G.A.S.P.

(Great Adventures to Scenic Places)

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September 4, 1999

Between last night and this morning (9-4) – I’m actually typing this on 9-4 – I came up with a new Crater Lake plan. I figured I would ride about 30 miles to Diamond Lake (7 miles north of the Park) and see if I could camp there for two nights. I could then leave all of my stuff at camp, go up the last and presumably steepest part of the climb much lighter, ride around the lake, then come back to the same campground for another night. The following day, I would take a by-pass around the Park at a lower elevation when I again had to carry all of my gear.

The plan depended on me being able to find a campground at Diamond Lake, there being space available for me and there being a shower (didn’t get one at Eagle Rock). Bingo, bingo, bingo. I found a special Biker/Hiker campground (NFS) with space available and a shower (at an adjoining NFS "regular" campground). To top it off, I was able to use the laundry at the Diamond Lake Resort a couple of miles down the road (bingo) and there is no charge to camp at the Biker/Hiker site (bingo, bingo). The campground is very nice as well – five individual sites surrounding a central campfire area and a very nice restroom (where I have been sitting for two hours on an abandoned lawn chair entering this text to the computer). I am the only one in the camp, although three young men wandered into the restroom a half-hour ago and were very surprised to see me sitting in my lawn chair with a computer in my lap.

Click thumbnail to see full photograph.

Today was another great day both scenery and weather-wise. I stopped along the way to Diamond Lake at Watson Falls, the third highest in Oregon (272’) and greatly enjoyed the approaching mountain scenery. By days end I was at over 5000’ elevation. I still have a couple thousand more to go tomorrow, but most of it is now behind me for the next week or so. Oh, by the way, I was told it got down to 33 degrees in Diamond Lake last night.