Stage 6 The Beautiful Pacific Northwest

We have completed our seventh day, and I apologize for skipping our sixth finish. I was feeling under the weather and went to bed early last night.

We had a great and full day yesterday. We started the morning in Grants Pass, and headed North toward Crater Lake. The drive started driving through more redwood forest. The sunlight peaked in and out of the trees, as we climbed in elevation. We slowly rallied our way up to Crater Lake.

When we reached Crater Lake clouds were covering the lake, but by the time we parked and walked to the rim of the lake it was snowing, and the sun was shining on the lake.

The lake was so fun to watch, the colors changed as the sun peaked in and out of the clouds. The blues adjusted from a gray blue to a bright lapis. I don’t think pictures do it justice.

We spent our lunch time at the lake and then headed toward Bend, Oregon. We rallied our way through the mountains where the hills were full of pine trees, and rivers ran along the road. The river looked so inviting, we discussed how fun they would be to float.

We finished in Bend and had our second best day. We finished second in class yesterday and are just trying not too take it too seriously. The next two days will change the field. The first five days we are allowed to drop bad legs, but the last two days you have to keep all of your scores.

Aside from having a good rally day, when we arrived our friend Mallory Henderson was cheering us on as we pulled into the finish. Mallory has navigated the last five years, and has an internship this Summer, so is unable to compete. We hope she is back in a car next year.

We also had a surprise visitor. Our friend Kathleen from Anchorage, Alaska, sent her friend Ron to greet us. Ron was very patient and waited for us to come in, and then continued to wait while we do our end of day procedures. We had a nice visit with Ron and then a FaceTime conversation with Kathleen.

We had dinner and as soon as I could get in bed, I was there, and out like a light.

We are so happy with Jane’s performance, and can only help the next couple days go as well as the past week. Thanks to all who have helped make her reliable and comfortable to drive.

Author: emcniff

This is not really about me, but about an adventure we are lucky enough to take each year. Each trip provides new discoveries, and the opportunity to see this beautiful country we are so blessed to live in. View all posts by emcniff