Rocky Mountain High (Rocky Mountain National Park Post)

Our last big stop on our trip was to Rocky Mountain National Park. 

Grand Lake just outside the park.  

Rocky Mountain National Park was established in 1915.   The park offers a diverse range of ecosystems from wetland, to montane pine forests and hills, to the subalpine ecosystem to the delicate and seemingly barren alpine tundra. However, each ecosystem, is filled with different animals and vegetation.
 

"Are there any moose around here?"

We crossed the Continental Divide and continued Up! Up! Up! We were at over two miles above sea level here!

I can say I have walked across the Continental Divide! 

Elk!

Up at the top of Trail Ridge Road (one of the main roads through the park), is a hike which was recommended by the Ranger.  It is actually called Alpine Ridge Trail, but on account of its gain in elevation from the already high (11,796 foot) pass, it has been nicknamed Huffer's Hill.

Huffer's Hill

From the summit of Huffer's Hill (12,006 feet)

From the summit of a higher peak! (12,304 feet)

Dad on a rock!

We all agreed that although we really enjoyed the big trees, we were glad we ended with Crater Lake and Rocky Mountain National Park.  They were the exclamation point on our trip.  

We got home Saturday afternoon, and in the end we traveled an even 8,050 miles, and visited six more national parks.

Also of note, on our drive home I took our road atlas and counted the number of states I have been in (35), so I only have 15 to go! 

In total, we have been to 18 national parks on our two trips, so I only have 41 more to get to the total of 59 national parks! 

Until our next adventure:

Ciao!

Amy

And Then We Got Pie (A Compilation of Mini-Adventures)

 After leaving Crater Lake, we also went to the nearby Newberry National Volcanic Monument, although it was nearly five of the clock (What the abbreviation o'clock stands for), and the visitor's center closed at five.  However, we could go out on the trails, Timber could come!

The mountain of lava rocks

Timber liked these ground squirrels which perched themselves on rock outcroppings!

The view from Phil Brogan Overlook. (Phil Brogan was a distinguished Oregon journalist and author)
It overlooks about half of the glaciers in Oregon.  

Sagebrush and other small plants in the lava rocks. 

Once we headed out of our campsite (Eastbound :( ) in the morning, we were launched right back into our expanses of nothing.  But this expanse of nothing was accompanied by the cruel twist that we were running out of gas, and had no cell service, but there was a gas truck in front of us.  

It's hard to tell from this picture, but the low fuel light is on, and the needle is right by the "E"

The stars aligned! We did make it to a gas station, and after we got fuel, we drove into the parking lot of the neighboring diner, and Dad went out to get forks from the storage under Karen's bed.  While he was out, a man who worked in the diner was changing the sign and asked Dad if we were coming in for lunch.  (Despite the fact that Karen and I were just eating breakfast at this point, we had gone through a change in time zone, and it was almost lunchtime.)  Dad said that we were just passing through, but the man said that they had homemade pie.  That was enough to get us in! 

Decisions, Decisions! Look at all that pie!

The pie is made by the owner of the diner every morning as As it ended up, we each got a serving of pie ala mode (Ala mode literally translates to "in the style" or "in the usual manner" and could mean anything, It could even mean pie served with pickles on top.  However, it typically means pie with a scoop of ice cream, which it was!)  I had peanut butter and chocolate pie, Mom and Dad had caramel apple nut pie, and Karen had pecan pie.  It was really good! We (Dad) then decided it was a long drive, and that we needed pie.  We then bought a Marionberry pie.  Marionberry is a cross between two blackberry types and counts for much of the blackberry production in Oregon.  (If you can't tell by now, we like to keep Harvey filled up with all sorts of good food!)

