By Cool J in Minneapolis
Home sweet home! I love to travel, but it's always nice to settle back into home, especially when you have this sweet face to greet you. We sure missed this girl.
So now I'm settled in, catching up on the TiVo, and ready to share all the Fits on the Road we found in Oregon. Dustin said we covered planes, trains, and automobiles on this trip, but actually, I think we did the majority of our exploring by FOOT!
Newport!
First and foremost, we explored 26.2 miles of the coastal town of Newport. It was a beautiful foot tour- one that only took Dustin 3 hours and 17 minutes to complete. My husband is so speedy! Me? A little longer.
Cape Perpetua!
The day after the marathon, we departed Newport, and headed down the coast. We made a stop in the
Siuslaw National Forest for some hiking.
The hiking here was not very tough, but with our sore marathon legs, it definitely felt a little challenging!
The guide at the visitor's center gave us a map, and pointed us in the direction of a few 1-2 mile hikes. The trails were clearly marked, and the scenery was very pretty. It actually felt great to stretch our legs out a bit.
A few of the sights, such as spouting horn, were not visible for us. Apparently, the coast wasn't windy and wild enough that day. I would still recommend making a quick stop at Cape Perpetua if you're ever in the area, though it's probably not worth a separate trip.
Crater Lake National Park
Crater Lake National Park was the highlight of our trip. Upon our first view of the lake, the three of us seriously all said, "WOW" at the same time. It's that kind of a view.
Well, let me clarify- it's always a beautiful view, but it's the
most breathtaking in the summer, when you can approach it from the north entrance.
The north entrance had just opened a few days before we arrived. It's not plowed in the winter, and yes, there was still snow there in June! In fact, Crater Rim Drive (the 33 mile road around the crater) wasn't fully open yet, so we weren't able to do a few of the hikes, nor could we take a boat ride in the lake, but there were still plenty of hikes open to us.
Crater Lake Lodge:
There is only one place to stay within Crater Lake National Park, and that is Crater Lake Lodge.
This hotel was built in the 1920's, and the rooms are small and expensive. Be forewarned- you have to book a room several months in advance. Plan ahead, or you won't be able to stay in the park. Though it was pricey, it was well worth it to wake up to such gorgeous views of the lake, and we were at the trailhead of plenty of fun hikes.
Our favorite hike was definitely "Garfield", which took us about 2 miles up the mountain, providing stunning vistas of the mountains and the vivid blue lake.
This "Garfield" hike definitely gained some altitude, and we were all breathing heavily as we progressed. You wouldn't have guessed we were the same people who had just run a marathon two days before. We were struggling!
Hiking at altitude is tough!
Time for a quick breather!
The ground was covered in these strange icy mud crystals. They crunched loudly under our feet!
Rogue Gorge
After hiking around Crater Lake, we left the park to check out the Rogue River Valley. There, we took a short hike around Rogue Gorge. The Rogue Gorge is a very narrow passage way for the Rogue River.
There were longer hikes around this area, but we only briefly stopped for a few pictures.
Afterwards, we moved onwards to the "Natural Bridge." The Natural Bridge is a point where the Rogue River travels underground through volcanic tunnels, making a "natural bridge" across the water.
There were lots of trails to check out in this area, so here we headed out for a brisk and steep three mile hike along the river. We weren't really sure what trail we were on, and we started to get a little lost, but it was easy to find our way back- we just followed the river!
Lunch Recommendation Outside Crater Lake National Park: Beckie's!
After all that hiking, we had worked up quite an appetite. There aren't a lot of options in this neck of the woods, but we had been advised to check out "Beckie's" for an Oregon tradition of some homemade pie.
Yay for Beckie's homemade pie!
Mill Creek Falls Scenic Area:
After a tasty lunch at Beckie's, we needed one last hike. We drove a little further to the tiny town of Prospect.
We had been informed that there were some pretty waterfalls here, and we weren't disappointed! A short hike led us to a sequence of beautiful falls.
The hiking here was easy, but we needed to keep moving to burn off that tasty pie at Beckie's.
The same scenic area included the Avenue of the Giant Boulders.
We weren't sure what to expect but it was actually pretty cool.
But watch out for snakes!
Stay tuned for part 2 of Fits on the Road in Oregon!
