Sun shining on Crater Lake.
It’s beautiful but you’ll have have to take my word for it. The park is closed today thanks to a few grown men who are throwing a tantrum because they didn’t get their way. If they were my kids then they’d all be sent to their rooms until they can learn to get along.
Read all Great Oregon Road Trip posts here.
We spent three nights in Sunriver before embarking on the next part of our adventure.
For years, Kei dreamed about a visit to Crater Lake but I didn’t share his enthusiasm. Here’s what I knew about Crater Lake before we went: It’s a long way away and fairly remote, closed for 6 months out of the year due to snow (snow equals cold) and has limited (and expensive) accommodation options.
And here’s what I learned: It’s really not that far from Portland and even closer if you’re coming from Bend, if you’re lucky then you’ll enjoy the lake on a sunny 80 degree day in the middle of Summer and the accommodation is not fancy but worth the convenience of staying close to the lake.
It’s also an incredible place and quite unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.
We headed out from Sunriver early in the morning, stopping along the way to pick up some sandwiches from the grocery store and stop for a photogenic train.
Google (or maybe I) miscalculated the distance so, what we thought was going to be a 4 hour trip, turned out to be just a 2 and a half drive to the north park entrance.
Then we drove just a few more miles to our first view of the lake and it was, well, underwhelming. It turned out that fires burning in the western part of Oregon had filled the lake with smoke so, instead of the deep blue waters that we had expected, our view looked something like this…
Beautiful, sure, but as impressive as I’d hoped. Still, we made the most of our first stop by walking alongside some poorly constructed fences. I mean, would they really stop, say, a five year old from plummeting over the edge? I spent a lot of time saying “stay back from the edge” and “don’t run!” (Between photographs, of course)
The kids soon found some tree stumps to climb (I was happy as long they weren’t climbing fences).
And then we jumped back in the car to drive 20 minutes to Rim Village… where the smoke parted and I began to understand why people make such a big deal about this lake.
That teeny tiny white thing in the middle is a tour boat.
After lunch, we went for a walk to check out the Crater Lake Lodge, a beautiful old building that perches on the edge of the cliff. And I found myself wishing that I had booked our trip earlier so we could have stayed in this wonderful place.
Alas, it was not meant to be so we made do with taking in the view from the rocking chairs that sit out front.
After using the facilities we walked back to the Ranger Station and gift shop (*there’s always a gift shop). It was here that we made easily the very best purchase of the entire trip – a Junior Ranger vest for Samuel. I mean, this thing has pockets and loops and zippers galore. It was the uniform of choice for the remainder of the trip and was, literally, filled with rocks by the time we got home.
Thomas bought himself a book about birds of North America which he used as a guide to complete one of the Junior Ranger activities.
Let me just pause and say that the Junior Ranger program is fantastic. Kei and I had been to National Parks before but, without kids, you really don’t appreciate how much these rangers do to share their knowledge with the next generation. And they take their jobs as educators very seriously. My boys loved the chance to earn badges and were generally interested to hear about how the crater was formed and the wildlife that surrounded them. I’m now motivated to take them to as many National Parks as I can before they become surly teenagers.
After we finished the Junior Ranger activities (it took a while), we spent some more time taking in the view.
At this point a couple of the adult members of our group began to fade. It turns out that Kei had come down with a flu-type illness so we headed to our cabins at Mazama Village where he could take a nap and I could try and keep the kids entertained. I booked the cabins back in January which was lucky as it turned out because they fill up fairly quickly. The rooms were simple, but clean and comfortable and even came with complimentary wireless internet. Dinner at Annie Creek Restaurant wasn’t the best meal in the world but our choices were limited.
After dinner, Dad and I took the kids for a walk through the adjoining campsite to listen to the Ranger talk. Unfortunately a combination of my poor map-reading skills and the pitch black darkness meant that we weren’t able to find the amphitheater and spent a good 45 minutes wandering aimlessly through the campground until we gave up and headed back to the cabin for an early night. The boys were disappointed but I secretly thankful for an excuse to get them to bed knowing we had an early start the next day.
Coming soon – you haven’t really seen the lake until you walk more than a mile down a 700 foot descent…
To see a map of our entire journey and photos from our first day of travel, click here.
