Over the weekend Hannah and I went to Crater Lake for a little weekend getaway. We had a wonderful time exploring the mountains, hiking in the cool fall air, and eating wayyyy too many Cheez-its!
The drive down from Portland was a little over five hours, and we ended up trekking through torrential rain for the better part of it. Even though it was raining the drive was still incredibly scenic. It still amazes me to see so many pine trees and breathtaking mountainscapes everywhere, since the forests and landscapes in the east are so dramatically different.
We had initially planned to camp but, due to the weather, we ended up booking a little cabin at Union Creek for our two nights away. I guess I should get used to the rain, being in the Pacific Northwest and all, right? Even though I was bummed about not being able to use the tent, the rain, mist, and lightning in the mountains was really lovely to see, and I think the trade off eded up being worth it! By the time we arrived the rain had stopped and the forest had a beautiful glow from all the water. We ended up stopping by Union Creek and wandering around a little bit. In the middle of the woods we actually ran into a few deer, which was so fun to see. They cause a lot of problems in urban areas, but when you see them in the wild it's hard not to admire how graceful they are.
After exploring Union Creek we checked into our little cabin and headed back outside to walk down to Rogue River Gorge Falls. The falls were really beautiful, and all the more impressive because of all the rain we had just gotten. It was amazing to see how much volume rushed though the gorge at once! After seeing the falls we walked along the river for awhile, enjoying being outside after our long drive. We saw a few more deer and up finding some silly big pinecones. I mean, seriously--those things were stupid big.
One of the things that surprised me was how many signs of fall there were. It's been so warm in Portland lately that I keep forgetting it's September! There were signs of the trees changing (and a few beautiful red leaves!), and the nights in the mountains were really chilly. I can't wait to see what the mountains look like in a few weeks!
We ended the day by making dinner in the cabin, drinking some wine, and relaxing. Neither of us had cell service, and it was nice to just spend some time together, not really doing anything.
Stay tuned for another post or two on our adventures at Crater Lake!
^This was a "living log". Because the roots are symbiotic with the trees around it, the log was able to survive even after it was cut!
