Finally- Vacation, Part one, Crater Lake

Well, summer is over, and fall is here. It has been a bit of a long ride. A bit more heat, a lot less rain. My work days screwed up almost all the summer as far as fishing and trips. However they also paid for a lot of things that I wanted to do. We had all the glass in the house windows changed. We wanted to replace the entire windows, but unfortunately the ladies that built this house built the house around the windows. The best we could do was to replace the glass. All the existing glass was leaking, fogged and some cracked, so it was worth the cost and effort. I also had an exhaust brake put on my truck, so that pulling the fifth wheel would be a lot safer. It also paid for the first vacation for Karen since retiring.

Now personally, being retired, I have not felt the need to take a vacation. This area was where I went on vacation when I was working. I still haven't exhausted all the possibilities here, but that is only one out of two. Karen only went along for the ride to humor me apparently, and still needs to take vacations. I have to admit that reason did finally creep into my awareness this year, and that was why I decided to get the Fifth wheel. After all our ability to travel will be limited by our age, so I have come around to the idea that we should take an occasional vacation.

We both missed the occasional trip to the coast, and the seafood. John Hauck brings his Fifth Wheel out each summer, and has never made it to the coast  on this side of the continent, so I broached the idea to him this spring. The idea appealed to him, so I made the reservations early for September. September is a popular time on the Oregon coast, as it is when they get the best weather of the entire year. He had also never gotten to see Crater Lake. I had never felt that I had enough money to waste on a Charter boat fishing trip, so I booked that as well.

I took the truck in for the "Jake brake" to be installed the week before our trip, and got it back the week of our departure. Our plan was to spend a couple of days in an RV park near Crater Lake, then travel to the Coast on the fifteenth of Sept.

Our trip to Crater Lake was uneventful and our campground spot was pretty nice.

There could be no better send off than the Rainbow that showed up for our departure. The truck preformed flawlessly, and a Jake Brake was just what it needed.

We had only one close neighbor, but they made up for it with their "cum by ah shit" singing. The guy whipped out a guitar in the evening and strummed it relentlessly while his lady sang off key. In their defense they did keep it pretty quiet, but with a voice that could cut glass, it really didn't matter. I finally settled the matter by putting on a new album from Govi playing flamenco music.

Our friend Roger, from Grants Pass came up to spend the night with us. The Chipmunks seemed to like him.

This little guy ate all that he could hold, then started stuffing his cheeks with "take outs", for later.

Mt Theilsen in the background

The next morning we made our way up to Crater Lake. Unfortunately the winds were from the West and the Forest Circus decided to do a little clean up on the recent fire in the Grants Pass area. Of course the smoke blew right into us and visibility was not all that good. The skies were pretty hazy, and the normally crystal clear air was missing. It is still pretty awesome.

 Mt Theilsen in the background.

The Alpine meadows make quite a pretty picture.

 The water was crystal clear. The Lake is over 1700 feet deep.

 Wizard Island

We spent two days at the campground and we had quite a ways to go to get to the Coast. John and I are both early risers especially when there is something to do. We were ready to depart the campground before 7 AM. We apparently got our revenge on the song bird, as she informed John that he was rude to be banging around so early in the morning. It didn't seem to concern her that I went to sleep hearing them laughing and talking. Oh well just think, she was probably seeing her first sunrise.