Central Oregon

Friday morning, we were off on our camping trip to travel around the state. It took about an hour to just load the car. The SUV was loaded with a cooler that contained food, a box with more food, utensils for cooking, a stove, basic provisions, a first aid kit, sleeping bags, pillows, water and a tent. By the time we were done, it looked like we were setting out on a 10 day expedition, not a 3 day camping trip!

The first stop was at Mt. Hood. This is a mountain that is snowcapped in summer, and is used by the US Olympic Ski Team for training. It was a beautiful drive to this mountain, and by now I was fast learning that such phenomenal views are considered normal in this part of the country. Here is a long range shot of Mt.Hood.

As we drove through Central Oregon, I noticed that the rocks had interesting formations. Check this picture - this one looked like a bunch of crayons were stacked together!



As we drove, we stopped by a scenic spot, called the "Crooked River" canyon. This is a rather crooked channel of water making it's way though a 300 ft valley. This place actually had signboards prohibiting pets, and mentioned that many dogs have jumped off the cliff and died! Once you see the canyon, you can see that for anyone who jumps off - survival would be next to impossible.

Off to Oregon ...

Day 1
It’s 5 am Central Time, September 20, 2007.
Here I am, all packed and ready to leave for my vacation to Oregon. During this time, I plan to visit family in Portland, and then drive down with them to Crater Lake National Park in Central Oregon. Crater Lake National Park, was on a list of the “1000 places to visit before you die”. Let’s see if I can confirm that claim.
I’ve packed my Canon S3 IS camera, carried 3 GB in memory cards, and a newly acquired lightweight tripod. This trip should be a good time to use it.
It is a much awaited break for me – Also, I will finally get to see firsthand, the famous Oregon coast and the haystack rock.
In an effort to totally cut myself away from work, I’ve decided to leave my laptop behind. The entries that follow will be scribbled and typed in later. Yes, yes – I know that is against the concept of blogging, but then I can call it a travelogue and get away with it!

After a delay at O’Hare (why can’t flights from ORD ever be on time?), my flight takes off. It lands in Minneapolis a full 9 minutes before my connecting flight is scheduled to depart. Thanking the good sense that made me wear sneakers, I sprint from one end of Minneapolis airport to the other where my next flight is about to take off. I run to the gate, sprint in … My seat is in the first row by the door. Just as I sit down, the gate attendant closes the aircraft door and retracts the aerobridge. Whew! Talk about “just in time”.

Flying over the Rockies was a beautiful sight … Despite it being summer, the mountains were snow capped.

Soon, it was time to land into Portland. I had my camera ready, and here are some aerial shots of Portland - mainly of the Wilamet river.

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

The last few days of summer ... Summer in Chicago is way too short. It rolls in around the end of June, just as you are getting out of the jackets and coats it's July, August is when you start enjoying the long days and sunshine, and before you know it - it's Labor Day - signalling the end of summer!

Evenings have started getting cooler ... In an effort to make the most of summer, I drove down to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Thanks to the heavy Chicago downtown traffic, the short drive was quite a test of patience.

 
Nevertherless - the sight that met my eyes once I got there was well worth the drive. The beach, like most beaches was crowded with people frolicking in the water -and some gulls flapping around.
 
This place has a lot of sand dunes, Most of them are fenced as you can see in the picture. This one was clicked from the beach. This is one of the dunes that is by the lakeside. Notice the trees growing here I was surprised to see large trees in the sand, but this is quite common here.

The largest of these dunes is called Mt. Baldy. The most interesting phenomenon about Mt. Baldy is the fact that it is a moving dune. It is 123 feet tall and is called a "wandering" dune. It moves about 4 inches every year, and is referred to as a "living dune". Infact, the parking lot has a notice to people asking them to tread carefully, since at the current rate - they expect the dune to take over the parking lot in the next 20 years! The picture clicked here is from the top of Mt. Baldy - a mere 0.7 mile hike from the parking lot, but feels like a lot more since you are walking uphill in the sand.


Despite the warm day - there was a cool breeze blowing on Mt. Baldy. This part of the beach was rather deserted compared to the crowded lakeshore swimming area. Further along, I could see traces of the Indiana industrial belt - you can see the evidence of a factory in the picture. Looking back, it was fun to have met this "living" dune!