Seattle and beyond. Day 10

We only popped out for the day. Three hundred miles later we returned. There is very little within a short distance in the USA. Our journey was to Crater Lake in the southern-central part of Oregon. Someone we met when in Romania suggested we visit the lake when in the States, and it did not disappoint.

The first view of the lake in all its glory is breathtaking. So are some of its walking trails, at least in the physical sense with its steep inclines. However, today was scheduled for admiring the lake rather than incorporating a workout.

The lake is situated in a volcanic depression, called a caldera. The depression formed 7,700 years ago when a 12,000 ft volcano, Mount Manama, erupted.

The oral traditions of local tribes parallel known geological details today, indicating that tribal ancestors witnessed the eruption. The area became a ritual site for the tribes and this remains today.

In the late 1800s European gold prospectors came across the lake and several names were given to it, until 1869 when a group of explorers called it Crater Lake. A later visitor in 1885, William Gladstone Steel, recognised its importance and campaigned to protect it. In 1902 his efforts paid off with the creation of the Crater Lake National Park. Entrance today to this extremely large site is $25, which covers visits for a week.

Streams do not run into the lake. It has been filled by centuries of rain and snow. (Forty-four feet of snow falls in the area each year.) Rain and snow, balanced with evaporation and seepage, maintains a constant level of water. The water is said to be so pure that clarity has been recorded 140 feet down from the surface. The lake is almost 2,000 feet deep and the maximum width is 6 miles. The drive around is 33 miles with plenty of stopping points.

Visitors can take a 2 hour boat ride around the lake’s only island, Wizard Island, accessed by a trail the equivalent of 65 flights of stairs down… and up! The boat trip is very popular and was sold out by the time we arrived there.

What is striking is the beautiful blue colouring, and the weather today could not have been better – clear, about 70F, with a gentle breeze. Life exists in the lake. A submersible found thick mats of bacteria thriving in the absence of light, and thick bands of moss stretching around the edges to a depth of 400 feet. The lake has also been stocked with rainbow trout and Kokanee salmon.

So why was our trip out so long today? Crater Lake was a considerable distance from our hotel but I thought it would be a good idea to take in the Klamath Lake. A mere 60 mile detour, but it too was worth it.