Western States Poor-verlanding

Hey all! I'm taking a trip from Northern California to the Eastern Sierras in the longest way I could think of. Ha.

Seriously though, my girlfriend and I are have been traveling through Oregon, and will soon be on our way through Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona. I have been dreaming of doing a trip like this to visit friends and family all over the western states for years, and having just graduated and earned some decent money at a temporary position I decided now was the time. Even with a pandemic. And gonna get some solid time on dirt too.

Thanks to all who gave me some solid advice about what to bring and in another post, and where to go.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...bring-on-a-budget.677665/page-4#post-23955698

I'll post what I'm bringing there. Seems like the best choice.

So, since we left last Friday, I'm writing this retroactively about Oregon/NorCal. Next step is to get on the trail at the beginning of the WBDR. I'll make each day a post so I can keep track of it. I'm not super great at remembering to take photos, so what you see is what you get ha.

We left Arcata after only about a week at home, so we spent nearly every day trying to organize all our junk in a new apartment and get ready for the trip and take care of last minute business. It was a busy week, but we did get up to Crescent City to surf tiny waves before we headed inland.



Then it was time to get the hell out! Was very excited to be on the road, FINALLY.

First section of the trip saw us backpacking near the Forks of Salmon with some close friends. Kind of them to drive many hours just to see us before we took off.

A few hours on Sayers Bar road was pretty tiring though. Some of the sections felt like the most dangerous road I've driven on. I would have taken photos of the sketchy parts but the risk factor was a little high when I could have opened my door and fallen 100 ft to the river below. Fun!



This lake was incredible. The granite formations were at least 70 ft tall off the ridge. Water was clean and trout were swimming right up in the shallows for us to see. Keeping this one a "secret" for now though. Maybe Google-Fu could get you there.



Finally some dirt. Was able to test the ABS kill-switch that I put in a few weeks ago. Took me about an hour, and was totally worth it. Worked wonders when a young black bear stopped in the middle of the road.


Had a good view of a large fire in Hoopa that we drove right by on our way north.


Then it was through Etna and into Oregon!

 

Etna -> Hyatt Lake

Second night saw us looking for a place to camp for the night. Hyatt lake was right on a scenic highway and was surrounded by BLM land and the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, so sounded pretty perfect. Nice place with plenty of dispersed camping. The people at the Hyatt Lake Resort were friendly and allowed us to fill up on water.


Couldn't forget the wine bag. Makes a good pillow too.

Hyatt Lake -> Crater Lake -> McKay Falls Campground

Next day we booked it up to Crater Lake. As far as National Parks go, this one is pretty awesome if you need to burn half a day. We hiked up to a fire lookout, then hiked down into the crater and swam in the lake. Got a good view of Yamsay Mountain (I think) on the way up too.



Lake water was frigid, but totally worth the plunge. Visibility is insane, highly recommend a visit and a dip.

From there we headed out to McKay Crossing campground, near Paulina Lake. We had intended to camp at the lake and go to the hot springs, but found this waterfall right at the campground, and a ranger told us about some natural waterslides if we followed the creek. Well worth the fee to camp the night there, plus we had the place to almost to ourselves.

 

Alright, I don't have time to update further, will have to continue this after I get back into service after the first section of the WBDR!

 

Looks stunning! I've lived in Southern California and the Eastern Sierra for nearly 6 years now and really need to get back up to NorCal for more exploring beyond the 101. That's scenic and nice, but certainly lots more to see.