In June, we spent an afternoon at Crater Lake, a national park with the distinction of being the deepest lake in the US. Crater Lake is a caldera, or a large volcanic crater. On our visit, snow was still sprinkled atop the slumbering volcano and the East Rim Drive was (sadly) still closed due to snow, but the view was immense, breathtaking. Even amid the slight early afternoon haze. How to describe the place? Imagine the most vivid deep blue hue you've ever seen, multiply that by 100, and you got Crater Lake. I've heard that this natural wonder is temperamental: one day foggy, the next hazy, the next clear. We were lucky to catch it on a good day so early on in the season. My camera could not capture the entire lake in one shot, but you get the picture.
What you don't see though are the tourists, which were numerous.
I'd like to say this was a fun trip, but the mosquitos and the hoards of people, plus the sheer number of not-so-careful Oregonian drivers, made our trip precarious, anxiety ridden. Southern Oregon is a different place, definitely small-town sleepy and a little edgy. Contrasting with this is the abundance of natural scenery--billowing areas of forest, meadow, and lake--and statuesque cows grazing on huge tracts of lush green farmland. Our brief trip was worth it for this and a glimpse of the caldera itself (see the webcam here).
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