep! We were keen to sleep too so headed to our camp which was only $4.
Waking again in the forest we heard more woodpeckers, ate breakfast and headed to Idaho! The highway that took us to Idaho was exceptionally uneventful as the land was barren and we passed only a few farms. The only slightly interesting point is that there were no trees at all!
Next Post - Idaho Part 1
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