Thunder. Lightning. Half awake, got outside, unhitched the tent from the poles, folded the poles, folded the tent with pad & bag still inside, unlocked the car, stuffed the package into the back, started the car, turned around, headed downhill. No rain yet, lightning flashing all over, great views over Upper Klamath Lake to the southwest. Stopped to photograph the clouds turning orange from a sunrise almost there. Stopped a few more times on the way down, patches of rain over the lake and , along the ridge. Just missed catching lightning several times. Probably could have caught one by just snapping away a barrage of about a dozen. But I feared I might also get bolted during that barrage. The clouds seemed to be using that very strategy to get me.
Back down at the highway, turned left to continue south to Klamath Falls. Immediately after the road I took was the entrance to Hagelsien Park. Oh well, I guess I took the correct turn in the dark last night by mistake. Onwards, I got sprayed by a few splashes of rain along the way, but had to use washer fluid to clean yesterday's bugs off the glass. Not enough to wash the car. Although it looked like my bike back somewhere on the far ridge top to the west got wet.
Passed a Pilot gas station on the left. Stopped to get gas at under $3/gal, asked the attendant where I could fill a 6 gallon water jug, he pointed to the "pump-handled" water spigot at the RV filling station. Got my water as it started sprinkling a bit. Went inside & grabbed a coffee and asked the cashier where there would be a grocery store. She directed me to take the next exit south then right (is what I remembered hearing) then bla bla bla on the right. Thanks. Took that exit which confusingly seems to have three names, Oregon Ave. to the left toward Klamath Falls, Nevada Ave. then Lakeshore Ave to the right. or so Also, the sign to the right said to Lake of the Woods. Ah! To hwy 140. I'll be heading back to there in a day or two. Took the right, looking for the grocery store. Instead, passed by Moore Park. Turned around at the next opportunity, a dock, pausing to photograph the large sailboat moored there, before returning to the Park to have breakfast, etc.
Parked at a large gazebo covering a dozen picnic tables. The roof seemed like just old tar paper needing to be replaced. Rotten Timber beams jutted from the eaves. Still threatened rain, so I brought my breakfast and camera out to the tables anticipating maybe some picts of the park lake frontage taken through flowing water from the roof. No rain, but it was a balmy early morning. Some workers arrived and started "digging holes", it seemed, in the sidewalks. I decided to use the bathroom to the left, by way of a detour to the lake with my camera. By the time I'd looped back to the bathroom, a large RV full of people had parked by that bathroom, so I decided to walk to the one further east, which brought me past the workers. I saw they were clearing the grasses growing in large cracks in the sidewalks, they said they would be patching those cracks. When I got back to the car, two pickups had parked next to me and workmen were setting up ladders at the Gazebo Roof. "Roofing?" No, we'll hire contractors for that, we're just removing the old one, yesterday we took off the shingles, what a mess, today we'll do the rest of it, and saw off those rotten timbers." "I dont' notice any shingle debris lying around, you cleaned up pretty well. This is a nice park, must take lots of maintenance." "Yes, especially on the other side." He pointed to the fancy gate across the road. "Oh, so this must be the main park for Klamath Falls?" "Yes. There are tennis courts over there, birding trails, other facilities."
So I drove across the road, parked at a locked gate to the scenic drive. It was still early morning. I asked some dog walkers taking that road whether the gate opens later, they said no. I grabbed my camera and took a path up the ridge to the north, expecting a view of the lake. The path hit the switchbacking road then it curved at a nice viewpoint of the lake. The the dog walkers caught up with me there.
Back at the car, I checked my map to find this park - no hint of it on the map. I noted "Klamath Falls" labeling a point along the river below the lake. A road was shown along the river, so I thought I'd take that road and visit the namesake of the town. I continued around the "inner loop", passing another locked gate at what I presumed was the other end of the scenic drive, and back at the entrance, passing a worker fiddling with some lawn sprinklers. Took a right on the main road expecting a quick 'nother right onto the river road. found only a jogging path. No one around there at the time, circled back the park entrance and asked the sprinkler guy about that road. "No road, just the path. Not much of a falls anymore either, better to just look at the historical pictures in the museum." " I asked him about why Fort Klamath is such a ghost town. "Used to have a logging mill, then just a brothel for a while, now just some resort cabins." "Nice park for this town, though" I said. "Yes, well, except we won't be able to water enough this year to keep the grass green." "Should plant native plants" I said. "Yes, I know we should."
Drove on eastward into downtown, and found the grocery store. Stocked up with just about everything I would be needing for the next month, including the foil bags of cooked chicken chunks that I couldn't find back in California lately. These offer variety to the foil bags of tuna and Salmon that I can find everywhere.
I asked the clerk where's the library - she didn't know. Asked what about a bike shop? "Oh, there's Hutch's nearby. Go down 6th then left on Klamath. It will be on the right after 8th." "Great! Thanks! And how about a credit union? (I needed to check my balance, maybe transfer some.) "OK I know there's Rogue Credit Union in South Klamath on Washburn. Just continue on 6th then take a right it will be on the left." I thanked her and continued down 6th St and quickly took a right on Main because I thought I might find the library. Sure enough, right near the county center. parked and checked the hours. opened 10am. I had two more hours to kill. Continued on down Main and passed a bus stop with some busses parked. Thought I'd fish the driver for more info on bus connections than I'd researched previously on the web. Asked a Point Transit driver of any connections to Bend. "Amtrak. Take Klamath and curve right to Spring, You'll see the station on the left." Thanks! (I knew about Amtrak Klamath lake to Chemalt, with various bus connections that were not yet clear to me, so welcomed the opportunity to get more detail of connections with Bend's bus system which only goes as far south as La Pine.)
