On Thursday, June 6th we left the Jedediah Smith Four Seasons campground around 7:45 am. Our ultimate destination was Crater Lake National Park near Prospect, Oregon. But first we had a date with the laundromat in Crescent City.
The smells from the dirty laundry bag in the back of the car could no longer be ignored. The answer to Beth’s question, “Does our car smell?” was a resounding Yes! Four weeks of dirty laundry was creating a poisonous gas and had to be taken care of.
It took three oversized washing machine loads, 2 hours and $20.75 to wash and dry the mountain that had accumulated. We wondered if it would have been easier just to burn the pile and start anew. The car smelled much better for our drive to the next campground.
The Union Creek campground had several things going for it. It was spacious, level and only 35 minutes from Crater Lake. It also had the nicest fire pit we’ve ever seen. However, it has pit, not flush, toilets, no wi-fi, no electricity. We got spoiled with the Redwoods.
It was quite warm when we arrived, approaching 90. That worked out well as our tent and tarp were still wet from Lassen. We set the tarp out to dry and went for a short hike. When we returned everything was dry and we quickly set up our tent.
Friday morning we got an early start to Crater Lake. We knew that much of the park was closed due to heavy snow fall and unplowed roads. The park received 44 FEET of snow over the last winter but the park’s website stated we could still get to several viewing points of the lake. We reached the partk around 7:30 and drove to Discovery Point, one of the best overlooks of the lake. The view was breathtaking. Right before our eyes was the bluest water we had ever seen, almost purple, actually. We were stunned. Crater Lake is about 6 miles long and 4 miles wide. Its actually a caldera created after Mount Mazama blew its top about 7,700 years ago. The lake water is some of the purest, cleanest in the world. Its composed of only rain water and snow melt. It holds the world record for the clearest water, being able to see at a depth of 143 feet.
We parked at Discovery Point and spent a good half hour taking pictures. Only about 3 miles of the Rim Road around the lake was open. We stopped at every viewing point which gave a new perspective on the majestic lake. We packed our lunches and walked the closed section of the road part way and saw other perspectives from there. From the overlooks we saw Wizard Island, a cinder cone volcano on the western side. The lake was perfectly still, reflecting the snow covered mountains and blue sky like a mirror. It was probably the most beautiful sight I’ve seen in all our travels. We ate our lunch on a log that provided a front row seat of the lake in all it’s splendor.
The snow piles along the road were easily 15 feet high. Some buildings had tunnels through the snow to the front door, the snow reaching the second floor.
Satisfied with our six and a hours in the park we headed down the mountain to our campground, stopping at an ice cream stand for a mid afternoon treat. It had been a wonderful day in the park. We head to the state of Washington and Olympic National Park in the morning.