Crater Lake and the Oregon Caves

Crater Lake and the Oregon Caves

N: 42.211351 W: 122.522870 Elevation: 1324

 

0330 August 29, 2012

I am currently at the Motel 6 in Medford, Oregon and I am up far too early for my own good but the woman upstairs with her dog woke me up about half an hour ago and I felt the need to write.

I left Mt. Thielsen and Diamond Lake before 0630 and drove to Crater Lake a few miles away.  The morning was just coming to life as I drove up the 7500 foot elevated Mt. Mazama to visit the lake.  The drive up was beautiful and the view once to the top was spectacular, despite the haze from the forest fires that are plaguing the Oregon and California mountains.

I drove three quarters around the lake until I came to the camp ground at Mazama and remembered when I was here in 2005 after my Burning Man festival and had been ever thankful for a good shower and a place to wash my clothes. I stopped at the store and I bought a pin for my bag that shows a picture of Crater Lake and a great cup of coffee before headed on down the road on my journey back west.

Following the main road I found myself pulling into the Rogue River Interpretive Trail and grabbing my camera as I walked the quarter mile trail that showed the river in various stages of flow, including cutting through rock and tumbling out of the other side in a waterfall of white splash.  I took many pictures and even a little video with the camera and then continued on my way south to Medford where I topped off the tank and headed off towards Grants Pass before turning west on Highway 199 to Cave Junction.

I followed Highway 46 past Grayback River campground and continued up the road that twisted and turned so many times I thought I was repeating the same curves over and over again, perpetually intertwined in a maze of pavement until I came across another campground and I pulled into the park only to find it complete deserted and most of the campsites were the ‘walk-in’ types.  I didn’t like the emptiness and left the park and continued up to the Oregon Caves National Park where I received information about the cost and the times of the tours through the caves.

I drove back down twelve of the twenty miles of the twisting road and checked into campsite number 10 at Grayback River Park where for $10 a night I signed up for two and proceeded to also buy wood that gave me the best camp fires I had yet to have.

I set up my camp and planned my trip to the caves for the following day which started early for me as I drove back up the twelve miles of twisting roads to the four thousand foot elevation of the caves, glad to just make the ten o’clock tour.

Every tour needs a volunteer to bring up the end of the line of people in the tour and verify everyone gets through certain parts of the cave and our ‘rear’ man was Tom who was directly behind me the whole time we walked the ninety minute tour.  Talking with him I learned that Tom was from Indiana and had been living in Bangor, WA for the last five years doing submarine work for the Navy and was now starting his first day as National Park Ranger for the Oregon Caves Park.  He was excited that later in the day the Rangers were heading into parts of the cave that the tour groups don’t go (due to the technical aspect of climbing around in the many caves) to see the other areas of the mammoth cave. After the tour I thanked him for covering my ass, seeing as how it was such a big job, and wished him luck on his new adventure.

After the tour of the caves I drove back down the twelve miles of that twisty road and found my campsite beckoning me to sit down and enjoy the view of the huge Douglas fir trees that surrounded me and to listen to the river as it flowed nearby.

I sat down and had my first pity-party, feeling sad that I was tired and done with camping, mosquitoes and always being dirty, for that is one thing I truly have been is dirty.  My feet and my hands are the worse but my hair is getting abused badly also.

I also felt sorry for myself that I had no real home with electricity or running water, that all of my friends were in their homes wondering where I was, and that I was truly alone and on my own, and it hit me hard.

I actually shed about two whole tears when I reminded myself that it was I who put myself in the situation that I was in and looking around at all the beauty of Mother Nature I was reminded that I was not alone, by any means.  I had the trees to shade me from the warm sun, the river to wash and cleanse my feet and hands, that the forest creatures and birds were my constant entertainment and that I was very fortunate to be able to experience and live like this.

It was either live like this or be in the same situation I left three months ago, where my life was based around working for a corporation that didn’t care I was losing my soul each time the elevator closed its doors on my life.    

As I said, my pity-party did not last very long and I moved on to clean up my van, rode my bike around, played in the river until my feet were clean and then cooked up a bad for me meal of mac and cheese with hotdogs and then had one hell of great fire before staring up at the most amazing stars until my eyelids felt heavy and I wandered off into my van and slept peacefully until daylight.

I awoke to a sunny day and proceeded to make the most wonderful mixed bean and rice with tomatoes and ate it for breakfast, cleaned up camp including tearing apart the 10x10 and stuffing it into the cargo carrier upstairs.  I did dishes and decided that I would be going by Medford on my way south to California and somewhere along the lines I would find a cheap motel and clean up.

I left the little camp I had made at Grayback River and headed back east towards I-5 to Medford.  From the freeway I saw the $45 a night room and pulled off the exit and checked in.

Doing laundry, taking a swim, and then a shower where tops on my list of priorities followed by some serious internet sessions, yet my fantasy was off kilter from the reality of it all.

The laundry/vending room was clean enough but the washer did a lousy job on spinning the clothes so they were soaking wet when I pulled them from the $1.25 machine and shoved them into the dryer that I knew would not dry them for another $1.25 but, as suspected, it did cost me an additional buck and a quarter to get them really dry.

While the clothes were in the dryer I decided to try out the pool that to my major disappointment was so cold that I only lasted about five minutes before my teeth were chattering so bad I moved myself to a lounge chair to dry off in the hot eighty degree weather. While I dried I watched a boy of about ten unable to swim in the pool because it was too cold, so he chose to jump in then hurry out again, only to quickly jump in and come back out again, his teeth chattering the whole time.

I then went back to my room where Herbette was sleeping and took my shower, the hot water feeling good after the cold swim I had taken.  The pressure was good and the shower head big enough make me feel like I was taking a great shower.

I had initial problems with the internet connection that the Motel 6 web page people have and apparently, unlike Washington, the internet here cost me $2.99 for the twenty-four hours I am here, where-as when I stayed in Everett with Mom last month, the internet was free with the room.

If I had not just stayed at Motel 6 I would not know the difference between a well-managed hotels versus this one I am in.  In Everett the pool was a proper temperature, the laundry room machines did a proper job of working, the internet was complimentary as well as a continental breakfast.  The room was clean and included a microwave, small refrigerator, a coffee pot and coffee makings plus a hairdryer on the wall, the television set was larger than nineteen inches.

This motel has no coffee pot, continental breakfast, microwave or refrigerator, nor is the pool warm and their laundry machines need repair plus they are charging me for internet.  I guess I thought that all chain establishments were pretty much the same where ever you travel, but I have been proven wrong.

After I wake up again, for I will go back to bed now that the woman upstairs is done yelling at her dog to quit barking, I have a few chores across the street at the grocery store and then I will be heading out for California.

There are wildfires in the mountains and parts are being evacuated so I am unsure how much of Mount Shasta I will be able to see, not only in visual but as I was going to try and head up 8000 feet to Panther Meadow where it is highly recommended I go and visit.  When I write next I will let you know.

          Until the next time we Travel Thru The Tonda Zone….

          ~peace~