July 30, 2010 - Bend, OR - Omigod! Omigod! Omigod! I just kept saying it over and over, at my first views of Crater Lake. I was expecting a beautiful lake, but, there is no way to describe this. The deep blue of the water is unbelievable. This is the most beautiful lake I’ve ever seen. More beautiful than Lake Tahoe. Better than Bear Lake. For awhile I was alternating between crying and laughing as I drove around the rim and saw a different view at each stop.
I was expecting a beautiful lake, but what I was completely unprepared for - were the views from the rim. I drove the road around the rim of the crater (33 miles), and every direction you look away from the crater, the view is incredible. To the north you see Diamond Lake and Mt. Thiesen (and other "minor" snow-capped peaks); to the south you see Klamath Lake, Mt. McLoughlin, and Union Peak; etc.. It just was spectacular. (There so many snow-capped peaks here that only the really high ones "count".) A thunderstorm came in from the south as I was driving around the rim, and it was amazing to watch that come over the valley to us.
There are patches of snow here, especially on the northern side, but just patches. I see people stopping to throw snowballs or climb around in the snow.
My campground is in the "piney woods", as they would say in east Texas. There are lots of trees, so you feel like you have a private spot. Pretty quiet too. I smell wood smoke and pine. Smells great.
I got my best view yet of Mt. McLoughlin, mirrored in Klamath Lake, as I was leaving Klamath Falls this morning.
I haven't been able to blog lately because I haven't had any Internet access. There is often no Verizon signal in this part of the country, at least when I'm out in the boonies ("this is AT&T territory" I was told), which means neither my air card (Internet) nor my cell phone work reliably. Sometimes not at all.
No comments:
Post a Comment