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Published: October 1st 2017
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blog 09-29-17 Crater Lake Tour
It was really cold this morning 37 degrees and the electric heater had to work overtime to keep it 65 inside. The dogs ran out and in very quickly and we bundled up to take them for walks after breakfast.
Ginnie and I had to leave by 10 am to get to the Trolly stop by 11:30 so we layered our clothes, carried jackets and hats and headed out. We were 2 miles down the road when Ginnie spotted a bear in the road ahead. It was a small black bear and when he saw us he crawled under the guard rail and was gone in a flash. Ginnie got his picture, I was driving and had the wrong exposure for the first shot, the second all you can see are his feet and legs on the other side of the guard rail. Oh well, it was a thrill to see him.
The drive to the Rim Lodge was long going almost all the way around the crater for the 3rd time but it sure is beautiful. We arrived right on time and had a 1/2 hr til the tour left so I
went into the lodge and go us hot drinks then walked back to the trolley. The altitude was 7322 ft so walking fast was not an option.
We had a driver who does 2 trips a day so we felt in capable hands. There was a Ranger on board the trolly that explained so much about the park our brains were on overload. She was very good and knew so many scientific facts, she just really impressed us.
When the crater erupted 7,700 yrs ago it left a plume of ash 30 miles high that drifted around the world. So profound was the ash that scientists use the ash found in places around the world to date the surrounding area or artifacts. When the mountain blew it colapsed into itself forming a huge culdara, which collected rain water and snow melt over the centuries forming the lake. It is the purest water found as there are no streams bringing sediment into the lake. Evaporation and seepage keep the water level fairly constant. The park gets an adverage snowfall of 48 ft. After the lake formed there was another eruption which formed Wizard Island, the cone shaped island in
the lake.
The lake is 6.02 miles across and 1,943 ft deep, the deepest lake in the United States. This fact helped it to become a national park. The water color is a cobalt blue because the color spectrum only allows blue and purple light to penetrate to those depths.
The tour ended at 2 and we went into the lodge for something to eat and a look at the gift shop. We had gotten our books stamped before the tour so we were good to go there. Ginnie got a bookmarker (she has been collecting them all along) and I would get a sticker but the ranger gave me one for answering a question. I am an official Junior Park Ranger!
We headed home a different way to avoid driving the rim road a 4th time and about 5 miles down the road were not sure it was the right way. We returned to the south entrance gate and were told yes indeed that was the way. It was a shorter ride and much less nerve racking and when we hit the campsite the boys were happy to see us. They got a chance to go
outside before it started to rain, it held off for us all day. Hooray.
I made elbow macaroni and hamburger for dinner, which was a hit, then walked the dogs as it stopped raining, then settled in for the night.
Tomorrow we head for the Redwood Nat'l Park in CA and I'm hoping they have better cell coverage than we have had here.
Ginnie's favorite part of these roads is the fact that there is NO grace period after the white line on the edge of the road. You get a white line and a drop-off.
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