Sun. June 19     Miles today:  no PCT miles, but 10 other miles         Oregon section C

We woke up this morning to sunshine!  At last!  (But everything was covered with dew, and the mosquitoes were lined up to say “Good morning!”)   Hoping for a ride to Fort Klamath, we dressed as nicely as we could (considering the situation), and walked out to the road.  But nobody would have anything to do with us.  Every car passed us by, and the people looked at us like we were space aliens.  So we just started roadwalking, still trying to hitch a ride as we walked along.  But I guess Oregonians don’t like hitch-hikers with backpacks.  We did stop at a ranch along the way to make sure we really were headed for Fort Klamath, and the crusty old rancher said yes, we were, and then proceeded to put down Ft. Klamath as “no account, no good, nuthin’ but a___postoffice.”

Finally, about 7 miles into our walk, one couple (going the opposite direction) stopped to offer advice,and pointed out Ft. Klamath, now visible in the distance.  By now we were very thirsty-totally out of water–but we didn’t dare take water from any of the creeks we crossed, because the creeks ran through pastures full of cows.  But being able to SEE Fort Klamath was really encouraging, and boy were we glad when we finally cruised in to the General Store. 

Mark, the wonderful owner,  and his family immediately made us feel at home, and we ended up with a big, delicious breakfast, which we shared with the cat, who put her paws up on our arms and meowed for a share.  “Oh, just swat that cat!” said Mark, the owner, but how could we swat such a sweet little beggar? 

 Once the cat had her “share” of our breakfast, it snuggled up with the dog right in front of the store entrance.  Then Mark let us take a look at his trail maps, and recommended that we go back to the PCT tomorrow, and spend today at the Crater Lake Resort.  “Jim and Babe there are real nice folks, and they don’t charge you an arm ‘n a leg,”  he said. 

  So we prepared to walk a couple more miles to reach the Resort, and asked if we could have water for our water bottles.  “Sure can” said Mark, “sorry it doesn’t taste too good.”  Well, compared to a lot of the awful water we had to drink in Southern California, ANY Oregon water is good!

So off we went again, and on the way, there was the Fort Klamath museum–it had a couple of the old fort buildings, and a sign that said it was home to the 1st Oregon, Company C Volunteer Cavalry.  Hmmm!  Re-enactors, maybe?  I decided to find out, and since I did need a bathroom break, it was a handy stop.  I asked the lady on duty if Company C were re-enactors, and she lit up like a Christmas tree.  Yes, they were, and as a matter of fact, they were at a BIG Cascade Civil War Association event this very weekend.  I looked at the flyer and oh wow,  it sure was big!  I enjoy Civil War re-enacting with our daughter, and I was impressed with the list of things on the flyer.  So we “talked re-enacting” for a few minutes, then Bill and I went on.

Well, Crater Lake Resort turned out to be absolutely wonderful.  You can camp in your own tent for $5, or rent a nice cabin with bath, kitchen and linens, OR…Babe looked us over and offered, “We have a REAL log cabin you could rent for $20, no electicity, no water, no bedding, but it’s right by the river.”  Deal!  That cabin was awesome.  It was the real McCoy, with wooden pegs to hang your clothes on, and homespun curtains, a table and two bunks.  I asked Babe about where I could get some food,  since the Resort had no food for sale, and she said, “Oh, I’ll just rummage through my pantry and find you something.” 

So we got “settled” in.  Everything came out of our packs to air and dry.  I started our laundry, while Bill doctored his toes and feet.  He has gotten big calluses that need to be “sanded down.”  Pretty soon, Babe was back with her “rummaging” items, which turned out to be a piece of pork tenderloin, an onion, some carrots, couscous, and several energy bars.  “That’s great!  How much do I owe you?” I asked.  “Oh,…how about $3?”  Wow!  That was a deal, too!  Babe told me that several PCT thru-hikers had stayed at the Resort lately because of the bad weather and lots of snow on the trail.  (No kidding!)

By now I figured our laundry was done, and Babe’s husband Jim gave me a golf cart ride to their little laundry, but I felt just a bit weird, because Jim looks almost exactly like President George W. Bush.  Jim told me that even the main road up to Crater Lake had been closed because of the snowstorm (the same one that forced us down before we could even reach the PCT).  He said the road should reopen soon.

So we spent the rest of the day totally enjoying ourselves.  The Crater Lake Resort is like heaven for kids, with lots of things for them to do–play areas, canoes, all sorts of fun stuff.  The river runs right by, and there were happy kids running around having a blast.  At dinnertime, I cooked up Babe’s food and it made a great meal.  We went to bed tonight very happy in our little “pioneer cabin”.  Tomorrow we will be back on the PCT!