On Tuesday, August 2nd, 2022 we said goodbye to Washington State and drove to the next state that I completely underestimated: Oregon. After 235 kilometers and a few stops for shopping and filling gas bottles, not much happened that day. We ended the day at Del Rey Beach and stayed the night there. The next morning I had the irrepressible need to visit a hairdresser, but that turned out to be an almost impossible task. Not one of the felt 10 approached or contacted salons had time for me. There was only one thing left to do: take care of the perspective yourself,
because on the route 101, which runs along the coast, was a lot to see, such as Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach. This rock is the third tallest such tidal formation in the world.
Lennox and I had a blast running down the beach.
The coast offered great views even without getting out of the car.
But the real reason for coming to Oregon was the sand dunes. This unique stretch of Oregon coast is not made of volcanic rock but of primeval sand sculpted by waves and wind. Someone told us that you can rent quads there and cruise through the dunes. So I booked 2 ATVs with Torex ATV Rentals for Thursday, August 4th, 2022 at 10 a.m. and was really looking forward to it. So that we didn't have any stress with the journey the next morning, we decided to spend the night in Florence at the company headquarters the evening before. The parking lot was accessible and there was no one to bother us. In the middle of the night I suddenly heard choking noises and just thought, which A... is that throwing up next to my bus? It took me a while to realize that the bus door was opening and closing multiple times and the culprit was Seb'.
The scenario continued the next morning. Seb' looked really bad. Even if it wasn't his fault, I was somehow annoyed that it happened on the very day we had planned the quad tour, which he wasn't really up for anyway. Call it a conspiracy theory but whenever I book something in advance something goes wrong. Well, the half kilo of honey peanuts that he had chocked down the day before was certainly not good for his health either. I decided to postpone the tour until the afternoon, hoping that he would be better then. When it got worse, I got behind the wheel and drove to the nearest doctor's office. She referred him to the emergency room, which luckily was around the corner. Pale as a corpse and drenched in sweat, he dragged himself there and was gone for an hour and a half. When he got to the bus he told me that they had checked his vitals and he was feeling better by now, but he hadn't seen a doctor yet. He went back to the waiting room and another 1 1/2 hours later there was still no doctor in sight, he was doing great and decided to leave. While I was waiting on the bus, I received a call from the quad rental company that they would have to cancel my booking as they couldn't rent me a vehicle due to my quadriplegic condition. I put in my veto, because I had stated this fact in writing days ago when booking, and discussed it with her employee in the morning. But the nice lady on the phone didn't want to hear anything about it, for her the topic was eaten with "No, we don't do that". Even when we went back and Seb' asked for a buggy that I would only be a passenger in, they refused to rent us anything. I was pissed off and super disappointed. Those are the moments when I feel like a second-class person and I wish that people like that should be in my shoes. Seb' tried to cheer me up and booked a tour through the dunes with the neighboring company.
Fortunately, they had no problem with my paraplegia. I was glad that I would get to see the dunes at all, even if I didn't imagine the upcoming buggy tour to be very spectacular. After all, I didn't want to do a passive and boring sightseeing tour, but wanted to have a bit of action. Mike, our guide, fitted us with glasses and explained that things could get bumpy. After I assured him that it wouldn't be a problem, we slowly went down the bumpy access road. And the moment I saw the desert ahead, Mike hit the gas pedal and the wild ride started. In a rush we raced up the perversely steep sand walls, not knowing how to proceed behind them and the next second I looked into an abyss - I don't know how deep - abyss. Expecting again, he suddenly turned and we raced sideways along the edge of the dunes. It was so steep that I was convinced we were about to overturn. Mike rushed through the area like there was no tomorrow and I caught my breath more than once. You really couldn't call it a boring coffee ride. He seemed to know every single dune. Right, left, up and down, his maneuvers were unexpected, it was more exciting than any roller coaster. The many quads that were mostly just sneaking around or just standing around didn't seem to bother him, he just sped around them. For a moment I was frustrated that the stupid rental company wouldn't let me drive. Most of the dorks standing around here had probably never sat on a quad, I would have beaten them 10 times. 😠 My displeasure quickly dissipated when Mike provided enough adrenaline rush at 70 miles per hour. Wow what a ride!Mike, you made my day!
In the late afternoon we said goodbye to the Oregon coast and drove inland on I38. Coincidentally, we found ourselves on a scenic byway called Rogue-Umpqua. We used the Suzan Creek Day Use Area for dinner and a night's sleep afterwards. In the morning we continued our scenic drive with a stop at Whitehorse Falls
and Clearwater Falls.
Around noon we arrived at Crater Lake, Oregon's only national park. A massive volcanic eruption 7,700 years ago left a crater where a mountaintop once stood.
Centuries of rain and snow filled the crater, forming a deep blue lake. At 594 meters, it is the deepest lake in the United States. Even though I knew the facts from the information brochure, I was not prepared for the sight that presented itself to me.
Countless Overlooks provided views into the crater lake from various perspectives,
Wizard Island,
the Phantom Ship
and Castle in the Crater.
What always remained the same was the fascination for this extraordinary place. Ready for even more blue wonders? Then have fun with the video 🎬 and don't forget the sound 🔊!
When leaving the park there was another waterfall bonus - the Vidae Falls.
State Oregon, you conquered my heart ❤️!
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