Day Three - Klamath Falls

So yesterday we went to the best dog park in the world again and then grabbed brunch at the Greenleaf, eating along side the bubbling Ashland Creek. Having broken our fast, we headed for Crater Lake.

Neither of us has been. Michelle has lived in the NW for nigh on 40 years, I for 18. We were going to visit it a couple years ago and do some hiking. However - it is a national park and not a forest - and dogs are verboten. Of course we found out about this the day before we were planning to leave. Having been there, I start to understand this prohibition. There are a lot of people there; if half of them brought dogs, the lake would become a sewer.

And it is a beautiful lake. A big, blue, round mirror with a small volcano island emerging in one quarter. It is a mysterious and haunting place. Glorious in the old Hebrew sense of "heavy." Of course the island is called Wizard Island, and who knows what ancient and eldritch powers were invoked at its peak in American prehistory.

Crater Lake is also analogous to the Grand Canyon. You drive there. You get out. You are amazed at the beauty. Then, unless you are spending a day or two hiking and exploring, in about 10 minutes, after the pictures are taken, and "oo's" ooed and the "ah's" ahhed, you say to one another, "Well, ready to go?" There is no middle ground. It is either a taste or a feast. There is no brunch at Crater Lake.

We thought we would camp at Four Mile Lake. However, at the end of the six mile gravel road, we got to the campground and found it snowed in. The sign at the entrance of the road saying "Closed," should have given us a hint, but we are stubborn, and thought on the off chance we might find a spot. There was one possibility along the road, but the skeeters this time of year make any lake camping problematic...for Michelle a mosquito bite is like poison ivy - welts and itching.

We took the scenic route into Klamath Falls. It runs through this marshy ranch land, Mount Mazama in the background. Mount Mazama is what used to be on top of crater lake. The dogs, of course, woke up at the smell of cattle.

I have a cyst that has been acting up. Yes, I hope you aren't eating and reading. Anyway, I thought I should maybe get some antibiotics. I called an acquaintance in Klammath Falls, who recommended a doctor and a clinic. The doctor wasn't there and the clinic wouldn't treat me. Apparently they don't do out-of-towners. They suggested another clinic, which wanted $100 up front. I decided I would wait until morning and call my own doctor to see if he would give me a prescription long distance. I had to leave a message (of course) and haven't heard back. Guess I will have to suffer and see. We are headed to Frenchglen this morning, which is far from a restaurant, much less a doctor's office.

Last night was interesting. We stayed at the Maverick Motel in downtown Klamath Falls. It is right next to a place called the Creamery. The Creamery is not an ice cream shop. It is, in fact, some kind of bar-restaurant that likes to have live music. Outdoor live music. If you stay at the Maverick Motel, request a front room and not one in the back. Our room was thumping until around 10 (at least it didn't go all night).

We also went to KF's "Third Thursday", which is kind of a street fair. Some nice acoustic music, plenty of old timers with fiddles, double bass and guitar. It was too crowded for the dogs though. They should consider closing down the street for future events.

We are headed east again. The old Frenchglen Hotel is one of those "inn-in-the-middle-of-nowhere" kind of places, so it should be fun. Two nights there, and then who knows where?