Crystalwood Lodge Blog and News » Southern Oregon http://www.crystalwoodlodge.com/blog Klamath Falls Inn and Event Location Mon, 03 May 2010 08:29:38 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Early Spring Stirrings http://www.crystalwoodlodge.com/blog/2010/05/early-spring-stirrings/ http://www.crystalwoodlodge.com/blog/2010/05/early-spring-stirrings/#comments Mon, 03 May 2010 08:29:38 +0000 Liz http://www.crystalwoodlodge.com/blog/?p=207 Fishing season is now a week old, and we’ve already had some productive fishing just outside the front door of Crystalwood Lodge. A few dozen yards from the boat put-in in front of the Lodge is Crystal Spring, a large, deep and COLD spring which keeps the fish cool well-fed and happy year-round. Cold as in 39 degrees – winter, spring, summer or fall. If you want to get into some huge wild redband rainbows, this is the place! Boat put-in is for Lodge guests only, so you’ll basically have the fishing all to yourselves, with very little pressure on the native fish populations. The water is so clear it is a challenging water…time to get your line wet and give it a try!

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

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

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 at Crystalwood Lodge

Flock of cliff swallows near Crystalwood Lodge nests

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!

]]> http://www.crystalwoodlodge.com/blog/2010/05/early-spring-stirrings/feed/ 0 Making the Most of Your Visit to the Crater Lake Area http://www.crystalwoodlodge.com/blog/2009/08/making-the-most-of-your-visit-to-the-crater-lake-area/ http://www.crystalwoodlodge.com/blog/2009/08/making-the-most-of-your-visit-to-the-crater-lake-area/#comments Sat, 08 Aug 2009 18:25:03 +0000 Liz http://www.crystalwoodlodge.com/blog/?p=167 It’s been really great to see guests getting into the spirit of things here at the Lodge these past few weeks!  Guests are really loving the informal and relaxing atmosphere of the Lodge and have been enthusiastically taking in tons of area activities.  I’ve had a guest go for an early morning run with her dogs on the Crystalwood property, a toddler playing with his new plastic golf set on the front lawn, people basking in the sunshine pretending to read and families playing games in our livingroom. 

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

]]> http://www.crystalwoodlodge.com/blog/2009/08/making-the-most-of-your-visit-to-the-crater-lake-area/feed/ 0 A Great Day Trip from Crystalwood Lodge http://www.crystalwoodlodge.com/blog/2009/07/a-great-day-trip-from-crystalwood-lodge/ http://www.crystalwoodlodge.com/blog/2009/07/a-great-day-trip-from-crystalwood-lodge/#comments Sun, 26 Jul 2009 22:58:26 +0000 Liz http://www.crystalwoodlodge.com/blog/?p=157 If you’re planning a trip to Klamath Falls area to visit Crater Lake, another great area day trip is the Lake of the Woods.  Located on Highway 140 between Medford and Klamath Falls this lake is a favorite destination for swimmers and boaters alike.  It offers fantastic scenery, crisp swimming waters, several picnic areas and plenty of places to sunbathe or relax in the shade.  Lake of the Woods is located 20 minutes from the Crystalwood Lodge. 

A great area stop for food on the way to or from the lake is the Solar Café, which is located right between Lake of the Woods and the Crystalwood Lodge. The café is only open for a limited number of weekend hours, but if you’re in the area on a Friday night or Saturday/Sunday morning, it’s definitely worth a stop.   On Friday nights from 5-8pm The Solar Café fills with loyal locals and hungry travelers for pizza night.  The pizzas, which range in price from $11-$15, are delicious, fresh and nicely complimented by a great selection of beer and wine.      

]]> http://www.crystalwoodlodge.com/blog/2009/07/a-great-day-trip-from-crystalwood-lodge/feed/ 0 Check us out on Flickr! http://www.crystalwoodlodge.com/blog/2009/06/check-us-out-on-flickr/ http://www.crystalwoodlodge.com/blog/2009/06/check-us-out-on-flickr/#comments Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:46:52 +0000 Liz http://www.crystalwoodlodge.com/blog/2009/06/check-us-out-on-flickr/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/crystalwoodlodge/

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

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