Days 32 & 33 -- Oregon Caves & Grants Pass

California Redwood

Days 32 & 33 (June 26-27) -- The goal for today was to drive to Klamath Falls and get back onto our route over to Crater Lake and then back to the Oregon Coast.  We started out going through more redwoods (David's famous words are "last chance to see redwoods" and then we'd see more). 

Northern California Coast

Cave formations

One of the things we saw that was along our detour was the Oregon Caves.  I had never been to Oregon Caves and Bow had never been in a cave at all, so we decided to detour that way.  It looked like a short detour on the map, but it was quite the winding road, so it took longer than we thought.  By the time we got up there the next available tour time was 5:15 (tickets were first-come first-served).  We hung out in the gift shop playing a memory game with all of the national parks on the cards (Bow won) until our time came up.  Then we went into the cave.  It was a unique cave because it was a marble cave (the whole cave was made out of marble) which is very unique in the world of caves.

Smith River in Oregon -- super clear

Interesting rocks along Smith River

By the time we finished we knew there was no way we'd make it to Klamath Falls and no way we'd make it to Crater Lake the next day.  So, we stayed in Grants Pass, OR at a Shilo Inn and slept in the next day until 12 pm.  David and I were so tired that we just passed out.  But, it felt really good to get caught up on our sleep.  After we checked out of the motel at 1 pm we found a local restaurant for lunch called the Circle J.  It was a very eclectic restaurant and we had fun there.  The owner came out while we were finishing our food and talked to us for a bit.  She asked where we were from and David said Alabama.  Then she asked him a bunch of things about the South, like -- Do you always have red velvet cake and coconut cake there?  He said, "yes" and that made her laugh.  She and I conversed a bit about Southern culture and Western culture and she made me feel a bit better because she reaffirmed that Westerners ARE different in the way we say things (much more straightforward and honest, rather than roundabout and subtle).  It was nice for me to be around people who are much more like me.

Sunset over a marsh outside Eugene, OR

Heidi standing along Smith River

After lunch we made our requisite Walmart run.  Erin needed a new duffle bag because hers bit the dust (it fell apart and I duct-taped it together several times before it became unsalvageable).  Bow also needed another suitcase because she had bought so many souvenirs and her suitcases were already overweight.

Moon over Florence Beach in OR

Twilight near Florence, OR beach

After that we drove up I-5 to Eugene, looked around at the University of Oregon a bit, ate dinner at a KFC and then drove to the Oregon Coast.  We got there after sunset when it was still twilight and we got a couple of pictures of the Ocean before the sun went down.  We drove to our KOA in Waldport, OR and, as usual, were the last people to check in.  I'm used to the lone envelope pinned to the night registration board with "Dempsey" printed on it.  We unpacked, brushed teeth, and then headed to bed by 11:15 or so.