The aforementioned ranger gave us another hot tip. The Pacific has some very rocky shores which result in negative tide pools that leave entire ecosystems exposed for small periods of time. This we had to see. All we had to do was stop at mile marker 16 on the road, hike a 2 mile, 2,000 foot descent through the redwoods to the beach, get there by 9 a.m., and voila. It sure was worth it. The fallen tide lets you see water-squirting mussel beds, purple and orange starfish clinging to the undersides of rocks, crabs of all shapes and sizes, and giant neon green anemones. Witnessing such a diverse array of life, completely distinct from the forest just yards away was a great start to the day.
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| Mussel bed |
After 9 days in one state we finally made it to Oregon. You can’t pump your own gas in Oregon, so don’t try it. They get kind of antsy when you do. Crater Lake was our next destination, but as we got closer the snow began piling up again. According to the visitor’s center, the winter season at Crater Lake spans from November to June…We saw the lake and couldn’t go much further since most of the park was closed, but we found a nice campsite not far down the road, snow-free and along a river. We may be re-evaluating our scheduled trip to Glacier National Park. I think we’ll call first.
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| Crater Lake, OR |
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| Not a bad campsite for $16 |
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