When we entered the park, we were held up for 30 minutes because there is road construction on the west rim of the lake. We waited patiently, looking out over the desert landscape. We were first in line to follow the escort truck through the construction zone.
When it was time for our line of cars to move, the guy driving the pilot truck had to get a push from the guy holding the Stop sign. I remember pushing George's El Camino down 5th Street while he popped the clutch to start it. We watched these two guys do that dance on the side of a dusty hill in the national park. The truck started and chugged back up the hill to lead us.
George drove and I squealed as we moved past huge machinery on a winding road. Of course, we were in the outside lane. There was dust and crunching of dirt roads. I leaned as far to the left as possible, trying to keep us on the mountain. Finally, we reached pavement and were free.
We got our first look at Crater Lake.
So beautiful! Such colors!
Crater Lake was formed 7700 years ago when Mount Mazama, a volcano, erupted. Wizard Island is the cinder cone inside the lake. Even though the area gets 44 feet of snow year, the lake levels are stable due to evaporation and seepage. It's hard to picture 44 feet of snow. We won't see it since the park closes in October.
We walked along the rim trail and checked out the visitors center and store. We're coming back tomorrow for more hiking, a movie, and ranger talks.
Tiny pinecones from giant trees.
We drove for an hour through the national forest to reach our hotel
in Shady Cove, a small town near the park. The quiet was impressive:
no radio, no wifi, no phones. Just trees.
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