Mile- 5,386- In search of the sun

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Hi everyone,

Today was a day of unexpected surprises. Our plan was to head out of Bend, Oregon after spending a cold and rainy night outside and head to Crater Lake National Park. Our drive to Crater Lake was gorgeous, through Deschutes National Forest. Oregon reminds me of New England so much. There are so many trees and the mountains and rolling hills are so beautiful. It was chilly today around 55 and raining for our entire drive down to Crater Lake. The North Entrance was closed due to snow (it should have been our first clue) so we headed further south to enter the park.

Well when we entered the park a friendly, knowledgeable park ranger informed us that the Rim Drive was not entirely open due to seasonal conditions. Being curious, I inquired about the seasonal conditions that she was referring to. Apparently there was 8 to 10 feet of snow still on the ground and on the road. That’s right I said feet. The average annual snowfall at Crater Lake is about 551 inches of snow (for us mathematically challenged people, that’s 45 feet of snow). The Rim Drive doesn’t open completely until the end of June. Since the drive around the caldera is a steep, narrow, windy road that is perched upon cliffs. For the snow plows to remove all the snow it takes months, they average about ¼ of a mile daily. Apparently we had in fact traveled back in time to January.

The road was open enough to get a couple of scenic vistas in. I was very disappointed at when we first arrived because it was so foggy you could barely see the lake and since I have been to Crater Lake before I knew how beautiful it was under all the clouds. We were patient and it started to clear enough to be able to enjoy the views. It was incredible to see all the snow and see firsthand just how long winter remains at Crater Lake. The water at the lake is deep crystal blue and seems to be fake since it looks to perfect. The deepest point of the lake is almost 2000 feet, making it one of the deepest lakes in the country, if not the world. Crater Lake was formed when an ancient volcano erupted and imploded creating a giant caldera where the lake now lays. There is an island in the middle of the lake called Wizard Island. We had tremendous views of the island, which of course was covered in snow.

I feel in love with Crater Lake the first time I visited and was not disappointed this time around either. It was so unexpected to see the lake in its full winter glory, since it is spring time, but it was beautiful nonetheless. Once the fog began to lift we were able to get some amazing views. It continued to snow for most of the time we were there and was only about 30 degrees (So all you guys back in Mass that were getting jealous of our warm weather can now relax since we are back to camping in the cold weather 😞

The rest of our day was spent driving a little south (in search of the sun) to Grants Pass to camp for the night. The drive down was amazing. We drove through national forests, quaint towns, rural areas, and lots of public lands. Public lands are a foreign concept to me but they are very prevalent throughout the west. There are these vast plots of land that are reserved for public use without charge or penalty (if only they had showers and bathrooms that I could plug my hair dryer into, we would be in business, but alas they do not). We were in the Rogue River National Forest today and it was typical Oregon, just like I remembered lots of green everywhere. Green trees, green mountains, green moss, and white water rapids. It was really peaceful. Tomorrow we are off to the coast of Oregon, probably around Coos Bay. I am so excited we will be on the Pacific Coast; hopefully we will get some beach weather in so I can keep up on my tan but I am not that hopeful as it is raining now! I will update again later when I can.

Hope all is well and don’t forget to leave comments!!

Love
Laura

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Photos

Crater Lake covered in fog
The fog begginning to lift

Crater Lake
The water even in the snow is crystal blue

Comments

[Sasha]

Auntie Laura
Yes, I would walk 50 steps and I would walk 50 more just to be the niece that you take on your next trip because I love you more. I got very excited today when I saw your pictures on the computer. Mama is typing this for me, so that ho' bag better be typing everything that I am saying. When are you coming home? Love, Sasha Mouse

[Mom]

Brr. It looks so cold!!! Hope you had a good night last night at your beach camp ground. I'll check the forecast for your area and let you know if you will be working on your tan. Love, Mom Call me tonite...