Iowa Trip Thursday / Friday

If you copy and paste this link it will take you to the pics of our trip.

http://picasaweb.google.com/jnshoop/62109IowaTrip02?authkey=Gv1sRgCLzw48mGo6yhJA&feat=directlink

Thursday
We got to Sandi’s appointment, the car servicing, and my doctor appointment and still made it as far as Shady Cove (just above Medford)) before dark. Talked to a guy that was waiting at the Volvo dealership that had an ACER computer and found that he really liked it. We stayed at a trailer park/campground by the name of ………. It was threatening to rain with a heavy overcast but no rain.

Friday
We got up and hit the road driving up the upper Rogue River. We drove to Crater Lake and since we were gaining in altitude we were soon driving in the clouds. Before we got to the Visitors Center at the top there was quite a bit of snow and we could barely see the lake as the clouds were so thick. We had to show Calvin a picture from a book of what it really looks like.
We drove into Klamath Falls past Upper Klamath Lake and bought a set of tires at Les Schwab. I didn't see any steel poking through but as we were to drive about 2,500 miles we thought it was a good idea. In the afternoon we drove to Lakeview and had lunch at a greasy pizza joint as we couldn't find a greasy hamburger joint. Our goal today was to drive to Hart Mountain National Refuge and stay the night at the hot springs near the camping area. The clouds were very dramatic. Tall, white, billowy clouds with a deep blue sky behind them. We saw Dall sheep high up on the mountains. Also, as we were driving in we saw and an antelope about 30’ off the road. I’ve never seen an antelope that close. The only time I’ve seen one that close, it was only from the shoulders up, and it was hanging out of a wall with smoke filled eyes staring straight ahead with a pair of panties on its left horn.

We set up camp and put the rain fly on the tent tonight as it looks somewhat ominous. I don’t think it’s going to rain, Sandi thinks it is. I give it a 10% chance of rain. She said if it doesn’t rain she’ll think I’m a god. I’m crossing my fingers to make sure it doesn’t. If it does rain, it goes without saying, my name is mud. I prefer god.

We walked over to the hot springs via the road and enjoyed a good soak. It wasn’t really hot, but it was nice. On the way back taking a shortcut we found out that there is another hot spring just hidden away in the tall scrub brush. The people that are in it say that it’s hotter that the main one. We’ll have to check it out tomorrow. We had a fire this evening and had brauts and beer. There was a small creek running down between the campsites and I caught a small Brook Trout. It was amazing to me that there is life that lives here and ekes out a living in this environment. There is a pretty small window when it is accessible to people, but animals exist here. Two-legged and four-legged.

P.S. It didn’t rain last time, so I wake up this morning a changed person….a god.