I looped around again to Klamath, and noticed Hutch's bike shop on the right. Stopped and asked about buying wider tires for my old 27 inch road bike. (I could use these on the crushed gravel road to Seven Mile Marsh trailhead as well as later in Washington on my contemplated ride up the Iron Horse old railroad grade, described as a "soft surface trail", from North Bend to Snoqualmie Pass. I would swap my rear wheel tire to the wider tread one if necessary. I knew I'd need to order the tire and pick it up later.) Unfortunately I didn't have my bike along, it was still stashed at Howard Prairie lake. He wanted to see the bike to make sure he ordered for the right rim size and brake lever clearance. I said I'd be back.
On again to Spring Street, found the Point Bus Terminal on the right. A bus was blocking the road while it was parking. I stopped and looked around for an office on the right, then asked him where I could get info on their bus routes, explaining when he asked my purpose about my goal of finding loops to-from the PCT. He pointed to the Crater Lake Trolly Office on the other side of the road. The driver parking the Point bus said he was the owner of the Crater lake Shuttle Sure enough, one of the foux trolly busses I had seen last year at Crater Lake was parked in front. In fact now I may have talked to that same person at that time driving the Trolly, while he was waiting for his passengers to get their photoops. I took a picture of the driver leaning against the shuttle while the tourists were taking pictures of the lake, at that time unfortunately views smudged out by smoke. But I didn't persue that with him now.
In the office, person with headphones was answering a caller's questions. when he was done I asked about whether the Crater lake shuttle might stop at Fort Klamath. He said first of all, the shuttle doesn't start til July 1, but yes, Fort Klamath is where they actually transfer passengers from a van from Klamath Falls to the Trolly to Crater Lake. One shuttle run each direction per day, midday the Trolly makes several tourguide loops around the lake. $15 from Klamath Falls, only $10 from Fort Klamath. PCT hikers can make arrangements to be dropped off/picked up at the trailhead in Crater Lake, and also at the hwy 140 trailhead on the bus between Medford and Klamath Falls, but on that, he said, we'd be charged the full cost of the KF-Medford run, $25.
I asked him where the Amtrak station was. It was around the corner on the next block. There, I got the current Amtrach Ststem Timetable for spring/fall 2015, and asked the attendant about the connection to Bend. Train from Klamath Falls to Chemult (which is northeast of Crater Lake) and a bus from there to Bend. There is also a bus from Bend to Sisters, which may provide feasible bicycle access to the trail along hwy 20 or 240. I asked if one could take the busses without taking the train. Yes by booking directly wit the bus companies. One of these was TAC, another High Desert Transit They they gave me a number 541 382-4193 for one of these, but I still need to sort this out. The Chemult to Bend bus leaves at 9:40am, return bus leaves Bend at 5:50 pm. the attandant seemed to not have schedule info on the Sisters bus. maybe it only runs during skiing season? That's the case for the Bend to Mt Bachelor bus, otherwise also potential access to the trail.
I got back to the library just as it opened. Spent the rest of that day 10am-8pm rewriting my prior blogs and pushing them forward a bit further. Got outside to an ongoing thunderstorm. And a parking ticket. I had parked in a 2-hour zone. Luckily only a 10 "bail". But I better make sure to mail it in. Would need to find a stamp. I'd find that later. Would have more time before the library opened again tomorrow morning.
Headed back to my previous night's camping spot, but kept my eyes peeled for alternatives, concerned about the lightning risk on the ridge top. A rainbow was developing to my right as I approached my turn. I decided to investigate Hagelstein Park, which was just before the road I had taken up the ridge the previous night. It turned out to have a boat launch into a little lagoon off the lake. There were a few tents pitched and an RV parked well away from the lagoon. No sign of a fee station. I drove to the boat launch, turning my car to take a picture of the rainbow across the lagoon from my car window.
Next to the launch was a nice flat patch of turf - obviously laid out there like a carpet to be a tent site. Parked my car next to that, with a nice view of the lagoon, so I just sat there for a while, as dusk settled in and the rain stopped. Some egrets were perched in the trees, cottonwoods I think, to my right. One of them flew down into the shallow water right in front of me. it was too dark to take a good photo through the car window so I just watched how it would take a large step every few seconds while whipping it's neck about for balance and to get the right angled view into the water I guess. It looked like the fly fisherman I had watched from the laundry room fishing at the creek/lagoon by the Waterwheel campground a few days ago. There, the fisherman was making very jittery, it seemed to me, corrections to the trajectory of the line, to land the end just so. Here, the egret's neck and head tapered much like the fly line does, or should that be stated the other way round? A few times, the egret stabbed into the water, each time, coming up and swallowing something.
Waited to make sure the rain had stopped for good before getting out and pitching my tent. Put on the fly this time.
No comments:
Post a Comment