Oregon, day 7-9

Day Seven.
Today is the last part of our coastal tour of Oregon, but much to our disappointment it's so foggy we can't actually see the edge of the road, let alone the coast.  Oh well, we've had some spectacular views up to this point, we'll now go make the most of central Oregon.  To get to central Oregon we have to drive a few miles into California, and practically the minute we cross the state line the sun pops out... bizzare.  The clear skies here do allow us some sneak peaks of the famous Redwood trees.
Back in Oregon we stop in Cave Junction for a nice bagel sandwich and then head up a perilously windy road up to the Oregon Caves National Monument .  We get there just in time for the tour, which is very good.  Once we exit the caves we have a short hike and then settle down for the fairly long drive to Prospect for a night at the Historic Prospect Motel .  We have a massive burger at the local diner and meet three guys who are going to cycle around the lake tomorrow, we're just looking forward to some nice hiking.

Day Eight.
We head back to the local diner for a hearty breakfast and then up to Crater Lake .
I'd read a fair amount about the lake, all of which said the view is just stunning.  I kept thinking, OK, it's a deep lake in the top of a volcano, I'm sure it's pretty, but come on, a lake is a lake.  I was wrong.
Our first view of the lake is breathtaking, it's like we are looking at a painting,  really beautiful.

We hike up to Watchmans Peak and take in the panoramic views.

We continue along the 33 mile rim road, stopping to take in the views.  We go for another hike at the Cleetwood Cove Trail, which actually takes us down to the lake... the equivalent of 75floors, fine till you have to come back up!

We've brought a picnic lunch and try to settle next to the lake, but an immediate onslaught of chipmunks means we have to change tactics, these buggers are vicious, and not afraid.  The only place to enjoy lunch without rodents running up our arms is on a rock... in the lake.  Luckily our legs are longer than theirs, and we enjoy a nice lunch and relax in the sun.

Further along the rim road we start to get views of the famous Phantom Ship island.  It really looks like a pirate ship sailing along the calm waters.  

A few more short hikes along the way.  If you are ever in the area it really is worth planning a day at the lake.  It's a stunning place.

We've enjoyed our day immensely and are almost reluctant to go, we could've easily spent another day hiking at the lake, but we decide to stick to the plan, there is still so much to see in Oregon.

So we head two hours North to the town of Bend for a quiet night at the Econo Lodge.

Day Nine.

We enjoy a hearty breakfast at Alpen Glow in downtown Bend, and spend a few hours planning the rest of our journey in the local library.

Our next stop is Mt Hood, where we've decided a treat is in order and we stay at the legendary Timberline Lodge .

After tearing myself away from the adorable Bruno, we hike up to Silcox Hut.  It's a steep hike, and I think I might die, but the thought of soaking in the hotel hot tub keeps me going.  Once we start on our way down I enjoy the hike a lot more, and the two hours in the hot tub are well deserved.

After laundry, we enjoy the bar and a nice homemade style dinner.

Oregon, day 4-6

Day Four.
You'll notice food seems to play a big role in our hiking holidays, so we start our day with a hearty breakfast, though today doesn't actually involve much hiking.
We continue our journey down the Pacific Coast Highway, taking advantage of the many scenic pull outs along the way.
The first one we come to is Boilers Bay which is just North of Depoe Bay, a place renowned for it's resident whales, so I'm very excited to spot the tell tale spout of a Grey Whale.
Boiler Bay certainly lives up to it's name with wild churning waters.

Further stops at Rock Creek and Devils Punch Bowl give us some amazing views of the fog rolling in.

We spend the next few hours at Yaquina Head , where it happens to be Public Land Day , so a few tutorials later we are awarded with our free t-shirts.  The tutorials where actually very interesting and took us to several areas of the Head, including the lighthouse  and the seal colony.

We make our way to Yachats for the night and stay in the quaint Rock Park Cottages , the owners are extremely friendly and tell us about lots of hiking at Perpetua Bay which is just South of Yachats.  We go for a mile stroll to see the Sprouting Horn, the tide pools, and the Devils Churn.  Then back to our cottage to enjoy a quick beer before walking to the local Mexican for a Super Margarita and burritos.


