Road Trip!

When we heard about the National Park Service's Fee Free Weekends earlier this year, Cary said, "We could go to Crater Lake again."

We agreed it was a plan... and then promptly forgot about it. For some reason I remembered the promotion late last week and discovered the coming weekend &mdash August 15 and 16 &mdash was the last FFW for 2009.

Decision time.

We'd driven the five-plus-hour* (one way) trip over there three years ago for our anniversary. I hadn't been there since I was a kid, and Cary was eager to show me the sights from Crater Lake Rim Drive &mdash a drive he hadn't taken in years and I hadn't taken, well, ever. When we arrived, though, we learned most of Rim Drive was still closed because of snow. (Hey, it was July; we thought sure it would be clear.)

This time I thought to check ahead. West Rim Drive? Open. East Rim Drive? Open.

Houston, we are a "go."

I'd expected to see a lot of people, but with the exception of a big bicycling event, the park really wasn't too crowded. We always found a convenient place to stop at each outlook, including this great view of Phantom Ship:

Okay, so my photo isn't the best, but what do you expect from a "cheapy point-and-shoot"? That's what Cary calls my little Sony Cyber-shot. Its pants aren't as fancy as his "We Are Professional Grade" Canon, but it doesn't demand a tripod and a dozen special settings to take a shot, either. I'm just sayin'.

*According to Google Maps, the route we took over should have taken five-and-a-half hours and the route home (through Medford) should have taken more than six. Let's just say that, even with frequent stops to give Cary's back a rest, it didn't take us quite that long.