When I go exploring, my excursions don’t always go as planned. This happened a couple of weeks ago and let’s just say I used almost an entire tank of gas. Flexibility (remember the chilaquiles) has been an important lesson for me; being able to keep my cool and find the fun in whatever comes my way.
Destination: Cleawox Lake
On the day in question, my kids, my brother and I drove two hours south to pick up my nephew in Eugene, then headed west toward Cleawox Lake. We had a cooler box filled with sandwiches and lots of water, sunscreen, towels, and floats; all ready for a day at the lake. The weather app said we could look forward to an 80°F day at a “warm water lake.” The anticipation was real!
When we arrived at our destination it was 65°F and windy. The water was very cold and the rental hut was closed. The kids were moaning about how cold it was and I dove onto my phone to look for another location along the return route. I’m afraid I didn’t think to take a picture, but the one from the Oregon Discovery website was the one that made me want to go there!
Whittacker Creek
While searching our route I found a swimming hole at Whittacker Creek! (photo from the EugeneCascadesCoast website) So back we went in the direction we came. We found a nice little campground and walked around the wooded loop looking at the creek, which was ankle to knee deep and very cold. Hmm. I decided to inquire with the camp host.
He was very congenial and cheerfully gave us directions to a better spot for swimming in the nearby Siuslaw River, which he assured us was deeper and significantly warmer, so we headed in the direction he gave us. After an hour of driving around in a circle on a gravel service road, we stopped for a picnic lunch and I was looking at my phone again.
Accidental find!
Ok. Twenty two miles further was Beaver Creek Falls, which boasted a swimming hole at the base… The 22 miles turned into an hour on twisty, mountain roads. We lost the GPS signal and no sign of the waterfall… we did find a turnout for the Sweet Creek Trail Falls trailhead, however.
After 8 hours of driving, we found a 1/4 mile trail to a nice little waterfall with cold, clear water we could swim in. The hike was nice, the waterfall was pretty and, we were Very glad to get out of the car!
You might think that sounds like a horrible day, but it really wasn’t. It was long and tiring, but we were all together singing, talking, and laughing. We saw some new places and had a pretty good time. I think we might go back to that nice little campground at Whittacker Creek and we’ll definitely return to Cleawox Lake later in the summer!
Exploring can take many forms and it’s good to be flexible, especially if your plans rely on the weather!
It first, when I looked at the video, these trees sticking out from the water reminded me of giant Amazonian snakes. Or the Loch Ness monster… But those were trees, obviously! Imagine if one would visit the place during a dark night, add some mysterious fog, the tired eyes aaaand… we have monsters 😀 Thankfully you had a full tank of gas and extra rations this time.
That would definitely not be a path to take in the dark; monsters or not! And yes, we are becoming more and more prepared for any eventuality! 🙂
Thanks Black Knight!
I love the pictures you always have on your site. It takes me along with you!!!
Isn’t exploring all about finding the unexpected wonders? I think the little place you found is pretty neat Alice!