Day 14 - Bandon!

The Crater Lake National Park entrance was only about an hour and a half from Topaz Lake NV so I got there early in the morning.  It was about 52 degrees in the park at 9:00 am.  I was back in tree country!

The first stop was the visitor center where they had a 20 minute video about the park.  It was busy but not like Yosemite.  The lake was formed when the top of the volcanic mountain collapsed in on itself forming the crater.  The volcano still has some puffing to do and created the cinder cone that is the island in the lake.  The only source of water for the lake is the rain and snow that fall inside the crater.  There are no incoming or outgoing rivers.  Its a balance of precipitation, evaporation and seepage.  They said they average 44 feet of snowfall each year so there is a lot of snow!

The view of the lake is quite spectacular and the high purity of the lake produces its blue color.

Elmer enjoyed the views as well...

It was at this stop that 3 women hikers, probably in their 20s, came along past the jeep.  Clearly they were camping since they had full backpacks with sleeping gear.  I asked if they were hiking around the lake and they answered, "No, we are hiking to Washington."  Wow...the Washington border is about 250 miles from Crater Lake.  I did not ask them where they started from.

There is still snow in the park, in fact some of the hiking trails were still closed although all the roads were open!

The drive from Crater Lake went through Roseburg OR and on to Bandon, familiar territory.  Home again, Home again!  Thanks for following along!