After a full day at Oswego Lake in Northern Oregon for the memorial service, we continued our whirlwind tour of Oregon and California.
Since I saw four volcanoes while flying in to Portland Airport, it was easy to choose which one to I most wanted to tour.
It had to be Crater Lake, an extinct volcano that has filled with water that is a clear crystal blue.
Although I would have loved to have taken Route 22, which goes directly to Mount Jefferson, then south to Sisters, Oregon (which had their famous quilt show the day I flew in), then south to Crater Lake, that was a 5 hour drive with two extra stops I really wanted to do.
Instead we cut an hour on the drive by taking Route 58.
Even so, I saw glimpses of Mount Hood behind us as we left Lake Oswego, and then I saw Mount Jefferson, still impressive from afar.
LAKES AND SNOW CAPPED PEAKS
Still following the Willamette River from Lake Oswego, we veered east at Eugene, where the Willamette broke into smaller branches, which seemed to disappear as we turned onto Route 58. (this area is the headwaters of the Willamette)
Before long, a massive reservoir appeared, which I learned later were actually two different ones, created from this small branch by damming.
Despite trying to get pictures of the beautiful scenery, I only obtained one good shot.
Then we kept seeing a snow capped peak looming ahead.
At one point we found a spot to park and walk down to the lake to better see Diamond Peak, an old volcano covered in snow at 8744′ rising above Odell Lake.
SURROUNDED BY SNOW IN JULY
Finally arriving at the Ranger Station and paying our fee, we followed the road up a hill covered with snow!
This drive encircling the volcano’s rim, affords gorgeous views of the surrounding countryside for miles.
Oh, and there are no guardrails!
DEEPEST LAKE IN AMERICA
Inside the volcano, called a caldera, is the deepest lake in America, at 1949′ deep.
Interestingly, no streams flow in or out.
The caldera rim, itself, ranges from 7000′ to 8000′, full of water from melted snow accumulating over the years.
The stunning blue is a result of the depth and clarity of the water.
All afternoon I was rejoicing in God’s handiwork!
This view helps one see the curve of the inside of the volcano.
This island is a little volcano that formed inside the bigger volcano.
HOW WAS THIS FORMED?
According to Old Earthers, this volcano was formed millions of years ago.
However, Young Earthers believe a more likely possibility is that it happened 4500 years ago during Noah’s flood.
In ICR’s Flood model, the Cascade Mountains began development during the receding phase of the Flood. The source magmas were generated as the Pacific seafloor was rapidly subducted or pulled under the West Coast of North America during the Flood year. This process created explosive magmas much different from the Hawaiian volcanoes. This process caused repeated eruptions late in the Flood year and into the Ice Age. The Cascades grew very quickly into massive volcanoes.
The volcano beneath Crater Lake catastrophically erupted for a final time during the Ice Age. Formerly known as Mount Mazama, the 13,000-foot-high volcano blasted out about 75 cubic miles of material. This caused it to collapse upon itself, creating a bowl-shaped crater (caldera). This eruption was 42 times more powerful than the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens.
Following this final catastrophic explosion, a few lavas flowed out into the open caldera, and finally a tall cinder cone developed. Known as Wizard Island for its cone-shaped appearance, the island rises almost 800 feet above the lake’s surface. Cinder cones often form during a final degassing episode (like steam) as volcanoes go dormant or extinct. -Institute for Creation Research
TOURIST OPTIONS
For those who want to see the views instead of drive, there is a cute trolley available.
On the opposite side of the caldera, guests can park and hike down the hill to swim in the water or take a boat ride to the island.
Since the aggressive hike can be even more difficult to climb back up than down (from what I hear), that section is now closed for the next few years to establish safer access.
Parking is available at every angle with fresh views, with walking trails all about.
Hubby caught me taking in the scenery…the weather was atypically warm for the people of Oregon, though perfect for me…low humidity with 70s in the morning and low 90s in the afternoon.
While many of our stops were amidst trees lining the caldera, this section definitely felt much more volcanic!
FANCY DINNER ON A VOLCANO
Earlier in the day we had booked dinner at the lodge at the rim of the volcano.
Unfortunately, all the tables with window views of the caldera were taken.
The service was great, and the food was the best of any we had in Oregon.
This appetizer was a mushroom spread with crispy buttered bread and parmesan.
My hubby ordered bison meatloaf…
…while I had this amazing ribeye steak, half of which I packed with me.
Good thing because we had trouble finding food to eat the next day. Stay tuned for that.
SUNSET VIEW
After dinner we sat on the deck of the lodge, outside the restaurant (where some guests chose to eat their meals).
After sunset, we drove to our next hotel for the night, in Grant’s Pass, so we could head for California the next day.
Wow! What a day of stunning views. If only Lewis and Clark had discovered this!
