Crater Lake and Painted Hills (Central Oregon)

Our primary destination in Central Oregon was really the Painted Hills; we stopped by Crater Lake just to break up the drive and also because it seems to be on many tour itineraries.  
 

This was the reason we drove 500 kms from the Oregon Coast!

The drive from Bandon on the Oregon coast to Crater Lake was quite scenic and it only took us a few hours to get to Crater Lake. We had a lunch stop at a fish hatchery (learned something new!) and a couple of photo stops on the way, mainly at the North Umpqua River which ran beside the highway OR-138, Oregon Scenic Byway. An interesting wood bridge caught my eye as I drove and I stopped to photograph this unusual wooden bridge that was built on the piers of an old bridge. Tioga Bridge was very photogenic as was the river with its fall colours.

Tioga Bridge on the North Umpqua River and the view from it

Crater Lake was unfortunately shrouded in a smoky haze from a nearby fire. But I could still see it could be a very scenic lake. One thing to note is that signage is very poor in this park and it took us several drive-bys to find several of the lookouts, including the Phantom Ship which did look rather mysterious in the haze that was on the lake when we first saw it. By the time we got to the Sun Notch lookout, we could see it clearly with the setting sun shining right on it - it made the steep uphill hike worthwhile.

Crater Lake

The rims of the crater are obvious in spite of the smoke

 

"Phantom Ship"

Another deer encounter

Sunset at Crater Lake

Crater Lake Inn was full when we first looked at booking a room six months earlier - it was worth a stop with its Arts and Crafts style interior.

 We had to spend the night at a sketchy roadside motel as there was nothing much around. The dining room was closed due to a power outage so we had to drive further down the highway to a casino to get some food. As expected the food was cheap, but the pork steak was unexpectedly delicious.

The following morning, we drove to John Day Painted Hills via Bend. We stopped for lunch in Pioneer Park and saw a man taking fly-fishing lessons on the river. That was a great photo op with the fall colours as backdrop. 

This extended lunch, including a walk by the river, plus unanticipated traffic on the highway delayed our arrival at the Painted Hills so we barely made it before the golden hour. I was able to catch the light at Panorama Point, but by the time we got to the Painted Cove, the light was gone. We barely caught what was left on the top of the Red Hill; as you can see in the photos below - having the golden light could make a huge difference. It was all pretty awesome. We went back again the next morning, but the morning light wasn't the same as the golden light. The panorama was a far cry from what we saw the afternoon before.

The different layers of the Painted Hills correspond to different geological eras, formed when the area was an ancient river floodplain. The red colour came from the laterite soil that was formed by floodplain deposits when the area was moist and humid. (Wikipedia) It is considered one of the Seven Wonders of Oregon.

View from Panorama Point during the golden hour

 

Painted Cove near the end of the golden hour

Three different shades on the same hill - but no gold

Below - three different aspects of the Red Hill at three different times of day

The Red Hill was a little higher than Painted Cove so we were able to just catch the sun on it - you can't buy this gold!

More deer at sunset

Lizard at the cove

Practical Tips:
- Beware of missing or misleading signage at Crater Lake National Park
- Painted Hills - make sure you arrive at least three hours or more before sunset to allow enough time to see the setting sun on the painted hills.  As the Painted Cove is not very high, they will be dark already if the sun is too low, even though you may still be able to see it in the sky. It made all the difference if the sun is on the red hills.
- The Oregon Hotel in Mitchell, where we spent the night is quite quaint - a historic hotel from 1905 twice rebuilt because of fire. It is also the only hotel in Mitchell and we saw people being turned away because the place was full. Always book ahead as there is nothing else around, unless you're camping!


Next post: Mt. Hood area

The dramatic Oregon coast - South

We didn't realize it at the time but our last two days on the Oregon coast turned out to be the most exciting ones. Cape Perpetua, a volcanic remnant a short drive from Yachats, has some very dramatic rock formations which provided some phenomenal seascapes.

Cape Perpetua in the distance

Based on online suggestions, we visited the area at high tide to get the highest waves crashing against the coastline with its myriads of rock formations like the Devil's Churn, Thor's Well and Spouting Horn. We checked the tide tables before we headed out and it truly was quite a spectacle.

"Spouting Horn" - the tide rushed up Cook's Chasm (first sighted by Captain Cook) then spouted through a hole - endless fascination for spectators waiting to see the highest spout...

Another spout where the tide went almost underground then spouted through this break in the surface

It was mind-boggling watching some photographers risk their lives to take that "must-have" iconic shot. You can see below how one over the top wave or one slip of the foot could have sent these two photographers hovering over Thor's Well into the ocean. The swell at high tide must have been over 10 feet before it hit the outside wall of the well.

Half an hour before high tide at Thor's Well

High tide at Thor's Well - you can't see the other side of the well

One of the many chasms along this stretch that allowed the tide to rush in and create whipped cream like swirls

Heceta Head LIghthouse just before Florence - we took the trail leading up to this historic lighthouse that sends out the strongest beam of light on the Coast. The view down the coast from the lighthouse was quite pretty and worth the hike. The historic lighthouse keeper's quarters are now a bed and breakfast - it was full when we tried to book it six months before our trip - obviously a popular destination.

 

 

 

 

View from the Lighthouse

After Cape Perpetua, the Oregon Dunes was the most unique feature in the south. The dunes stretched from Florence down to North Bend. We saw one section of the dunes near Florence on our way down to Bandon Beach where we spent our last two nights on the Oregon coast. 

View from the Oregon Dunes Overlook - the dunes stretched all the way down the coast

Looking down at the trail from the overlook

 

 

Bandon was just an hour from the dunes so we were able to visit the southern section of the Oregon dunes the following day. We would have missed this even more spectacular section of the dunes if we didn't see a photo of the Dellenback Dunes in the "Mile-by-Mile" publication.


The Dellenback trail is 5.5miles over sand all the way to the sea, not an easy hike. We opted just to do the 1 mile interpretive loop trail which took us to the huge sand dunes and gave us a taste of the desert without being too strenuous. We felt our knees nevertheless the following day because it was tough walking in sand.

The Dellenback Dunes are further south and seemed bigger.

Not quite the Sahara but good enough...

Curvaceous!

Bandon Beach was even more spectacular than Cannon Beach, more remote and much quieter. This whole southern stretch is very scenic and much less commercialized than the north coast. Close to Bandon are a couple of coastal lookouts - FaceRock Park and Coquille Point with Bandon Beach in between.  They provide views of Bandon Beach from the north and south. 

View from FaceRock State Park

View from Coquille Point

We also took the scenic drive to Shore Acres State Park, which used to be the grand estate of timber baron Louis Simpson. It included a formal garden, an Oriental garden, hiking trails and its own private beach.

View from Shore Acres

The formal garden inside the estate

The Oriental Garden

The secluded private beach

Along the scenic drive, there are lookouts on a sea lion colony. Somewhere north along Hwy 101 is a business charging quite a few bucks for you to visit their sea lion cave but didn't guarantee a sea lion sighting. Skip that and come here to watch the sea lions cavort in the waves instead.

Sea lion colony

Several pods of pelicans returning home in late afternoon near Shore Acres

The Conde McCullough Memorial Bridge on the way south to Bandon

We made sure we arrived back at our Inn before dark so we could enjoy sunset on the beach. It was a cold and windy evening so the beach was deserted, but the sunset was spectacular. It was our last evening on the coast - surely a place we would like to come back to.

View from our balcony - miles of beach and not a soul

Goodnight, Bandon!

 Next post: Heading inland to Crater Lake