Post Vaccination Vacation: Mai Tai Tom’s Oregon Trail Tale

CHAPTER TWO: Crater LAKE/JACKSONVILLE/MORE ASHLAND

Day Two: Fill ‘er up!, Going Rogue, The Magic Card, Seeing Blue, Did You Bring Your Skis, Mr. Wizard, A Frosty Reception, Ice Cream Truck, Are We In Florida, To Be Or Not To Be, Picturesque Park, Frank Lloyd Wright-Inspired and A Spicy Dinner Under The Bridge

After deciding upon our plan of attack for the day, the four of us climbed into the Marymobile (with Kim behind the wheel) for the 90-minute drive to Crater Lake National Park.Usually stopping at a gas station does not make for interesting fodder, but we were in for quite a surprise. As Kim exited the car to refuel, the gas station attendant ran up to tell him to get back in the car. We quickly learned that in Oregon, you can’t pump your own gas. It had been roughly 50 years since we had this kind of assistance, although the attendant didn’t wash the windshield (foreshadowing).

Mai Tai Tom Fun Fact: The only other state you’re not allowed to pump your own gas is … New Jersey.

As we approached the entrance to Crater Lake National Park, there was a sign for a Viewpoint. Heeding our new manta of not passing these points of interest up, we drove to the Rogue River Gorge Viewpoint.

We spent the better part of a 45 minutes hiking the 1/4 mile paved loop trail alongside the Rogue River, which offered some cool views of the steep gorge. This was one swift river.

There is a longer hike (3 1/2 miles) with a trail that takes you to the Natural Bridge. However, the bridge we did see was wasn’t too shabby.

We passed by The Living Stump. where I presumed I would have to make a speech.  A sign stated, “Here on the flat surface of the lava flow, away from the Gorge wall, the trees live as a group rather than as individuals. The roots of these Douglas-firs have grown together, providing each other with nutrients and water. Before it was cut, the roots of this tree had grafted onto those of a neighbor. because of this, the stump continues to live.”  Without this sign, I would have been stumped on how this came to be.

On the opposite side of the river we could make out the Lava Tubes, where molten lava has drained out and left behind a hollow tube.  I often ponder how they make those delicious chocolate cakes out of molten lava.

We learned that more than 7,000 years ago, Mt. Mazama (now Crater Lake), located 27 miles from here, exploded and sent “torrents of whitish pumice and ash down its flanks to the Rogue,” and the river changed course.   Douglas firs abound in this area.

There are viewpoints along the loop trail that give exquisite views of the rushing water and small waterfalls.

Tracy thought it would be fun if I tried walking across the log above the river. Sadly, I had left my walking poles in the car.

We even caught a little rainbow in one of the photos.  We were virtually somewhere over the rainbow.

For some reason, one guy couldn’t figure out where the phone was located that was taking our photo.

It was a relatively short drive to Crater Lake from the Rogue River Viewpoint, and as we reached a higher elevation, the temperature dropped significantly, and, what do you know, snow lined the side of the road.

We entered from the West entrance (both the North entrance and Rim Road were still closed to traffic).As we approached the entrance, Tracy pulled out our National Park Senior Pass, a lifetime pass we purchased the last year senior lifetime passes were available for only $10 (they are now $80).  The $10 pass we purchased before August 28, 2017, has been grandfathered (perfect word for it) in and is good for life.  Showing the pass to the park ranger, he remarked, “Oh, you have the magic card,” and waved us through.  Best ten bucks we’ve ever spent.It was less than ten miles to The Rim Village, where we started shooting photos of this incredible lake that I last visited as a very young child.

Our waiter weather forecaster’s prognostication from the evening before was right on the mark. The blue skies reflected upon and enhanced the deep blue of Crater Lake, which at 1,943 feet, is the deepest lake in the United States. It’s also one of the cleanest and clearest lakes in the world.
Snow was all around us, which makes sense because Crater Lake’s average of 43 feet of snow per year makes it one of the snowiest spots in the U.S.

