We were tempted to keep driving south along the Oregon coast Friday night but our next destination, Coos Bay, was nearly three hours away so we decided to bunk in Lincoln City. Hunting for a decent place to sleep took slightly longer than expected but we eventually found the entirely respectable Captain Cook Inn off of 101. At just $70, it was about 50% less than comparable hotels -- sweet. We feasted on fresh seafood at J's Fish Shack, then Liz called it a night and I went out exploring. My first bar stop turned out to be my last: the Old Oregon pub had plenty of character, cheap drinks and reasonably friendly (to me) patrons. Within 15 minutes of my arrival, a fight broke out, people scurried for napkins to stop the victim's bleeding, local cops paid an unrelated visit "just to check in," guys on an adjacent barstool made a $5000 wager on the next day's Oregon Ducks game and then suddenly... the entire bar emptied out. Having witnessed enough bar excitement for one evening and not wanting to see what adventures the late shift might bring, I paid for my drinks and walked a little ways north to the wholesome Indian casino, Chinook Woods. A few hours of blackjack left me down $4, so I called it a night and trekked back to conk out at Captain Cook. After Liz did yoga in town, we fueled up at a local cafe and took an incredibly winding route (the very definition of "twisties") a dozen miles inland to Drift Creek Park. We might've missed a couple key turnoffs but the drive was a blast and our Focus rental handled the curves magnificently. Eventually we found the park, paid our $5 honor system usage fee, and began our hike... which went on and on and on, but eventually opened up onto this splendid suspension bridge stretched over a ravine and perfectly positioned to view these lovely Drift Creek Falls. (We hiked down to the base of the falls and clambered over big boulders, giant tree stumps and some asshole's smashed growler -- not pictured to prevent you from sharing our frustration!) Liz felt adventurous and suggested we take the Northern Loop, an alternative route back to the parking lot. That turned out to be a pleasantly long choice: plenty of solitude but perhaps twice as long as our initial route into the forest. Back in the Focus, we focused on our next destination and perhaps our most eagerly anticipated: Crater Lake National Park!
