Crater Lake

Here's a picture of Sammy's first camp fire. It was a chilly first night but we enjoyed sitting and gazing at the fire. Even though Sammy did not pose for this picture, he was indeed in a trance gazing at the flames.
There is so much to talk about Crater Lake that I will have to make two blog entries. This first one is about our scenic drive all around the rim of the lake. As we approached the lake, there is a Pumice Desert which is made up of the orange pumice rock in the area.
Here's a little history: Crater Lake sits inside a caldera formed about 7700 years ago when a 12,000 foot tall volcano, Mount Massuma, collapsed following a major eruption. Later eruptions formed Wizard Island, a cinder cone near the southwest shore. The lake is 1943 feet deep and its annual snowfall is 44 feet. Can you imagine that????
The color of the water is sapphire blue with greener waters closer to the shoreline. By the shoreline, you can actually see bottom even at 150 feet. As we traveled we stopped at Cloudcap Overlook which is the highest point on the rim drive (1790 feet above water). We stopped to see the Pumice Castle which is a layer of orange pumice rock that has eroded into the shape of a medieval castle. We also saw the Phantom Ship which is an island as tall as a 16 story building which resembles a small pirate ship. This erosion resistant rock formation is about 400,000 years old. There's a lot more to tell and I will catch up with you on the next blog.