Crater Lake

We spent one day at Crater Lake National Park.

I was looking forward to seeing Crater Lake. I knew it was deep, and clear and blue. I had seen photos. None of them did the lake justice. The lake glows the deepest sapphire blue, as if it is lit from within. I am puzzled about how the water can be so clear- clear enough that from the crater rim, approximately 175 stories above the surface of the water, you can see the lake bottom near shore- and yet so blue. It really was magnificent. It's one of those things you have to experience to understand. It reminds me of our trip to the Redwoods a few years ago. We knew we were going to see really tall trees, but we didn't understand how big the trees were until we actually stood beneath them. Trees as big as skyscrapers.

We hiked the Cleetwood Cove trail down to the shore, and we took a dip. The water was as cold as it was clear, but it felt good on that 95 degree day. Our wet shorts kept us cool on the way back up. We drove to Rim Village, where we browsed in the crowded gift shop and checked out some interpretive signs and interactive displays at Sinnott Memorial, before our stomachs told us it was time to head back to La Pine.