Crater Lake National Park
Yes, the water really is that color!
I read in an old travel guide that Kodak used to send their apologies along with customers' photographs of Crater Lake, because they thought that they had goofed in the processing, so unbelievable were the colors of the water.
There is only one place where you can access the water. The hike down is pleasant but getting back up is quite the workout! They say that the hike back up is equal to climbing the stairs to the top of a 65 story building. I'm happy to report that we made it!
There was still SNOW! But we had a perfectly clear seventy degree day!
Doesn't this little guy look like he is posing for the tourists? One of our fellow hikers asked, "Is this Simon, Theodore, or Alvin?" I just learned that he is actually a golden mantled ground squirrel!
Crater Lake should actually be called "Caldera Lake" as a caldera is what happens when the center of a volcano caves in upon itself. The gigantic eruption of Mount Mazama occurred around 7000 years ago and was 100 times stronger than the 1980 eruption of Mount Saint Helens. Mt. Saint Helens sent ash as far as Idaho but Mount Mazama sent ash as far as Nebraska! That's quite impressive! I'm pretty sure that an explosion like that now would wipe out million of people. It did make a beautiful lake which is the deepest in America and the cleanest and clearest in the world. The Rangers will drink from the lake to prove how pristine it is. All the water has come from snow melt and rain. No rivers run in and no rivers run out. Years ago, before people were concerned about such things, steelhead, trout, and salmon were introduced into the lake. Now environmentalist want them out, so you can fish the lake with no license and no limit! The Ranger thought that they were fighting a loosing battle with the fish.
The island in the middle of the lake is actually a cinder cone that formed sometime after the eruption. It is called Wizard Island. Next time we come we want to take the boat ride out and hike to the top.
These 100 foot tall spires form a surreal landscape. The spires are 'fossil fumaroles' each marking a spot where volcanic gas rose up through hot ash deposits, cementing the ash into rock. Most are hollow inside.
I think it looks like the set for a futuristic movie!
On a completely different note...on the way home we saw the Medford, Oregon temple!
Sigh! It was a super birthday celebration and now I guess it is back to real life!
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ReplyDeleteSo glad you had a wonderful birthday! BTW, you look great!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday! Looks like a very fun week! We're hoping to do a Crater Lake visit on one of our next trips to Oregon too. My mother-in-law said there's a crazy place near there called the Vortex that's fun to visit too.
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