Day 8 – 6/26/2017 – Oakridge, OR to Lakeview, OR – 290 Miles Oakridge, OR to Lakeview, OR – 290 Miles – MAP LINKWe woke up, got ready and headed to our continental breakfast. While we were eating, the guy riding the Beemer came in to eat and we talked to him for a bit. He would be heading to Crater Lake NP today as well, but he’d be taking several dirt roads. He actually lives just southwest of there, so he was almost home. Right when we were about to head back to our room, the guy in the wheelchair showed up. He was definitely a chatty Charlie, but it was time for us to get going so we left him talking to the Beemer guy. I’m not sure how long it took him to get out of there. The light was shining right on his bike when we got back, so I took a few pictures of it.
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We took off and headed southeast on OR 58. It was cool out, especially as we climbed more in elevation leaving town. The road was wide and curvy, very enjoyable. I had to get creative on the edits below because of the difference between the highlights and shadows.
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At US 97 we headed south and stopped for gas in Chemult.
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From there we rode down and took OR 138 to Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway and rode up to the north entrance station of Crater Lake National Park. There was no one at the station and it was all closed up, so we just rode on. We started climbing and seeing a bit of snow. The higher we rode, the more we were surrounded by snow. The plan was to ride the full loop around the lake. We passed the first couple of overlooks, just getting glimpses of the incredible blue water as we rode by. Then we hit the construction zone, which started at the Watchman Overlook and went for maybe 2 miles. The road was tore up and dirt that whole way. We had to sit and wait for the pilot car for about 15 minutes.
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The construction ended around Discovery Point and after we got back on pavement we stopped at the next overlook.
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We continued on and stopped at the Steel Visitor Center. We went in for stickers and magnets and purchased plenty of them. While in there, I confirmed my fears with a ranger, the road around the east side of the lake was closed still. Bummer! 200 Foot down the road was where we were supposed to turn and ride the east side of the lake. But, as you can see, we were snowed out.
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We could have cut the route very short, but decided to ride everything we planned on except for the remainder of the Rim Dr. This meant turning around here and heading back out to OR 138. We passed it the first time, but on the way back out we stopped at the Rim Village Visitor Center area, which was crowded, but also had great views of the lake.
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Getting back out of there, we headed back north and got to sit and wait for the pilot car at the construction zone again.
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I knew we had passed an area on the way down where the snow was piled high on the side of the road and I told dad I wanted to stop there for some pictures. After getting through the construction we found the spot.
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Our final lake view stop was at Merriam Point. I don’t apologize for the amount of photos, this place is absolutely breathtaking and I couldn’t narrow my favorite pictures down any further.
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Almost back out of the park, we stopped one last time to take a break at a spot I saw coming in.
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After a lengthy break, we rode out of the park and took a left on OR 230. Our next stop was at a spot right passed where I saw a glimpse of some falls. It was on the Rogue River and we walked down the little path to have a look at the falls.
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We continued south and then turned left on OR 62/Crater Lake Hwy. Somewhere along there we stopped and had a look at, what I guess you could consider, a canyon.
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I couldn’t believe there was actually still snow here! It wasn’t exactly cool.
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We finally moved away from the Crater Lake area and then took OR 422 to OR 858 to OR 140. Right after turning on OR 140 we were trying to figure out if the smoke we were seeing in the distance was from a wildfire or not and a bald eagle swooped down right beside the road and then flew off into the field and landed on a power line pole. I pulled over to watch it and see if it would take off and come back our way or not. When it finally did take off, it flew the other direction and then quickly looped around and soared up into the atmosphere. Once again, I really regretted not having my 200-500mm with me.
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We rode on, and while we were not on empty, we ended up stopping for a little break and for gas in Bly. The lady in the store confirmed that the smoke was from a wildfire.
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40 Miles later we arrived in Lakeview and found our hotel. It was under some renovations and half the parking lot was blocked off due to repaving. That wasn’t a problem. Our room ended up being next to a hallway that led to where they kept supplies for the renovation. Every time they would go through the door the suction through hallway would cause the door to slam shut. It took us a few minutes to figure out what was making all the noise. We ended up just propping the door open to keep from listening to it. We walked next door for dinner at El Aguila Real Mexican Restaurant. The food actually wasn’t half bad and the salsa was good!
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We walked back and watched game 1 of the College World Series game, which we had been following as the tournament progressed. After that was over, we crashed out for the night.