Early
the next morning we packed up and drove to Crater
Lake. After entering the park, we crossed the Pumice
Desert where volcanic ash lies up to 200 feet deep, and
climbed the hill to the first lookout. The sight was astounding.
A ring of cliffs and mountains enclosed the most beautiful
blue water I've ever seen.
Facts
and Figures
Crater
Lake is the deepest lake in the USA and the 7th deepest
in the world
Maximum lake depth: 1932 feet
Maximum lake width: 6 miles
Precipitation, yearly average: 66 inches
Snowfall, yearly average: 44 feet
We
drove all the way around the Lake, stopping often to photograph
the beauty, and for a picnic lunch near Mount Scott. Later
we took a side trip to The Pinnacles, an area of hundreds
of bizarre stone "trees" formed by hot gas bubbling
up through lava-flow vents and cementing loose pumice
into spires. In the late afternoon, we said goodbye to
Crater Lake and headed south to Klamath
Falls where we stayed the night.
Monday morning saw us heading south into California and
it was here that we caught our first sight of the glorious
Mount
Shasta and later, Shasta
Lake. To make good time, we again travelled on
the I-5, not the most relaxing way to go, but in the late
afternoon we arrived at Oakdale,
just east of Modesto which was to be our base for the
next two days. And boy, was it hot! The roadside thermometer
in Sacramento registered 101°F.
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