CRATER LAKE, OR
MORE THAN JUST A BIG HOLE FULL OF WATER
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We went to Crater Lake with Philip, Christopher, Uncle Dan, and Auntie Grace. Of course there was a heat wave -- 113 degrees. We stayed at Joseph H. Stewart State Park. That was a very good idea. Elisha got his Junior Ranger booklet filled while we were there. We wanted to get more of the parks in the booklet, but it didn't work out that way. We set up camp in D Loop. I highly recommend this because it's near the water, near the showers, and near the playground. There were activities to do for the Ranger badge including identifying trees, picking up trash, and other things.
There's a reservoir right near the campground. We rented a boat for the  day and had a great time! I got to drive (David), and so did Jenna. It was fun! We explored waterways, and got off to hike up streams. We parked the boat and went swimming of the edge of it. We drove it up to the fish hatchery where we saw people getting into rafts. It was really neat because we didn't know where the waterways went and we got to explore. We took Scrapper (our dog) with us and he was such a wimp that my mom had to carry him across the running water. I think this was the best day of the trip. |
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The next day we decided to do some rafting. It was only a Level II, which means very little rapids. But it was fun, and the water was moving steadily. Christopher almost hit his head on a branch, and my mom fell in while trying to knock him out of the way. It was funnier than it sounds, watching her try to get back into the raft in swift water. She is a good swimmer, but my dad and Dan had to eventually lift her back into the raft. She's not little like Aunt Stefanie, and they were all laughing about it. Elisha was afraid; he doesn't like water. But it wasn't that fast. At the rafting place, the guy had a pet alligator in a tank. Really! I wasn't afraid, but the girls sure were. That's was cool and it made the wait seem very short.
We went up to Crater Lake itself. It's very beautiful, but it's definitely a "look" place rather than a "do" place. There was a lot of walking, and a lot of steep hills and cliffs. You have to stay on the paths or else you could fall off a cliff. Jenna got her Junior Ranger badge there. Lunch was okay, but expensive. We mostly just walked around and looked at the lake. There's a copy of the brochure we got there at http://www.nps.gov/crla/brochures/craterlake.htm. It was pretty interesting, especially about why the lake is so blue. On the way down, we drove the back way and there was SNOW! In the middle of July! We stopped and played in it. |
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What was very cool was stopping at Prospect State Scenic Viewpoint. The falls are so neat! The river runs underneath the lava rocks and comes out on the other side. The hike in wasn't that far, and was really worth it.
 Mom said that now you can actually go on the lake on a tour. You couldn't when we were there. Crater Lake was good to see once, but it was a long drive, and it was hot, and I think next time I would rather spend another day on a boat on the reservoir or else rafting down the river.
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