The workers who built this Ranger Station in the 1930s left here and worked on the Timberline Lodge. It is one of the few of this style that survived a Forest Service order to tear them all down. This particular cabin is located in an area that was the responsibility of 3 different ranger districts. Since it was not clear which district was supposed to take this building down, none of the 3 did anything, and hence it survives to this day. We head on up the road toward Mount Hood and find some interesting places.
While Crater Lake is one of my favorite places in Oregon, Little Crater is another of my favorite spots. It was the scene of the Freelands great mis-adventure back a couple years ago when we toured the Pacific Northwest (see that post for the complete details). The Pacific Crest Trail is just a little ways down the trail.
The hike to Little Crater Lake takes you through a beautiful meadow with a view of Mount Hood. It is interesting to note that the grass is brown.
If you check some of the photos of this meadow from Asa's trip back in July or Kyle's trip in August, you will see how green it was then. Most folk think it rains all the time in Oregon. Not so. While the western part of the state (that part that is west of the Cascade mountains) does get a lot of rain, the eastern part of the state is high desert. The rain in the western part generally stops in June. July, August, and September see very little rain, and hence the once lust meadow has died off. The meadow is brown because of a lack of rain, not a frost and cold weather.
When you arrive at the geological oddity, an artesian spring, the Forest Service provides a little information on how the springs seem to work. The water temp is just above freezing. Bet you could really use it to cool down some Black Butte Porter.
The blue water is crystal clear and did I mention that it is really cold.
Ben twice!
Hard to imagine, but those logs are about 40-50 feet deep.
Ben is looking for Rebbecca again.
Back on the road to Mount Hood.
Finally, we arrive at the Timberline Lodge.
We check out the Blue Ox Bar.
That's Paul and Babe on the back wall.
Here's the mountain up close. It's October, but there has been no snow yet. When Henry and I were here years ago in early October, they had already had a good snow. That patch of snow in the upper center of the photo is the Palmer Snow Field, where there is snow skiing/boarding most of the year. The difference between a snow field and a glacier is that a snow field does not move.
Here's the view of the Cascade range to the south from the Lodge. That mountain in the clouds is Mount Jefferson.
A closer view of Mount Jefferson from the Lodge parking lot.
Here are several of the animal cravings that are found in the stair ways.
Here's some of the Lobby furniture, all hand made on the mountain by the builders of Timberline back in the mid 1930s.
Even in the mid 1930s, Oregon was green. These fire dogs were railroad rails. The fire screen chains were once snow chains used on the trucks that brought materials and men up from Government Camp to work on the Lodge.
One of the neat light fixtures in the Lobby.
The Timberline Lodge Dinning Room. Mmmmm good!!
Some of the Timberline art work:
Although we did not spend the night at the Timberline, we found a room that was open and checked it out.
What's Ben thinking about here?
Here's the Timberline hot tub. We didn't qualify, too much chlorine for us guys.
Ben at the back of the Timberline.
We are about to wrap up our visit, here is the indian head that graces the main entrance.
Here the main entrance, with the snow tunnel being installed. It's basically a quonset hut that keeps the snow off of the main entrance.
We make our way back to Portland and go into town and check out Powell's City of Books (and have a last bowl of Chowder) before catching our flight back home.
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