Thursday, September 14, 2023 - Keno Camp to Haystack Reservoir Campground West

Deb here. Happy Birthday to Hannah! She turned 32 today and we called her this morning from our campsite, which for a change had excellent cell reception.

As I was scrolling through Facebook this morning (note the good cell reception), I noticed that our Bisbee friend Shirley commented on my post that she and her partner John would be at Crater Lake National Park today. Hey, that’s the same place we were planning to go, so I texted her to see if we could meet in the park. In a serendipitous turn of events it all worked out, and the four of us met inside the park at the Rim Village Visitor Center at 11:30 a.m. What fun!

After a lovely lunch sitting outside of the Rim Village Cafe, we decided to head out on a gentle walk toward Discovery Point. Discover Point trail goes right along the edge of the lake so great views the entire way and back. What a day! A beautiful blue sky, incredible shades of blue in the lake, sunshine, and a chance to catch up with good friends. It just doesn’t get much better than this. We drank in Crater Lake views for a few hours before parting ways with Shirley and John in late afternoon. 

In another serendipitous turn of events, I texted a childhood friend, Todd Friends, to see if we could stop in for a visit as we head north. Todd’s mom and my mom were best high school friends, who also went to college together and were in each other’s weddings. Todd and his wife April live in Spokane, but as it turns out they have a camp in Chewelah, WA where they’re staying until Monday. Todd invited us to join them, so we’re now setting our sites on reaching their place tomorrow evening. With that in mind, we followed the Rim Road at Crater Lake and then turned out of the park to head north on Rt 97. 

I found a campground (thank you, Campendium) north of Redmond and it’s another sweet spot. It’s $25 for the night but right on the Haystack Reservoir. Paved and flat sites with picnic tables and fire rings, on the water, and clean restrooms. There are 3 campgrounds on this reservoir and they’re county-run. There’s only one other camper here tonight so nice and quiet.

Bigger driving day tomorrow to Chewelah, and we’ll be reconnecting with Rt 395 again once we cross the WA border. Another perfect day!

Odo = 17,452 miles