To Portland

Not surprisingly this day was uneven.  We got up in good time and opted to head straight for Crater Lake and have breakfast there.  At 7:22 am we were driving through Medford.  After lots of twists and turns, ups and downs through picturesque countryside, we arrived at the Lodge.  By around 10:30 we were seated. 

Our breakfast -- one Pinnacle Omelette and one Marionberry muffin split between us.  The omelette had cheddar cheese, Tillamook cheddar cheese, and apples.  It was good.  The muffin would have been good had it not been nuked too long.  Dry and hard but tasty.

The views, on the other hand, were uniformly fantastic!  The lake was definitely in a crater.  The water was an intense and incredible blue.  The mountains, impressive.  Once we had taken a few pictures, off we were for the wine country just before Portland.

 A lot of driving, some wonderful views, a stop to check the river and we were soon on Highway 22/99 which was to take us through several vineyards. Unfortunately time was getting away from us. I needed to be at the hotel by 5:45 at the latest to register and we were cutting it very short. Luckily, the one side road we chose revealed wonderful vistas of vineyards, tasting rooms, palatial homes, groomed grounds. It would have been grand to be able to stop at the various wineries to savor their wears but again, time did not allow.

Roger drove; I navigated. The road we were on ended in the road we needed next -- Highway 5. Rog saw a sign indicating a way to 5 and he abruptly took it without consulting me. It did, in fact, get us there but it was the less direct of the two routes available to us.  Inspite of that, we got where we needed to be in time for me to get my materials.  Barely.
Once settled in the hotel and registered for the conference I was to attend the next three days, we pulled ourselves together and headed out into the city.  Roger had his list of things to do and his map and off we went -- the Heathman to check the jazz, the Benson to check the lobby (very lovely, old wood, polish, ornate), Jake's (an old restaurant, well known and very crowded), a couple other bars and potential places to eat, and Rogue's Brewery.  There we enjoyed a sampler of their beers and something to eat.  After that we headed to another establishment for jazz (a singer, guitarist, and bassist).  The music was satisfactory and the place was unique, serving a combination of tea, organic beverages, and food.  Rog had tea; I had a glass of red wine, and we shared dessert.

A full and tiring day came to a satisfying end.