We moved from Grants Pass to Valley of the Rogue State Park which had been recommended by a good friend who had passed this way last year. It's on the banks of the Rogue River, which you may recall was mentioned in the last report as having made it to the sea. We came here to make a jeep trip to Crater Lake. It seems we are at the beginning of their season. They have a lot of snow and one entrance to the park is just now open. It's typically June until they have all the park roads open, including the road around the rim of the crater forming the lake. We checked the weather forecast, and Wednesday was clear, but snow and rain predicted for Thursday. So Wednesday we went and it was a sparkling clear day. It was more mountain driving, but this time in the jeep. Here's another bridge over the Rogue. We encountered the Rogue several times. Here it is, going through a narrow gorge. The rocks even back from the gorge were covered with the green moss. It was such a green environment, we expected to see leprechauns any minute. From here we began to encounter snow, and it got deeper and deeper. This is a second story window! Here are the snow machines that clear the roads, 'blowing' it up and over the side. Here's one in the distance, doing it's thing. The buildings are entered through 'snow tunnels', which are enclosed walkways to the entrances. I think the idea is that the snow machines can clear the entrance to the snow tunnel easier than clearing the entrance to the building (?!?) Anyway here's the inside of a snow tunnel. Here's the main entrance. I guess the flagpole is in the way. And Now!! the moment we've all been waiting for. We climb a snowbank and get our first glimpse of Crater Lake. This is the deepest lake in the US at about 1900 feet and the 7th in the world. Fed only by rainwater and snow melt, it's extremely clear making the water a deep blue. The crater is 6 miles wide. This is a truly awesome, breath-taking view on this bright, clear day. The trip back was rather tame after that. We planned to stay the next day as a kind of 'down' day. Get caught up on chores, laundry, and just relax. But we found one neat thing to do. Stay tuned.
1 Comment
|
Who Are We?
Chuck and Mary Lou have been traveling in their RV since 2002 and have lately been taking longer, extended trips. This is our way to share our experiences. Trip Reports
All
|