Monday morning we left the mountains and headed to Crater Lake. It was a scenic country road drive. The landscape changed quickly once we got out of the forest and mountain areas. We truly did not expect to see so many different types of geography/geology in one State, yet there it was. Oregon is an exceptionally beautiful state.
After lunch we drove by the Lava Lands Visitor Center. We stopped by, after all it was a great chance to stretch our legs and see the damage/remains of volcanoes. We got out of the car and went to the bathroom. We come out and low and behold run into my cousin and his family! We knew they were headed to Crater Lake that day too, but what were the odds of running into them along the way?
We all went in the center and learned about the area. Then we had time for a short hike, the most we could handle with all the boys anyway. Plus my cousin and his family had to get to Crater Lake since they were still driving to Eugene that evening.
All the kids had so much fun hiking together. Jack and Ewan really enjoy spending time with their older second cousins and Sean was excited to see Rachela again!
Beautiful hike with snow capped mountains in the background and
lava along the path!
Sean and Rachela enjoying a lift!
The gang having a good time together
We then headed to the Twin Crater Lakes. We got out of the car and played around East Lake. East Lake is one of the twin lakes that occupy part of the Newberry Crater or caldera in Central Oregon, United States. It is located in the Deschutes National Forest near the city of La Pine. The caldera was formed over 500,000 years ago from volcanic eruptions. East Lake's water comes from snow melt, rain fall, and hot springs only. The average depth is 67 feet (20 m), 180 feet (55 m) at the deepest point, and covers 1,044 acres (4.2 km2). East Lake is about 50 feet (15 m) higher in elevation and is to the east of its twin, Paulina Lake. (from Wikipedia) Like I said, lots of neat places to see in Oregon!!
Boys will be boys, throwing pebbles into the lake!
Jack and Ewan enjoying some splash time in the cold lake
My revenge after Jack and Ewan kept getting Sean and me wet.
That was some COLD water!!
It was finally time to finish the drive to Crater Lake. It ended up being a long day in the car, but with several stops along the way I think we all managed relatively well. The boys had their moments, but we all arrived alive and well. The boys were asleep when we drove into the park, but we really wanted to get out and see that lake right away and play in the snow. It was so exciting to see snow in late July and we knew the boys would want to play with it too.
We parked the car and that woke Jack up. Josh took him out and I stayed in the car with Sean and Ewan. After a little while I woke them, I could not wait any longer. Sean did all right, Ewan was grumpy.
Geography lesson: Crater Lake is a caldera lake located in the south-central region of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is the main feature of Crater Lake National Park and famous for its deep blue color and water clarity. The lake partly fills a nearly 2,148-foot (655 m) deep caldera[1] that was formed around 7,700 (± 150) years ago[2] by the collapse of the volcano Mount Mazama. There are no rivers flowing into or out of the lake; the evaporation is compensated for by rain and snowfall at a rate such that the total amount of water is replaced every 250 years. (from Wikipedia)
Once again we ran into my cousin and his family at the gift shop in the park!! With no further delay...pictures from Crater Lake!!
Jack throwing snow at me!
Sean eating snow!
Grumpy Ewan still waking up
View of Crater Lake National Park. Notice the pole above the
stop sign...the snow gets this high!!!
Absolutely gorgeous blue lake
Ewan and Jack shared the sofa bed, my little lovebirds!
The motel had a nice swing set for the boys to play on.
We also enjoyed grilling out here.
Ready to hike to Plaikni Falls
My hikers!!
We saw lots of beautiful wildflowers along the way to the falls
and at the falls.
Boys being boys again, having to play in the water
One of the few shots of our family.
Here we are at Plaikni Falls
More wildflowers and the falls
Crater Lake and a view of Wizard Island
Jack and Ewan checking out the view
After our hike to the falls we found a spot to park on the side of the road and went off the beaten path. We found a great "sledding" hill and took our picnic there. We enjoyed some yummy food and wine and played in the snow. Needless to say we had some cold and soggy bottoms (we did bring a change of jeans for everyone)!!
Jack sliding down a snowy hill
All the boys having fun!
Ewan sliding down the hill
Enjoying our picnic after playing in the snow
Jack and Ewan making yellow snow!!!
Sean eating snow (NOT THE YELLOW SNOW)
My rock climbers
One last chance in the snow on our way out of the park to the beach
Wizard Island again
As I said before, eat anything huckleberry you can get your hands on!! Here is Sean with his huckleberry lollipop!! We also had huckleberry yogurt at the hotel for breakfast. YUMMY!!!
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