Crater Lake National Park

October 19^th – We made it back to Green Valley about 10:30 – GREAT to be back. We started to get those desert smells yesterday but in the cool air this morning it was great!

 

October 18^th – After a short walk through the desert in Boron, CA we hit the road and it was long but one of the best travel days of the trip. Good weather and very little wind and one of the best MPG days. We ended in Gila Bend, AZ and it was 92 degrees when we got here around 4:30. Should be an easy day to Green Valley from here tomorrow.

 

October 17^th – Traveled from Lee Vining, CA to Boron, CA. Stopped at the Boron Museum to see the history of the mineral boron and the twenty mule teams.

 

October 16^th – We stayed another day to do some hiking and exploring. Saw an interesting movie on Yosemite at the Visitors center and drove the June Lake loop to see some spectacular fall colors and hiked up the Fern Lake trail starting at 7800 feet and went up far enough to get a real good view from above.

 

October 15^th – It was still windy but not as bad and the Yosemite side of the mountains was forecast to be better so we took a short hike and headed to the Park. It is a huge park at 1200 square miles so we knew it would be a lot of driving. 180 miles and many, many stops at lookout points with hundreds of pictures gave us a feel for why everyone talks about how nice it is.

El Capitan



Half Dome

Early 1900's Hotel

Earlier Burn area

 

October 14^th – We got an earlier start and the bugs destroyed my clean windshield within the first hour. We traveled through Reno, NV. to Lee Vining, CA and it was windy in some of the mountain passes and worse in a couple valleys but we got here around 2 o’clock and by 4 they shut down high profile vehicle traffic. And the wind was really howling yet at 10. Weather Alert says mountain ridges in wind prone areas could reach 100 MPH.

 

 

 

Volcanic Art as lake lowers

 

 

 

October 13^th – We left Fort Klamath and headed south into California and stopped in a little town on a cutoff road by 3. We got a little cleaning and laundry done. There was another Springer here that looked like Lexi’s mom and came from the same area.

 

October 12^th – We went to a small town church and watched the weather turn beautiful and warm after hitting the freezing mark over night. So we packed some snacks and headed back to Crater Lake. What a good decision – clear sunny skies and a magnificent blue lake. We went the opposite direction around from yesterday and stopped at a couple overlooks just to get the full impact of how different 24 hours can be.. A few photos of hundreds ...

Yesterday

Today

 

Same spot comparison

 

 

 

 

 

 

October 11^th – It was a great morning and we were anxious to get to Crater Lake NP. We headed out so we could make it by the 10 o’clock park opening but by the time we got to the gate it was cloudy and misting. We talked to the Ranger at the visitor’s center and started around the east side hoping for some clearing later. Our first hike took us to one of the lowest overlooks on the lake and we saw some of the lake with a rainbow over a small island that looks like a ship. Almost a repeat at the next overlook and we thought the clouds were breaking up. The next site was seven miles down a road to the Pinnacles – very unique spires from volcanic steam on the way out we stopped at one of the campgrounds for lunch before continuing on around the lake. We were delayed by road construction and the weather kept deteriorating with high winds and clouds with mist and no lake in sight. We continued on checking some of the overlooks but no change – at one of the highest (over 8000 feet) I could barely push the door open so we headed home to try again tomorrow.

There is a lake somewhere...

 

October 10^th – We got an early start after picking everything up in a light mist the sky showed signs of clearing. By the time we were through Eugene, OR it was a fantastic fall day and getting away from the coast the pines were giving way to lots of fall color. The contrast of yellow Aspens, red maples with a few greens was picturesque. We also stopped to see the highest water fall in Oregon (286 feet) and we hiked down to the base for better pictures and a good break. We got to the State Park friends recommended and found the campground closed for the season even though it was suppose to be open to the end of the month. Plan B – called the NP campground – opps, also closed early. We got out the books and found one in Fort Klamath with openings. We were set up in time to sit in the lawn chairs on a beautiful afternoon. The pine needles seemed to rain down on us for a little while every afternoon and no other time – not sure what that was about.