June 1. To the environs of Crater Lake

 We enjoy a slow departure from Gold Beach.  It’s only about a 4 1/2 hour drive to our next stop which is Aspen Inn  outside of Crater Lake National Park.  Hmmmm.  Says something when I say “It’s only a 4 1/2 hour drive.  We stop in Brookings for lunch at a place where the Pistol River joins the ocean.  I was looking for seafood until I saw their beautiful wood burning pizza oven.  Nick and I share a pizza - half what he likes and half what I like.  A little after lunch, we make a left turn away from the ocean.  I think that was the point where we started driving back to Atlanta instead of away from Atlanta.  We have about 2 1/2 weeks to make that trek back.  Brookings in the next town down the road from Gold Beach.  It has a more upscale feel about it.  It’s a little bigger and even has a store front office for the Democratic Party.  Interesting how different towns have different personalities.  

The drive is beautiful.  My favorite part is when we’re following a fast moving mountain stream.  Off and on we see the evidence of the fires that kept us away from this area 2 years ago.  Scorched trunks of some threes that made it through and have green branches way up at the top and others that didn’t make it.  Many dead trees have been cut down.  I’m not sure if they can be used or will be burned in a controlled way.  

Yesterday we hiked in the Rogue -Siskiyou National Forest, Near where the river enters the Pacific. Now we’re at the other end of it at the head waters of the Rogue River.  The valley where we’re staying is flat and fertile with cows grazing in green pastures.  In the distance we see a scattered shower.  When we come out of the little grocery store, the scattered shower has reached us.  The late afternoon light on the fields is wonderful but no good place to pull over and take some pictures.  

Lilacs are blooming here!  Lilacs don’t grow well in Georgia and it’s nice to see them and smell them.  There was also a big pile of rhubarb in the little grocery store.  Sure wish I had a way of making a pie.

We heat up left overs that we’ve accumulated.  Red curry and Mexican.  How international…..

We were planning to meet our friends, Heidi and Ellie here and spend the next 2 days with them.  Unfortunately, Ellie came down with Covid and they had to cancel.  It would have been a very different evening laughing, and talking with them.  As it is, it’s a quiet evening with just Nick and me, some Black Russians and popcorn.