Wednesday July 5th
Our first taste of Oregon was from our vantage point on the northern shore of the Columbia river. This area is rich in history, both natural and pioneering. Native American Indians used the district as an important gathering place; it is the home stretch of the famous Oregon trail, not to mention a treasuretrove of fossilized dinosaurs. The first part of our journey down the 97 we are able to see 11,240 ft Mt. Hood dominating the horizon. Semi-arid sage-brush plains give way to a vast wheat belt, where tiny one-hotel towns intermittently dot the highway. We stopped at Crooked Creek....not for the feint-hearted....there's a lovely State-managed picnic spot where the boys were amused by ground squirrels running from burrow to burrow, popping out inquisitively to send the boys into fits of laughter.....however the edge of the picnic-ground drops vertically to the creek below(60 or 70 feet) and is every mother's nightmare....real vertigo stuff. Richard did some experimenting with the video camera over the edge....oh boy, can't wait to see that footage..........(yeah,right!)

We had a laundry stop at Bend, time to finish that novel during the spin-dry cycle while the boys stretched their legs. Our one and only Covered Bridge was spied as we approached Bend it was right alongside a four lane highway, but hey, who's complaining...it was authentic enough to double back for a snap-shot! ( Oregon has 40+ historical covered bridges- but most of them are off the beaten track!)
Next leg of the 97 it started to drizzle rain  so we chickened out and stopped at a motel in Chemult...not exactly value for money, but on the bright side we were close to our next day's destination.....Crater Lake.
Thursday July 8th
The day started out overcast, but cleared as we entered the Crater Lake National Park. The Ranger said it was the first clear day in weeks.....we were in luck, as the colour of the sky changes that amazing blue hue of the lake(not to mention there was still lots of snow around the Caldera and it was a little chilly round the ankles). We stopped at just about every look-out around the rim, as no photo can ever do justice to this jaw-dropping vista. The volcano erupted about 7,600 years ago and has been gradually filled with snow-melt ever since. A small cinder cone rises eerily from the depths, named Wizard Island after Native American legend. While Richard and I marvelled at the astonishing clarity and hue of the water, the boys were delighted by the antics of a pair of Golden Mantles(a sort of chipmunk) that skipped over the rocky ledges and popped up cheekily near their fingertips.

After the obligatory trip to the souvenir shop we drove down to Mazama camp ground at the base of the crater, and had our choice of campsites. We were surrounded by lovely tall pines, with a fire-pit and picnic table. After setting up camp we went back up for a walk around the Crater Lake Lodge and along a short trail. The air was warm and pleasant, but we could feel the temp. drop as the sun set. By the time we had finished dinner we had neighbours with three children...so the lads were in seventh heaven. Around 9pm Richard took the boys over to an outdoor amphitheatre where a Ranger held a slide show about the park,etc. We had two very sleepy boys and a peaceful night.....temp. dropped to around 4 or 5C.
Friday July 7th
We packed up camp slowly, as the boys were reluctant to leave their new friends. Very warm day driving through the lush Klamath valley....lots of cattle farms and horse studs.
Klamath  Lake is Oregon's largest freshwater lake. We spied lots of eagles and Mt. Hayden in the distance! We stopped at Klamath for provisions then headed over the border into California, along the 97 to Weed. Not a pretty name, but a quaint namesake. (To continue, see Northern Cailfornia)

Wednesday August 2nd (Klamath-Californian Coast)
The valley is still shrouded in mist when we awake...the locals say it could hang around for days so we decide to pack up the dew covered tent and dry it off at the next camp-ground. Enjoy a decadent sausages and pancake breakfast before heading for the border. We hug the rugged Oregon coastline for a hundred miles before stopping at Bandon at a Game Safari park. The boys enjoyed walking through herds of deer and pygmy goats, The park also has African and American animals on display, but not quite the resources of the San Diego Wild Animal Park....and sadly most exhibits were in small confines. The highlight of the visit was for the boys to be able to touch baby Bengal Tigers that had been born on the Fourth of July and aptly named Stars, Spangles and Stripes.
On our journey up the coast we crossed five very ornately decorated bridges. They were all built in 1936 by the same bridge engineer, to replace the ferry services at Coos Bay, Reedsport, Florence, Waldport and Newport. The coastline is punctuated by river mouths and flood-plain deltas and at each of these there is bound to be a lighthouse to guide wary sailors around rocky monoliths that tower above the seas. It was at one of these lighthouse campgrounds that we set up tent. The Umpqua Campground is sheltered from the ocean by huge tree-lined sand dunes. We were nestled in amongst the fragrant red cedars; within easy walking distance can be found a fresh water lake, surrounded by forest and a mile track, and the lighthouse itself, which is also a great vantage point to do a little whale spotting...of which we saw none. The dunes are a popular spot for buggies, and fresh oysters are harvested at the river mouth.
Thursday August 3rd...
......The enthusiastic fishermen in the tent next door, gave us a wake-up call at 5am...boys play tag with the neighbourhood children...a set of triplets...identical girls and a boy...the other campers probably thought they'd over-done the night before seeing all the doubles....We stop at numerous spots along the beautiful Oregon coast-line until we reach Seaside...(Garibaldi, Manzanita beach, Cannon Beach,etc) Highlights for the day are all the wonderful lighthouses and the wide sweeping beaches.
Friday August 4th...
......Hayden and Nathan try feeding the domestic ducks in the campground pond and both suffer an attack from nasty hornets. Soothed by ice and a few placebic bandages, they soon recover with no side-effects....first time we've needed the first-aid kit for the whole trip! We call in to Seaside for ice-cream and a stroll along the boardwalk....beautiful galleries,etc...onwards to the Washington border....
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