Crater Lake (or) (I can't believe it's really that color)



After our little detour up to Cannon Beach, we headed inland again to Crater Lake NP. Crater Lake is one of those spots that I learned about in school. Middle school, highschool? Probably high school. I had an earth science class that was, ok, a little dull, but was also totally fascinating. I learned a lot in that class of just practical science about the earth. 🌎 And I'm guessing that is when I first learned about Crater Lake. I was totally fascinated by it. The idea of a lake forming in an inert volcano! And that it was this gorgeous deep blue color. And it had a little cinder cone island!  And the water was sooooo deep, the deepest in the U.S. and sooooo clear.  That memory, from my teenage years, stayed with me. 

We did manage a quick visit in our cross country trips with the boys, but there were fires nearby so it was pretty smoky and hazy. We still had a good time, of course. Twenty years ago, we took a cruise of the lake, got off at Wizard Island (the cinder cone island), hiked to the top, clambered back down, went swimming in the lake and hiked back up to the rim in our day there. But we didn't have those stunning crystal clear views of the lake and surrounding mountains.

We are currently traveling at a much different pace than we did twenty years ago. 

Not only did we have time to leisurely stroll along the rim, we also set up the star link in some very scenic spots along the rim and spent a couple afternoons catching up on emails and downloading pics. We also had time to do a couple of hikes that were not entirely focused on the rim and the lake. So that was fun and we had dinner at the lodge with two college friends of Martin's that he hadn't seen in over 40 years! 

Crater Lake lived up to all my expectations, and although it is hard to capture its immensity and colors on camera. I did my best. Enjoy!

The next few pics are of Crater Lake with the cinder cone Wizard Island.

We were there late July - early August and as you can see, there is still snow!

This island is called the Phantom Ship. I know it looks small, but it is actually 170' tall, 500' long and 200' wide.

Phantom Ship from a distance.

We did a couple of nice hikes that showed us some of the other great features of Crater Lake NP besides the lake.

Vidae Falls

This guy was hanging out on a rock soaking up the sun. I never did determine exactly what it was. I think it is a ground squirrel, though maybe a badger ???? Pretty cute whatever it is.

Another waterfall, Plaikni Falls.

This turned out to be a great hike. New growth, butterflies, flowers and hummingbirds.

Monkey Flower and Paintbrush 

Paintbrush and columbine

Columbine

If you look closely you can see that a hummingbird is sampling the nectar from this columbine. There were two hummingbirds frequenting this patch of flowers. They zipped around, darting from flower to flower, zooming off and then back a few minutes later. They were "challenging" to catch by camera.

Butterflies

Milbert's Tortoiseshell 

Zerene Fritillary 

There were clouds of these little blue butterflies

Boisduval's Blue 

Northern Checkerspot 

Milbert's Tortoiseshell 

More pics of Plaikni Falls 


I loved this one section behind the falls that was covered with moss. While much of the park was dry volcanic rock and pumice, there were sections around the rivers that were riotously green and brimming with life.

Wildflowers from Castle Crest Wildflower Garden Trail 

We saw this wild looking creature in the lower right. Super interesting. It was big, the size of a small hummingbird and had "hummingbird type" movement, ie its wings moved very fast and it could hover hence, it turns out the common name is "hummingbird moth". The "real" name is sphinx moth. It is just gorgeous.

A friendly frog

A juvenile hummingbird 

All dressed up for dinner at the lodge

Clark's Nutcracker 


More pics of the lake and surrounds  because … well, just because.

A close-up looking down on the shoreline of Wizard Island. Notice the different colors of the water. One of the things Crater Lake is known for is the color of the water. I know it looks like I've totally made these colors up with some sort of post editing process, but it really is that blue. Call it azure, cobalt, sapphire or just plain blue, it is breathtaking.  

There is science behind it, of course. It has to do with the depth and clarity of the water (Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States and is in the top ten in the world) and the way light is refracted when it hits water (split, think rainbows). 

As a result of this magic (ahem) I mean, science, you get these incredible unbelievable colors at the shallower depthsand deeper depths.

To say nothing of the stunning colors of rock on the rim.

And quiet peaceful sunsets.


Next stop: Lava Beds National Monument, CA (What? You've never heard of Lava Beds National Monument??? 😱.    

Don't worry, neither had I 😂 but trust me, you'll love it 🙄

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