Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

On Saturday morning, we headed out from La Pine State Park to my most awaited part of the trip. Crater Lake National Park … As we headed towards the lake, the panoramic view took my breath away ... My first glimpse of the lake was the North Rim in all it’s splendor.
It was a bright sunny day, but there was a cold breeze blowing – one that made you glad you had a jacket on.
Crater Lake was formed 7700 years ago, by a volcanic eruption that left a huge crater after the explosion. This is a land locked lake, there are no rivers that run into it. As a result, this is one of the cleanest natural water sources on earth. The only water that feeds this lake is from the rain & the snow that falls into it. Truly, the water is a hue of blue that could match the sky on a summer evening. I tried my best to get pictures of it, but none of these pictures can do justice to the actual view of the lake.

In this lake is a tiny island, called Wizard’s Island – the result of another minor volcanic eruption that created a mini hill in this lake. During the summer months, they also have ferry boats that take visitors to the island for a day trip. Unfortunately, we were 2 weeks too late for the ferry. However the view from the rim was awesome!

Various volcanic rocks in all their interesting shapes were by the lake. Here is one that looked like Smoky the bear, while another looked like a native Indian tribal chief completed with headgear!

We drove around the entire rim of the lake, and each section looked as awe inspiring as the previous one. Check and see if you have a favorite view!
Soon, it was time to move on to the next part of our trail – the western coast of Oregon. It was night by the time we reached the Umpqua Lighthouse campground. However, with a renewed burst of energy, we set up camp (including the tent) in a record time of 20 minutes, and were all set to go view the lighthouse!

It was the first time I was seeing a lighthouse at such close quarters. It reminded me of all the mystery stories about smugglers and fishermen that I’d read as a child … The flashing lights did look rather mysterious and sinister.
My photographs of this lighthouse are pretty bad, and I only have my lack of skills to blame. Need to spend sometime improving those before my next trip!