CRATERS

We drove to Crater Lake in Oregon not fully appreciating how remote it is. We drove through forests enjoying the cool air in mid July. As we started to climb the sides of the old volcano, we stopped to have snow ball fights with the piles of snow in the shadows of the evergreens. The view from the top, as you see, was spectacular.

The water that is the lake is strictly from snow and rain. Snow fall in the area is on average 44 feet deep! The lake is 1943 feet deep and that is the deepest in the US.

From the top of Crater Lake, you can see the other volcano tops in the area. It makes you realize how much of the topography of the West was volcanic in origin.

We drove down from the lake through the forest.

The beauty of the lake still etched in our minds. The sky was so blue, it remains etched in your memory.

We left Oregon and drove east to find Craters of the Moon Idaho below.

The park is lava flows with the tubes underneath. The tubes are huge. Their size is displayed by the visitors below. I felt they were like subway stations. I was happy to go below. On the surface, it was 100 degrees. Underground it cooled down to 70...nice. The astronauts used the park for training.

My wife did not like this park. She thought it looked like roadwork debris. I would like to go back, but I think I'll be alone when I do.