October 8th, 2022
HAPPY BIRTHDAY PEGGY!
We woke to a beautiful morning – warm and blue skies – so off we went to Crater Lake National Park. We decided to go in the north entrance and travel south on the western rim.
On our way, we went past many old volcanos and this incredible “old” volcano/mountain.
This is Mount Thielson – “The Lightning Rod of the Cascades”:
I found this very interesting:
“The spire-like shape of Thielsen attracts lightning strikes and creates fulgurite, an unusual mineral.
Fulgurites (substances that form when lightning melts rock) on the volcano are restricted to the very pinnacle of the mountain, and are only found between the top 5 feet and 10 feet of its summit. Lightning strikes the summit regularly, creating patches of "brownish black to olive-black glass" that resemble "greasy splotches of enamel paint”. These range from a few centimeters in diameter to long, narrow lines up to 12 inches long. Their appearance also varies: While some patches are rough and spongy, others are flat. Inspection of the fulgurite reveals a homogenous glass over a layer of basalt; in between, a stratum made of materials such as feldspar, pyroxene, and olivine exists.”
Can you imagine being here during a lightning storm – it must be awesome!
Entering Crater Lake – we just had to take pictures:
A little information here:
There is some wonderful information on Crater Lake here:
https://www.doi.gov/blog/12-things-you-didnt-know-about-crater-lake-national-park
https://traveloregon.com/things-to-do/destinations/lakes-reservoirs/creation-crater-lake/
https://www.nps.gov/crla/index.htm
We made our way to the first overlook at 8000 feet. Scenes going up the mountain:
At the overlook – so many volcanos/mountains – WOW!:
Yes, that is still smoke from the forest fires:
We walked to the top of the overlook and my jaw dropped and I had to catch my breath – this was phenomenal!
The view of Wizard Island, which is another volcanic cone that rose from Crater Lake:
But wait..it gets even better. We made our way to two other overlooks and it just got better. The reflections, the blue skies, the blue lake.. OH MY! (Can you tell I was just blown away?):
A turquoise patch near the edge of the lake:
This is Phantom Ship which is as tall as a 16 story building. It is made of erosion-resistant lava, 400,000 years old – the oldest exposed rock within the caldera.
One last look:
Such an experience… This country is truly beautiful! We are blessed.
We would like to come back another time and stay in the campground. Sometimes I get so overwhelmed by the beauty, I need to take a break. By camping here, we could do sections at a time…
We left there and had a wonderful lunch at Beckie's Café:
https://www.unioncreekoregon.com/dining/beckies-cafe/
After lunch, we stopped at the Rogue River Gorge Overlook. There was a nice walking trail at the top.
The gorge is 500 feet long and is carved out of an old lava tube.
Happy Birthday to Peg:
What amazing views and places to see!
From there we made it back home and spent the rest of the day talking, laughing, grilling, and more talking. What a great day!
October 9, 2022
Happy Birthday to these two gentlemen. There were born on the same day, same year but we don’t really know the time yet – LOL! (Peg and I have figured that they truly could be brothers.)
Today, we just hung out and got caught up.. More talking, laughing, and good food.
So happy we were able to spend a great birthday weekend together! Hopefully we will see each other in Yuma.
Stay tuned for our next adventure and enjoy today!
