Portland OR Via Bend

It was only 90F in Sandy where we made the final stop for charging. But the humidity made sweat like it is 100F. It's nothing like the deep South. But it's not bone-dry Central Valley either. That explains all that lushness in Portland. And with hills around it, I could've mistaken Portland for Asheville as we entered it on I-84.

Crater Lake was a bust. The haze was so bad we could barely see the water from the rim.  It is supposed to be the clearest lake in the world but it was the color of ash in the morning sun. Not much to see, so we moved on to Portland via Bend without completing the circle around the rim.

We took this route on the back side of the Cascade for the view of the mountains. The highway is supposed to be hugging the mountains with Mt. Bachelor rising up in the distance. No nothing. It was just a grey void on the both side of the US 97.

Trillium Lake made up for all the loss. It was still hazy, but you still could see the majestic Mt. Hood rising above the water. Maybe we'll camp here the next time.

Salmon hatchery in Wildwood Park was a find. It is on Sandy River, one of many tributaries that feed into Columbia. No, we didn't see any salmon there. It probably wasn't the season and we didn't walk down to the hatchery. We took a short walk along the river and left. It was getting late and we wanted to get to the lodge in Gresham, conveniently located before Portland.