July 6-8 - Crater Lake

On our way out of Bend, we stopped off at Lava River Cave and hiked nearly two miles round-trip down a lava tube.  We rented lanterns (for warmth, as well as light) and traipsed down into the depths.  It was a great thing to do on a warm day, as it was about 40 degrees cooler in the tunnel than on the surface!  Amazing geography!  We neglected to bring our camera on the hike, so we only got a picture at the entrance when we were finished.

We landed in Crater Lake later in the day.  This was a first visit for all of us, and we were definitely impressed.  I have never seen bluer or clearer water.  Crater Lake holds the world record for the clearest lake.  There is a simple test they do by putting a black and white disc into the water and seeing how far down it remains visible.  A typical day at the lake, one can see down to ~100 feet.  Some days, one can see nearly 150 feet.  Furthermore, apparently the water is perfectly safe to drink.  I was too chicken to try this, however, because it has been ingrained in me from a young age that drinking water from lakes and streams is not safe.  (I had giardia when I was three.  It really stands out in my memory as an unpleasant experience.)

Crater Lake from the rim of the caldera.

Pumice Castle (in red).

The Pinnacles.
Apparently, these were formed when hot volcanic gases vented up through fumaroles and hardened
the surrounding earth.  The less durable stuff eroded away leaving these spires.

The kids climb on something every time they get out of the car.

A view of Wizard Island (a cinder cone) from the rim.

Today, we hiked down to the lake and caught a boat that took us out to Wizard Island for a three-hour tour.  (We fared better than Gilligan and company, though.)  We hiked up to the top of the island and viewed the crater of the cinder cone.  All in all, we hiked about four miles total with 1500 vertical feet in elevation each way.  The kids did really well.  Andrew hiked all of it, and Natalie made it to about 200 feet from the top of the cinder cone.  The trail back up to the truck was beautiful, hot, very dusty, and very mosquito ridden. The kids fell asleep in the truck almost immediately.

On the boat.

On Wizard Island.  I loved all the wildflowers.

Andrew made it to the top!

The view from the top of the island onto a lava flow.

 

Some sights on the boat.

The "Phantom Ship."

More sights from the boat.

We left Crater Lake later than intended.  We had camping reservations for Juanita Lake in northern California, but instead, we opted for a hotel in Klamath Falls, Oregon.  We were getting tired, very much in need of showers, hungry and hot.  (Heat is definitely going to be an issue for us on this trip!)  We ordered a pizza, the kids took a swim, and we are cool and comfortable.  Tomorrow, we drive to Lassen Volcanic National Park for a couple more nights of camping.