Photos and Story about Staying in the Fancy Hotel at Crater Lake, Oregon... It's like the hotel in "The Shining" Movie... and the Delightful Valley at the Base of the Mountain. (Fort Klamath)

Ranger Station - Gift Shop - Crater Lake Oregon - gvan42

Ranger Station - Gift Shop
Flag at Half Staff on May 15th, 2015
for Peace Officers Memorial Day

Crater Lake Oregon on a Foggy Cold Day - photo taken from the Fancy Lodge - gvan42

After I retired I drove around and explored Oregon, Washington State, Nevada and Utah. At Crater Lake I stayed at an OLD Hotel that had a balcony overlooking the lake. The rooms did not have television because the hotel was a historic landmark refurbished to be like it was before the invention of TV. So I played with my digital camera taking pictures of printed materials distorted by the water in a drinking glass and drank tap water. It was very tasty because they just pump it out of the lake... So, I drank a Lot of that excellent water...

Fireplace at the Crater Lake Fancy Lodge - gvan42

That night I had a very realistic dream where I thought that I was sleeping in my Van and I woke up in the middle of the night to urinate... I got out of my Van and stood by the side of it and took a piss. Then I realized that I was not outdoors in a campground but in a fancy hotel! I was worried that I had done harm to the rug in the hotel room and dreaded getting a huge bill... I was actually worried about this for hours because the dream was so realistic... I went back to sleep. When I awoke I could not find a wet spot on the carpet... I guess that I actually went into the bathroom while dreaming... Lucky Me! Auto-pilot saved the day.

Looking Out My Hotel Room Window at Crater Lake - gvan42

So I went down to the Hotel's Desk and checked out. I walked out the front door and everything was covered with Ice. I could not walk to my car or drive it if I did get to it. So I went back into the Hotel, got some stationary and envelopes from the clerk and wrote letters to my family while sitting by the roaring fire. A lady sat next to me and said that her husband was considering moving from Buffalo, NY to Brookings, Oregon. I recommended that move highly and drew her a map of where the freeways and cities were in Oregon and Northern California. Then I ate a fine breakfast and by then, the ice had melted... So I drove around looking at the lake, parked and drew drawings in my sketchbook. I had been camping out in the van and had amused myself by drawing and listening to the radio. Great public radio stations in Southern Oregon broadcast from the University... Totally free station without corporate profits deciding what songs to play...

I tried to drive all the way home but felt too sleepy on Highway 101 near Crescent City. I stayed at a campground that looked a lot like the movie Jurassic Park- Lost World. There was a big meadow in the redwood forest. The next day I drove home.