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The construction workers who had partied late into the night made a pretty good alarm clock at six am as they tromped up and down stairs, started their trucks and shot the breeze before they left. I tried to get back to sleep but couldn't so I got up, dressed, packed and hit a gas station where I bought a map of Oregon. I went next door to the Hi-Lo Inn with my new friend, the map, and ordered some grub. I could tell that the fitful sleep and early wake up call was going to make the first hour of riding tough. For those of you who don't think you can fall asleep riding a motorcycle, you are sadly mistaken!

After eating as big a breakfast as I had ever seen(I didn't eat it all)I turned northeast on Hwy. 97 and left Weed behind. The seemingly warm air in Weed and the relatively flat terrain of the area(with the exception of Mt. Shasta, still very clear to my right)made me forget I was over 3,000 ft. elevation and after twenty miles and another 1,000 ft of elevation I pulled into a rest area and to put on my face mask as my ears were freezing. It was COLD in the forest and the forest was going to last awhile. I'm not a big fan of the facemask because it makes my nose itch, but I'll deal with that rather than frostbitten ears!

The ride through the forest and then across the central Oregon plain was straight, and with the exception of a couple of ess curves in the town of Dorris, pretty boring all the way to Klammath Falls, Ore. I stopped in Klammath for a breather and took the time to visit the Flavin Museum of Western Art. It was very cool with lots of great art works and collections of native relics of all sorts. After that I hit 97 again and was off. As 97 wound its way around the eastern edge of the lake I spotted columns of what I assumed was smoke from campfires along the lake. As I got closer I realized that they were columns of insects so dense they looked like smoke above the bushes and trees along the lake to my left. There were also some to my right and the road was the no-mans land for them. There must have been millions of thes bugs. I ducked behind my windshield and watched as it quickly filled with both black and green bugs. It was so thick it sounded like it was raining!

Leaving Klammath and the bugs behind I made a left on Hwy. 62 for the ride to Crater Lake. This was a perfectly kept road and a lovely ride in the crisp morning air until I got behind two gravel trucks with badly sealed gates that allowed the pea gravel to fall out in copious amounts and pepperd me and the bike relentlessly until I hit a passing zone. A run up to 95 mph saw me by them in a flash, but I always try and take it easy in Oregon knowing their disdain for speeders. I had forgotten about how many speed traps this state has. Areas where a 65 mph limit turns to 55 for a few miles for no apparent reason. You have to be wary up there! The raod was a very relaxing one once I was clear of the trucks though and I kicked back to enjoy the scenery. I stopped in Fort Klammath but it was closed, which was too bad because it really looked like a cool little museum..Oh well..Maybe next time!

I had been to Crater Lake as a little kid, too, but remembered nothing of it except the island. All I can say is WOW! I am so glad I decided to go there. The ride up to the lake once inside the park was really cool with Annie Creek Canyon to my right. I stopped once to get a pic of it but the canyon was so deep and steep I couldn't see the water, I could only hear it. A few miles further I found a turnout and stopped to see what I could. Across the canyon were what are called Fossil Fumaroles. Fossilized pockets of volcanic material trapped in vents that were once covered by superheated ash flows coming down the slopes of Mt. Mazama, the volcano that collapsed to form Crater Lake. When the creek eroded the ash it left the fossilized pockets standing in majestic spires. It was awesome.

I continued on up to the lake. It's kind of neat that you really can't see the lake until you walk up to the edge of the crater. It's probably a good thing to because the sudden stunning beauty of the sight would probably cause rubbernecking accidents. It was formed when a volcano collapsed when it's magma chamber became depleted and left a gaping hole that eventually filled with water. The depth of the lake averages 1,400 ft and is about 2,000 ft at its deepest. The depth and clarity of the water enables relfection and refraction to split the light into its component colors with blue being the predominant reflected color. This causes the water to be a very brilliant blue. Like so many natural wonders, it has to be seen in person to be appreciated. I took the rim drive all the way around the crater and got some different views, all as spectacular as any. The rim drive is also a "must do" when you visit the lake, especially on a bike. There are ancient lava vents running in spectacular shapes along the road. Left there by the collapse of the peak, subsequent eruptions and erosion. It is truly a geologic wonder!

At one of the vistas I ran into some fellow Harley riders and spent a few minutes talking about my trip and they theirs. They were from Pittsburg, Ca. and were on their way to Grants Pass, Ore. I stopped at Vidae Falls and snapped a few shots with the bike and me then made my way back to Hwy 62 to head west to Medford, Ore. As I neared the park exit who should I run into but my friends from France on their way into the park. I didn't stop but a few recognized me as I honked at them.

Once back on 62 I was able to kick it up a bit, not too much, and enjoy the sights and scents of another beautiful pine forest that kept the sun off of me and the air cool as I dropped back into lower elevations. Just past the 62-230 Junction it really started warming up again and I was glad for my vented jacket as I unzipped all the vents to avoid having to stop again. I was really getting hungry and I hit a spot in the road(just slightly bigger than Mad River)called Union Creek which had a couple of restaurants and a store. I stopped and chose the place called "Beckie's" and de-leathered before going in. The food was average, but the atmosphere rocked. It was packed and the propietors were joksters who made the experience fun. I'll go there agin should I get that way next time.

When I finished eating I went back up the road about a quarter mile and pulled into the parking lot for the Rogue River Gorge. As I was getting my camera and a drink of water the two couples I had met at Crater Lake came rolling in. One of the guys looked at me and said "Hey! Where we goin' next"? We laughed and talked awhile. Introduced ourselves properly and took in the sites together. We spent a good while there getting to know each other and I asked if it was OK if I rode with them to Medford. They had no problem with that so off we headed on 62.

My new friends were Gary and Charlene and Dennis and Sylvia(I hope I spelled all your names right!)and Gary was thinking he was low on gas so we decided to find the stuff ASAP. Dennis was leading and I took up the rear and we rolled down the road at 55 mph to save gas for Gary's sake. We rolled by the pumps at Prospect..then past the ones at Cascade Gorge, and Rogue Elk finally pulling to a station in Shady Cove some thirty miles distant. I thought it was funny and commented that Dennis must have wanted to see Gary pushing his bike, to which Gary replied it would have sucked because his wife would have tired quiclky while pushing it!

Once gassed up we headed off again and when we got to Medford we stopped at a sports bar and had a couple, debated some politics, exchanged e-mails and said goodbye. What great people they are. I sent them the link to my blogsite and hope they check it out and know that I truly hope we are able to hook up again someday!

I have friends in Talent, Ore. I hadn't seen in over ten years and looked up their number. I left them a message and headed into Medford to get a room. I unpacked and rode my bike down into Talent to leave a note on their door since I hadn't heard back from them. I headed back to Medford(it's only about ten miles)and got showered and changed, walked over to the DQ and had a great burger, went back to the room and crashed! It was only about nine but I was beat. From a sound sleep in the Motel 6, I was awakened by the lyrics to "Godzilla" by Blue Oyster Cult, which is my default ringtone. It was about 11:30 pm and it was my friend, Ed, in Talent! We agreed to meet for breakfast in the morning Awesome! A great end to Day 4.