lightening and Crater Lake

2016/5/4 - taken from my journals

Alone. Finally.

Still within cell range which is both a comfort and a curse. A necessary but evil little device that is so hard to turn off.

Currently camped out at the Deschutes National Forest, just South of Bend and near the Newberry National Volcanic Monument. I sped my way here from Klamath Falls when I discovered what day it was. For some reason I had thought it was Thursday when in fact it was Wednesday.

On Wednesday nights, the Sunriver Observatory is open to the public. By the time I discovered the correct date, I was quite pressed for time if I wanted a chance to see anything before they closed up. So I jumped on 97, running it North and hoping to see some deep space objects. Though I did make it to the observatory before closing, I viewed no more than 8 science geeks (1 female) cleaning scopes. My drive up was inundated with a variety of precipitation. In the desert. Goddamit.

So instead of seeing galaxies, I saw only rain, sleet, and hail. And lightening, which was wonderful. The Midwest holds very few natural sights that I actually “miss” and lightening is at the very top of that list. Driving with no trees around you could see it stretch across the entirety of the western sky with purple-white tendrils darting farther and farther. It was such a beautiful distraction that in all likelihood it was more dangerous than driving 85 down a sleet covered highway.

So not an entirely wasted trip. I was able to check out the observatory for probable future visits, witnessed a spectacular sight that for thousands of years was thought to be within only Gods’ capabilities, and while driving I was able to finish a song that has been rattling around in my head for over a year but has been in want of lyrics. The trip also got me out of the area surrounding Crater Lake. In itself, not a bad place to waste away some days. But for the purposes of this trip: only a distraction. The real destination is, of course, the desert.

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2016-5-5

to the left you can see Wizard Island

I should reflect, briefly, on my time visiting Crater Lake. Being in the area was an unplanned spur on my journey but one that I am happy I made. As I was leaving Odell Lake I met a nice fella with 4 teeth, a pipefitters union jacket, and a fishing boat. His name was Steve. He told me the Kokanee were biting and gave me a lure to try my luck. Though I was just about to take off, it was a nice gesture to a stranger and so I took down the canoe, put it in the water, and did some casting. Not a bite. Later, when I was loading up for the last time, another guy named Bob was out with his wife’s father (93 years old) and told me that I hadn’t been far enough out for the lake to get deep. In determining the truth, I choose to believe him rather than rely on my history as a poor fisherman.

Later in the day I drove up the winding and beautiful road to Crater Lake. Crater Lake is Oregon’s only National Park and there is a reason it’s a National Park. This was my first time visiting and I found it impressive but I will need to return when the snow has melted and the park really opens up. Having said that, I’m grateful my first impression was that of the park in late spring. Without any effort on my part I have seen many pictures of Crater Lake but they have rarely been photographs taken during winter. For this reason, the park felt more unique to me than it might have otherwise.

I am perfectly warm in the lower right.

Admission was free, due to road closures, and for that same reason the visitors were few. I drove what small stretch of road was open until I found a suitable place to get a view. It was good to be able to get out and run around in a t-shirt and flip-flops with my pants rolled up. 

While walking through the snow to a cliff ledge, I encountered a group of snowshoers who were kind enough to take a photo for me even though they clearly thought I was nuts for trudging through the thigh deep snow while so ill clad.

I can't say I stayed long at Crater Lake but, having taken the snowshoes out of my truck just the week before, I enjoyed about as much of the park was accessible to me.

To explain just what the hell Crater Lake is, I'll defer to the NPS:

Crater Lake - Native Americans witnessed it form 7,700 years ago, when a violent eruption triggered the collapse of a towering volcano. Scientists marvel at its purity: fed by rain and snow, it’s the deepest lake in the USA and perhaps the most pristine on earth. Artists, photographers, and sightseers stand in wonder at its blue water and stunning setting. 

