Our first stop was Crater Lake National Park. We stayed at one of the cabins - not plush but clean as is true of most accommodations in national parks.

After checking in we drove around the Lake and stopped at the points of interest. Some really incredible pinnacle formations along one trail, misty views of Phantom Ship Island and Wizard Island among other points of interest.

Dinner was at the Lodge and the meals were excellent.

We wanted a nice hike that required a bit of energy so we picked Mount Scott. It is only about 2.5 miles each way but the elevation gain of 1,150 feet means you can huff and puff a bit along the way. Thankfully the 7,680 foot elevation is not an issue for us - we hike that often.

The end of the trail is a fire tower. From there you can see Crater Lake and Wizards Island, the surrounding vistas, and some very friendly Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrels.

Today we decided on a totally different hike, one that went along Annie Creek.

We really enjoyed this even though it was fairly short. It starts at the top of Annie Creek Canyon and heads down to the creek which meanders along making a nice gurgling sound with a few small falls along the course.

Eventually the trail climbs back up to the canyon rim.

That 200 foot elevation gain is all in the last bit when you head back up to the rim. There are even benches along the way on which to rest should you need it.

After leaving Crater Lake we headed to Bend to visit our good friends Nancy & Bill. Can I just say now that Bend is the nicest place I have ever been. We never met anyone who was not upbeat and welcoming, including the dogs. But I digress

We did a little hiking around Newberry and the Deschutes forest. Bill & Nancy made sure we got a little taste of everything, just to whet our appetites for the next visit.

Today we did some local things around Bend. We walked along the Riverwalk along the Deshutes River - and as usual it was teeming with folks on paddle boards.

I think it is a law if you live in Bend you must have self-propelled water craft. And a dog. If you do not have a dog you must have at least 2 friends with dogs

Then we drove over to Todd Lake. This gave us a great view of Mount Bachelor - which usually has snow but since it was extremely hot this summer there were only a couple patches. Anyway, we had another great day with Nancy & Bill

Today we left Bend heading for the coast. We decided to take Route 242 throughThe McKenzie Pass. This is a nice, 2 lane winding road that is usually closed in winter but the conditions today are great and we love these kinds of roads.

The road passes through a huge lava field and offers great views of different mountains like The Three Sisters and Mount Washington.

At the summit is the Dee Wright Observatory. The open structure offers amazing views of the Cascades. It was built in 1935 by the CCC - gotta love those guys.

We love covered bridges so when we saw Cottage Grove - the self proclaimed Covered Bridge Capital of the West - was along our route we decided to find all the bridges we could.

There are several we did not get to, and some of these were really hard to photograph, but what the heck. We feel if the effort is put in to maintaining these we should take the time to see them.

We drove to the coast and headed North. This leg started in Florence and ended in Yachats.

This is a wonderful road with so much to see.

Our first stop was Darlingtonia State Nature Site. This is a bog, and it is dedicated to the preservation of only one plant - the Darlingtonia californica also called a cobra lily. It is a rare, strangely-shaped plant and is the only member of the pitcher plant family in Oregon.

Next stop was Heceta Lighthouse. It is still a working facility so you do not go to the top, but the grounds are lovely.

As you park you see the Cape Creek Bridge, a delicate structure that resembles a Roman aqueduct. From there you walk the path up to the lighthouse grounds.

From the beach at the bottom to the vistas at the top you just can not beat the views.

Up the road a bit is Sea Lions Cave. Yes, it is a bit of a tourist trap but how could we pass it by?

Unfortunately for us no sea lions were there - timing is everything you know - but we enjoyed the time there anyway.

We started our second day on the coast by backtracking to Cape Perpetua - named by Captain Cook because he spotted it on St. Perpetua Day. OK no idea there was such a saint or day but whatever.

As with all these headlands along the coast the views are magnificent. It also has a large tidal pool where we spent a large amount of time jumping from rock to rock and taking pics of whatever we could see.

Moving up the coast our next stop was Seal Rock State Park. Oregon has a slew of state parks because the coast was originally the main road for travel. Thankfully they turned them into parks after paved roads became the norm.

Again great ocean settings but no seals. They must have all moved on to some other places we just never found.

Yaquina Bay Lighthouse was only active for about 3 years - being usurped by the Yaquina Head Lighthouse - but it is quite nice and has been lovingly restored and maintained by loving group of people.

The utilitarian tower you see next to it is actually used by the Coast Guard

The Yaquina Head Lighthouse is the tallest in Oregon. It still operates although automated not manually.

The lighthouse is part of a BLM natural area with picnic areas, rocky beaches and trails. Gotta love Oregon and all the parks.

Visiting is regulated and you need to sign up and join a scheduled tour - none fit our time frame so we settled for enjoying the outer areas.

This lighthouse sits on Tillamook Bay - yes like the cheese company. It is also part of another state park with trails and viewing areas.

We think this was our favorite. It is small and the tour guide was just so much fun. After everyone else had left the tower we stayed and chatted since there were no other tourists waiting to get up.

The area is lovely and we took our time enjoying all the great scenery and one amazing tree.

As avid cheese fans we eat Tillamook a lot and just as avidly we love factory tours, so combining both into one was a great idea for us.

We expected this to be a small operation with few visitors but we were very wrong. The place is packed.

The floor we saw was only making the yellow wrapped version - I'm sure the others look similar just different colored wrappers. It was pretty amazing watching all those blocks of cheese whizzing around

This was our stop for the night. We stayed at Tolovana Inn, and there were bunnies everywhere. Why? I have no idea.

After dinner at The Wayfarer we strolled on the beach taking pictures in the dusk.

Next morning we took more pictures because we loved the formations along the beach.

Oh yes, also more bunnies were about so we got a few more of them.

Once part of the Columbia River defense system Fort Stevens operated until after WW II. Today it is a state park.

Thanks to some dedicated supporters much of the old installations are still standing. It makes for a great stroll through history.

This is a replica of the fort built by Lewis & Clark for their winter stay of 1805 to spring of 1806. It was from here that they set out for home.

This site has been built twice. First in 1955 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the expedition.

The planned October of 2005 celebration almost did not happen due to a fire that caused major damage just weeks before the bicentennial. Thanks to the efforts of 700 volunteers it was rebuilt.

Fort Stevens has 2 sections. The larger military complex and this smaller one with Battery Russell. Battery Russell has the distinction of being the only place on U.S. soil to be attacked when a Japanese sub lobbed about 17 shells at it during WWII. .

Also part of it is the wreck of the Peter Iredale. This sailing ship grounded in a storm in 1906 and could not be recovered. Most of it was sold for scrap but the ribs and a bit more remain and are an interesting, if eerie, tourist site.

The end of our route on this trip was Astoria.

After a full day of forts we wanted a nice bed in a quiet room and a good meal. We had all three thankfully

Our plan to tour the Astoria Column hit a snag as it is closed for renovations. Scratch one climb and some great views until our next trip there.

We did get some nice shots of the Astoria-Meglar Bridge and surrounding area.

Our last stop was Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum. We wanted to see the Spruce Goose and browse other old planes.

This seems to be a park with water slides, Imax as well as the two aviation museums.

Overall it was fine but they do nickle and dime you to death.