We made it to Oregon!!!

After 15 hours of travel, we finally made it to Oregon. And I swear one of these times my good luck with flying is going to wear off. We got up at 4:15 and got a cab to the airport at 5:00 for a 7:00 flight. When we arrived at Dulles, there was no line for check-in or security and we breezed right through. It was at that time we realized our flight was departing at 6:00 and was already boarding. Thanks Cheapo Air for the flight change notification. But I guess with a name like Cheapo Air, we shouldn't have expected much. So we rushed to our terminal and made it to our gate just after last call. Luckily, we boarded at the same time as a woman and her daughter who were not able to help with an exit row so we got upgraded to roomier seats. Yay for more legroom - okay that's what Ryan said, not me. Our flight to San Fransisco went perfectly but when we arrived at our next gate to Medford, OR, we discovered our transfer was delayed an hour. So between the early flight to the delayed transfer, our 1 hour layover became 3 hours. But all was well because that gave us time to eat and talk with a lovely gentleman from Australia.

When we got to Medford, we were surprised by smoke in the air. Apparently, they are experiencing severe drought and wild fires in southwest OR so we have to be a bit careful. With covered faces, we hopped in our rental car and drove straight to Crater lake. We decided to take the scenic route which was about 2 hours. I am amazed by the landscape here in the Pacific Northwest. As Ryan liked to say, it's "all pines all the time." The trees are super skinny and suuuuuper tall. I also saw a patch of Queen Anne's lace on the side of the road that was 15 feet tall! We drove through a farm that had at least 1000 cows grazing on dead grass. I guess I was expecting lush green landscapes but the pines are about the only green. Everything else is brown.

Crater Lake is gorgeous and our lodge sits atop the highest peak, over looking the lake. Somehow we got so lucky to get the last room in the lodge when we booked back in January and it happens to be lakeside! We just spent a while in front of the fire ( yes it is about 60 degrees here this evening) and finished dinner in the lodge dining room. I had filet and a crab cake ( did not even compare to MD crab cakes) and Ryan had a delicious rack of lamb. After an exhausting day, I am so ready for sleep but we plan to wake for sunrise tomorrow. It is supposed to be beautiful over the lake. Assuming we are still on east coast time, I'm sure it won't be difficult to get up. I'll leave you with a couple pictures from today.