The Willamette Valley, then Southwest Oregon, and into Northern California

First weekend of October 2015

We had a tremendous weekend in Eugene. We visited Terry’s folks and spent some quality time in several local parks. On Saturday afternoon and evening, we watched Corbin play football at the OU Denzen Stadium, home of the “Ducks”, followed by a light dinner at the River City Mall.

On Sunday, we met Don and Bobbie for lunch at an outdoor café on the Willamette River, just next to the University of Oregon. It was a good visit with a high school friend (and wife), who now call Eugene home. We talked so much that we forgot to get a picture. 

Next, we met up with Ariel and Corbin for a farewell walk in the park and made some pictures. Afterwards, Terry and I drove around Eugene and stopped off at the famous Red Wagon Ice Cream Shop on the way home. We had a fabulous weekend and now we are completely exhausted.

On Monday, we departed Eugene and drove up the headwaters of the Willamette River, over Willamette Pass, then down to Klamath Falls. We saw some spectacular fall colors going over the pass. On the eastern slope, we encountered Aspens (about 4-thousand feet), showing their regal, golden fall colors, like a patchwork among the green conifers and Ponderosa pines.  

We plan three days here to rest, relax, catch-up on some chores, and daytrip, etc.

Klamath Falls has no falls, it’s more of a rapid, on the Link River, where the water flows rapidly over the rocks. The dam now controls the flow and there’s seldom any significant rapids. The entire valley is predominately agriculture in the lower elevations and timber up the mountains. Water for irrigation is the most important resource for the farmers and ranchers. Talking to a rancher, it’s not uncommon to get seven cuttings of alfalfa, which is used for winter feed AND trucked to the large dairy operations in California. The area has geothermal features which are used for heating in town and in the country. They just bore a well and immediately, they have an endless source of hot water that can be used for heating.  

What a beautiful place.

The day was cloudy so the blue of the lake was not as pretty in this photo

Aren''t we sweet here at Crater Lake

Wed. 10-7

Today, we head up to Creator Lake and Fort Klamath, for some sightseeing. After a full-day at Creator Lake and Fort Klamath, we were glad to return to the camp for a fine dinner.

Crater Lake National Park is Oregon’s only National Park but it is at the top of the list of Oregon’s seven wonders. The 33-mile drive around the rim reveals the unmatched, dramatic views of the volcanic scenery and beauty of the park. We stopped at the Visitor Center for a video presentation on the park’s significance and the lake’s volcanic past. At the Crater Lake Lodge, overlooking the lake, we had a picnic lunch and made some pictures. The Rim Village Gift Shop had some interesting souvenirs and a welcome coffee shop (it was a cool day). Just outside is a short rim-walk with stunning views of the crater and lake. It depicts the story of how Mount Mazama:

Grew to 12,000 feet over millions of years

Blew 12 cubic miles of volcanic material in a pyroclastic blast 7,700 years ago

Fell or caved in after blast, leaving a huge crater

Filled over centuries to a depth of 1,943 feet of water, six miles across

The lake is a clear, pure, brilliant blue (grape cool-aid blue) at 7,100-feet elevation and has a 143-foor clarity.

At Discovery Point, we fed Clark’s Nutcrackers and Gray Jays right out of our hands (They’re well trained by millions of visitors)! and enjoyed some walks with our dogs. The elevation slowed old Sam but he didn’t stop.

We also visited Fort Klamath (1863), a U.S. Army outpost down in the valley, which provided protection to settlers and the Oregon Trail immigrants. Sixty-five soldiers were killed in the Modoc Indian War of 1867, but they were disinterred from the fort cemetery and moved to the San Francisco Presidio in 1888, after the fort was de-commissioned. Most of these men were Oregonians and, being deceased, had no say in the matter. After 1888, a local church cemetery association took over the graveyard and it’s still in use. The graves of the Modoc Indians, who were executed for killing the soldiers, are the only remaining graves from the military occupation period.  

Thursday, October 8, 2015

After lunch today, we headed south from Klamath, on US 97, and said goodbye to Oregon and hello to California. US 97 is a beautiful drive, with loads of rubber-necking fascinations, like the ag fields of Butte Valley, the basalt-covered hills, the truck-loads of onions, Lake Shasta, the different trees, at varying elevations, but not much “fall colors”.  

Mt. Shasta was in our front view for a long distance and it was a clear day, making it very impressive, with its glaciers and multiple cones. Mt. Shasta is second to Mt. Whitney, but (me thinks) Shasta is more handsome. Along the route, we observed the Castle Crags, a most impressive group of towering, granite spires, rising above the upper Sacramento River canyon. When we encountered Lake Shasta, it was sad to see the bare slopes, which were once covered by the cold, clear waters of Lake Shasta. The marinas have lowered as far as the ramps would allow, and now foot-paths are used to get down to the boats. The huge Dam now looks like a colossal, overbuilt structure because of the very low water level. The Dam is still producing power, providing recreation, and feeding the irrigation district, but it’s controversial.

 

Next, we stopped at Costco in Redding to feed dogs, have dinner, and shop. Our next leg was a climb east, to Shingletown and the Lassen Volcano National Park, where we took a campsite for the night.

Friday 10-9

We spent the day at Lassen Volcanic National Park, situated just south of the Cascade Range, just north of the Serra Nevada Mountains, the Great Basin Desert to the east, and the Sacramento River Valley to the west. This convergence point contributes to the diversity of ecosystems and abundant flora and fauna, found in the park. Traveling from the west into the park, you go from 1000 to 8200 feet over twenty-five miles, on some really exciting roads, with stunning overlooks and access to loads of hiking trails. (Terry was leaning away from the precipices, too long at sea-level, on the coast!) Lassen Peak (10,487ft) is the centerpiece of the park, one of the largest plug dome volcanoes in the world.

We enjoyed a picnic lunch at Manzanita Lake, one of the glacial lakes, where we were joined by a friendly, panhandling Mallard hen.

The park illustrates Earth’s powerful forces in all four volcano types: (Shield, cinder cone, plug dome, and composite), not to underestimate the several geothermal areas, with boiling caldrons, hissing fumaroles, gurgling mud pots, all smelling of hydrogen sulfide. The entire park is like a Mars-scape, with all that rock and material coming from the volcanoes. This was an appropriate culmination of the Volcano Legacy Scenic Byway that we encountered and traveled in the Cascades of Washington, Oregon, and northern California. We loved it!

10 October 2015

We made it back to the Sacramento River at Redding and plan to rest-up on the weekend. We plan to watch college football, shop, dine, church, and sightsee the Riverwalk. We made a trip to Costco and Walmart to stock up on the appropriate supplies.

Sunday 10/11

Last night, we took a walk along the Sacramento River Walk, a favorite recreational asset for the people of Redding and visitors alike, and part of a larger recreation trail network. The walk is situated along both sides of the river, with pedestrian bridges and public parks interspersed along the improved path. We had to walk slowly because our dogs wanted to take in every smell (p-mail).   

We noticed that the low-head dam structures have fish-ladders, so we assume that anadromous fish migrations are still significant. The downtown area was busy with diners, shoppers, and the “Saturday Night Crowd”, in the bars and taverns. 

This morning, we attended Mass at St. Joseph Catholic Church, in the downtown area. The downtown area looked very different on Sunday morning than it did last night.

We have enjoyed our weekend at Redding, Shasta County and the Sacramento River Valley!