OK, OK, There’s a Little More to it . . .

Basically the lake was formed when Mt. Mazama collapsed 6,800 years ago after a series of violent volcanic eruptions. Subsequent eruptions created Wizard Island and sealed the bowl of the lake. Because of this seal, no streams enter or leave the lake. Snow and rain replenish what is lost to evaporation and seepage so the water level remains fairly constant. It’s around 6 miles long and, at 1,932 feet, it’s the deepest freshwater lake in the United States and the 7^th deepest in the world. It is this depth that creates the extraordinary blue you see in the water (blue light can travel further underwater than that of other colors along the spectrum.) All of this information was obtained from reading two or three signs posted around the rim. There was a distinct lack of ranger programs (evidently, everyone is still in training), and with the hordes of ravenous mosquitoes, the main reaction we had was “Woo.”

That’s not to say it isn’t beautiful. Because it is. But there really isn’t any reason to linger.

Plus, with all the snow still to be cleared, part of the rim drive (and much of the campground) was closed.

Crater Lake National Park

We thought Crater Lake would be a big blue lake surrounded by mountains. Turns out, we were right. Also turns out, that’s pretty much the end of the story.

On to Crater Lake

We decided to make a break for Crater Lake National Park rather than meander all the way down the coast as originally planned. En route, we passed through part of the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. Sand. Lots of it. Next.

The drive to Crater Lake is really a two-piece affair. One leg is labeled scenic, the other is not. Hard to tell which was which, they were both jaw-dropping in spots. Entering the Crater Lake region brought our first glimpse of snow covered peaks. And then, snow on the sides of the road. Not terribly reassuring for those of who will be sleeping outdoors. One part of the Rim Drive is closed due to snow. When we finally made it to the only open campground in the Park, some of its loops were closed due to snow.

Xanterra is as competent as usual (we encountered them last year at Yellowstone), which always makes things more interesting than they need to be. The woman at the desk was completely unable to tell us which sites might be available. Then she gave us a hassle when we set up in a site designated for RVs because there were no tent sites left. But we got it all resolved.

Apparently, the mosquitoes hadn’t eaten in a while.

OK So We’re Tourists, Sue Us

Spotting a beautiful view of the waves and lighthouse, we pulled into the conveniently located turnout. An added (and entirely unexpected) bonus was a group of sea lions sunning themselves on a rock ledge some 300 feet below. Many pictures were taken.

Not coincidentally, just a few hundred yards down the road was the tourist trap Sea Lion Caves. Since we don’t get out this way all that often we figured what the hey. Eighteen bucks later we found ourselves in an elevator descending 200 feet into what is billed as either “the world’s largest sea cave” (from the lobby) or “one of the world’s largest sea caves” (from the display in the cave itself). (Side note: Immediately after forking over our $18, the guy behind us asked the cashier, “Are there many sea lions in the cave today?” Great question! Wish we’d thought of it. “Not really, they’re mostly outside this time of year.” Swell.) The cave itself is cool (in both senses of the word), dark, and a tad smelly. What was really neat was the ability to hear the sea lions. Photography in extreme low light conditions (no flash allowed) was a challenge but we did manage to get some decent video from our supercool camera.

Morning Stroll

We spent a very nice night at the Carl G. Washburne State Park. We don’t know who Carl G. Washburne was but he seems to have had a penchant for very hot showers and soft toilet tissue. Our kind of guy.

We took an early morning jaunt through a forest thickly carpeted with moss down to the beach. The beach the night before had a distinct Lawrence of Arabia feel to it as the wind positively whipped the sand across the ground. There was a louder than usual roar coming from the area of the ocean, the cause of which is of some disagreement between us (Amy maintains it’s the wind, Scott says it’s the waves). This morning, though, it was far less windy. The tide was about as far out as it gets, there were many beautiful breakers. The wind that was present, along with the cold, kept it from being a “wow, let’s sit a while and look at the beautiful water” type of beach – doubtless contributing to the vast expanse of empty – but it was nice nonetheless.

Bird Watcher Alert

Anyone have any idea what kind of bird this is? He visited our campsite both in the evening and morning. Hard to get a decent picture, though.

Route 101S

Billed as the Pacific Coast Scenic Byway and an All America Road, we had high hopes. We had planned numerous stops along the way at exciting sounding places like Cape Foulweather and Devil’s Punchbowl. Our planned stops have mostly been disappointing (Cape Foulweather was essentially a gift shop on an overlook) with little to no waves. Yet, enticingly, we keep getting momentary glimpses of enticing salt spray through the brief breaks in the tree line. Rarely has there been a place to stop for these, though.