Waterfalls!

Day 49, May 20, 1997

Crater Lake to Curtin, OR

274 km

I was excited by this day--we were driving "my" scenic route. We were passing by Mount Thiellson, several waterfalls, and the colliding rivers. Mt. Thiellson was just a peak in the distance, and we pulled into a viewpoint long enough to let the cars breathing down our neck get by.

The first waterfall, Clearwater falls, was a small, wide fall that cascaded over moss covered rocks. We could quickly walk to the top and watch the water pour over the edge. The second falls was a disappointment. The third one, Watson falls, required following a path an unknown distance. Concerned about tacking an unknown trail, I asked some hikers who had just begun how prepared we needed to be. We were told it was a short walk and one well worth the effort.

Watson Falls turned out to be a huge fall dropping over a cliff and sending up a huge mist. We later discovered it is the third highest waterfall in Oregon, at 272 feet. We took several pictures, and managed to follow the trail right up to the edge of the cliff wall, about half way up the fall. Standing in the fine spray was wet!

We drove another 50 miles without seeing another sign for waterfalls, and stopped in Glice to see the colliding rivers. Apparently, it is very rare for two rivers to meet head on, and promotional brochures suggested it was a fabulous sight at certain times of year. I had imagined that the rivers, swollen with run-off, would meet with a huge crash. I was wrong. The rivers simply met and joined without display.

We stopped at a tourist information center and picked up information about the trails and waterfalls, as well as useful information about the rest of the state. We had missed several waterfalls, so we back-tracked and walked to two different 50 foot waterfalls. We arrived in Curtin, just south of Eugene, hungry for dinner.

Ralph in Oregon