Coast2coast: Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

It was so cold when we got up this morning that we decided to do laundry before heading to Crater Lake. So late morning we passed through Pumice Desert and entered the north entrance road and Rim Drive which will close mid-October. When they begin to remove the snow at the end of winter, it will be around 30 feet deep. A quarter of a mile a day is good progress during snow removal .....takes 4 months.
Crater Lake is five miles wide and ringed by cliffs almost 2000 feet high and the water is an intense blue. The lake rests in the shattered remnants of a volcano called Mount Mazama, which erupted and collapsed into itself thousands of years ago. At 1943 feet deep, Crater is the deepest lake in the US and one of the deepest in the world. It's source of water is rain and melted snow. No streams flow in or out. It is 33 miles around the rim. It is truly a beautiful sight to see. The shades of blue are exquisite and totally pristine.