Day 16 a The Trail of the Tall Pines

This is written a day late, because the hotel we stayed at in Redding, CA, was full of pre-teens & teens in for a swim meets.  I couldn't get online access.
At any rate, the day was spent driving south thru Oregon amidst tall pines.  There's a reason the Oregon license plate has one on it.  Our destination for the day was Crater Lake National Park.  I expected a big lake, but this one is huge and a deep blue color.  Just before the lake, we passed through a pumice desert.  Very strange and bleak.  After a picnic lunch, we took the strenuous hike up Mt. Garfield.  I was huffing and puffing because of the altitude (and have I said I don't do up very well?), but we did make it to the first overlook, where we had a spectacular view.  We turned back because the clouds were looking threatening.
When we finally got to Redding and found a room for the night, I wasn't sure my body would work, but a good night's rest and a hot shower worked wonders.