The Oregon Coast and Beyond

Staying a second night in Lincoln City it's time for another Aviation & Space museum at McMinnville, the Evergreen facility being home for the 'Spruce Goose', this was Howard Hughes huge wooden transport plane that never entered service & only flew once as seen in the 'The Aviator' film http://evergreenmuseum.org/.

A Catalina flying boat also stands outside in the sun, it's very hot today, I always liked the shape of this aircraft. 

On the way back to the coast we visit one of the famous covered bridges, this one at Drift Creek was constructed in 1914.

Back at the coast the temperature falls & the cold Pacific wind brings in the mist, the beaches here are great but the ocean wind keeps the temperature down.

Some brave holiday makers set up a fire to enjoy the sunset, wood is sold everywhere for camp fires and there seems to be few restrictions.

In the morning we head down the coastal highway 101, we start a little later hoping the sea mist will burn off but it's persistent & varies by the minute.

At Cape Foulweather as named by Captain James Cook the basalt rock turns the beach to black. 

The Lighthouse at Yaguina Head just outside of Newport needs a foghorn for today, it's part of another state park.

From the headland you can see guano covered rocks with Cormorants, Puffins & Gulls, there are also Harbour Seals & we catch sight of a couple of Gray Whales.

The Gray Whales migrate along the coast to Alaska in March but due to the cool water some decide to stay around Oregon all year, they swim pretty close to the shore.

At Reedsport we turn Inland on the road to Elkton, there are warning signs for Elk & for once they prove correct with a herd sitting in the long grass, they all seem to be looking at us!

Inland Oregon has some lovely rolling hills with many rivers including the Umpqua, the weather also immediately improves with the temperature quickly rising.

This time it's the Rochester covered bridge at Calapooya Creek built in 1933, it's unusual due to it's curve topped side windows. 

The Farmland next to the bridge looks attractive in the late afternoon sun & the wild flowers that line every road are very attractive.

At Sutherlin we decide to stop, it's now very hot & it's interesting to see the way some workers manage to provide some shade.

The next morning we are heading to Crater lake in the Cascade Mountain Range , it's a great ride which follows the North Umpqua River, Trout fishing is a popular sport from boat or from the shore.

There are also several waterfalls along the Rouge-Umpque Scenic Byway but we can't stop at them all, this one at Toketee was hopefully the best as it was a hot half mile walk from the road.

There is also a hydro plant nearby which uses an unusual wooden feed pipe, this was built in 1949 but is in good condition although it has a few small leaks.

We reach our destination at Crater Lake in the early afternoon, it's easy to see why this is considered a 'must see' destination, Wizard Island can be seen to the right with two old bikers on the left.

We ride around the rim of this scenic wonder, at 2000ft it's the deepest lake in North America formed over 7,700 years ago by a massive volcanic eruption.

The water is crystal clear as there is no silt, all the 4.9 trillion gallons (US) of water is from rain & snow melt with no feeder rivers.

The rock formations around the crater are also interesting including Pumice Castle.

The rim road winds completely around the crater rising to over 2300m giving great views from all directions, it would be great to see the lake at sunrise or sunset as the light would make the water even bluer.

We leave the lake via route 62 towards Medford, another scenic route it passes Rouge Gorge a 45 feet fissure in the landscape with another waterfall, it's now around 100 degrees & the cool water looks inviting.

A few fallen trees lay across the rapids causing the water to dance in the sunshine.