03-01-2020 Celebrating Mo’s 80th

If there is one thing I know for sure about Mo, after all these years, it is that a big party in her honor is about her least favorite thing.  When my kids said, “Geez, Mom, it’s her 80th!  We need to have a party!" I said the best birthday present we can give her is NOT having a party.

Instead we celebrated by spending the entire day doing something just for the two of us.  The last time we had a meal at Wolf Creek Inn was in 2009, a year when we still lived in snowy Rocky Point.  A trip over the mountain was a great way to get away from winter, and I still remember the rather incredible Bacon Lettuce Avocado Tomato sandwich I had on that lovely day.

Mo found a coupon in our local paper for Sunday brunch at the Inn, which has been remodeled and refurbished since we last visited. One morning she said to me, “This is my choice for my birthday”.  Perfect.  I called and made a reservation.  She also said, “After brunch, let’s go to Crater Lake”.  Another perfect choice.  We haven’t been to Crater Lake in a couple of years, and most of the time we go there in order to show the magnificent blue to visiting friends.

Going to brunch north of Grants Pass first meant returning south of Grants Pass to continue east toward the mountains.  We knew there would be snow at Crater Lake, where the snows often pile up a dozen feet deep clear into May.  What surprised us was the gorgeous blue bird day that greeted us on Sunday morning, Mo’s special day.

Wolf Creek Inn was built around 1883 for Henry Smith, a local merchant-entrepreneur. Wolf Creek Tavern, as it was known then, was exceptionally well crafted by local sawyers. It served local traffic to mines and stage travelers connecting between Roseburg and Redding prior to the completion of the Oregon and California railroad through the Siskiyou Mountains in 1887.

Wolf Creek Inn is the oldest continuously operated hotel in the Pacific Northwest. It is here that Jack London completed his novel Valley Of The Moon. As an important stop on the 16 day stagecoach journey from San Francisco to Portland, the Wolf Creek Tavern has housed practically every important person found in the Northwest during the early history of Oregon.

Back in the early days of movies, the Inn became a refuge for beleaguered actors seeking an escape from demanding Hollywood studios. Clark Gable was a good friend of the innkeeper in the 1930s and stopped by several times while fishing the Rogue River just a few miles west of the Inn. Other visitors that have signed the guest register include Carole Lombard and Orson Wells.

Between 1975 and 1979, the Inn was acquired by the State of Oregon and restored. Wolf Creek Tavern is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It is among the best preserved and oldest active travelers inns in Oregon.

When we arrived at the Inn, there were only a few guests, and our reservation may have been unnecessary. We settled in at a small window table and enjoyed the ambience of the old wooden floor and the wide ceiling planks.  A photo of Henry Smith watched over us as we dined.  The brunch was interesting, completely different than any we have enjoyed in the past.  The buffet portion of the brunch was in another room and consisted of some strange offerings for breakfast, including various German sausages and sauerkrauts, some kind of meat balls with gravy, and apple strudel.  Our brunch purchase included a cocktail of our choice, bloody mary or mimosa, the buffet choices, and what was called the “main plate”, which could also be ordered off the menu.  It was a bit confusing, with the buffet choices offered first so that by the time we received our main plate we were already well sated. For me, the bloody mary might have been enough.  Delicious!

After we ate, we retired to the front parlor with our unfinished drinks and enjoyed the warm fire.  A few folks came and went, a tiny girl running and playing, a young woman sitting down at the piano, people wandering around the house looking at the antiques and waiting for their turn at breakfast, or simply enjoying the public areas after staying at the Inn.

Leaving the Inn around 12, we headed back south on the interstate to the exit for the road east to Crater Lake.  Highway 234 winds along the Rogue River toward Shady Cove where it intersects with Highway 62.  We are very familiar with the other end of Highway 62 since it follows the southern boundary of Crater Lake National Park toward Fort Klamath in the Wood River Valley not far from where we used to live in Rocky Point.

One of my favorite vistas along Highway 62 as it approaches Prospect and Union Creek is the huge forest of Douglas fir and incense cedar that lines both sides of the highway.  The Rogue River flows unseen just to the west of the highway until it reaches the natural bridges area where trails and swinging pedestrian bridges cross the wild chasm of the Rogue flowing through basalt caves.  A wondrous place during the season, but the road is closed during the winter so no visit to the bridge this time.

As we continued up the mountain toward Crater Lake the snows got deeper and deeper along the highway, with the vertical walls created by snowplows more than a dozen feet high in places.  With the brilliant sunshine we marveled at the shadows of trees on the snowbanks.

We entered the park with our geezer pass and were surprised that the road leading to the south rim and Crater Lake Lodge was actually in better shape than parts of Highway 62 outside the park boundary.  The skies were incredibly blue and as we approached the Rim we could see strong winds blowing snow off the ridges around us and a heavy rime of ice on the trees along the highest ridges.

