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Finally On Our Way Again
We are finally on our way once again.
Collier State Park
We left California and headed north. Our first stop was in South East Oregon in Collier State Park. It felt good to be back on the road again. Last time we went through Oregon, we were mainly on the coast. So we decided to take a route through the eastern part of the state and see things we missed the first time.
We chose Collier State Park as a first stop since it was a little over 240 miles from our starting point. We usually try to limit how far we travel in a day just to make it more enjoyable. Plus, this was the first stop in our trip and we wanted a place that wasn’t a sightseeing location. We just wanted to relax the first few days.
River Trail
The park was right along the river. And there were some nice river trails over to a logging museum. We strolled along the trails most days.
The water was crystal clear with a nice blue color. This section was at least 10 feet deep.
Foot Bridges
There were really nice foot bridges along the river that gave some great views of the water and it’s deep color.
Second Stop
After a few days we were off again. It was only about 50 miles to our second stop, Diamond Lake. We had stayed here before. This time we arrived at the beginning of the season instead of the end. The North Entrance to Crater Lake National Park was still closed due to snow.
Waterfalls
This time we didn’t come for Crater Lake, we wanted to see some waterfalls. North of Diamond Lake along Highway 138, there are several waterfalls. Su had picked out some she wanted to go see. So we decided to take a drive.
Toketee Falls
We drove out to the farthest falls first and decided to work our way back. Our first stop was Toketee Falls.
Along the trail there was a small section where the river cuts through a small gorge. We were able to scramble down a bit and get a look at it.
Watson Falls
Next was Watson Falls. I hadn’t look into what any of these falls looked liked before hand. I was just going off the information I had, which was that Su wanted to see them. I did not expect Watson falls to be as big as it was. It was impressive.
The trail to Watson Falls approaches from below and there are some great views of Watson Falls and some of the smaller cascades below it.
Whitehorse Falls
Then it was on to Whitehorse Falls.
Clearwater Falls
Then Clearwater Falls a little farther down the road. The Mosquitoes were bad so we ran out to the falls just a short distance from where we parked, snapped some photos and then got back in the car. Seriously, they were bad.
Diamond Lake
Having visited all of the waterfalls we came to see, we decided to go out exploring around Diamond Lake. There is a road that circles the lake. Last time we were in the area it was in October and the snow had melted for the season. We were able to take a bike ride around the lake. This year, the snow was still very much present and we didn’t make it far along the rim road before we hit snow.
It was passable at first, but we decided to stop when we saw another Subaru had buried it’s tires and was stuck.
Diamond Lake Resort
We decided to take the highway to the North side of the lake and see what the resort was like. I’m sure this is a popular place in the summer months. It was quiet when we visited.
We drove a little father along the lake on the North side and went through some pretty deep snow, but we were on a mission to get a view of the lake with Mt. Thielsen in the background.
Last Day at the Lake
We spent our last day at Diamond Lake walking some of the paths along the lake. There are some pretty good views to be had.
On Our Way
Then it was time to pack up and head north. We had 108 miles to go to Redmond, Oregon.