Crater Lake has long attracted the wonder and admiration of people all over the world. Its depth of 1,943 feet (592 meters) makes it the deepest lake in the United States, and the ninth deepest in the world. Its fresh water is some of the clearest found anywhere in the world. The interaction of people with this place is traceable at least as far back as the eruption of Mount Mazama. Founded May 22, 1902, Crater Lake National Park seeks to preserve these natural and cultural resources.

journal entries from here on out

From here onward I'm just going to replicate and edit my personal journals. I'll get around to working on them when I have time. It will be less entertaining. If I had my druthers, I'd druther not. But I don't have the time to write up anything new.

first campfire

My first campfire tonight. My first in too long. Damn far too long, as a matter of fact. I’m in the Willamette National Forest; between a winter of heavy snow and a spring of strong winds, fallen branches are easy to find. Attached to many of these branches are trees that also have fallen and these trees have closed all but a handful of campsites. The earliness of the season combined with the blowdown has provided me with very few neighbors.

Earlier in the day I had gathered some of the lichen covered scraps lying about and it was dark and still and quiet when I chose to ignite it. The fire whooshed and jumped to life, shooting flames into the air, apparently anxious to get started and fight off the cold. I sat rolling a cigarette to the familiar sounds of crackling and hissing. The heat pushed me back as I smoked and but I was able to watch just as the last of the green fir needles flared. Being mostly twigs and small branches, the fire did not last long. As it died out I noticed the clear sky for the first time that evening. Bit by bit, with the dying of the firelight, small pinpricks appeared in the sky. I laid back and let the sky slowly expose itself. First, of course, only the brightest of the stars shown through. But by the time the fire was a pile of cooling coals, the entire sky had opened up. I saw the Corona Borealis, a constellation I have always used to orient myself in the night sky, and starting finding a few more from there: Arcturas and the rest of Bootes, the dippers and their respective constellations, maybe Cygnus but I’m not convinced. Eventually the sky was so full of light that I could find very little.

Later, I stood to get the cup sitting on the picnic table so I could walk to the lakeshore and retrieve water to smother the remnants of the fire. Having exchanged sharp short range vision for shadowy long range vision, I did not see my grill until I had kicked the shit out of it, nearly falling over, and teaching any children within earshot a string of new profanities that will take them years to fully understand.

savage killer

vegetarian

After hopping around and swearing, I picked up the cup and turned on my headlamp to get the water from the lakeshore on the western side of my camp. As I bent down, something flew within perhaps 12 inches of my face. Looking up, I saw dozens of bats fluttering over the water. The sound that I had mistakenly thought to be waves hitting the shore turned out to be the bats swooping down and skimming the water to feed. Insectivorous bats wear skirts, fruit bats wear pants. That sentence will only make sense to a handful of people but I assure you it is an important distinction for those who are fascinated by Chiroptera (Hand-Wing; thanks Brad!) Apparently, having not enjoyed my presence nearly as much as I enjoyed theirs, they were absent when I returned for my 2^nd 3^rd and 4^th cup.

 By now, the fire was out, the bats were gone, my headlamp had burned away the stars, and it was past midnight. Crawling into my sleeping bag, I reflected on how much I have missed the woods and the sky and the earthy smell of campfires.

home

departure

After taking care of some last minute items and a few farewells, I left Portland South on I-5. My intent a few hours earlier would have not taken me on the interstate or south. For several months I’d had this trip in mind but with very little structure, just a few destinations and the flexible intent to return. This was going to be my desert trip and I was expecting lonely gravel “roads,” but the last minute adjustment came about as I was boiling eggs at Matt’s place. An Oregon state atlas was laid out in front of us while I traced a finger over the highways I intended to follow into the Steens. Somewhat off-handed Halla mentioned a trip she had taken to Crater Lake saying, “you should really go there sometime.” Well having a month off seemed like as good a time as any.

Around 3am, I found myself a few miles passed the turn-off for Waldo Lake (my intended destination) at some campground with snow and two trucks. Waldo lake was supposed to be open, but there were no tire tracks in the two-foot snow drift lying across the road. The first few of these were incredibly gratifying to tear through but then they got bigger, I almost got stuck, and I remembered something about trucks having components attached to the undercarriage. Words like “oil pan” and “hypothermia” started to surface in my mind and I abandoned Waldo Lake to someone with a larger vehicle than I.