Day Five.
We have the best breakfast ever, and if you ever find yourself in Yachats for breakfast you MUST go to the Green Salmon Tea & Coffee house, trust me the ques are worth it!  After breakfast we stroll through the local farmers market and pick up some fresh fruit and veg for the day.
The weather, which can only be described as soggy, does not put us off and we take on a 6.5 mile loop hike through the Perpetua forrest.  It is beautiful and the rain only adds to the atmosphere.... it also adds to the weight of our clothes as by the time we get back to the car we are soaked!  Even my creative poncho wearing (as a skirt over my jeans) does nothing to keep me dry.
Another quick hike in the rain to Heceta Head Lighthouse , and then we've had just about enough.
We drive to Charleston where we think we'll find a sweet hotel.  Now, we have done lots of driving holidays in the states, and always leave hotels to chance, so occasionally we are going to get it wrong.  Suffice to say I had to put a t-shirt over the pillow case and I refused to shower in the morning as I was scared to go barefoot in the bathroom.  The only saving grace was a nice restaurant on the water next door, where we enjoyed a lovely bit of albacore tuna.

Day Six.
Charleston is a fishing port, and when I wake up it is extremely foggy.  It's screaming for me to go out with my camera.  I really enjoyed the atmosphere, I could hear seals in the water, but couldn't see the water for the fog.  I'm just lucky I didn't fall in.

The rest of the day is filled with more stops along scenic pullouts.  We see an island with over a 1000 seals, another whale spout, and I almost step on a snake.

We stay the night in Gold Beach, in some cozy cabins with super comfy lazy boys.  After a few beers we make our way to Spinners, for a very tasty dinner of steak and crab cakes.

Oregon holiday, days1-3

So it's taken a bit of time, but the Oregon holiday photos are edited.
As there are almost 200 (don't worry, I'll do so massive narrowing down), I thought I'd divide the posts into smaller blocks.
So here are the first few days.

Day one is a travel day, we have a great flight to Seattle and happily have a smooth entry into the USA.  We pick up the rental car, a Nissan Versa, and head South.
We make it about halfway down the State to Centralia and the jetleg catches up with us and we decide to call it a night.  This is the first night we come across a common phenomenon in the NW- European style hotels... ie: shared bathrooms.  Now, I stay in a lot of hotels in Europe, and not ONCE have I had to share a bathroom, so the "European Style" confuses us some.   We decide we are not backpacking and we want our own bathroom, so head to the nearest motel.

Day Two.
We have a nice breakfast and hit the outlet shops of  Centralia and Wal Mart, that's supplies for the holiday sorted and we're Oregon bound.
Our first stop is Astoria, were we climb the famous 162 steps and take in the view.
We head down the coast and decide to stay in the beautiful town of Canon Beach.
We stay at the Sea Sprite on the Estuary, a beautiful condo right on the beach.  Only one thing to do, go for a walk with the camera.  What starts as a nice walks turns into a bumbling disaster, we somehow end up between the ocean and the estuary, and decide it will be easy for us to cross if I jump on Nicks back (with my camera) and he jumps across.  I really don't need to spell it out do I?  Nick and I end up soaked from head to toe... thank goodness I did all I could to save the camera.  We head back to the condo and dry ourselves off, then head into town for a gorgeous pizza at Pizza A' Fetta accompanied with a few glasses of wine.

Day Three.
I'm up early so I head out to the beach with my camera and tripod.  I want to get a few nice shots of the famous Haystack Rock of Canon beach.  As is the norm for this time of year in Oregon, it's quite misty, so I'm glad to have my tripod with me.

Another walk into town to get my fix of pancakes.  Fully sated we decide it's time to start hiking.  We head just North of Canon to the Ecola State Park.  We buy a 5-day park pass from the fattest Lab I've ever seen, and head out on the Indian Head Trail.

 It's a two mile hike through forrest and along ocean front cliff tops.  We have a ten minute rest on the beach at the end of the trail and head back to the car.  This is what this holiday is all about.
We continue South to Cape Look Out on the Three Cape Scenic route and hike the 2.4 miles to the end of the Cape.

After near nine miles of hiking, were ready for food, beer and a bed.  We find a hotel with a restaurant that serves good burgers and beer... we're happy.