All Great Oregon Road Trip posts here.
We spent our third day in Sunriver at the High Desert Museum and then the SHARC water park. The only thing you really need to know about the water park is that my 62 year old mother enjoyed her very first ride down a water slide…with my 63 year old father. I enjoyed quite a few rides down the water slide myself with Thomas and Kei (Samuel wasn’t tall enough). It was quite the event and I wish I had taken photos but I wasn’t comfortable leaving my fancy camera by the pool. You’ll have to take my word for it.
I do, however, have some photos of the High Desert Museum. This was my second visit – the last time being when I was six months pregnant and Kei and I were on our unofficial babymoon. It’s a lot more fun with kids – although less educational due to the speed with which you are forced to move through the exhibits.
My Dad looks strangely at home in fake 1800’s Oregon.
We enjoyed a quick stop at the dinosaur exhibit.
Where Thomas dug up some bones.
While Nan and Grandpa took a breather.
And then it was time to go outside to re-create the same photo that we took on our trip 9 years ago. Never gets old.
Then we caught the Birds of Prey show – because if there’s one thing the Ishida’s won’t pass up on vacation, it’s a Birds of Prey show. This one at the museum was great, mainly because you are asked to stand in the middle while the birds fly over you from one perch to another. All we needed was a little more shade in the 90 degree heat.
Oh, and P.S. I have a new love for Owls.
I’m also not very good at catching birds in flight.
Thankfully some of them stayed still for a close up.
After about 5 hours at the museum, we headed back to Sunriver and enjoyed our time at Sharc before heading home. I was smart enough to pick up some bug spray during the day so I could safely step outside to capture a gorgeous sunset and moon.
Sunriver was fun but it was time to move on (or we couldn’t call this a roadtrip, right?). Tomorrow: Crater Lake.
To see a map of our entire journey and photos from our first day of travel, click here. The first half of our Volcanic Monument visit is here.
More Great Oregon Road trip posts.
We decided to stop at the Lava River Cave on our way back to Sunriver. There was a little trepidation thanks to this warning on the website:
It takes approximately 1.5 hours to tour the entire cave. Initial access descends 150 stairs to an uneven floor and can be challenging. Please wear close-toed shoes and warm clothing. Average temperature in the Cave is 42 degrees Fahrenheit.
But of course we were all up to the challenge, even after we were told to rent a lantern because, and I quote the guide, “there is NO light at all down there”. Dum dum dummmmmmmm.
The most surprising thing to me as we approached the cave, apart from the swarm of bees that surrounded the entrance, was the dramatic drop in temperature. We hadn’t even reached the cave opening when it felt like the temperature dropped from a comfortable to 85 to around 60F. It was a little spooky.
We descended the 150 stairs which weren’t too bad at all. Five year old Samuel had no problem with them and my parents didn’t find them too strenuous. In fact Samuel wasn’t even the youngest child we passed in the cave. I’m not sure if I’d recommend it for younger children, however. Five seems just about right.
At the bottom of the stairs we found ourselves in absolute and total darkness. No false advertising here. So you won’t be surprised to know that I took very few photos in the cave. It’s hard to find focus when you can’t see what you’re focusing on. Still, we managed to have a little fun with the lantern light.
Disembodied legs. Spooky.
The cave itself was pretty fascinating. The beginning of it was a little rocky and we had to be careful with our footing but about half way through we found ourselves in a perfectly formed tunnel with a sandy surface. The hike was flat and easy for the most part.
Sadly we didn’t quite make it to the end. We arrived late in the day and they told us that there would be a ranger in the cave to start guiding people out with plenty of time before the park closed. I think we had about 10 minutes of hiking left to make it to the end so we were a little disappointed, but the ranger assured us that, by that point, we’d seen most of what the cave had to offer.
The walk back was a lot quicker and we soon found ourselves back outside in the Summer heat.
I’m glad we decided to tour the Lava caves. It was definitely unlike anything I’d experienced before. Here are a few tips based on our experience:
Finally, leave plenty of time to walk through the cave if you want to make it to the end. We cut it a little close.
Coming soon: Spending some time with pioneers and birds of prey at the High Desert Museum.