This left me wondering where I’d be resting my head for the evening. There were several closed campgrounds I had passed on the road up the mountain so I figured there’d have to be something further down. The next day I was exceedingly happy with that decision. The place I had found in the dark turned out to be next to Odell Lake. I awoke at the respectable hour of 11:00 and was pleased to find the view idyllic, the absolute image that comes to mind when you think of a mountain lake in the last stubborn grip of spring. 

Furthering my great start to the day I also found the tent a few sites down to be gone, along with the boat, large truck, and I hoped the rather upset individual who came out hollering at me the previous night/morning while I unloaded my truck. Rummaging through my glove compartment, I came up with the correct amount of cash, paid my fee, made coffee, and sat half-reading in the sun while occasionally looking up to see fishermen pulling in Kokanee. 

The rest of the day was spent rather simply: reading, sorting gear, making burgers, throwing knives into a stump, and just general time wasting activities. It was an appropriate beginning to my month-long tour of Oregon.

Recap and Summary of the last two years

Hello people reading this. Due to the very long absence in posting anything, I will give a brief overview of what I have been doing these past two years. But first an explanation of why I haven’t posted anything in so long. Basically, it takes a tremendous amount of free-time accompanied by an intentional limiting of activities before I can cajole myself into writing anything. For example, I love making lists and, like so many others afflicted with this sickness, I have a permanent list. It is a word document that is constantly updated. I have a pocketbook for day/week lists and then a permanent list with long-range goals. This includes things like: whittle a shoehorn, learn the basics of land surveying, check out the Avett Brothers, and so on. At the bottom of that list for the past year and a half has been: start a daily journal. I have yet to get around to it. So there you go, that’s my excuse.

I check Facebook with nothing resembling regularity. A friend once pointed out that it had been a year since I had posted anything. I’m just not much of a fan, though I greatly appreciate its function in getting ahold of old acquaintances. So, a friend sent me a message about six months ago asking me what I’ve been up to and where I’m living now. I just got the message and instead of writing him back or posting something lengthy on my account, I figured I’d just do this. So, here’s a quick recap…

• For several reasons, CA didn’t pan out as I hoped. Some of that fault lies with me and some lies with circumstance.
• After CA, I moved back to Oregon where I lived on Matt’s futon for two months while he was on summer break. During this time, we hung out on the banks of the Willamette, watched all the seasons of Trailer Park Boys, did a touch of traveling, and did some camping in the Tillamook State Forest. I use the term “camping” in its more modern sense which is the activity of drinking beer near trees.
• I found a place of my own down in SE Portland and I delivered sandwiches in the mornings and jockeyed a register in the evenings. Eventually, I quit one job and got fired from the other. 
• I did what many of my generation have done when you have enormous debt and an undergraduate degree that you don’t use. I doubled down and went to Grad School.
• I was accepted to Lewis and Clark Law School and decided that was an excellent excuse to be unemployed and fuck off all summer, just having fun. I financed this summer of fun by dancing the treacherous dance with our utterly sadistic credit and lending system. The summer was full of rock climbing, hiking, music, camping, and even a bit of rafting. Also, I purchased a canoe that I intend to marry once the people of Oregon vote to reform these archaic religious laws.
• I have been attending school up until now and will resume classes in the fall.
• I got shingles, due primarily to an Administrative Law exam.
• I have nearly 4 weeks between my last exam and the beginning of my return to field of education as an employee of the Audubon Society. It is possible that I am looking forward to this job more than I have looked forward to any non-recreation endeavor for many years. Due to this anticipation, I am sure to be disappointed when I realize that having a job means going to work when you don’t want to.
• 
  

When we're married, it's name will be Dagger Beiningen.

