June 28th Crater Lake

June 28th Crater Lake

One good thing that I have learned from my husband Aaron is to be flexible. Although his “non-planning on road trips” can be a source of frustration for this planner, not having a plan can be really helpful. Case and point: California. We wanted to see CA in all its glory with mountains and green vineyards and clear blue skies. God wanted us to see something else, something unexpected: Oregon. On our way to Crater Lake, the news of all the fires got worse, there are not enough firefighters to fight them and a lot of the 1,400 fires have to be left to burn. So, we looked at the map and figured out when we needed to be in L.A. and decided to drive the coast of Oregon. Aaron’s aunt and uncle live in Salem, so we crashed there place (those sweet people!). First, we did go to Crater Lake and drove half way around the rim. The lake is beautiful, it is on top of a volcano. The water is crystal clear, the trees are a deep green and the snow gives the lake a cool contrast. The mosquitoes were the size of birds and ate us up. We didn’t stay long there, all the campsites were closed because it was too cold. We drove thru the Umpqua national forest, the most beautiful mountains I have ever seen. We made it to Salem late and enjoyed some late night conversations. Tomorrow, we will sleep in and hang out with the family.