This post is brought to you from a person who gets slightly stir crazy on car rides longer than 2 hours.....and it's been 4 today, for the third day in a row. With that being said, I have been reminded by Drew (the much more patient one of this duo), that this is a trip can't be done without driving and that many people don't have the opportunity to go on a trip like this for two weeks and see all that we are able to see.....by driving. And he's right and I'm extremely grateful.....and still counting down the minutes until I can run a lap around the next gas station.
I'm not going to attempt to cram too much into these posts, but rather spread them out over time. Each place has been so unique, with its own personality and specific views or activities that I don't want them to run together. Today's post is dedicated to Crater Lake, Oregon and it will not disappoint.
From left: Aimee (youngest sister, 15), Jessie (sweetest sister-in-law), Tom (unparalleled cuteness), Ben 30 (oldest brother), Carrie (nursing student, 22), Drew (hot hubs), Me, Matt (nomadic, single, possibly Italian, 28), Mom and Dad <3
After brunch and a quick photo shoot in San Francisco (moms love family pictures almost more than family itself), we parted with my family and our party went from 11 to 2 which was sad in most ways, but does make traveling a little easier in others. We drove north about six hours to the little cabin where we would be staying that night. Pretty much just dropped off our bags, grabbed sweatshirts and conitnued on to Crater Lake to catch the sunset.
This little cabin in the background was our home for the night--so cozy!
The lake is incredible at any point along the rim, but true to Drew's nature, we were determined to get the "best view." These views almost inevitably involve a decent hike, but this one was only about a mile and half. We've done a LOT of hiking this week, so a short one was welcomed. I'll let the pictures do the rest of the describing....
I truly think this is the current place-holder for my favorite view of the trip thus far. The lake was so deep blue, the crater edges so clean, and the sun's changing colors couldn't have been more impressive. The view was all ours--not a person in sight and I felt like we had discovered a part of the world that nobody else had touched.
The next day, we drove back to the lake with the intent to take a trail down to the lake and entertain the idea of jumping in (I do not like cold water....at all). I wore my swimsuit and deep down I knew I would end up doing it, but I allowed myself the option to back out. This hike was very easy on the way down as it descended quickly for a little over a mile and drops you off right at the rock. I watched a few people jump in, shiver, swim quickly to shore and then find spots on the big rocks to let the sun reverse the damage. I didn't let myslef think too long (just long enough for Drew to get the camera out to make sure there was proof) before stripping down and jumping in. It was cold, but the worst part was how the water just sucked the air right out of me. I was glad I did it, but once was enough.
We talked to some other travelers, talked a girl into taking the plunge and then headed back up to the car to make yet another "car lunch." We've pretty much perfected the art of getting the right groceries to eat at least one and most days two meals on the road. We just unpack it all in the mini fridges wherever we stay overnight and then take it with us. I've had the same salad concoction four days in a row and I'm still enjoying it. We prefer to spend our budget on extending out trip--seeing the most we can, not necessarily eating at every well-reviewed restaurant in each spot. It works for us, but I'm sure others would say we are missing out.....#preferences.
Glamorous, right?!