Elk caves lakes and more

[craig333]

Finally posted enough pics to get my post tossed Starting over. Mount Shasta showing a decided lack of snow.

 

[craig333]

I guess I'll break it up into days. Headed up 299 on Wednesday to Elk Prairie campground. There were Elk around but for some reason I'm unable to upload them. I thought I'd planned well. I had three batteries for the Nikon. Somehow I neglected to notice it was missing the SD card Phone pics until I managed to score an SD card at the gifts shop at Crater Lake. Why I didn't get one in Crescent City, Cave Junction or Grants Pass I can't explain. Either fog, haze or smoke the entire trip. Gold Bluffs beach was sold out but I cruised through anyway before heading for Oregon. Visited the smokejumper museum in Cave Junction. That was a bonus as I just stumbled onto it. Picked up the requested supplies at Taylors sausage country store before heading up to the Oregon Cave. I'd donated blood on Monday and if I'd realized the cave had 500 steps, mostly uphill, I'd have postponed the donation. I paid for it but completed the hour and a half tour.

From here out the uploads worked.

Bats unnerved a few on the tour.

Afterwards it on to the nearby Cave campground where I met the most unpleasant camp host I've had ever had the misfortune to run into. 18 sites, three campers and I got yelled at for the dog being off leash and not putting the site tag in the proper spot. We checked out the swimming hole and on the way back had a visit from the Park Ranger (Riley on leash of course). Coincidence? Her gear would have made a swat team member jealous and she was oddly concerned about me leaving the keys in the camper. I was hardly out of site of truck the whole time. Other than being scared of Riley (if you've met him he doesn't exactly instill fear). Still she was pleasant and went on her way. Whatever happened to the Ranger/Naturalist?
I left early and headed on my towards Crater Lake.

 

[craig333]

I took a break along the Rogue River and was glad I did. Saw the river run through a canyon and disappear into a lava tube and reappear a short ways away.

River is a pleasant 44 degrees.

Made it to Crater Lake about noon and found out check in time is not until 4pm. Not the only unusual thing. They also assign you a site. First time I've run across that. Plenty of time to drive around the lake. I picked the counter clockwise direction not that it makes much difference.

Quite a few people checking out the Lake. Glad it was prior to the holiday crowd.

No dogs allowed at the water and given the strenuous nature of the hike (their description) I was not unhappy to forgo the hike.


It was still early so we decided to check out the pinnacles.

I thought we had a lot dead trees in CA.


No dogs on trails so we had to settle for top shots.

Time to go camp.

 

[craig333]

My assigned campsite was across from the gift shop which made the ice cream way too accessible
We headed out through Klamath Falls and down Hwy 97. Very good chance I'd have run into the Mill fire in Weed if I'd have stayed on 97. Turned off the highway at MacDoel and into the forest without a map. I'm missing a map case and guess which maps were in that one.

Point the truck in the general direction you want to go and stay on the main roads usually works. Surprisingly good road signs in the forest here. Wish that were true more often. We made it.

url=https://craigruth.smugmug.com/Medicine/i-54Cam
pgrounds were about 3/4 full so it was easy to get a site. The labor day crowd trickled in throughout the night.

[/url]
After a nice breakfast I decided to go see Glass Mountain. On the the blackest black bear I've seen crossed the road in front of us. He wasn't happy and was gone before I could the camera out. No lack of obsidian at Glass Mountain.

Probably wasn't a good idea to let the dog run around on razor sharp obsidian.

One last site to visit nearby.

I think its a good thing the geothermal potential didn't pan out.

 

[craig333]

I doubt many people realize they are camping inside a Volcano. The largest in California.
https://www.usgs.gov/volcanoes/medicine-lake
https://www.nps.gov/labe/planyourvisit/upload/Visitor%20Guide%20to%20the%20Medicine%20Lake%20Highlands.pdf
One last spot to visit before heading to Hwy 89.

Not the safest place to let Riley run around and I opted not to go inside the cave.

Found a friends second home in McCloud but he wasn't home. Considered going home via LVNP but I was tired and headed home on I5. Lots of fire engines headed North to Weed. I should also mention, the geezer card saved me a lot of money on this trip.

 

[Occidental]

Thanks for the post. Looks like a good trip.

Oh the missing SD card! We took a backpack trip earlier this summer and I forgot to put the card back in the camera. I got to carry the heavy camera on the entire trip while the SD sat at home in the computer - ugh.

On another of your photos on smugmug I see you captured the "lake within the lake". There is a separate lake on Wizard Island in Crater Lake. We hiked in a few years ago and caught some fish out of it. Pretty cool feature. https://craigruth.smugmug.com/Medicine/i-7tjLMJS/A

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Thanks Craig,we have taken some of the same route years ago.
Very beautiful area.Back in the 70's hunted/camped for a week at the Glass Mt area.
Was told by locals the hardened "foam"on top of the lava flow was mined off to be mad into those grill
blocks used to clean BBQ grills and such.

We last camped at Crater Lk. several years ago had a fantastic site,we choose it.
I guess with the Covid issues that option has gone.
Great ride along.
Frank

 

[craig333]

I wonder what that "foam" was. Modoc NF apparently has some sites where they allow obsidian collecting. As much as enjoyed this trip I think I prefer staying in one spot and doing a more thorough exploration of the area.

 

[ski3pin]

Very nice, Craig!

 

[craig333]

White stuff must have been pumice.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Yes also a lot of pumice through out the forest.We found it a very beautiful area.
With some small lakes and camp places.
Frank