Day 35: Lavender Lake Waterfalls

July 30, 2021

Vanlog, Portland, OR

We drove one mile from our boondocking site to the Trillium lake campground for reflections of Mt Hood in the water. 

We then hiked 4.3 mi RT to Mirror Lake.

Next we were off to find Lavender Valley Farms for some Instagram worthy photos with Mt Hood as the backdrop.

We left Mt Hood for the Columba River Gorge with stops at Multnomah Falls, Horsetail Falls, and the Bonneville Dam Fish Hatchery before continuing on to Portland.

Day 34: Oregon is Beautiful

July 29, 2021

Vanlog, Government Camp, OR

Woke up before sunrise with 47 degrees. Sunrise at 5:56 AM at Crater Lake. So worth it! 

Drove to Newberry National Volcanic Monumenr south of Bend, OR and hiked to Paulina Falls and the Big Obsidian Flow. Had our first shower in four days at a public shower at the East Lake Resort.

Then continued north still in the Bend OR area to Tumalo Falls and a 2.3 mi RT hike to Double Falls.

As the afternoon warmed up to 96 degrees we explored the amazing Smith Rock State Park which is like a mini Zion NP with steep canyon walls and a river down below. 

Then we drove two hours to our boondocking site near Trillium Lake in the Mt Hood National Forest. 

 

Day 33: Crater Lake and Toketee Falls

July 28, 2021

Vanlog, Crater Lake National Park

It was an early morning from our boondocking site which we shared with a latecomer overnight. We drove further up the Oregon coast as far as Bandon with more spectacular ocean views.

We had a five hour drive to Crater Lake through some of the Umpqua NF where the wildfires had gone through. We passed one of the “incident camps” where the firefighters lived in tents. Then we had lunch at Toketee Falls, a 120-ft drop. Toketee means “pretty.” You be the judge.

We finally arrived at Crater Lake around 3 PM. We drove most of the 34-mile loop road around the rim. The lake is almost 2000 ft deep and was formed when Mt Manama erupted and formed a caldera. With over 500 in of snow per year, that’s a lot of snow melt that filled in the caldera to make the lake you see today. The deep blue colors are a reflection of its purity and the scattering effects of light off such deep waters. Wizard Island is actually a small cinder cone that formed after the main eruption. There is one place where you can walk down to the water to swim. We waded in. It was not as cold as you might think! We did the hike down in 22 min and back up in 30 min. 1.1 miles each way. Then we stayed for sunset at Cloudcap overlook before camping in the park campground. I was hoping to get Jessica a shower after three straight nights of boondocking but they are unfortunately closed “due to COVID.”

Another amazing sunset!

 

Day 32: Rainy California, Sunny Oregon

 July 27, 2021

Vanlog, boondocking site on the Oregon coast south of Gold Beach

This morning we woke to sounds of rain on the van roof. It is always a pleasing sound to hear but not such a pleasant sight to behold. The morning agenda took us to Trinidad State Beach and Redwoods National and State Parks, both of which are in northern California. It rained for both. 

But once we crossed into Oregon the weather cleared and we had great views from various coastal overlooks, including Pebble Beach, Harris Beach State Park, Samuel Boardman Scenic Corridor, and Arch Rock. The last picture below is the view from our boondocking campsite. #vanlife

The sunset was equally amazing.