From the Strawberry Patch...: facts

~Lassen Volcanic National Park, Crater Lake,

Oregon Dunes Recreational Area
and Multnomah Falls~

For those of you who've been following this adventure you already know that we saw some pretty country in our travels... but, oh!, there's so much more! As we headed north in California toward Redding we took a side trip east to Lassen Volcanic National Park near the town of Mineral. The weather was perfect and the scenery spectacular! My goal for this post is to include many photographs and minimal text, allowing the pictures to communicate the full beauty. Come on along and feast your eyes, Lassen is a GEM!

Just when I thought our sight-seeing couldn't possibly get any better I was disproved the very next day! We spent the night in Redding, CA and were bound for Eugene, OR the next day, via Crater Lake National Park. See what you think:

Crater Lake might just be one of the prettiest places I have ever seen. It's the deepest lake in the United States at 1,943 ft. and holds the cleanest, clearest water in the world.

Yes, the water really is THAT blue!

On June 12, 1853, 21 year-old prospector John Wesley Hillman and others "discovered" the lake while searching for a gold mine.

"I knew when I gazed upon Crater Lake that even though the west was filled with

undiscovered wonders, Crater Lake would hold its own."- John Wesley Hillman

Native Americans were undoubtedly the first to gaze upon the breathtaking beauty of this high mountain lake. The ancestors of local tribes witnessed the dramatic events that led to its creation. European settlers moved west seeking their fortunes. During the late 1800s the lake was discovered several times and given a new name with each "discovery". In 1869 an exploring party named it Crater Lake. Although its existence is no longer a surprise, each person enjoys their own discovery upon seeing Crater Lake for the first time.

We left Eugene, OR bright and early the next morning and headed up the Oregon coast to Newport.

A gas station attendant* recommended a stop to us along the way: the "Sugar Shack" in Reedsport for a homemade donut. This is downtown Reedsport, just look at those glorious flowers! The enormous blooming "orbs" are actually hanging baskets! The donut was all that too- and more. Soon we arrived at the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. The dunes here run from Reedsport up the coast to Florence.

It was cool; 58 degrees, misty and very windy. We did learn that this is a typical summer days weather at the beach in Oregon. No bikini-clad sunbathers on beach towels here!

This quilt shop in Florence,Wenz-Daze, was a cute one, albeit a bit run down. The staff was friendly and helpful; yes, I found some treasures here too!

I bought nothing at the Quilter's Cove in Newport. This shop was well-stocked and neat, but this shopper is sad to report that when a shop's staff ignore customers in favor of their own conversations with each other while eating their own carry-out meals they do little to generate business for themselves. Driving further up the coast the next morning to an equally cool and misty Cannon Beach we headed east in the direction of Portland and the Columbia River Gorge.

Hannes received enough attention (ear scratches and head petting) from admiring tourists here to last a lifetime!

Multomah Falls as seen from the parking lot; this was a very busy place. The height of the falls at the summit is approximately 620 ft.

One more stop, back in Portland, before spending the night in Vancouver, WA; at Fabric Depot. What can I say about Fabric Depot-- Oh. My. Goodness!! The store is huge, a fabric super store; the selection is vast, the staff is warm, friendly, helpful and engaging. The size of my shopping bag in the photo is directly proportional to the shopping experience I had there! This store has a large on-line presence too, if you haven't checked them out already you should, they probably have exactly what you're looking for and even things you didn't know you needed!