8/24 - Crescent City to Klamath Falls, Oregon

We left Crescent City this morning with the temperature at 50 degrees and the usual blanket of fog.  And just like yesterday, within a few miles we were out from under the fog and had a beautiful blue sky.


Our drive over the Coast Range today was uneventful although challenging.  It's a very twisty road with a lot of ups and downs because it goes from the west side of the Coast Range at sea level to the valley between the Coast and Cascade ranges.  It is not a truck route according to our truckers' atlas and there are signs saying it's not recommended for tractor-trailers, but there's no other way to get across this area without going hundreds of miles out of your way. It's no wonder tractor-trailers use it, but seeing double-trailers was rather surprising.

Big trucks are everywhere, even on this non-truck route.

There are numerous places where the road goes between giant redwoods so there's no hope of widening it without removing a tree. This picture is of one of the many places where we pulled off to let faster vehicles pass us. Passing on this road is very difficult and it's certainly not something we needed to do. We were more likely to be 15 miles under the 55 mph limit and, therefore, impeding the progress of others. We were very happy not to meet an oncoming tractor-trailer in one of the tight curves.

One of the many beautiful views in the Coast Range section. Several sections had drop-offs of hundreds of feet right beside the road.  There's no room for error here.

I-5 up a mountain from Grants Pass, Oregon. Our first view of an interstate since leaving Portland over two weeks ago.  We've been so many places and seen so much since then it seems more like two months than two weeks. The white vehicle in the center of the picture is one truck with a very long and heavily loaded flatbed trailer.

On I-5 coming into the area of Rogue River, Oregon, where the haze from forest fires is showing up.

Coming into Medford the forest fire smoke was so heavy the mountains were hardly visible.

The Cascades in this area of Oregon are a strange mix of evergreens and dry brown grass. It looks like it's not quite sure if it should be desert or forest.

There was even this section of bare rock which looked a lot like the southwest. 

Hwy 140 crosses the Cascades at a crest of over 5100 feet. After climbing that high from the coast, we descended only 1000 feet to Klamath Falls at 4100 feet. 

Klamath Falls looks like a nice little town with a population around 21,500.  August weather averages 84 high with a record of 104 and 49 low with a record of 28, so it can jump all over the place. Today was in the low 80's with humidity in the mid-teens so it's been very pleasant since we got here at 2:00 pm. 

This is the southern end of Upper Klamath Lake, the largest body of water by surface area in Oregon.....25 miles long, 8 miles wide.  We'll be seeing a lot more of it tomorrow on our way to and from Crater Lake.


Not having any other plans for this afternoon, Jim finally had the time and opportunity to wash the RV and truck. Very few campgrounds allow vehicle washing but this KOA does for the modest fee of $5.  After being covered with dirt from Howland Hill Road yesterday the truck was positively revolting.  Both vehicles are sparking clean now, ready to hit the road and get dirty again. :-D


Tomorrow's adventure is to see Crater Lake which is about 60 miles north of where we're staying.  The weather is supposed to be good although gusting winds and low humidity are making the danger of fire even worse. We've seen several big warning signs about high fire danger which makes us a bit nervous.