Burns, Oregon

I left Lava Beds at 8 am thinking I had a leisurely 100 mile drive to Crater Lake.  It is an awesome place that sometimes makes you think you are in another world.  

I forgot the name of the Wildlife Refuge on the way and  didn't make a note of it, but I did stop for a couple of pictures.  The little dots out on the water are ducks, and I am also including a picture of a sign regarding what kind of ducks stop over here.

There was such a haze in the air today that visibility wasn't good, and certainly not good for picture taking.  I heard on the radio while driving this afternoon that there is a big fire in Eastern Oregon along the Rogue River, and that might explain the haziness together with it being the month of August which is hazy to begin with.

The campground I had planned to stay in at Crater Lake was a small one on the east side of the lake, with no amenities.  I was told that the CG has been closed this year because of budget cuts.  What??  It seems to me that the minimal fees they would get from campers staying here would pay for keeping it open.  They don't need a camphost nor much in the way of maintenance, but that is the NPS' decision.

I would have had to take a site in the E Loop at the regular (huge) campground, which is tent only and would be ok if the sites weren't crammed in.  I know you can't ask for total privacy, but when you sit at your picnic table and see the tables across the road, next to you on either side, and possibly the one in back, I think that is too much.  And since it was just me with one tent, I was limited to the sites in the loop,  nevermind the more spacious sites in G loop, tent only, which are for more people.  I would wager I would have to pay the same fee as any other camper.  That is what you get when the government contracts out the campground to a  private source.

I didn't take many pictures because of the haze which was particularly bad at the lake itself.  I will only go back there some day in May, June, or September.

I knew there were other campgrounds on my route, but one turned out to be a snow-park and the other didn't look inviting.  I thought surely I could find a motel in Bend.  Traffic was simply awful, not good signage, and no signs for motels.  Maybe the haze in the air made it more difficult to see the signs, but I just didn't find any.  So I drove on east across U.S. 20.  I didn't find a campground or a motel until I got to Burns, and even here there isn't much in the way of advance notice for motels.  I looked them up on the GPS but got ridiculous information on how to get to them, but I finally found a Days Inn and am here now, totally exhausted.  The room has a flat screen TV but I'm too tired to watch, and microwave, a fridge and a coffee maker.  It's overkill considering the kind of camping I've done the past few days. 

I don't have a clue as to why one of the pictures is so large.  That's blogger for ya.

I didn't have any accidents today but my head still has a sore spot, and my tailbone hurts if I sit or move a certain way.  If these incidents don't stop I'll never survive old age!