East Lake, Oregon

September 11-13, 2009

It was an early fall heat wave in Eugene, temps into the 90s predicted for the weekend. We took advantage of the hot weather to head high into the Cascade Mountains, where the altitude normally means cold nights and mornings this time of year. But the weather was absolutely perfect. Warm enough to float on the lake and sleep with the teardrop doors open.

This was our first time to East Lake Campground, and we fell in love with it. The first night, we didn't get a beachside site, but when one opened up in the morning, we grabbed it. It's like having your own private beach.

On Saturday, our friends came up for the day and we hiked nearby Obsidian Flow trail.

On Sunday, we decided to stop by Elk Lake on our way home. Our GPS took us on a clever shortcut through miles of dirt roads, but once we got there, it was worth it.