Well, I'd hoped that I'd still be running around Oregon today but alas... the 7-10 day vacation I'd planned for this week got cut short by work emergencies. The 6 hour drive home was beautiful tho! lol (Poor Teddy was NOT amused.)
I was able to spend 2 nights at Waldo Lake in the Cascades (Willamette National Forest). It's one of the largest natural lakes in Oregon and one of the purest lakes in the world. It has no permanent inlet to bring nutrients to the lake for plant growth which helps keep it pure. You can see to depths of 120 feet on a calm day. No motorized boats are allowed on the lake and it's wonderfully peaceful.
It's surrounded by Douglas fir and Western hemlock and there are a bunch of trials for hiking. I hiked a bit on the Waldo Lake Trail (a 20-mile loop trail at 5,400') and the Shoreline Trail. It's far from the main road so it's completely quiet at night except for the wildlife and, this time of year, the drone of a million mosquitoes trying to suck the life out of you. (Poor Teddy wan't amused about the mosquitoes either. LMAO)
Part of the forest around the lake was decimated by fire in 1996 but it's cool to see all the new growth.
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