And so we return to tales of North American adventures…
Having crossed Portland’s biggest bridge on foot, Shirley and I were ready to speed over it again by car, this time heading south for the first stage of our Road Trip through Oregon. It wasn’t long before we’d turned off Interstate 5 onto Highway 58, as we headed into the Cascade Mountain Range. The multi-lane views of the interstate were replaced by tree covered mountains, and beautifully clear dark blue lakes. We drove through many miles of breathtaking wilderness with only occasional stops, as I was determined to get to our goal – Crater Lake.
As we climbed the gently ascending switchbacks to our first view of the lake, I was getting more and more excited about the view that was going to greet us at the top. Crater Lake was formed some 7,000 years ago when the top of the mountain blew off in an explosion much greater than that of Mount St Helens in more recent history. The resulting crater is now filled with water to about 600 metres, making it one of the deepest lakes in the Americas.
As the car turned the last bend in the road, even the pictures I had seen when choosing to come to this place had not prepared me for the beauty of the vista before me. The 5 miles or so of unrealistically clear blue water had us mesmerised. As the evening drew in we made camp in a local campsite before heading for what was to become our favourite sunset spot. The high, clear atmosphere presented a wonderful set of relaxing hews before the sun disappeared below the horizon, followed by a return to campfires and hastily prepared, hearty food.
The next day was to be our ascent of the nearest high peak, Mount Scott at 8938 feet, but that’s another post…