Stranded In The Southland

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Crater Lake, Mendocino, and Home

[Argh, just let it be over! How can it take a year to write up a two-week vacation!?]

After a pleasant couple of days in Bend, we headed down to Crater Lake. It's definitely a beautiful spot, with some unique natural features. It's also probably the crappiest national park we've ever visited.

There were a whole bunch of placards that were just empty, with nothing at all on them. I mean, I guess they get some snow, but you'd think that by July 4, they'd be able to replace the stuff that didn't survive the winter. There was almost no interpretation at all, although I did enjoy the pleasant little rock overlook at the southern end of the lake.

After obsessively driving all the way around the six-mile crater lake and then some, we spent the night in Grants Pass, loaded up on Oregon beers, then headed to the coast and points south. We bopped by an autocross some friends were putting on in Eureka, but just missed them.

Finally, we wound up in Mendocino, hanging out with some old NorCal friends. After a pleasant stay, we hauled ass south through SF, down the I-5, and barreled into town, exhausted and relieved to be back.

[Yeesh, it's done, it's finally done!]