What an adventure this morning was. We left early hoping that we would catch breakfast at the local diner, but they were not open yet. Shady Cove was too small a town to have breakfast available before nine, apparently. Driving toward Crater Lake, we decided to try Prospect instead and were met with the same kind of ambivalence toward hungry travelers. No breakfast before eight, and even then, the place wasn’t open. The crooked laminated sign on the door informed us that the “nazis” had kept them closed because of Covid. Small town hospitality, guys. Can you see my eyes rolling?
Anyway, we decided to try our luck at the Crater Lake Lodge. It was, blessedly, open and welcoming. A fire crackled in the stone fireplace whilst we ate from a buffet of standard breakfast fare. Outside the windows, Crater Lake. The thing we had driven into the mountains knowing it was a mere 28 degrees. Knowing the snowpack was till tall enough to keep the road around the rim of the crater closed. We only cared that we could see it in all of its glory.
After leaving the seven foot high snowbanks of the mountains behind, we drove to the Newberry National Volcanic Monument. Our guide intended to show us the dormant crater, but his GPS lead us to the Lava Coast Forest and surrounding lava field. A happy accident.
The hike, only a mile, was filled with lava rocks and trees, both dead and alive. Trees, guys. So many trees. My love for them will never die. There, surrounded by lava rocks, the trunks were twisted and knotted in an attempt to survive in an unforgiving place.
I found this pinecone along the way. Somehow, it had found itself in the knotted crevice of a dead tree trunk. The seeds of the future resting in the carcass of the past. Circle of life, and all of that.
In bend, I met some internet friends in real life for the first time at the local Deschutes Brewery. A perfect end to a tiring and adventurous day where nothing went according to plan but worked out anyway. Tomorrow, I’ll be back in Portland after visiting the Columbia River area and a giant waterfall.
Becky Tyler Art and Photography 
What an adventure this morning was. We left early hoping that we would catch breakfast at the local diner, but they were not open yet. Shady Cove was too small a town to have breakfast available before nine, apparently. Driving toward Crater Lake, we decided to try Prospect instead and were met with the same kind of ambivalence toward hungry travelers. No breakfast before eight, and even then, the place wasn’t open. The crooked laminated sign on the door informed us that the “nazis” had kept them closed because of Covid. Small town hospitality, guys. Can you see my eyes rolling?
Anyway, we decided to try our luck at the Crater Lake Lodge. It was, blessedly, open and welcoming. A fire crackled in the stone fireplace whilst we ate from a buffet of standard breakfast fare. Outside the windows, Crater Lake. The thing we had driven into the mountains knowing it was a mere 28 degrees. Knowing the snowpack was till tall enough to keep the road around the rim of the crater closed. We only cared that we could see it in all of its glory.
After leaving the seven foot high snowbanks of the mountains behind, we drove to the Newberry National Volcanic Monument. Our guide intended to show us the dormant crater, but his GPS lead us to the Lava Coast Forest and surrounding lava field. A happy accident.
The hike, only a mile, was filled with lava rocks and trees, both dead and alive. Trees, guys. So many trees. My love for them will never die. There, surrounded by lava rocks, the trunks were twisted and knotted in an attempt to survive in an unforgiving place.
I found this pinecone along the way. Somehow, it had found itself in the knotted crevice of a dead tree trunk. The seeds of the future resting in the carcass of the past. Circle of life, and all of that.
In bend, I met some internet friends in real life for the first time at the local Deschutes Brewery. A perfect end to a tiring and adventurous day where nothing went according to plan but worked out anyway. Tomorrow, I’ll be back in Portland after visiting the Columbia River area and a giant waterfall.
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