Picture 1 - Videa Falls which comes out of the east rim of Crater Lake. Picture 2 - Entrance to Crater Lake. Picture 3 - Wizard Island in Crater Lake (this is one of the newest formations in the Lake - 1000 to 2000 years old). Picture 4 - Phanton Ship. This is the remains of the oldest of the area volcanos that had formed the area (400,000 years old). Picture 5 - Picture of the lake. Picture 6 - That's me with Wizard Island in the background.
This morning in Medford, the temperature was in the mid to upper 70s and it was expected to go up to 100. I was headed up to Crater Lake which is at least 6000 feet higher in elevation than Medford. As I began to rise up in elevation the scenery around me began to improve exponentially. For miles I was paralleling the Rogue River as I headed toward Crater Lake. This is a very beautiful and rugged river. I stopped at one point to view the Rogue River Gorge. This is a 500 foot long stretch of the river that was created by the collapse of lava tubes under the earth. I was impressed with its beauty but I was looking forward to the beauty that was still ahead – Crater Lake.
The woods that lined both sides of the road were just beautiful, but as I went up in elevation the vistas of the surrounding hills and valleys in all directions were as beautiful as anything I have seen on this trip. Eventually, I arrived at Crater Lake. A quick stop at the information center to get some information and view a quick movie about the lake was very helpful in giving me some background information about the lake and then on to the lake. The video describe how blue the lake was and it did not exaggerate. The blue is like no other lake I have ever seen. Some facts about Crater Lake: the lake elevation is 6,173 feet, the rim elevation ranges between 7,000 to just over 8,000 feet. The lake depth is 1,935 feet. It is the deepest lake in North America.
The weather at the lake could not have been more perfect today. I would guess that it was in the low 80s and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky in any direction. This made the riding just delightful and the picture taking perfect. When I headed back to Medford I could feel the temperature rising as I descended down the mountain. About 30 miles from Medford I could see a large cloud moving in my direction. At one point it started to rain, but not enough to warrant putting on my rain suit. Actually the few rain drops that did come felt kind of good in the 100 degree heat.
Tomorrow, Betty and I are going to Grants Pass to get a ride on the Hellcat Jet Boats that provide tours on the Rogue River. This is a 3 hour tour. Midway on the adventure we will be treated to a BBQ chicken lunch at the OK Corral dock overlooking the beautiful Rogue River.
The woods that lined both sides of the road were just beautiful, but as I went up in elevation the vistas of the surrounding hills and valleys in all directions were as beautiful as anything I have seen on this trip. Eventually, I arrived at Crater Lake. A quick stop at the information center to get some information and view a quick movie about the lake was very helpful in giving me some background information about the lake and then on to the lake. The video describe how blue the lake was and it did not exaggerate. The blue is like no other lake I have ever seen. Some facts about Crater Lake: the lake elevation is 6,173 feet, the rim elevation ranges between 7,000 to just over 8,000 feet. The lake depth is 1,935 feet. It is the deepest lake in North America.
The weather at the lake could not have been more perfect today. I would guess that it was in the low 80s and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky in any direction. This made the riding just delightful and the picture taking perfect. When I headed back to Medford I could feel the temperature rising as I descended down the mountain. About 30 miles from Medford I could see a large cloud moving in my direction. At one point it started to rain, but not enough to warrant putting on my rain suit. Actually the few rain drops that did come felt kind of good in the 100 degree heat.
Tomorrow, Betty and I are going to Grants Pass to get a ride on the Hellcat Jet Boats that provide tours on the Rogue River. This is a 3 hour tour. Midway on the adventure we will be treated to a BBQ chicken lunch at the OK Corral dock overlooking the beautiful Rogue River.
