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| "Honey... I'm home!" |
Monday, March 14, 2011
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| Hopes for a hike around Crater Lake dashed by the snow! |
The next morning we pointed the van toward Crater Lake, thinking of some trail hiking around the crater’s rim before our intended destination of Bend. After a coffee stop in a small college town, we climbed up into the park. The travel took us through a lot of open space, scrub pine, sandy areas and open vistas, when clouds allowed us a view. Soon we began to see signs for Crater Lake, and soon the snow banks developed along the roadside. First a foot, then three, and eventually eight to twelve feet, towering over the van. So ended our hopes for a hike! We wound our way up to the Lake, following a narrow slot in the growing snow banks known as the road. We were fortunate enough to follow a plow for the final ascent. We continued higher up into the park until finally the road ended at an old hotel, reminiscent of the Timberline Lodge of The Shining fame.
We parked at the turnaround and were told by a park ranger that we could scramble up the snow bank path for a view of the Lake. We were glad we did, it was amazing, and quite the snowy setting. Soon other tourists arrived, some American, others foreign, including a school group out for a Nordic ski into the back country. Onward to Bend!
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