You may have seen previous postings of the view from the Lodge overlooking Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge. It looked like this today, as you look east from the Lodge :

View across the marsh

Today was a beautiful day, so I went for a drive around 30 Mile Land, past the Wood River Wetlands and ended up at Agency Lake. Here’s the view looking back to the west, toward Crystalwood Lodge across Agency Lake.

Agency Lake and Cascades with Sky Lakes Wilderness

As you can see, the Sky Lakes Wilderness and the high country atop the Cascades are still snow-bound. In a year with a normal winter, that situation would continue perhaps even into July, but this year, I’m guessing the trails will open earlier than normal due to the light winter we had. Right now we’re having very mild spring days, so stay tuned for the hiking updates!

Last but not least, you can’t talk about spring around here without talking about birds. Hearing birds, seeing birds. Everywhere. The cliff swallows that grace the sides of the lodge and delight our guests are back as usual, and busy nesting and eating the emerging bug population. I tried to catch a few shots of them near sunset, as they congregate before calling it a day:

Flock of cliff swallows at Crystalwood Lodge

Flock of cliff swallows near Crystalwood Lodge nests

So there you have it. Birds, fishing, snow remnants, budding trees, marsh greening up, beautiful days…spring and summer are a very special fleeting time around here! Hope you have the chance to get away and enjoy it with us!!

Don’t forget…for a complete calendar of all there is to see and do around Crystalwood Lodge, make sure to check out our new local visitor website, Things To Do Near Crater Lake. An outgrowth of our award-winning local visitor newspaper, the website is a tremendous resource for the myriad of recreational opportunities and services in our area. More about that in an upcoming post!

Daffodils bring the promise of spring at Crystalwood Lodge

Daffodills welcome the longer warm spring days

The birds are definitely coming back early, the grass is greening up…can spring be far behind? Crystalwood Lodge and the Upper Klamath Basin near Crater Lake are gearing up for spring migration, fishing season opener and  looking forward to the long lazy days of summer! We welcome you to join us!

It’s a win-win for everyone.  Your group of up to 16 can enjoy the entire Lodge and property and have it all to yourselves!  I am excited because this enables me to have the Lodge open this winter, for if folks come and rent the entire lodge for 3, 4 or 5 nights, it makes it economically viable for me to open it up and make it available.  We’re due to have a great winter, so make plans now to come and enjoy it!

As we have all season, a Lodge Exclusive rental comes with use of the fully outfitted commercial kitchen at no extra charge.  Of course, this means that one and only one group will be here at a time…so first come, first served!  If you’ve been thinking about having a family get-together for the holidays, or a group outing to enjoy Crater Lake National Park in all her winter glory, book now!  When its taken, its gone!

Since this is a new official offering for us (we’ve been doing Lodge Exclusives upon request for years), I’m offering some incredible deals to kick start the process.  The longer you rent the Lodge, the less per night it is.  The cost per night drops dramatically, depending on how many nights you need to explore all the recreation opportunities in our area!

For example, if you wanted to do a 2-night rental (our minimum) for a getaway weekend, the basic rate is $497/night (plus lodging tax), a savings of over $212/night from our per-room nightly rates.  However, if you wanted to have the Lodge as your Thanksgiving holiday getaway, say for 4 nights Wednesday – Saturday, the price per night drops to $347.  And if you wanted to have Crystalwood Lodge as your home for the holidays for the week of Christmas or New Years, your investment per night drops to $297!  NO holiday upcharge.  NO surcharge for high season rentals.  Just come and enjoy!

We’re still pet welcoming, and for those of you who’ve stayed with us before, Brick wanted me to tell you he is looking forward to some visitors, and please bring treats.  I think he’s afraid I might forget he’s retired and try to hook him up with the dog team when we go out.  Not likely! 

