It’s always quite exciting when you get to cross something off your bucket list. I had seen images of Crater Lake for decades. Its almost painfully turquoise blue waters, purely fed by nothing but rain and snowmelt, formed from a collapsed volcanic crater, was a sight that I’ve always longed to see.
And here we were. Gazing down at it from the national park’s visitor center. The water was more slate grey than turquoise, because of the cloud cover, but it didn’t take away from its majesty. Photos don’t do it justice.
When the volcano erupted 7,700 years ago and it went from a tall mountain to a deep crater in less than 48 hours, it must have been a sight to behold. Now the lake is approximately 1932 feet deep, but it varies with evaporation and seepage. Still, it’s the deepest lake in the United States. That’s pretty impressive.
Sadly, the rim road around the lake was still closed. I couldn’t believe the amount of snow that was still up there, given that it was 72 degrees at lower elevations. At the top, the snow rose well above the cars in the parking lot. Children were sliding down the side of the visitor center roof, because one could easily walk more than halfway up the side of the building.
I just love visiting our national parks. They need to be preserved, supported, and experienced by all. I cannot believe that that concept is even controversial, but then everything is in this current political climate. Visit while you can, folks. It’s worth it!
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