Crater Lake, the Coast, and Corvallis
July 9th, 2009 at 9:11 pm (Nature, Travel)
I recently returned from five days exploring southern Oregon, an area of truly breathtaking beauty. I took the Coast Starlight train up the coast to Klamath Falls (a 22-hour trip, and deliciously enjoyable), visited Crater Lake, then drove out to the coast (Gold Beach) and spent some time wandering north to Waldport. At that point I headed back inland to Corvallis, then Albany, and finally to Eugene, from whence I flew back to Los Angeles. I had more adventures than would reasonably fit in this post, but here are some of the moments that really stood out:
- Waking up to see Mount Shasta lit up by the sunrise, outside my sleeper car
- Standing on the rim of Crater Lake, amid snow and sun and distant thunderclouds
- Savoring a shiitake mushroom and green onion omelet in Ashland
- Running on the beach at Cape Blanco
- Climbing up into the Fresnel lens of the Umpqua River Lighthouse
- Hiking Hobbit Trail down to Hobbit Beach
- Dancing to Becki Sue & Her Big Rockin’ Daddies at the Corvallis Riverfront Festival 4th of July celebration
- Hiking through the Peavy Arboretum (Corvallis) with Thoreau for company
- Enjoying blueberry pancakes at the Train House Inn for breakfast on my birthday!
This was an incredible trip, filled with one breathtaking scene after another. Where words fail me, perhaps more pictures can suffice.
Terran said,
July 10, 2009 at 4:18 am
Beautiful! [envy, envy] I love the fresnel lens pic. Have never had a chance to explore a lighthouse, but it’s on my list.
Susan said,
July 10, 2009 at 7:54 am
What a lovely vacation! And I’m impressed by your photography.
jim said,
July 12, 2009 at 12:46 am
Thank you for sharing the photos. Your picture of the fresnel lens is very well-composed!
If you had one day to spend going back, what would you do (again)?
A life-long scholar said,
July 12, 2009 at 5:29 am
I did the sleeper train from SF to Portland a couple of weeks back, and was fortunate enough to wake up as we were passing Mt. Thielsen. Having once climbed that peak years ago, it was a particularly auspicious point in the journey in which to awaken, triggering as it did so many happy memories, as well as being lovely in its own right. Alas, it didn’t occur to me to take out my camera, but others have photos of it on line (e.g. http://www.redbubble.com/people/cboswell/art/3214851-4-mount-theilsen and http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/Thielsen/Locale/framework.html )
wkiri said,
July 12, 2009 at 8:55 am
If you had one day to spend going back, what would you do (again)?
Crater Lake, undoubtedly! And possibly stay inland and visit more of the peaks in the Cascades; there was much more to see there. If spending time on the coast, I’d pick a beach and spend a half-day exploring and enjoying it, rather than shorter stops up along the way. I’d probably also want to spend even more time in Corvallis, not necessarily because there are sights to see, but just because I like it a lot. :) (That Arboretum was pretty magnificent, though—it’s actually a research forest and they have different parts planted for different experimental reasons; I would like to have someone explain the science behind it (no explanatory signs or brochures).)
wake up as we were passing Mt. Thielsen
I think I saw that peak in the distance, from Crater Lake. Thanks for the up-close shots—it’s even more impressive that way! I was a little sad to leave the train before it made the undoubtedly breathtaking climb over the mountains to Eugene. Another time, perhaps!