To see a map of our entire journey and photos from our first day of travel, click here.
More Great Oregon Road trip posts.
Day one of our Oregon adventure found us in Sunriver, Oregon. Sunriver is a small resort town just south of Bend and is made up of thousands of vacation condos neatly nestled amongst the pine trees. While Sunriver is a popular vacation destination for many Portland families, this was our first visit and it was a good first stop on our journey.
For the kids, the highlight of day 1 was a visit to SHARC, the new Sunriver water park. We got there at 4:30 on a Sunday so we were spared the crazy crowds but also missed some of the sunshine. We decided it was time to leave when the boys’ lips started turning blue. Of course I didn’t capture any photographs because I was too busy ensuring my kidWe had a good (although salty) pizza delivered for dinner from one of the few takeout places in town. It was all we could manage after a full day of packing, driving and swimming.
Our condo backed onto a lake so, at dusk, I braved the mosquitos to take some photos of the sunset and an adventurous five-year-old. Probably not the best idea but I managed a couple of shots before the critters forced us back inside.
Day two marked the beginning of what I like to call our National Park tour of Oregon with a visit to the Newberry National Volcanic Monument. This was Kei and my second visit to the monument – the last time we hiked the trails I was 6 months pregnant with Thomas.
It’s pretty incredible to see a landscape that is thousands of years old but still clearly identifiable as a lava flow. And it’s a lot of fun to introduce two curious boys to the wonders of nature. You want rocks? We’ve got rocks!
Before exploring the lava flow, we took a quick drive up to the top of the cinder cone which gave us some amazing views and a an appreciation for the size of the lava flow.
The air was a little hazy from all the forest fires burning in the Western part of the state.
After walking around the rim of the cinder cone, we drove back down the (VERY narrow) road to listen to a Ranger talk…
and take a walk through the lava field.
And then my boys decided to hold hands on the walk back to the car and cemented their reputation as THE CUTEST THINGS EVER!
We made a couple of stops to take a closer look at some crickets before heading to the gift shop – the first of many, many gift shops we stopped at during our vacation. I think we may have closed some of the National Park’s budget gap with our rock and crystal purchases alone.
Finally, we headed off for lunch at the Deschutes Brewery in Downtown Bend – although I don’t have any photos of that because we got lost and Kei and I had an argument and I didn’t fully let go of my grudge until we found some frozen yogurt. Frozen Yogurt is the best solution for most arguments.
I’ll be back tomorrow to share part 2 of our Volcano day which comprised of a walk through the lava tube – and I’ll end this post with another picture of my adorable boys. They were back to bickering a few minutes later so I’ll take these moments when I can get them.
More Great Oregon Road trip posts.
In an effort to stay connected with my family (and refresh my Aussie accent), we make an effort to head home to Australia every other year. In the off year, members of my family will travel to Oregon. Usually it’s my Mum and sometimes my Dad comes as well. If we’re lucky we get an unplanned visit or two from my brother, Ben, and his family. (Note to my brother Jono: It’s been too long).
Between everyone we have averaged about one or two visits from family or friends each year – which means many, many visits to the Rose Gardens, Multnomah Falls and Cannon Beach. I think it’s safe to say that, as tour guides, we have covered the Portland Metro area and then some.
This year, when my parents came to visit, we decided to get out of the city and explore areas a few areas of Oregon that we hadn’t seen before. And, while we’re at it, why not cross over the border into Northern California?
So, in August, all six of us piled into the mini van and embarked on a ten day sightseeing tour of Southern Oregon. Over the next couple of weeks I’ll share photos and details of our trip including where we stayed and what we saw – the successes and the things we probably wouldn’t bother with if we did it again.
I’ll start the adventure with a map of our trip – all 840 miles (1352 Km) of it…
…and a few photos of the drive down through the high desert to our first stop in Sunriver.
Coming soon: I hate mosquitos but love a good Water Park… and Volcanos!
Newberry National Volcanic Monument, Deschutes Forest, Oregon.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend filled with adventure… or relaxation if that’s more your thing.
Photos taken on vacation in Sunriver, Oregon.
The nightly view from our deck, Crescent City, California.
Nicole Ishida Photography 