We awoke in Roseburg, Oregon with big plans for the day. We were going to visit a place that none of us had ever seen. However, we had another surpass addition before starting on our way.
The night before, my brother read about a safari park in Winston, Oregon. He remembered going through one as a kid and thought it would be interesting. With that in mind, we drove to Wildlife Safari and something that I would call a drive-thru zoo.
Animals were divided by different continents, and most of them were roaming around.
Of course, there were a few animals that were deemed too dangerous to get close to the cars. Those were kept behind some well-built fences.
I am still trying to figure out how they decided which were fence worthy and which were not.
In the beginning, the adventure was interesting, and we drove slowly through the land. However, patience is not our virtue, and we sped up as more land and animals passed by. We had done the Marlin Perkins thing. It was time to move on.
That meant making our way to Crater Lake, a place that I have always wanted to see. The road to the national park followed a mountain river and was surrounded by huge trees. Honestly, it felt claustrophobic. There are times when I like the wide open spaces of the Plains more than a mountain forest.
We stopped for lunch at the Steamboat Inn. I am not sure if they think highly of their food or just have a monopoly on the road, but those were some expensive sandwiches. There was also a lodge for people who like to sit and contemplate. We did not have time for contemplation. We had somewhere to be.
Crater Lake was as beautiful as I imagined. Along the way, we drove through a barren caldera, which set the lake up nicely. The water was pure blue, and, from our high vantage point, we could see 150 feet into its depths. Of course, that was only a small percentage of its depth of over 1900 feet.
After taking a bunch of pictures and visiting the welcome center, we got back into the vehicle and drove north to Redmond, Oregon, where the situation became entertaining. I stood in line to check in the hotel as an older couple argued with lady working the desk. Apparently, they got a reduced rate and were trying to add a $10 coupon on top of it. They spent 15 minutes arguing over $10 and making the lady behind the desk cry. I am not sure $10 is worth all of that.
SBI: A Thinning Crowd 
Many safari parks are run by people who have little or no understanding of the animals they acquire. The fate of these animals when the parks fail — as they usually do — has been horrible. I avoid them now. Too much angst.
This one seemed to be of better quality. They had tons of people working and, according to them, have the nation’s best cheetah breeding program.
That’s comforting to hear.
“The road to the national park followed a mountain river and was surrounded by huge trees. Honestly, it felt claustrophobic.”
I felt this way sometimes in Washington. Roads that are hemmed in by huge trees. Kind of made me uncomfortable.
That’s the feeling. Super tall trees on both sides of the road. It’s like driving down a hallway.
I’m not really a ‘mountain person’ myself. The trees and mountains cut your daylight short – even worse in winter. Nor can you see the sunrise or sunset. Not my thing.
The wide open spaces are a lot better.