Sunday, September 24, 2017

Out of the Rain and Into the Snow at Crater Lake (Sept. 20-22)

Yes, I'm getting ahead of myself by putting this photo up first, but it's just too beautiful a scene to resist.

Back on Wednesday, the sun did come out, and Doug and I enjoyed a late afternoon walk on the beach, followed by our second campfire of this entire trip.  Most of the other locations have had fire bans due to all the wildfire activity.
On Thursday morning we broke camp and headed inland along the Umpqua River and then followed the North Umpqua, passing several active wildfire sites.
until we came to our first sight of snow...
Fortunately we did find out ahead of time about the snow at Crater Lake and decided to change our campsite reservations to a cabin, instead.  The night time temperatures were in the 20s and the daytime highs in the low 30s--not very conducive to tent camping.  We hoped our "cabin" would include cooking facilities, but it was a basic motel room.  Mind you, I'm not complaining since it had heat and running water!
We arrived just before dark, so our first breathtaking sight of Crater Lake was in the morning.  Both the East and West Rim Roads were closed, due to icy conditions, but we did walk along the wall at Rim Village.
 The trolley was temporarily out of service,
but the Visitor Center was open...
as was Crater Lake Lodge...
with its welcoming fireplaces...














and rustic interior...
These outdoor rocking chairs have seen warmer days...

And I couldn't resist this view to the south...
These men were tossing snowballs down the hill to see if they would roll all the way to the lake.

In the afternoon, people gathered around the fireplace to hear a talk by one of the park rangers.
We learned that Crater Lake was originally Mount Mazama, a 12,000 foot volcano, which erupted 7,700 years ago.  After a number of eruptions, the top of the mountain collapsed and formed the caldera, which eventually filled with rain water and snowmelt. Today Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States at 1,943 feet.  It is also the 10th most potentially dangerous volcano in the United States.

By late afternoon, the East Rim Road was opened, so Doug and I ventured out for more amazing views, which will speak for themselves...



But I do have to point out this one of an island in Crater Lake, known as the Phantom Ship...
And we ended our day with a delicious meal of fresh salmon and ocean halibut at Crater Lake Lodge...

4 comments:

  1. I could say this every time I see your posts - I am so jealous!

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  2. It is quite an amazing trip, Bonnie. I have to keep pinching myself to make sure I'm actually here! And I'm glad I have this blog to look back on...

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  3. You will have gone through all the seasons, it seems on this trip, and may find it still summer back here when you return!

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    1. Yes, all the seasons except for Spring. It felt strange to go straight to winter for a few days. People are swimming (or at least wading) in the ocean in southern Oregon today.

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