Kim chatted with a park ranger. She told him the lodge would tentatively reopen the following week. She also said to drive over to the Discovery Point parking area (a little more than a mile from the gift shop, for more spectacular views.Tracy took a photo of me “skiing” that she texted to my doctor as a joke. Actually, as you can see, I was really standing in the parking lot with my walking poles dug into the snow. She quickly sent him the follow-up, so he didn’t worry that he’d have a seriously injured old man on his hands.

The Discovery Point outlook provided an even better panorama of the lake and Wizard Island, which are the remains of the explosion of the once 12,000-foot volcano, Mt. Mazama, that erupted 7,700 years ago, forming Crater Lake.

It’s hard to believe many lakes in the world could have bluer water than Crater Lake.We attempted to notify these idiots’ next of kin on the way out. One misstep could mean instant oblivion.

Hopefully, we’ll get a chance to return because the 33-mile Rim Road that includes 30 scenic pullouts sounds like one fantastic drive.As we headed back toward civilization after our Crater Lake journey, we realized the hotel breakfast left us longing for a good meal.  It was a little before 2 p.m. when we cruised into the town of Shady Cove, a name that Kim said implied, “a town where bodies are never seen again.”  In reality, Shady Cove is a town people go to rent rafts for traveling on the Rogue River.  It also has a surprisingly good fast food place we now highly recommend.  Although a Mexican restaurant with a waterside patio beckoned us, Mary said, “Let’s try Phil’s Frosty,” whose sign read, “An Upper Rogue Landmark.” We thought, “Well, Phil has never lied to us before.”

It seemed to be wildly popular. The parking lot of this drive-in was nearly full, and we found out why. Our Bacon burgers were reminiscent of the ones we used to get at A&W drive-ins (even more foreshadowing). Kim and Mary’s burgers were also devoured. Sorry, In-In-Out, Phil’s Frosty’s hamburgers win.

Since we hadn’t hit a church yet on this trip, I scurried over to Our Lady Of Fatima Catholic Church.  Although falling short of what we hope to see at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima in Portugal later this year, it did posses a uniqeness about it.

Before departing we spied an odd sight, and, for once, it didn’t include one of us. An 18-wheeler suddenly stopped in the middle of the road. The driver jumped out of his rig, walked up to the order window and came away with a giant ice cream cone. Now, that must have been one damn good Umpqua ice cream cone to stop in the middle of the highway, and we were now sad we had ordered the french fries, because, although good, it left no room for ice cream.

Kim asked what we wanted to do next, and Mary replied, “Let’s go to Jacksonville.” I thought the recent high altitude might have gone to her head, because we wouldn’t even have time to reach Atlanta, but she reminded me that the historic town of Jacksonville, Oregon, was less than an hour away.

Jacksonville takes “quaint” to another level. Tracy said it reminded her of towns in Gold Country in California, which made sense since Jacksonville is a historic Gold Rush town (gold was discovered here in 1851, and the town was founded a year later). Main Street seemed to be stuck back in another time. Budget Travel Magazine recently named Jacksonville “one of the ten coolest small towns” in the U.S.

Mai Tai Tom Fun Fact: When Oregon became a state in 1863, Jacksonville became the largest inland trade center in the state.

We wandered part of Jacksonville’s historic section, which was declared a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1966. I asked Tracy if she’d drop me off at the J’Ville Tavern “Husband Day Care Center.” For more than 75 years, it has served as a spot where Jacksonville wives can dump their husbands off for a few hours and more than a few drinks.

This shop was a cut above.

In front of the Bella Union Restaurant and Saloon, a plaque commemorates this historic building being utilized in the 1970 filming of the movie The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid.

A statue of Jacksonville Gold Miners stands in front of the town library. This guy was one deft pan handler.I wanted to try this contraption out only for the fact that inquisitiveness is one of my main character traits.

The United States Hotel dates from 1880, while the adjacent Jacksonville Inn, built in 1861, is now an award-winning B&B.

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