7,700 years ago, a volcano, now called Mount Mazama, erupted with a force 150 times that of Mount St. Helens. The ash released was enough to cover the entire state of Oregon with a layer six inches deep. After the eruption, the cone of Mount Mazama collapsed, leaving a 4000 foot deep crater, or "caldera". Fed by rain and melting snow, the caldera filled with water, creating what is now known as Crater Lake...the deepest (1,932 feet) lake in the United States.
With that bit of history in mind, we set off early in the morning to drive the rim of Crater Lake. The National Park Service, apparently mindful that some visitors might have a fear of heights, posted a reassuring sign (see photo) at the beginning of the rim drive. Unlike other "mountain roads" which may have a step drop off on one side, the rim drive of Crater Lake has steep drop offs on
bothsides for most of it's 32-mile length.
There are plenty of "pull-outs" that allow views of the lake from every side and angle. As I mentioned yesterday, it's an awe-inspiring sight with large peaks, steep cliffs and the sapphire blue water of the lake itself...my photos do not do it justice.
The rim drive took about two and one half "white-knuckle" hours. Once the drive was completed, I decided that a glass of wine or two was clearly in order. We had a nice lunch at the Crater Lake Lodge and met two nice ladies from Michigan who planned to take the rim drive after lunch.
Afer lunch, we headed out of the Park, bound for Portland. As I mentioned yesterday, the most direct route, 138, was blocked because of the forest fire. So, we opted to take Route 62 south to Route 97, then 97 north to Route 58 which runs northwest to I-5. This was another beautiful drive through mountains and more old-growth forests.
Approaching the town of Crescent Lake, we saw the beginnings of yet another forest fire. We were fortunate because Route 58 was closed later in the day as the fire sprad to 1000 acres.
When we reached I-5 at Eugene, we were able to pick up the speed a little for the remaining 100 mile drive to Portland. We got to the Clarion Inn at the airport around 7:00PM...just in time for their complimentary cocktail hour. We lucked out on a restaurant, as the popular downtown Portland steakhouse, Ringside, had a branch only a few miles from the Clarion. Although their service was a bit slow, the prime rib was excellent, as was a nice Cab from Washington.
Back at the Clarion, we unloaded Shannon's stuff from the Escape so that she could pack for her morning flight. We finally got to sleep close to 1:00AM...with a 3:30AM "wake up" call looming.
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