There was a severe fog warning for the whole area around Eugene this morning until closer to noon but we could see the sun trying desperately to burn through, even at 8:00. We had decided that we would finally go to Crater Lake about 150 kilometres southeast of here in the Cascade Mountains. When we drove through Oregon in April 2004, we stayed in Gold Hill, much closer to Crater Lake and we wanted to go there then, but somehow we were sidetracked. This time, with a fabulous day in the forecast, it seemed perfect to travel there on our motorcycle and we set out for our destination at 11:00 AM.

We took Highway 58 east to Highway 97 southbound and then at Diamond Lake Junction, we drove west on Highway138 into Crater Lake National Park. The entire drive there led us through a series of National Forests; Willamette, Deschutes and Winema and as we climbed through the mountains we experienced a wide range of temperatures. The day was perfect, clear blue sky and nothing but sunshine, but the mercury went from 10C to 22C and back again many times over.

Crater Lake, the deepest in North America, was just incredible, a deep turquoise blue that looked different from every direction. We crossed the Pumice Desert (yes a desert) as we approached the lake's edge and there were several areas with a dusting of snow. It was chilly up there and even with the sun, I was glad to start our decline from the 7500 + foot elevation. We rode through the Umpqua National Forest on our way back along the scenic Highway 138 towards Eugene via Roseburg. Had we more time, there were many parks and trails along the way that would be worthy of exploration but as the sun was slowly sinking behind the Coast Mountains, so was the mercury. Today we rode 485 kilometres, a 7-hour journey for us and we were glad to get back for a hot meal and a good night's sleep. It was another perfect day!