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| Date | Starting Place | Ending Place | Author | Last Update |
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| 07-10-09 |
Clear Lake, Oregon, United States |
Clear Lake, Oregon, United States |
ray | 04-15-10 14:04:31 |
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When I designed this route, I had planned to take a rest day every 5 and this was to be my first rest stop. But, I could only reserve a camp site for one night at Coldwater Campground. Most of the sites at the campground weren't reservable but I had looked at the reservation slips of those that were and had seen that several people were leaving today. So, my plan was to pack up early and wait at the entrance for someone to leave and then take their spot. Here is my camping spot before I started packing it up  As you can see, it was secluded and on flat ground. A nice place to spend the night! Due to my perceived food shortage (no breakfast at the restaurant), I limited myself to a single banana for breakfast. This took the edge off my appetite, but didn't constitute a real meal. After that, I walked around the camp sites to see if anyone had left or would be going soon. I saw several reservations that were up that day, returned and started to pack up. I wasn't in any great hurry and got to talking to my neighbor about bike touring and hiking around the lake (2.5 miles), which he recommended. He had said they were leaving that day and I asked if he had any fruit that they wouldn't be eating. About 10 minutes later, one of the other campers at his site came up with a handful of ripe cherries, a plum, and a nectarine! I gratefully devoured them quickly. I waited by the main gate about 45 minutes for someone to leave and got spot 35 for another $16/night. I set-up camp and cleaned off as best I could using pot-warmed water. It was nearing 11am by now and after locking the bike to the picnic table and putting all my stuff in the tent, I went off to hike around the lake and eat lunch at the restaurant. The path starts right next to the campground and can't really be missed. The hike mostly sticks to the lake shore and goes through primary rain forest. The canopy consists of tall conifers, some about six feet in diameter and 200 feet tall (my guess). The under story, about 15 feet tall was bright green trees that looked like Japanese Maples. Under that, there was ground cover and flowers. The views all around were stunning. In the shallows, the lake had a light emerald color.  In addition to the main body of the lake, there was a creek leading into it.  At a bridge leading over a tiny inlet, I met an elderly couple from Washington. They asked about and got the bike tour story. The man suggested riding from Spokane, where they lived, through Northern Idaho and on to Glacier National Park. They took this picture.  Here is a look back at the bridge. In the upper center of the photo, you can see the man I was talking to.  Not much after that meeting, I was passed by a group of mountain bikers who all looked like they were having the ride of a lifetime. I smiled at them, knowing what it felt like. I tried several times to get a picture that would convey the beauty of the sun shining through the trees and highlighting the small maple trees that stretched above my head. This is the best I could do.  No motorboats are allowed on the lake. But, people could rent row boats and a few were on the lake.  Occasionally, I would try for an "arty" shot. This is the best one of the day.  The "restaurant" on the other side of the lake is a small cafe with about 10 tables, a limited menu, and very casual service. It turns out the information I got earlier about its hours was completely wrong. The cafe opens at 6am and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Luckily, they offered a garden burger and I had one with a plate of french fries. Since the campground had no electricity, I wanted to put some juice into the iTouch before I left. But, the only electrical outlet was at a table already occupied. I asked if the people there would mind and was able to charge it while I waited for service and ate. It was a bit odd but no one seemed to mind. After eating, I also checked out the Clear Lake Lodge a bit. It looked like it would be a nice place to spend a night or two. The nicer cabins had 2 rooms, indoor shower/toilet, refrigerator, stove but no pots, utensils, or bed linens for $100/night. Some of the older cabins didn't have toilets or showers so there was also a shower house. It looked like it took quarters and I planned to come back tomorrow and before eating breakfast take one without being seen. The iTouch still wasn't fully charged (they take too long to charge, in my view) but I found an outdoor electrical outlet and sat on a bench for about 20 minutes waiting for it to get more juice. It was getting windier and I noticed some clouds in the distance coming my way. This shot, taken right next to the lodge building, shows that looking back toward the campground isn't quite as spectacular.  Eventually, I continued my way around the lake but not after buying several packs of M&Ms for consumption throughout the rest of the day. The scenery remained captivating. This photo gives a nice vertical panorama of the forest and the path.  I really liked the view of the water flowing through this conduit.  This view is looking back toward the lodge.  As if the lake wasn't spectacular enough, this view shows the snow-covered Cascades in the background.  I'd never seen a bridge made out of a single tree before.  As I walked around the lake, I was constantly seeing little side pools that were full of transparent, turquoise water.   About half way back to the campground, the forest gave way to lava rocks.  In this section, I saw several black and green stripped snakes sunning themselves on the asphalt path. The first few slithered away before I noticed them and I couldn't get a good picture. This one I saw before he felt me. I was later told that these were Bull Snakes, but after checking out some pictures on the internet, I concluded they were Western Ribbon Snakes.  It was hard not to take pictures of the lake from every angle.  When I got back to the campground, there was a clear place in the forest where a parking lot had been created. This extra light allowed the maples to grow up a bit higher. The sun, the trees, and the clearing made for a stunning vista.  The clouds I had seen at the Lodge had arrived and it started to rain. It was only a few large drops that simply cooled me off. In the forest, the rain didn't even reach the ground. The rain began falling in earnest when I got back to my camp site and I discovered that I had set up my tent in a dripping zone. I moved the tent 3 times and never didn't find a flat spot that stayed dry. I made another meal of ramen and broccoli and sat in the drizzle for a while. I finally gave up and went to bed about 8pm. |
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