Day 22, Crater Lake Oregon

I really do have to be brief tonight as it is 10 and past sleeping bag time.

We broke camp this morning at Dexter at our pleasant unscheduled bivouac for the night (part 2 of last night to follow soon) and got on the road. And what a lovely drive it was through the western Cascades. Slow-moving at times, but lovely. Thank God i opted for the scenic route to Crater Lake and not down I-5. I had a hard time on the 9 miles we drove on it yesterday. Fast moving Traffic, boring scenery, etc.

We arrived at Crater Lake today at 2 and what a feast for tired eyes it was. Absolutely spectacular. I could not get enough of it and drove to just about every view point around the rim. It produces the same effect as the Grand Canyon...awe and respect. When i hired a guide to backpack with me on Kamchatka in 97, after some days of rough weather, we finally reached a spot where we had a perfect view of the snow-peaked Mutnovsky Volcano. Shortly after, i found my guide staring at it for a long time, muttering softly to himself, Ya nye mogoo utlowsgeet moi glaza ot tebya (i am not able to lift my eyes from you). I spontaneously said the same thing today.

After three hours at Crater Lake, we settled into a very pleasant KOA just outside the park so i could take a shower (first in 14 days) and do the laundry.

The good news is that we have left the freezing weather, until we get to the high desert, any. Although the temperature at night is still in the low 30s, it is quite pleasant during the day.

We have about 750 miles to Death Valley, which means easy drives of 250 miles each of the next three days. Since the route is totally unfamiliar to me, i hope to set off by 9 and then stop at 1 pm to plan where to spend the night. My new rule may be to take the first camp after 250 miles so i can pace myself for the next three days

And only 309 miles to the Moon. There is a full moon out tonight to help us celebrate the occasion of landing on it.

After four nights ar Death Valley, we will shoot over to Zion National Park, then to the Grand Canyon north side, and then to Arches National Park in Moab. And then, after one night camping on the Colorado River just west of the Rockies, we will start that dreaded drive back east on I-70.

Ed and Donner, from the road