Crater Lake

Crater Lake, Oregon

In the southern part of the state of Oregon, there lies a gem of a place. Crater Lake National Park.
This place is amazing. A huge volcano that collapsed on itself, and then over centuries, filled up with water. Now it is near 2000 Ft deep in places and crystal clear blue. Rim Road, the road that circles the top of the cliffs around the lake is not for the weak of heart. Shoulders have broken off and cliffs remain, tour buses speed around the road, with drivers that I am sure have done it many times. But for Jamie and I, nerve- racking.
There is one part of the lake that is accessible, but not by vehicle. It requires a hike down the inside of the old volcano. A switchback trail. So we parked the car, grabbed the camera and our towels and went out down the hill. Down was hard, we laughed and talked about how up was going to kill us. At the bottom there is a small dock, there are only a few boats allowed on the lake, and there boats are usually heli- lifted in. Memory is shady but I am pretty sure there is no gas burning engines allowed on the lake. Electric only I think. It is completely unpolluted. No plants can be seen growing in the water and we were told by the warden that there is a few fish, only due to stocking, and they are not re-stocking, let the population do its thing. So beautiful from the same level as the water, seeing it from the cliffs above is hardly the same as being on the shore of it. It was Mid- July, and there was still snow along the banks. We dipped our toes in and instantly had goose bumps. But this is not a deterrent from getting in. A few people had gathered around to watch, to see if we would actually get in. So if course.. To save face, we had to. Stripped down to our swim suits and launched ourselves of the dock. The water is so deep, everywhere, and so clear, that is really quite scary floating in it. No idea how far the bottom is and what lies below. I felt very small and insignificant at that point. The time in the water did not last long at all. In fact I am sure we were in and out again before a full 2 minutes had passed. Standing on the dock with a small cheer from the crowd.[ like 5 people] Bend over to pick up my shorts and uncovered the camera. Realization = no one took a picture. We were not about to leave without a picture of us swimming in crater lake. So we stripped down for the second time and hauled it back into the water. An onlooker took the photos for us. The second time you would think would be less cold, but I can't say that I really felt it was less cold. Still gasping for air cold. I took a drink too. Claims from the warden said that the water was so unpolluted and clear that it was safe to drink. That's all the info I need. And it was indeed pretty tasty water, kind of sweet in a way. Like how I think water would taste after being stranded in the desert.
The hike back up was horrible. Wet shoes, wet shorts, wet towels, frozen muscles. By the time we got to the top [ after many bench breaks] we were so hot and exhausted, all we wanted to do was run back down and jump in. We didn't, we sauntered back to the car to continue our trip.

Hell's Canyon

The first major stop we had was in at the border towns, Lewiston/Clarkston. [ ID/WA]
Although we did stop in Couer D'Alene, Idaho, and that place is gorgeous!
Back to hells canyon.
At the top of this massive hill covered only in dry dead brown grass we pulled the car off the road and looked into the valley. There was a huge city nestled in the bottom of the canyon with a river running through it. The river was actually the state line between Washington and Idaho. It was hotter then a sunny day in hell and the radio couldn't pick up any stations. Eeiry. Down we drove. We stopped for gas and saw a brochure for a tour down Snake River, right through the heart of Hell's Canyon. It was pretty pricey but we thought it would be a good idea anyways. The river looked cool and it promised rapids and a super fast boat. We were in. Driving up the massive hill in the middle of town led to a few problems. I say it was hot, and I mean HOT. Waiting at a red light mid-hill I noticed that my check fluids light came on. Followed by the check engine light and all those other lights you did not want to see. Looking up, back to the road and light, I see that the front of the car is now billowing smoke from under to hood. This can not be good. Problem.... we are midhill. Cars in front of us, cars behind us, no where to go but further up the hill. The light went green and I gunned it. Hoping and praying that the sudden burst of energy with ZERO fluid in the car would not lead to spontaneous combustion. Luckily it didn't start on fire, but I worried of the damaged that few hundred yards could have caused. Right at the top of the hill was a Wal-Mart. We pulled in, do you think there was one tree providing shade to park the overheating car under? Not a chance. Opened the hood to a face full of smoke/steam, took of the coolant lid to find a dry dry empty tank. Oh dear. Called AMA, there wasn't much they could do besides tow us to a garage and that would take about 2 - 3 hrs for them to arrive. um no thanks. So what else is there to do? Call Daddy. Being a mechanic in the past he had some good advice, let it cool down, fill it with water and drive to a garage. Sounds cheaper then getting a tow! So we killed a few hrs in wal-mart. Finally made it to a garage and the guy said, oh I can't get you in until 3 - 4 days time.....!!! ... What? We explained the situation, how we were from Canada and on a trip and 3 - 4 days would cost us a lot of time and money and etc. Funny how more accommodating people become when they find out you are Canadian. He went in to the garage, found the stuff we needed [ coolant] after getting the model etc of the car. Funny Reaction when we told him the Kms [ he assumed Miles ] so was very astonished! And then he proceeded to pour the coolant onto the road through the engine of my car. We had blown a hose. We got a new hose and another jug of coolant and were on our way in 45 min or less. He was amazing. The river tour wasn't until the following day, so we drove through town out to Camp Timothy to set up the tent. Decided against using the air-conditioning in the car. I had to use a shirt or something to grab the steering wheel to drive, it was that hot. Deodorant turned to liquid in an hour.
The trip down the river was cool. Huge canyon walls on either side, amazing scenery and sun shining everywhere. We stopped at a historical site for lunch. There was a small fruit garden that boasted grape vines, pears, apples, plums and a few other fruits. It was great. Around the side of one of the buildings was a thermometer perched on the wall. It was on the shady side of the building. It read 36 * C. This is out of the sunlight in the shade with a light breeze. 36 in the SHADE! Jamie and I had been putting on 45 factor sunscreen every hour or so. It was so hot we felt like our skin was melting off. After lunch we took a dip in the river, which was cold, but so refreshing it was worth every minute of it. At one point along the tour, we were at the junction of three states. WA/ ID/ OR. Neat.
Continued on from there West. To the coast of Oregon, along the pacific coast highway.

Leaving the Nest

Date: July 2003 - Dec 2003
Start: Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada
Car: 1993 Pontiac Grand Am - red
Strating Milage: 205500 Kms
Lead Roles: Joanne - the author
Jamie - the sister

We packed the car with everything we thought we could need to be gone from home for 6 months. Two person tent, sleeping bags, pillows, coolers, flashlights, toilet paper, road maps for all of the USA, a load of CD's, a few books, Lonely planet guide books, a duffle bag of clothes each. It was enough to fill the trunk and the whole backseat. Bought a cheap CD player from Wal-Mart for the car, and got it ready to go. The red beast was ready, packed up and waiting for us to rev it into gear. With that, we gave the parents a hug and said "see ya in 6 months". Drove to town to get some gas and then headed south. No real destination, no planned route. Just drove, looking for fun, a vague plan hoping for adventure. The general idea was to drive through the states. we didn't know to which ones and even once mentioned doing them all. We did know that the west coast would be first. We felt like we were in a different land just south of Medicine Hat, which is only 6 hrs south of home. Giant Windmills started appearing on the horizon, like some sort of alien experiment to harness earths resourses. Hills on an otherwise flat earth filled with rows upon rows of these giants. Frank Slide, a site of mush devestation. Some of the old town still exists. It is amazing to stand across the way from the mountain and see exactly how much of it was brought down in the slide.