The last time we went Cross Country, Dad recounted that the best steak and potatoes he has had was in Idaho.  So, last trip, we got steak in Idaho.  This trip, after leaving Oregon, we headed into Idaho, and we picked a city, Pocatello, which we would reach just in time for an early dinner, and using the wonders of the great google, Karen chose a restaurant.  On our way there, I grilled (pardon my pun) Dad more about the steak he had, and asked him if he knew what restaurant he was in, and to my surprise (it has been over 30 years since his trip out west when he was 19) he was able to quickly state, Sandpiper Beef and Spirits in American Falls saying that the steak was that good. As if by fate, the restaurant that Karen picked was called Sandpiper Restaurant.  We wondered if they were somehow connected or if Dad got the city wrong, as American Falls was only a few towns over from Pocatello.  We had a really good meal, and we asked the waiter if there were any other Sandpiper Restaurants anywhere, and he said there was one in American Falls and there used to be one in Boise.  A couple and their friend opened the Sandpiper as business partners a long time ago, and they still exist.  

The sign

As we were driving through Idaho, we actually passed the little diner we stopped at last trip as well as the Oregon Trail Museum, or Sasquatch Museum as Dad called it due to the large exhibit on Sasquatch that we saw when we visited.  

Driving through Wyoming, (we were actually close to Yellowstone), we stopped at Fossil Butte National Monument, but as Mom and Dad had gotten an early start, we arrived before the Visitor's Center was open, we drove down the road and let Timber out to run, and then we had a breakfast of pie!  Driving up the road to the Visitor's Center, they had a timeline which went from the time of the ancient Archea bacteria, to the small (only a couple of centimeters) expanse of recorded human history. We were amazed by the insignificant blip of time which makes up human history, while the earth itself has been around for billions of years.  Inside the visitors center, there were fossils on display.  Fossil Butte is part of the remains of a 50 million year old lakebed which we now call Fossil Lake.  Within the bounds of the lake are some of the best preserved fossils, giving the area the nickname of Wyoming's aquarium in stone.  Fossils are not excavated from within the bounds of the park, although they are from some of the surrounding areas.  These fossils have given a good insight into the history of the lake and have been used in the study of evolution and finding the closest living relative to the species found. The fossils as well as the rock itself have given proof to both freshwater and saltwater phases of the lake.  We didn't go up to the butte because of time constraints, but you could see it from the road and the visitor's center.  

The butte and the sign, neatly wrapped into one picture

Around noontime, we decided we could take a detour into Colorado and only add three hours (of driving time).  So we headed South into Colorado, complete with another gas scare and one of the first rainstorms we had seen all trip, which we would drive through, and then it would catch up with us again, and then we would drive through it, and the cycle just kept repeating.   We stopped in the Moffat County museum,  (which didn't allow pictures) and got to enjoy exhibits on regional history, the railroad, and cowboys.  This was supposed to be a short compilation of mini-adventures so I won't go into any more detail.  

We drove on 40 through Colorado, towards Steamboat Springs, where we ultimately stopped for dinner, but first, we drove through the town of… HAYDEN!

Just for you Hayden! Your own town in Colorado!

The sunset outside of Steamboat.

One of my favorite pictures of the trip.  

Driving into a storm

Currently, I am back into our own Eastern Time-Zone, driving through Ohio, but, I have one more Grand adventure to share before I get home! I'll leave you with the cliff-hanger, because I should go take a nap before my late night (early morning?) shift as co-pilot.

Ciao!
Amy

Boy, That's a Deep Lake (Crater Lake National Park Post)

Once we had our fill of the big trees, we headed toward Crater Lake, and once we entered Oregon, the atmosphere just felt entirely different.  There were so many people in California, and even in the remotest parts, you could still feel the overcrowding of a city.  In Oregon, it seemed much more laid back, and within minutes of crossing the state line, we felt the difference.  

We had planned to stay in a State Park campground, but due to the massive wildfires which are striking Oregon, the park was filled up as it was the camp of the firefighters, as well as being a popular spot for camping.  So, we kept driving toward Crater Lake, and Dad turned into the first campground we saw.  It is good to come back on the grid every once and a while.  Oregon as well is in a drought, and so there was a ban on personal campfires, but every Saturday night, this particular campground has a central campfire and hot dog roast complete with entertainment.  This particular week, it was the Oregon Old Time Fiddlers (District Four).  

Square-dancing with Karen

                                            

Timber was content to sit next to me and listen to the fiddle tunes. 