So whether you’re looking to book an artist workshop, family reunion, church retreat, scrapbooking weekend, adventure experience or just an incredibly private and utterly relaxing getaway with those closest to you…we look forward to hosting you, making sure everything is taken care of for you, and helping you create some extra special memories in our corner of paradise! Check availability and book now!

Many guests come to this area to see Crater Lake and, after driving around the rim and doing some hiking, ask me “What else is there to do around here?”   Our local newspaper, Now that I’m Here, was created for that very purpose and can be downloaded on our website (www.crystalwoodlodge.com)  It has tons of information on other things to do in this area and a great map in the center

Here are a few ideas on how you can make your trip down to the Crater Lake area the best it can be:

1.  Relax!  Get a blanket and lay own in our poplar grove, sit in the sunshine with  a book, play a game, try your hand at fishing or watch the sunset with a glass of wine in your hand…

2.  Come prepared.  Lately our commerical refrigerator has been filled with guest food!  People have enjoyed “playing chef” in the kitchen — baking biscuits for their breakfast, cooking on the stove or using our outdoor bbq for kabobs and steaks. 

3.  Go for a hike.  There are tons of hiking opportunities nearby the Lodge.  The Cherry Creek and Nannie Creek trails offer peaceful paths and wonderful views!  The Lodge has additonal information of hiking trails in the area.  Be sure to take some time to explore the Crystalwood property as well – we have 130 acres of property filled with several miles of easy walking trails. 

4.  Take a canoe out.  The trip down Crystal Creek is beautiful, peaceful and nature-filled —particularly great for birders.

5.  Check out some of the local museums and events.  Now that I’m Here has a calender of events and directions on how to get to the Fort Klamath Museum, Collier State Park Logging Museum or the Train Mountain Miniature Railroad. 

For more information on staying at the Crystalwood Lodge or local events feel free to check out our website at www.crystalwoodlodge.com

Still have questions?

Phone: 541/866.381.2322

Email:  reservations @crystalwoodlodge.com

The Fort Klamath Cattle Dog Trials, which is running from August 14th-15th, is an event that embraces this ranching culture.  The dog trials occur on a 25-30 acre course include tasks such as gathering cattle and manuevering them around obstacles.  Though it is generally not considered a spectator sport, visitors tend to come and go throughout the day.  There is no admission for this low-key ranching event and there is a small concession available.  Directions to the Rodear Arena near Fort Klamath and a bit more information can be found at www.rodearcowdogs.com (or call 320.1699)

More photos at www.flickr.com/photos/crystalwoodlodge

There are two major upcoming events at Crater Lake in August.  The 5th Annual Century Ride will be taking place on August 15th.  Particpants can do the 62 mile ride, The Metric Century, from the Fort Klamath Museum up to the edge of the Rim Drive  or the 100 mile Century Ride from the Fort Klamath Museum around the Rim Drive.   There are 300 participants registered.  The Century Ride is not a race, but an opportunity for avid cyclists to challenge themselves and experience Crater Lake.  More information is available at  http://www.craterlakecentury.com/index.html

Another upcoming event of a similar nature is the 34th Annual Crater Lake Rim Run, which will be taking place on August 8th.  The event has 500 people registered to walk/run either the 6.7 m, 13m or 26m sections.  More information is available at  http://www.craterlakerimruns.com/neweventdetails.htm

Crater Lake National Park does not allow dogs on the walking trails, but Crystalwood Lodge does offer complimentary doggy day care for  Lodge guests.  For more information on Crystalwood Lodge please call 541/866.381.2322 or visit www.crystalwoodlodge.com

Twice each summer the tiny, quiet western hamlet of Fort Klamath is suddenly filled with a parade of motorhomes pulling multi-horse trailers, pickup trucks loaded with horse paraphernalia, and more people than anybody seems to be able to count. Business picks up at the local general store, all of the lodging in the area is booked full, and the postmaster handles a Christmas season’s worth of mail. This can only mean one thing: it’s cutting time! Fort Klamath hosts two cutting meets annually, this year running from July 7-12 and August 20-30 at Mebane Ranch.

