CRATERS OF THE MOON AND BEYOND

Even though we heard that Craters of the Moon National Monument was not very interesting, we decided it was our kind of place and headed there from Jackson Hole.  We were not disappointed! I was a little nervous because we did not have camping reservations, but we got to the Monument in enough time to get a campsite…we were lucky because it was almost full all three nights we were there.  The second night it rained very hard, and our deficient little tent caused all our bedding tog et sopping wet…even though we had an extra canopy which we kept safely and nice and dry in the truck!!!  We have also found that both our air mattress and Coleman stove are possessed…but in a good way:  They develop ailments such as leaks and faulty lighting mechanisms, and then left to their own devices, they seem to auto-correct.    Lucky us.  All of our good camping equipment is in AK and the stuff we bought is from Craig’s list…good enough (almost) for a short trip, but certainly not something we would want to keep for the long haul.

Crater’s of the Moon is a couple of hundred thousand acres of lava flow, spatter cones, fissures and lava tubes.    Most spooky and great for taking guided hikes and trips into caves.  Our campsite was secluded (even within a crowded campgrounds) and visited by 5 little chipmunk type critters that loved my grape nuts! 

We reluctantly left Craters and headed for Portland, staying about a half hour from Portland at Paradise Point campground, whose only fault was that it was no near the highway that it sounded at times as if we were sleeping on the median strip.  But, we are finding that the beginning of August is a very popular time to camp as schools in the west start towards the middle of August.  We spent our first full day in Portland, and our first full hour waiting in line at Voodoo donuts, a local icon and quite worth the wait.  A peach fritter big enough to feed a family of 5, a bacon, maple syrup donut that was perfect for breakfast, peanut butter and chocolate, raspberry filled and an orange donut kept us on a sugar high for three days!  We went to a wonderful Saturday arts and crafts market where everything on display had to be made by the vender and then on to Portland’s fabled rose garden which did not disappoint us!   

The following day we went on the Columbia Gorge highway, stopping for hikes to wonderful waterfalls, marred only by the crowds. We saw lavender fields and many, may wonderful waterfalls.  

 We hiked to the top of an observation lookout and saw Mt. St. Helens 

We visited a fish ladder at the Bonneville Dam and looked out an underground window to see the salmon, steelhead and ugly, ugly lamprey eel. 

We also visited the fabled Lewis and Clark's winter camp which was re-created after it rotted away after it was used only for 4 months.

 

We had a great time at the Timberline Lodge right at the base of Mount Hood.  This was the setting for the Stephen King movie The Shining and it was fabulous.  Needless to say, we only had a drink there, and did not stay the night! 

Our last day we opted for a drive along the coast and a visit to Tillamook cheese factory which was all quite a disappointment.  It was a hot Sunday and the beaches were so crowded that we could not even find a place to pull off the road and enjoy the view and at Tillamook, there was no cheese being made; just crowds of people who had waited inline to buy supermarket variety cheese and ice cream.  Boo!!!!