                                               

Sunday morning, we got up for cinnamon buns, coffee cake, and muffins, as well as coffee, tea, and hot chocolate as part of the "Koffee Klatch" which was held at the campground.  We sat with a couple who live in the closest town to the campground and during the summer go up for the weekends.  They recommended to us a couple of places to go on our way to Crater Lake, namely the natural bridge  

and the Rogue River Gorge.  Lucky Timber got to come along to see both!

On the natural bridge loop trail

This cave was formed by a lava tube

I wouldn't want to fall in!

Water flows under this rock to form the bridge, and comes out from under the ground on the other side in caves formed by lava tubes.  When the area floods, the water goes over the bridge.  

Someone went swimming

This is called the living stump.  The stump of this tree was close enough to the tree behind it that the roots were able to continue to get nutrients, and so the tree stump continues to grow.  

Down in the gorge

Crater Lake National Park is on an volcanic hotspot.  The park is located among many volcanoes, some of which, including Mount Mazama, which holds the lake, are considered dormant, and even due for an eruption.  The Lake, which was formed after an eruption of Mount Mazama about 7,000 years ago, is located within the caldera which formed after the volcano collapsed in on itself.  Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the US at 1,949 feet deep.  It is the seventh deepest in the world.

First views of Crater Lake
The island seen is called Wizard Island and is a smaller volcano which exists within the caldera.

After an excursion to get gas, we re-entered the park from the north entrance, so I got a new sign!

This interesting feature is the pumice desert. After the eruption of Mount Mazama which formed Crater Lake, pumice was scattered across this area, preventing plant growth.

Around the park, there are snow poles, Karen, Dad, and Harvey are standing next to this one for a frame of reference. 

As there was still snow in the park, Mom built a snowman

Harvey and the snowman

I (pretty easily) convinced my family to go on a moderate, 1.6 mile round trip hike to a fire watchtower, which boasted panoramic views and especially, good views of the sunset.   The next series of pictures is from the hike.  

This bird is called the Clark's Nutcracker, or Nucifraga columbiana.  This bird gets its name from explorer William Clark, and is quite common within Crater Lake National Park. It lives mainly in the pine forests of mountains.  Notably, they are able to crack open pine cones to get seeds and will store their seeds in the ground for later, often hiding a surplus in case of theft by other animals such as squirrels.  

Harvey is the little white speck to the left.  Under examination with Dad's binoculars, Timber sat in the driver's seat the entire time looking up at the trail, waiting for us to get back.  

Family portrait with a view of the lake

Another Clark's Nutcracker

Panorama showing the lake and watch-tower.  The sky looks hazy because of the many wildfires in the area.  

The watchtower was frequently staffed to spot wild-fires as recent as 10 years ago, but now a shift to more modern methods have stopped its use.  

Little fuzzy pom-pom flowers

This is what we hiked, you can see the fire-watchtower at the top.  

We spent the night in one of the park's campgrounds.

  Behind the sites, you could see Annie's Creek Canyon.  Despite it being right behind our campsite, I couldn't find it, and so Dad and Timber led me to it.  Dad then left to take the RV off the blocks and left me to take pictures. Along the rim of the canyon was a trail.  In hopes of getting back to the campsite, I walked along the trail (a different one than Dad, Timber and I walked on to get to the canyon).  I ended up walking too far and got lost, ending up in a different loop than the one we stayed in.  However, I ran into a surprise!  

The deer, was maybe 20 yards away!

Phantom Ship

We drove out to Pinnacles Point, where we embarked on an easy walk with an elevation gain of 10 feet.  (How Strenuous.)

The pinnacles, which are volcanic spires, reminded us of Bryce Canyon.  

A deer was down in the valley, licking the rock for its minerals.  

Karen thought this tree had an orangutan face in it.  

Pumice Castle

Harvey at the highest paved point in Oregon, Cloudcap Overlook at 7,900 feet.

Sadly, our trip to Crater Lake marked the stop of our heading west, as we have begun our journey eastward.  Calculating route to Home is the saddest thing you can hear the GPS say when you're having fun.  

Ciao, 

Amy