Day 11 - Crater Lake

Date 6/30

Weather: Sunny

Expense
$36 Dinner
$4 souvenir
$1 postcard
$41 today
$577 for the trip

Mileage: 85 today, 2,527 for the trip

Beer: 1 today, 12 for the trip

Pictures: homepage.mac.com/cenya/PhotoAlbum49.html

My cliff note says that I got up at six. That seems a little late. I must have been a little tired. I laid out the washed cloth from yesterday to dry overnight. Well, that was a mistake. They got wetter from morning dew. I decided to machine dry wet clothes later, so I put them in a bag.

I drove up to the rim for a drive around the lake. It was a gorgeous morning. It is sunny unlike Mountain Rainier. I was happier not being rained on. I stopped at all the lookouts and took photos of the lake. There are two distinct landmarks on the lake, which are Phantom Ship and Wizard Island. I stopped at the visitor center, where I purchased two postcards and a patch. My patch collection is growing. I really like the way this patch looks. I made a dinner reservation at the Lodge, because they get booked fast. The earliest reservation was for nine. Oh, well.

I was ready to go down to the dock where a boat tour is being offered. I was really hoping that it is happening. I was looking forward to spending sometime on Wizard Island. Alas, it was not meant to be. I was told at the ticket booth that the tour is not to start until the Fourth of July weekend. I was two days early. I took the trail, Cleetwood, to the dock anyway to see what the lake is like. The trail is about two miles long and is a switchback. It felt a little like doing Grand Canyon. May be not. It was a bit of work to climb back out. I wondered if the hike in Mt. Rainier is taking a toll.

Water in the lake is of the deepest blue I have ever seen. It is about 2000 feet deep. Apparently deep water appears blue, because all other colors are absorbed. I am sure someone would correct me if I got this wrong. I took a few more pictures.

I tried to climb Mt. Scott, but it was closed by snow. I really wished I had snowshoes or at least a couple of tennis rackets. I think I could have gone to the highest point to check out the 360° view. That meant I would not be checking out Watchman trail. It was also snowed in.

I came back to the campground. I hiked Annie Creek trail that is about two miles. I walked down to a creek and crossed small bridges. I took a picture of each bridge. I think I have a fetish for bridges. It was a nice little hike. I was no longer so upset even though I could not do some of the planned hikes.

I washed up and drove back up to Crater Lake Lodge. I decided to depart the next day and tried to soak in as much of the Crater Lake as possible. I walked around the exhibits and learned about the lake. I sent two postcards out. I made some notes in the journal. I went to the Lodge and sat in a rocking chair looking out to Crater Lake. Awesome! I typed up a couple days of the trip.

Note to self: Get a nice rocking chair!!!!!!!

I got impatient. I couldn’t possibly wait until nine. I went to the hostess to speed things up. It was a middle-aged lady, who agreeably changed it. I was seated immediately. I did not tip or flirt with her. This is a definitely a good thing.

I order NW clam chowder to start. It contained apple wood smoked bacon and thyme. Mm, bacon! Smell of thyme is evident. Potatoes were soft but not mush. It is a thinner than I expected, but it is not NE chowder. It was excellent.

I ordered Cinder Cone Red beer from Deschutes Brewery to go with my meal. It was light red and did not seem entirely clear. It had a good foam head, good bouquet of hop (not sure which), and good malt taste. I thought it was well balanced with bitterness.

For the main entrée, I ordered artichoke chicken and Gouda cream sauce (w/ fettuccini). All the ingredients were good individually except for the artichoke, which seemed bitter. Prosciutto was good, sun dried tomatoes were intense and sweet, red onion was nicely caramelized, but heavy thick Gouda cream sauce made them just a mediocre dish. It is a shame. I wondered if I should have ordered the special, Denver cut venison. I did not feel good about ordering Bambi. Over all, I was very impressed with the whole experience.

I was making notes of my meal, as this would be in my journal. The waiter asked me if I was a food critic. That was pretty cool. I said, “I am making notes for my records.” I thought that sounded vague enough.

Note to self: Take more notes in restaurants, because they will treat you better thinking you are a food critic. YEAH!

I left the lodge and drove down to campground for the last night in Crater Lake.