Oregon
A region balanced between the moist of the Pacific and the dryness of the desert… not to mention the Cascades and its volcanic chain as well as its hip city, Portland!
A few kilometres on the trail later, there is nobody else around anymore.
I can only hear the wind and start shivering a bit in spite of my jumper.
I stay a few days in Portland then fly out to Denver (Colorado) to visit a couple of friends before eventually returning to Portland.
I start shaping my journey to reach Crater Lake: I thought of combining bus and hitchhiking but my Airbnb host was so generous in good spot recommendations I felt I would miss something.
A cheaply rented car later, I leave the town of Bend to drive by the Cascades Lakes Scenic Byway.
Spectacular. It is definitely the feeling I get when my feet first reach the edge of the North rim.
The West rim is closed because of a forest fire so I will have to circle around it by the East rim.
There is nobody at the top of Mount Scoot at 8am.
Winds are quite strong and the view slightly covered by mist on the East side.
It is worth hiking to the top of Mount Scott to benefit from a wide and clear view of the lake.
The fire is not yet contained but we can hardly notice it anymore.
The sun rises above the tip of the pine trees right for 8am.
In the meantime, I enjoy a warm bath in a very minimal skinsuit in spite of the fresh temperature.
I leave Oregon tomorrow but I have been recommended to visit the little town of Mitchell.
The road reveals a very dry landscape: a pale cream limestone sandy soil scarcely topped with green trees.
Not to mention the curious shelter itself.
Rounded, layery and curvy.
Behind, a gradient of blue sky ending in dark and stormy cloudy chasing the sunsetting sun.
I have rarely seen such a breadth of impressive landscapes, wild and majestic, on the very edge of the main road.
Before making my way back and sleep on a church parking lot, I remind myself to uncap one of these delicious hopped beverage from Deschutes Brewery.
My first contact ever with the Pacific Ocean.
Raw, wild and windy.