On the road by 9:30am, which was a miracle in itself. We drove along Highway 138, a beautiful road through miles and miles of forest. It's called the Crater Lake Highway as it eventually leads you right there.
Not long after leaving Roseburg, we stopped at a viewpoint for Colliding Rivers. During the spring, the Little River collides with the North Umpqua and at that point, they make a spectacular display of...well...colliding rivers. The rivers are very placid in late September so there wasn't much action, though that didn't detract from the beauty.
The colliding part comes from the left where the Little meets the Umpqua, then they both swirl around and merge, exiting to the right. I will have to come back here in the spring to see it. The water was so very clear and blue.
After a little over an hour from Roseburg, we came to a waterfall just off the road that didn't require a hike. It was early in the day, so the light was muted and soft. No one was there and all you could hear was the rushing of the water and a few birds in the trees.
Whitehorse Falls
We were standing on a viewing platform several feet above the water; very cool to be hanging over the froth. The woodland around the falls was very dense and quiet, and smelled wonderful of fresh pine, clean water and damp moss.
Oz and I walked up the forest road a ways, then took a small trail to the water's edge above the falls. Isn't this just a great shot of the wilderness..??
Clearwater Falls
Our next stop was about 15 minutes further down the road. We were able to walk right to the bottom of the falls. We were even deeper in the forest so the light was very dim; the sun had a hard time getting through the canopy.
Walking downstream, I took this amazing shot of the water below the falls. It was so crystal-clear, every stone and pebble was visible under the surface. Again, no one around for miles, and such a peaceful, serene place. (You might have to click on the photo to see this as more than a jumble of trees.)
We got to Diamond Lake just at lunch time. I have many memories of this place, so it was wonderful to find it completely unchanged since my childhood.
We drove to the South Shore and found a picnic spot where we had lunch. I came prepared, so we had a great lunch right at the water's edge. Ozzy spent more time staring up a tree where a very irate chipmunk kept up a running commentary on his opinion of our presence in his territory.
I spent some time here thinking about my Dad. I have so many memories of him here when I was a kid, loading his three girls into the boat and teaching us to fish. We were his surrogate boys until the Golden Child my little brother came along when I was ten. Most of the time I loved being out on the water, though none of us ever learned to put that wriggling worm on a hook. Yuck factor to this day. I felt closer to him, sitting at Diamond Lake yesterday, than I have since he passed away. It was really good.
After lunch we walked Oz along the lake. Our trail opened within the trees and as I looked up, I couldn't believe that Mt Thielsen was framed so perfectly. It is affectionately known as the Lightning Rod of the Cascades. Understandable, as it spears into the sky.
And then. The purpose of the whole adventure.
I want to say, first and foremost: I didn't alter these photos at all. In fact, the reality was even more amazing than my pictures show. I don't know if it was the atmosphere (we were nearly at 8,000 ft), the perfect mid-70s weather, the clear skies, or the time of year, but I have never seen Crater Lake look more beautiful in all the times I have been there over the course of my life. Stunning, spectacular, brilliant, amazing...none of those words even come close. There should be a new word to describe such a sight. It makes total sense why this is one of America's Wonders. The surface of the lake was so still, it created a perfect mirror effect.
I wish I could line these three photos up in the panorama I saw. Unfortunately, my blog format won't accommodate three pictures side by side. I'll try to get them as close as I can, but to get the full impact of the mirror thing, click on the photos.
Nature, at its most profoundly beautiful:
We drove the 21 miles from the North Gate entrance to Crater Lake National Park, to the South Gate, then back again, taking pictures in both directions. The sunlight changed the colors of the water and the sky depending on which way I was facing. What a day to be there.
We stopped at the Rim Village and while sitting on the stone wall, this cheeky little chipmunk wandered over. Course, as soon as I tried to take his picture, he turned away.
After a bit of coaxing, he gave me a look, then jumped over the wall and raced down the crater..!! Must be nice to be fearless.
This is the view we were looking at while sitting on the stone wall, chatting up the chipmunk.
These next photos are of Wizard's Island, the actual top of the volcano that formed Crater Lake when Mt Mazama blew up. The color of the water around the island is astounding.
Closer views, with me hanging over the abyss to get the right angle. Can you believe that water..??
Now, as if these lake views weren't enough. This was the scenery behind me.
To my left. (Somewhere up there, though barely visible in this photo, is a little ranger's station at the top of the ridge. How much would I love that job..?? Just air-drop me books and food, and I would be a happy girl.)
To my right.
On our way home, we stopped again at Diamond Lake to check out this new viewpoint area that's just been built. It was very pretty, though I was shooting straight into the sun. Still, it was another, different view of the lake.
And one last stop on the return drive. Watson Falls. We were thinking it would be an easy hike, but when we got there, it was more rigorous than we had the time or energy to attempt. It has been added to the To Do list. Definitely click on the photo as you won't be able to see the waterfall way up that mountain in the distance.
What an amazing, breath-taking day. Even disregarding the lakes and falls, you can't imagine the magnitude of the forest. We drove for well over two hours and never left the trees. Nirvana for a tree-hugger like me.
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P.S. Ignore the gaps between some of the paragraphs and photos. I think the Blogger site is having a bad day. No doubt they wished they had spent such a wonderful day out yesterday.
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