All of that brings us up to date. Those 4 weeks previously mentioned will be spent traveling around Oregon in search of solitude and peace of mind, followed immediately by a rafting trip down the Deschutes. I will make attempts at writing as I ramble from one place to another.

south coast and falling in love with it.

written weeks ago but no internet so take as is..:

been a long time since i posted anything but that is more due to the repetitiveness of my activities than an actual lack of doing things.

i've been down to big sur several times now, going again in two days, and really love the area. i've also been doing some diving around the monterey area and down in some of the south coast coves. despite being here for close on two months, i haven't actually stayed in monterey yet. I've been either sleeping in parking lots, camping, or living in carmel valley (with no internet.) Well today is the last of that. I'm leaving the valley and will be staying with a senior who volunteers at the Aquarium. She has a room for rent in monterey proper and it's only a handful of blocks from the dive shop. Being near the dive shop is essential. So far things have been slow going with the diving, partly due to gear availability constraints but also because staying out in the valley is so far away from town. Living near the diveshop will help me step up my game and get more dives per week in, and that's something i definitely need to do.

Anyways... that's all happening starting sunday. In between here and then i'm heading south to big sur to get some hiking done. Thus far i've spent almost all my time in big sur hanging out at beaches, coves, and cliffs; this trip i intend to get some serious hiking in. I hope that it's a cool enough time to warrant a post. Until then, here's what i've been up to:

driving.

I live about 30 minutes from the dive shop and 12-15 minutes from the grocery store. It also takes between 1 and 2 1/2 hours to get to jade cove from here, depending on traffic. So i've spent a helluva lotta time behind the wheel.

Diving.

Trying to keep up on this as much as possible. Last time i went out i got my ass kicked by some breakers trying to get out and then when we were ready to descend i found out my regulator leaked. For those of you who don't know, the regulator is the thing that goes in your mouth and lets you breathe underwater. The time before that experience though was pretty great. Joel had purchased a harpoon, well really a Hawaiian sling, and caught us some rockfish and a big tasty cabezon.

Reading.

My 4^th of july was lackluster. On the 3^rd my rear right break drum exploded and put my truck out of commission. Joel's truck broke down about a week before that and he'd been using mine to get to work. So i caught a ride back to the valley and was stuck there for 5 days. I finished up two books and made serious progress on another one.  i also had no cigarettes but not for lack of want.

Guitar.

Having 5 days of no internet and no way to get into town severely limited my ability to check things off my "to do list". So i really had no excuse not to practice guitar. Not "play" guitar which i have done plenty of, but "practice". I've been meaning for a while to sit down and run through the different modes and scales for a long time now. I usually pick it up and put it back down and immediately forget it. But with so much time to kill i forced myself down to the repetitive practice of establishing muscle memory.

I'm excited to get into the city proper but i will certainly miss mornings of sitting on the porch, having a coffee, playing guitar, and seeing this:

south coast big sur

so here's my last archived post.  i guess i'll have to start doing something cooler than job applications if i want to continue posting:

yesterday i was sitting around and planning to go to a nearby park for a hike.  then Joel called and said, "dude, do you wanna go to Big Sur?"  "why the hell not?  what time are we coming back?"  "we'll stay the night, otherwise it really isn't worth the drive."  "ok, meet you in an hour."

as we drove down the coast Joel played tour guide for me and pointed out tons of stuff that i would have never found on my own.  along the way we stopped off to see some of his friends who were working at shops/stores/restaurants all along the pacific highway.  we went all the way down to south coast big sur where you can hunt for jade in the water and along the beach.

we hiked/climbed down into Center Cove.  Joel geared up for some free dive jade hunting and i sat down admiring the ocean.  it was a very serene setting and we didn't see a single person the whole time we were there.  we hung out until the sun went down and then made our way up a canyon for some free camping.

the next day we hit up willow creek, a much more accessible beach where apparently the jade hunting is poor since so many people go there looking for it.

our next stop was Lime Kiln where you follow a creek through a redwood forest for about a mile where it leads to a 100ft waterfall.

we did all of this and weren't even there for 20 hours.  i'm pretty excited that i'm living in an area with innumerable options for outdoor fun.