We have not fallen off the end of the world but this is the first day that we have had internet since Pendleton. Tuesday we were up and on the road in a leisurely fashion. It was intended to be a short day down to Cove Palisades (a little way outside of Bend Oregon). It was a lovely drive along the Columbia river watching the barges move goods up and down the river and then south through rolling hills filled with winter wheat.
The name of the highway was the "Journey through Time". Boy did they have that right. We went through one small town after another. There were more closed up markets and business than I have ever seen and all of the buildings were weathered and worn. There were business that still were working (grain elevators, farm supply businesses, and artist studios) and seemed to be doing ok but... We kept looking at the mountain that reared up over the landscape and thought it must be Rainier but wished that someone would tell us. Yvonne wanted me to stop someone along the road but about that time there was a road sign that said "Mountain Identifier." Amazing. Someone figured out what we needed. We pulled off and in concrete there were arrows that pointed to at least 10 different mountains. Well we were not looking at Rainier we were looking at Mt. Hood. For the rest of the trip we were happily naming the mountains as they popped up.
We made a small mistake with our GPS and put in the wrong destination. There are days that you need to do what you know is right rather than following the @$#$$# machine. We were only a few miles off and went to the top of "Round Butte". The road gets smaller and smaller and about half way up the butte I began to worry that I would have to back this rig down the butte, but there was a turn around on top of the butte and a great view. If you look carefully in this picture you can see a canyon. We belonged at the bottom of that canyon at the lake. Oh well, off we went down the butte and down to the bottom of the canyon. We drove around the lake to our camp site and in the process found out that there were boats to rent. So we rented one for the next day and then set up camp. 
We thought that it was hot but did not realize just how hot until we set up camp and put out our thermometer. It was only 107 degrees at 5:00 o'clock. We had dinner, walked around a little. Then I decided that I had had enough of this and built a fire in the fire place and watched the stars come out. Yvonne and Cassie put up with my silliness and we had a great evening but we all stayed away from the fire and just used it for effect. 
The walls of the canyon were stunning and to add to the day, during our voyage we sighted 5 eagles. Yvonne thinks it was 5 different eagles and I think that it was one eagle cruising back and forth looking at the funny people on the floating board trying to find the eagle in their telephoto lenses. We never did get a picture of those eagles but I have great pictures of gulls that in the distance I thought were eagles.
We putt-putted down the lake (no power in this boat) and landed on an island where Cassie had her first chance to swim. She was not at all concerned with wading along the shore but when I urged her out past her depth there was a lot of splashing and her trying to bite the water she was splashing. Eventually it all settled down into swimming. At that point she saw the geese and headed off to get one. I still had her on her leash so no problems but the idea of swimming is here to stay. 
The cliffs that make up Lake Billy Chinook are stunning and you can spend a lot of time just looking at the patterns that make up the rock. You get a real sense about how the land was formed. An example of this that we saw was going by the one waterfall in the lake and seeing the immediate affect of water on the landscape in a explosion of green. We returned the boat and had some lunch and checked out some of the view points and then back to the trailer. It was 105 in the campground so not much happened except for some harp playing and some reading. Thursday, we were on the road to Crater Lake. Again we traveled through rolling hills but there were more Lodge Pole Pine and we noticed that we were getting higher (Yvonne and I have apps on our phones that will give us the altitude. She has one and mine is different and we average them as they are not consistent.)
We came into Crater Lake National Park from the North entrance. No one told us that the road was going to be wide enough for one Model T Ford. You are never ready for the lake when you come over the rim. People tell you how blue it is and how stunning it is but it just takes your breath away. We just stood there and gaped and then started taking pictures. I know that I will never get a picture that will do justice to the amazing caldera that makes up Crater Lake. 
We traveled on around the rim on these narrow rim roads with me being sure that the trailer and everyone in our truck would be rolling down the side of the rim. We made it and found our campsite. Set up and then went up to the lodge to find out what was available for us to see. While we were there we saw group of people who were driving several old cars. Every year they drive there cars on a trip and this years was up to Crater Lake. We headed back to our campsite but because of the altitude we just hung out, read, Yvonne played her harp I built a fire and Cassie rested. 
It is really a hoot to watch people walk by our campsite while Yvonne was practicing and have them take a second look. One time, Cassie started barking and we looked up and there as a young man hiding in the woods listening. Chris was very apologetic but he could not believe what he was hearing and had to come over. He was an artist in residence for a Washington high school and was making a living as a painter. We had a spirited discussion about art, Chihuly glass, the world, etc. and then he thought that he should back to his wife. Thanked us for a great time. Our next door neighbor Rick came over to tell us, on the first night 32 years ago that he and his wife went camping in Michigan there was a harpist playing in the campground and it brought back fond memories. We finally made dinner at 9:00.
Friday morning we were still affected by the altitude so we decided to drive around the rim stopping all the turnouts and taking pictures. We have hundreds of pictures of the lake, flowers, birds and will not bore you with them now but if you come over who knows. Here are a couple. 
We talked a nice young couple into taking our picture and I offer it to you also.
It is 33 miles around the lake with views you can find no where else. It helped to give us the perspective of just how big Mt. Mazama must have been before it collapsed into itself and created what we know today. The park has a great video that shows what probably happened and it was good that we saw that before we headed out. It was just so "oh yah" when we were watching the video but when you stand on the rim or go up to the top of one of the surrounding mountains to look down on this crater it becomes another "Wow."
We went back to our campsite for lunch and had a little nap and then left Cassie in the trailer and went out on two little hikes. One was a loop through a meadow to look at the wild flowers. You could have spent the whole day just taking pictures of flowers and little streams but we had another hike on our agenda. 
We hiked into Plaikni Falls. It was a short two mile hike but for us and the altitude it was just far enough. What a wonderful little set of falls. Again with Crater Lake and all of it's splendor taking up most of the focus in this area these falls were a gem. Not very big but they are the only falls in the area and their source of water is the leakage from the caldera walls. We had a great hike in. Yvonne was a trouper and we were able to hoof it along at about 2 miles an hour which is great for a couple of old folks at 7,000 feet. Back to our campsite to save Cassie (she was asleep) another quiet evening around the campfire and then to bed.
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