Historically, the only way to separate single cows from a herd was for horse and rider to isolate the target and hold it away from the others until it was immobilized. Today only a few cattlemen depend on “cutting” the cows for vaccinating, sorting, branding, and castrating, but the challenge of teamwork between horse and rider lives on in the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA). The NCHA has over 16,000 members and represents one of the fastest growing equine sports in the world, with contestants competing for more than $3.7 million at the 2006 NCHA Futurity.

Competitors start arriving in Fort Klamath about a week before the festival. RVs are set up in a pasture just outside of town, a patchwork of temporary homes complete with Astroturf and potted plants. Rows of vendors complete the picture, offering food and the latest in tack and horse accessories. Young riders spend hours grooming and exercising their treasured horses. These small yet expensive, powerful and athletic horses are bred especially for their cutting mentality. In the days leading up to the competition, riders must continue to discipline themselves and fine-tune their relationship with the horse for that crucial 2 ½ minutes in the ring. Each member of a cutting team is fueled by their own personal passion for improving the skill of each member and developing the talent of horse.

At the signal, horse and rider enter the ring. They slowly walk toward the herd and seek a “hot cow”, one that will challenge and showcase the horse’s skill, strength, quickness, and training. Once the target is identified, horse and rider must focus in on its position and then slowly move in to isolate it. After the separation is complete, the rider must loosen or drop the reins and allow the horse to work independently. At this point, the horse controls the contest, using its lightning fast starts and turns to prevent the cow from rejoining the herd. The quicker the horse moves the cow, the more points are awarded. The goal is to keep the cow and horse nose to nose and to keep the cow moving. If a cow fails to give the horse a good fight, the rider may return to the herd and select another. When the cow turns away or doesn’t try to return to the herd, the rider may lift the reins, signaling the horse to “quit the cow.”

The upcoming July event is an open show, including all levels of cutting. The August event is limited to horses from 3 to 6 years old and is the first futurity of the year in the cutting circuit. A typical day show cases 80 – 100 works, over 600 horses, and a small city of owners, trainers, riders, and support personnel.

Curious onlookers may be surprised to find limited seating at the arena and that cutting, unlike many rodeo events, is a relatively quiet activity that is not necessarily meant to be a spectator sport. Nonetheless, visitors will enjoy hustle and bustle of Fort Klamath and the intensity of the cutting events at Mebane Ranch and may be lucky to learn a bit about a sport that has not quite made it to the mainstream. Cutting runs from early morning until dusk, making it an easy event to schedule into a busy vacation weekend at Crater Lake. If you would like more information on summer cutting at Mebane Ranch please call 923.3586 or visit www.nhcutting.com

The Crystalwood Lodge is located 18 miles from the southern entrance to Crater Lake, and approximently 15-20 minutes from Mebane Ranch. If you would like more information on Crystalwood Lodge or other area great Crater Lake area activities, please call 541.381.2322 or visit the activities page on our website.

From July 22-28, the Train Mountain Museum is hosting the Train Mountain Triennial International Train Meet.   This event, which will feature a wide variety of miniature trains, will be of interest even to those who know little about trains.  There’s only two days left, but there’s still time to come and check it out!  For more information on the Triennial call 541.783.3030 or visit   http://www.trainmountain.org/about.asp

For those who can’t make it out for this event, Train Mountain also gives miniature railroad rides on summer Sundays from 10am-3pm.  The rides are free, but donations are accepted to cover the costs of fuel and maintenance.  For more information on Sunday train rides this summer, please visit http://www.trainmountain.org

The Crystalwood Lodge is lcoated 18 miles from the southern entrance to Crater Lake and 25 miles from the Train Mountain Railroad Museum.  For more information on enjoying your family vacation at the Crystalwood Lodge call 541/866.381.2322 or visit www.crystalwoodlodge.com

Our Flickr account has updated room photos, photos of the kitchen and a few shots of the surrounding area.