Oregon Interior & Northern California

Have left the coast at long last - spent much longer there than anticipated such is its beauty - to be greeted by giant redwoods in dense forests. Trees are ancient and massive - standing as silent sentinels in a peaceful world. Interior is a world of rivers and lakes too - and well worth exploring.
Time to get wet and wild on jet boat excursion up the Rogur River, following in the footsteps of Meryl Streep and Kevin Bacon, who filmed The River Wild here. Along the way saw salmon up to 30lb being caught by local fishermen, while the sky also held wonders - Bald Eagles and Ospreys, the feathered kind not Ryan Jones, Mike Phillips or even Shane. Indeed, so quick was one, swooping down to pluck a fish out of the water, that he reminded us of the Welsh wing wizard.
Trip stopped at lodge for brunch before descening into Hellgate Canyon - wild water territory. Journey back up river involved some jet boat spins and turns at high speed ensuring the return of two very wet but thrilled Welsh folk. Had told Chris earlier to sit in row 3 of boat as it was driest place to be, knowing from past experience that nothing could be further from the truth. We got a real soaking, but that's the fun of it - and she has since forgiven me.
From Grants Pass, Central Oregon, it's south to Ashland - famous for its Shakespeare Festival and celebrating 75 years of putting on the Bard's works. To enter into the spirit of things - and to prove that we are not totally culturally dead - we see a production of The Merchant of Venice under the stars in open-air theatre based on The Globe in London. John manages to stay awake throughout!
Next up a 90-mile journey to Crater Lake - the deepest lake in the US formed after a volcanic eruption more than half-a-million years ago. Dazzling 'Kodak blue' colour - almost impossible to describe such is its intensity.
We must bid Oregon farewell - and it's south now and a day's journey to Truckee - a former pioneer town - just 13 miles away from our next destination Lake Tahoe. Truckee turns out to be a fun place - good eating places and a host of decent bars, while Lake Tahoe - the stateline between California and Nevada runs through it - staggers us with its beauty. A 70-mile road runs around the lake - the second deepest in America after Crater Lake, but at 6,000ft-plus the highest in terms of elevation. Film buffs may remember a scene from The Godfather II where Fredo (Freddy) Corleone meets his untimely death in a boat on a lake. It - and he - was shot on Lake Tahoe. Poor Freddy, but what a place to pop your clogs if you must!