Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway, Diamond Lake and Crater Lake NP, Oregon
Saturday, July 30th, 2011July 13th-15th
We woke up at six in the morning the day we left Coos Bay. We wanted to get an early start to be able to fully enjoy the drive to Crater Lake. Coos Bay was cloaked in a fog at that hour. We stopped at a covered-bridge to take a picture and then drove on to Roseburg where we stopped at one of the ubiquitous espresso stands (little buildings selling caffeine-enriched brews) before picking up the Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway. This highway is known as the “highway of waterfalls” and we made lots of road side stops to admire the falls. The Umpqua River is also ideal for rafting or kayaking, but we weren’t prepared for a water adventure. We decided to camp at Diamond Lake, with the picturesque Mt. Bailey in the background. It was considerably warmer at this lower altitude than at the campground at Crater Lake. We found a lovely campsite directly next to the lake and set up our camp chairs by the water’s edge. Then we enjoyed a long aperitif before dinner and planned out the following day’s excursion to Crater Lake.
My first visit to Crater Lake was eleven years ago with my friend Lynduh while we were doing a road trip through the Pacific Northwest (it was a short road trip compared to this one.) We stopped off and camped there for the night. I will never forget the intense blue water from the lake. I wasn’t disappointed on my second visit. We entered the park from the west side – our first stop was in a parking lot surrounded by snow- much of the scenic lake loop was closed because of snow cover. We hiked up over the snow bank to see the lake which shone a deep twilight blue, offset by the white snow that still sprinkled its banks. Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States. It was formed when a volcano imploded. Its water is said to be among the purest in the world- its only source is rain and melting snow.
As much of the park was closed, we spent some time exploring the area around the lodge (another classic CCC building) and the visitor center which had a fascinating display on volcanoes. We made a stop at a second visitor center and watched the park film and a film about plowing the roads- if I understood correctly, they spend 3 months a year just plowing the roads to make it accessible to visitors for another 3-4 months. It’s a crazy undertaking. We did one hike through a snow field to get another fantastic view of the lake. It’s an awesome site that you have to see in person to understand the full magnitude.
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