Adler's American Road Trip: Day 28: Mt. Hood > Crater Lake

This morning it was hard to say good-bye. Adler had enjoyed Etta's company and the evening before so much that I let the playtime continue before getting on the road by 10 am which was later than we normally departed. Etta was with her father on the road waving to Adler as we drove to Crater Lake. But we made a quick detour and drove to the water's edge at Timothy Lake because the weather was warm and there wasn't a cloud to be seen in the sky. This meant that we finally could enjoy the view of Mt. Hood.

Timothy Lake with Mt. Hood behind

We had a four hour drive through Oregon before arriving at Crater Lake. This took us from the forest into the flat plains of central Oregon where you can look in basically any direction and see some of the tall mountains that reach toward the sky. Behind us was Mt. Hood and to our right were the Three Sisters. Everything was still capped with white snow and provided a distraction from the monotonous flats cape.

We made our way up the road to Crater Lake and entered the national park. The lake is surreal and possesses a cobalt blue color that I'd never seen before. The water is amazingly clear which allows the sunlight to penetrate the water depths creating the impressive blue color. I wanted to swim in the lake. Adler initially did to but later changed his mind. This was about the time that he proposed a compromise. He only wanted to make three more vista points stops before driving to our final campground near Klammath Falls. We were both tired and this trip had taken its toll. It seemed better that we leave Crater Lake and make the seven hour drive home today. While this suggestion created sadness and disappointment in Adler, I dangled a "carrot" and told him that if we got home today that we could go to grandma's house in Hollister on the 4th of July and do fireworks. Sold! That was all that I needed to erase the disappointment from his voice with the expectation of a different type of adventure and something that he longed to do. Light fireworks!

And we did arrive home just as expected at 9 pm to the open arms of mom and long embraces. There was the comfort of being in a familiar place again as I climbed into my own bed that night. Much rest is needed now. One final post will sum up the trip and the lessons learned...