Road Trip - Day 15 - Eugene to Klamath Falls
10:15 a.m. 55 degrees. Chilly
Today is the big college football game between the Oregon Ducks and the Cal Bears. The television coverage started at 7 but the game does not start until 12:30. It’s going to be quite a game as the Cal Bears are favorites to win but it is here in Eugene in front of a very enthusiastic home crowd so it is going to be really exciting.
We were up at 6 a.m. and read the papers, which Mitch drove out to buy. Tom had his coffee so he was all set up.
At 8:30 the four of us went out for breakfast at ‘Ye Olde Pancake House’ in Eugene. Green and yellow - the Duck’s colors - were the predominant colors all around though I did spot one lone Cal Bear supporter in the restaurant.
We went back to Annie and Mitch’s house to load up the suitcase and we were on our way just after 10 after saying our fond farewells. It won’t be that long before we see them again as we will all get together at Christmas.
Our route today is not down I5. We have decided to take the scenic route via Oakridge. We go south on the freeway for about five miles before turning onto Highway 58 towards Pleasant Hill. Wonder whether we will have any rain today? There are quite a few clouds around.
The road runs along side the Willamette River and is bordered by pine trees. There are several reservoirs as well. As everywhere else, the levels are very low. The leaves on the deciduous trees are changing color so there is a lot of yellow and browns among the green.
As we head for the Willamette Pass, the road begins to climb and we hit snow at the side of the road and on the trees at 4,000 feet. At the summit the elevation is 5,126 feet and then we coast down hill past Odell Lake. The trees are a lot smaller on this side of the mountains. They obviously do not get so much rain here. The snow is gone too.
We merge onto Highway 97 and head south towards Chemult. Crater Lake is off to our right and we were thinking about taking a detour to see it but decided not to in the end. Tom has never been there but I have way back in 1999.
At Klamath Falls we are visiting Maria, a friend and ex work colleague, and her husband Dirk with two of their children - Jason and Jacob. They have a weekend cabin at Running Y Resort. They have invited us to stay the night, which will be great. Tomorrow will be our last leg of the road trip and we plan to start out early. There is lots to do at home to get ready for my return to work on Monday. Sigh…
I’m afraid I dozed off for a bit and missed some the journey. When I woke up, Upper Klamath Lake was on my right and were nearly at the end of today’s driving.
This is our first visit to Running Y and it is a lovely resort. Right on the lake and with lots of things to do. Maria and Dirk were not in so we went to the Lodge to wait. We sat in the lounge, overlooking the gorgeous golf course, with a glass of wine and watched part of the football game. The Ducks were leading by a short margin.
When we returned to the cabin, Maria and family were there. It was great to see them all again. After a guided tour we sat and talked and ate some pizza and then we talked again. Later in the afternoon we went for a drive to Klamath Falls and were shown round the town. Before we went back to the cabin, we paid a visit to the Big R Stores. This was a family-owned store selling everything that ranchers, farmers and homeowners would need, including a vast range of clothing for men, women and children. It was a fascinating place and I bought a great pair of jeans at a very reasonable price.
In the evening we all went for a tour around Running Y Ranch. We were impressed by the many sorts of homes there but what struck us most was the sense of spaciousness. This is where we are going to spend Christmas this year. Every other year Tom’s family meet up. We have reserved two cabins here for a week. Hopefully Maria, Dirk and the family will be here as well. I’m really looking forward to it as there is so much to do here. Watch out for our blog in the New Year.
After the tour, we had a very enjoyable meal at the Club House and were entertained by the artistic talents of Jason. He produced a number of recognizable and complicated drawings which for a four year old was amazing.
October 11 2007 09:11 pm | Further Afield
