Number of Miles Driven: 294

Drive Time: 8:15 am to 5:15 pm (stop at Crater Lake)

States Driven through: OR (1)



We were excited to check out Crater Lake this morning, and it was a beautiful stop that did not disappoint. On our way we had to get gas, which was a unique experience because you can’t pump your own gas in Oregon. We weren’t exactly sure what to do - do we give them our card, do we wait for them to ask us what we want or do we just say “fill ‘er up,” do we tip the attendant? Turns out you do give them the card (along with your zip code), you tell them what grade gasoline and how much, and you don’t have to tip. 


We arrived to Crater Lake shortly after 9 am and made our way to main hub of the park - Rim Village. Andrew wanted a Junior Ranger book but the visitor center didn’t open until 10 a.m. so we hung out at the Village for about a half hour for it to open. We had some gorgeous views of the lake while we waited - it was a clear day, sun shining brightly, and in the upper 60s/lower 70s. The lake reflected the blue color brilliantly and the water was so calm. The water is so blue because it is very deep, clean, and absorbs the red, orange, green, and yellow light waves while reflecting off the blue light waves. It’s also the deepest lake in the U.S., and a fun fact we learned is that you could stack the Eiffel Tower, Washington Monument, and Statue of Liberty on top of each other and still have 100 ft of water above Lady Liberty’s torch. The lake was formed after a volcano caved in on itself and is filled by snowmelt and rainfall - there are no outside sources (e.g., creeks) feeding into lake. 















Andrew got his Junior Ranger book and worked hard to complete it before we left the village and he secured his next badge. 


By the time he finished his book it was already 10:45 and we had planned to leave by 12 pm so we could get to Jeremy’s house at a reasonable time. We ate our packed lunch at the trailhead for Watchman’s Tower (where we later realized Carolyn left her water bottle - so, if you're keeping count that's one hat at the Grand Canyon and a water bottle at Crater Lake). We had wanted to do that hike which offered amazing views of the entire lake because of its elevation, but it was estimated to take approximately 1 hour (and that’s probably not with a 3 and 5 year old). So, we opted to forgo the hike and just enjoyed some final views at the trailhead. We wished we had more times - there were dozens of possible hikes - but it was still great to see the lake. 


Nestled between those rocks is where she left her water bottle


En route to Gresham we went through Bend, Oregon and then we started going through what looked like a desert - it almost felt like we were back in the Southwest US - it was brown landscape that was dotted with little tumbleweed-like bushes. There were even flat-top mesa-like hills (Jeremy told us later that were, in fact, driving through the High Desert of Oregon - who knew Oregon had a desert?!). We also crossed the 45th parallel - the half-way point between the Equator and the North Pole. 


And the unthinkable happened on this leg of the trip - Michael relinquished his driving responsibilities because he was feeling sleepy and he asked ME to take the wheel (although, I guess I’m the only option). I was happy to do it and it looked like we had an easy drive ahead so he was able to sleep with minimal motion sickness issues. 


However, we soon came to Mount Hood and I think he regretted letting me drive. There were several curves along the road - not as bad or as many as in the Redwoods or along the Pacific Coast Highway - but enough to not make him feel well. Also, when we were coming down the mountain and I applied the brakes, the steering wheel would shake really badly so he blamed me for the breaking the car for the two hours that I was driving - I think he was joking and just giving me a hard time. But, alas, he enjoyed the passenger seat for the views of Mt. Hood and took lots of pictures while we were driving and we made it to Gresham in one piece (and he didn’t get sick).


It was great (and a little surreal) to pull up to Jeremy’s house. Since reconnecting at the family reunion in Tuscaloosa in 2019, we had talked about how we wanted to get to the Pacific Northwest and he’s been showing us many of the Oregon sites via Marco Polo - and now we were finally here! 


We had a low-key evening and my dad ordered pizza for everyone. Melissa (Jeremy’s wife) had gone to Mexico so it was just Jeremy, Jayden (Jeremy’s 12-year-old son), my dad, and our family. The pizza was a local favorite and delicious. Apparently, they had received a package that had dry ice, so there was also dry ice in the sink the whole night and the kids loved playing in it - Andrew managed to break a wine glass while swinging it through the dry ice. 






We had a nice evening talking and drinking wine and we called it a relatively early night at only 9:30. Because I finally had access to wifi I posted a couple of blog posts from our California coast trip but then went to bed myself. 


Saturday's Adventure: Silver Falls State Park and Great Notion Brewing