It was 27 F when we reached the Rim, and the snow banks were high enough that it was impossible to see the lake without climbing up the deep snowbanks.  We drove around the parking lot of the closed lodge and found a place to park not far from an access point that seemed not terribly difficult, even though it was hard packed snow and ice and incredibly slippery.

The shock of 27 degrees and a strong wind coming up from the lake was a surprise, and I had a terrible time trying to get photos of the lake with the phone.  Good thing I hadn’t tried to carry a big camera.  The lake was literally navy blue.  I have seen it at all stages of weather and all colors of blue, but I think this was the darkest ever.  I was completely frustrated that there were bright yellow cords and orange poles marking the boundary of what was safe enough to avoid a snowy crash into the crater.  With my freezing hands and the brilliant sun in my eyes, taking photos was almost impossible, and Mo and I laughed ourselves silly trying to get a selfie with the lake in the background. 

We walked back to the parked car and found another access point a bit farther down the rim and got out once again to brave the cold and to give Mattie a bit of an outing.  She was so excited to be on that snow, and we are pretty sure she thought it was just another cold sand dune and was ready to run wildly in circles.  Mo didn’t dare let her off the leash or she might have gone flying right down those snowy cliffs.  Once again, I tried to take photos of the two of them walking on the snowy ridge, but with my freezing fingers, trying to hold on to the sticks to keep from falling on the ice, hold the phone and see the completely blackened out display, I just gave up.  Only in our memories.

We didn’t stay long, happy to get back into our warm car in the warm sunshine.  Enough time had passed that we could adhere to tradition and stop in at Beckie’s Cafe for berry pie on the way home.  Beckie’s is famous locally, and most everyone who lives near Crater Lake on either side of the Cascades knows about their pies. 

On this sunny Sunday afternoon, we were lucky to get a booth for our delicious late afternoon dessert.  The pie was a delicious as always, and the coffee was served in heavy old fashioned mugs that have been part of old fashioned diners since I can remember.

It was a great day to spend a birthday.  When we returned home just before dark that evening, Mo found many birthday greetings, both email and facebook to honor her day.  Say what you will about Facebook, one of the more delightful aspects is getting all those birthday greetings from people who might never think to send an actual card.  Mo had real cards as well, and we lined them up as we traditionally do for birthdays and holidays on the bookshelf near the fireplace.

Happy 80th Birthday Mo!

 

July 26 27 28 Crater Lake and Best Friends

Current Location:  Running Y Resort, Klamath Falls Oregon

It is so incredibly smoky this morning, with the Crater Lake fires billowing smoke into the skies and the northwest winds bringing it our way.  The Klamath Basin is exactly that, a basin, and as such it tends to capture everything, including smoke in late summer and fog in winter.  Have to admit I am tired of the smoke. 

This photo was taken by Brian Gailey, who does some amazing work, especially of the night skies

The culprit at the moment are fires from Crater Lake, started by that amazing lightning storm I spoke about in the last post.  Before that it was the Modoc fire, started from another lightning storm, and as almost always in summer, lightning started fires from the Trinity Alps to the southwest of us in California.  Oh yes, can’t forget the Chetco Fire, burning in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness in the coast range west of us, and a few fires near Warm Springs in Central Oregon, and a few more in Cascades on the Umpqua National Forest.  Yes, it is ongoing, and it is tiresome.

Needless to say, when our friends Maryruth and Gerald asked to visit us in late July we were delighted.  They have a new to them motorhome, and wanted to take a little trip to a bit cooler climate than the hot Sierra Nevada Foothills and Oroville where they live.  I did warn them about how hot is was going to be in our area as well, but they were game, ensuring me that their air conditioning in the rig was up to the task.  What I had no control over were the fires, and the most amazing thing of all was that we had gorgeous clear skies during their entire visit. The Crater Lake fires were still in their infancy, and the winds took most of the smoke away from the Rogue Valley.  Lucky us!

Thanks to Jimmy and Nickie’s experience the week prior, we knew to warn Maryruth and Gerald that in spite of the posted 1pm check in at the Valley of the Rogue State Park, they should double check.  Sure enough check in was delayed until 4pm.  They took their time driving north from Oroville, planning their arrival late enough that they wouldn’t have to hang out in the parking lot with the air going for any length of time.

For this visit, Mo and I had decided to take the MoHo to the park as well, unhooking the rig from her semi permanent home at the house build, and driving the 12 miles south to the park.  Even with such a short distance, it was fun having a different view.  The park was completely booked due to a huge country music jamboree scheduled for the coming weekend, so we were lucky that Maryruth had arranged reservations for both of us.  Our sites were close, just across the road from each other, with only a short distance needed to move chairs and food back and forth between the two sites.

