Rinse, then repeat
Monday | 18 August 2008 | Crater Lake National Park:
Another day in Oregon's only National Park. I should mention that we are
strangers in our own land here. More than half of the people we have met over
the past two days are visiting from a foreign country. Most in rental cars, a
few in rental RVs (usually Europeans) and bus loads of Taiwanese and Indians.
How wonderful that so many people get to see our beautiful state! Spend money
while you are here, please!
Overnight we had rain! I suppose it was a good thing since there are forest
fires burning in every direction and it certainly kept the dust down... but with
all the lightning accompanying the rain storm, I hope even more fires weren't
started.
Our morning started with a healthy breakfast and a trip to the Crater Lake
National Park Post Office to ship Camping Journal orders, before heading over to
tour the Crater Lake Lodge. The lodge was built (beginning in) 1907 and was
recently restored.
Crater Lake Lodge
Lobby
Dining room
Crater Lake Lodge is built on the rim of the crater
Sorry, one more photo of the historic lodge
Here are a few interesting facts about Crater Lake: The lake
surface is at 6,173 feet elevation and is 6.1 miles by 4.7 miles across,
covering 20.42 square miles at the surface. The deepest point is 1,943 feet,
making Crater Lake the deepest lake in the United States and the 7th deepest
lake in the world. The lake holds 4.9 trillion (give or take a drop) gallons of
water. Isn't Crater Lake just magnificent?
Crater Lake
We hiked down to several observation points around the lodge and
took 4.9 trillion photos. At the shoreline, when the sun is shining, the lake is
a brilliant blue!
Crater Lake in the sunshine
Yes, this is a Clark's Nutcracker
A non-rule follower gave this begging Golden Mantle Ground Squirrel a pretzel.
I was angry at her, but happy the critter held still long enough for me to snap
this photo.
Our next stop was to Watchman Peak, 8013 feet. No, we didn't get
to drive to the peak, we hiked. The sky was beginning to grow dark, the wind was
beginning to blow and it was so smoky from the forest fires... but up we went!
Before & After: The red arrow shows the watch tower at the top of the peak,
and here is a view down to the parking area from the tower.
My driver/guide leads the way up the trail
Tada! The old broad made it! See Wizard Island below us in a smoke-filled Crater
Lake.
 It
was a good hike, and honestly, it only takes about twenty minutes to get up
there - but as you can imagine, it is straight uphill.
There were thousands of butterflies floating around too, so you had to watch
your step and keep your mouth closed! Magical though, to be walking "with the
butterflies". Still, too bad we were not rewarded with a clearer view after all
that work. We will just have to do it again, I guess. There is a watch tower at
the top of the peak, and it was staffed with a ranger.
Though I snapped a few photos of the smoke rising from the forests below, none
turned-out well.
< But, here is the general idea.
We were pooped and dusty after our hike, so decided to head back
to the campground before the clouds opened. Eagle-Eye DT spotted a marmot on the
side of the road on our way back.
Marmot
We had lunch and a rest waiting for the sky to decide what she was going to do.
The weather could not make up her mind, so we decided to hike the Annie Creek
loop. Just behind our campsite is a 250-foot ravine, carved by a babbling
spring-fed creek. The spring also provides all the drinking water for Crater
Lake National Park! Of course, this hike goes down to the bottom of the ravine,
follows the creek for a mile or so and then heads back up. (Ouch.) Here are
(sorry, so many) photos of our afternoon hike:
The first few of the pretty creek from the campground trailhead
Annie Creek stays a constant 35 degrees year-round
Who's this munching along Annie Creek?
Lush grasses and thousands of wildflowers
Several bridges to cross on the hike
A Dipper: this bird swims to the bottom of a creek/river and searches for bugs,
etc.
The pretty trail along the creek
A carpet of wildflowers
Wildflowers along the path
Evidence of the erosion of the ravine
Here (center of photo) is the same bridge from above
Near the top of the trail - another photo of a ground squirrel
The Mazama Campground amphitheater
After we arrived back to our campsite, the weather finally decided to get nasty.
We are enjoying a cozy evening watching the Olympics (NBC crappy delayed
coverage) and keeping dry with thunder and lightning outside.
Until my next update, I remain your "I'm taking a few Advil and going to bed"
correspondent.
Campsite: Mazama A-3 - Pull-through, no hook-ups. Fire pit, picnic
table. Dump station, showers, flush toilets, stores, restaurant.
|