Day 5 - Redding, CA - Roseburg, OR

We got a little slower start than normal today, but enjoyed a truly great breakfast at our Hampton Inn.  Normally the complimentary breakfasts aren't anything to talk about, but this one was excellent.  After eating and getting the car loaded, we headed to downtown Redding where we walked across the Sundial Bridge.  Built in 2004, it's a cantilever spar cable-stayed bridge for bicycles and pedestrians that spans the Sacramento River.  On the opposite side, there are markers on the ground which show the time of day as the bridge's shadow moves.  It's only exactly accurate on the summer solstice, but it was still very close this morning.

 

The temperature was already climbing in Redding, so we got in the car and headed north.  We took the interstate for the first time on the trip and were still treated to some great views, especially of Mount Shasta.  It last erupted in 1786, but thankfully was quiet today.

We found a wonderful lunch spot called Nibbley's Cafe in Klamath Falls, Oregon.  I enjoyed the best meatball sandwich outside of Fillmore's in Arlington, VA and the desserts were outstanding!

Crater Lake was our major destination for today and we arrived late afternoon.  I have always wanted to visit this national park and I'm pleased to say that my expectations were very much exceeded!  The moment we arrived and peered over the side, I knew this was going to be an excellent adventure.  After leaving Rim Valley (where the lodge, gift shop, and cafe are located) we started the driving tour, going clockwise around the lake.  One of the first sights was an island (Wizard Island) which is actually a volcano inside a volcano.  Crater Lake was formed 7,700 years ago when Mount Mazama exploded and then collapsed forming a deep caldera.  Over time, the caldera filled with rain and snow and with no incoming streams, very little sediment clouds the pure water.  Crater Lake is now the deepest lake in the US (1,949 feet).  Wizard Island actually erupted after the lake began to fill and is now an island (cinder cone volcano) inside the crater.

As we continued around the lake, each stop and vista brought new and exciting views.  Even though the evening haze started to set in and lake's deep blue color started to fade, the lake was still amazing to look at from every angle.

Shortly after 7:00, we arrived at the Cloudcap Overlook on the east side of the lake.  We decided to sit for 30-40 minutes so we could watch the sunset from there.  Boy were we in for a treat.  In my experience, the western states have amazing sunsets and tonight was no different.  Sunsets are fun to watch evolve as they change colors every minute.  We were even blessed with light, wispy clouds in the area that also caught the setting rays!

After the sun had disappeared, we made our way back to Rim Village and Carolyn was able to see her first true "dark sky."  When we looked up the sky was filled with all sizes and an amazing quantity of stars.  We could even see the Milky Way with our naked eyes.  I attempted to take a photo, but with no tripod and not a lot of time to get the settings just right, I got what I could!

This was our last jaunt into the mountains on this trip.  Tomorrow we head west to the Pacific Coast and make the turn south back into California.