In spite of the heat and fire weather watches, at the time we were still allowed to have a campfire in the designated firepit at the park.  With an easy supper of burgers and salads, Mo started the fire and we sat around enjoying each other’s company, toasting marshmallows, and catching up on our family stories.  Maryruth and I go back 54 years now, and have lots of stories to share.

Gerald and I took Mattie for a walk along the park pathway, a beautiful greenbelt trail that will hopefully someday fulfill its promise of a 50 mile bike and hiking route between Medford and Grants Pass, following along the beautiful Rogue River and meandering through the hills.   It is a great vision.  The trail is so lovely, I told Mo it was worth the short drive with our bikes to get there for some nice easy biking.  There aren’t a lot of easy, traffic free and non hilly bike trails in Grants Pass proper, so we haven’t been out on the bikes much yet.

We had exciting plans for the next morning.  Mo and I left early to pick up our guests at the park in the car for a day trip to Crater Lake.  Skies were blue, the morning was lovely and not yet unbearably hot even in the valley.  Before we traveled south to connect to the Crater Lake Highway, however, we took a short jaunt north to show them the new house.  We were early enough to miss the contractors, at least most of them, so we were able to wander around the house sharing all the recent developments without getting in anyone’s way.

The route to Crater Lake from Grants Pass isn’t terribly long.  A couple of hours of beautiful valleys and the climb to the 7,000 foot elevation of the park is gorgeous, with beautiful timber along Highway 62. 

We stopped near Union Creek to view the magnificent Rogue River Natural Bridge area.  Hiking wasn’t on the agenda for this day, but this trail along the river is gorgeous.  Mo and I have camped nearby and hiked in this area several times in the past.

Continuing up the mountain, we were shocked as we approached the entrance to the park.  It was the middle of the week, around 10 in the morning, and there were long lines from each direction at the southern entrance.  Such a surprise.  I have never experienced any line ever coming into Crater Lake National Park.

We were a bit apprehensive as to what it would be like being in the park, but it actually wasn’t nearly as bad as the lines portended.  Once past the entry station, and on the main park roads, traffic was decent, I would even say light.  The overlook parking areas were a bit full, but not so much that we weren’t able to park for the views.

Even the Rim Parking Lot was accessible, and the four of us got out and walked around some, enjoying the views and taking photos.  Maryruth is recuperating from pneumonia, and  I am so grateful she didn’t have to cancel the trip, as we thought she might a few days prior.  That high elevation is killer if you aren’t used to it.

We took our time meandering around the rim, noticing plumes of smoke rising toward the west, a fire that later became the Blanket Fire, and another one, the Spruce Fire, both creating all our smoke that I mentioned earlier.  In spite of this, the air at the rim was crystal clear, the skies incredibly blue, the water as gorgeous as ever.  The color is legendary, photos aren’t enhanced, and actually need to be toned down a bit to look real.  We especially enjoyed the high altitude cooler temperatures, at least 20 degrees less than what they were that day in the Rogue Valley.

There were a couple of delays for road construction, but that kept the line of cars driving the west rim road at a reasonable speed, and we still managed to see all we wanted to see.  The Watchman trail was closed, and I was glad that we hadn’t made a special effort to get to Crater Lake with Nickie and Jimmy last week.  The Watchman was a trail I had planned to do!

Circling back around the east side of the lake, we took photos of the Phantom Ship from the iconic spot, and only a week later the Phantom was almost completely invisible due to smoke.  What a lucky break for us to be able to enjoy this gorgeous place before the smoke took over.  My heart breaks for people traveling from all over the world to see this beautiful place and finding thick smoke and no views.  The park is still open, but I just can’t imagine what a disappointment it would be for distant travelers.

Traveling back west down the mountain, we stopped at the historic Becky’s Cafe.  Any time you mention going to Crater Lake, locals will say, “Are you stopping at Becky’s?”  The place is most famous for its berry pies, but we had a delicious late lunch as well, with crowding not unbearable due to the mid afternoon timing.

I stole this one from the web since I forgot to take photos

Back to the Valley of the Rogue state park in late afternoon, with triple digit weather, we retreated to our motorhomes for a refreshing air cooled nap before emerging once again for campfires and marshmallows.  What a gorgeous day it was to share with good friends.

The next morning, per Maryruth’s request, Mo made a campfire breakfast.  In the past, when we have camped with Maryruth and Gerald, these big and bacon fragrant outdoor breakfasts have been a highlight.  Morning sunlight, good coffee, great bacon, good friends, who could ask for more!

At checkout time, Maryruth and Gerald continued their journey northward in Oregon to visit more family and Mo and I returned the MoHo to her spot in front of the new house.  Time to settle in, catch our breath, and enjoy some down time after a whirlwind July.