Friday, after watching the weather for weeks, actually turned out as they promised and dawned blue sky and sunny so off we went (all 3 humans and 8 dogs - no dogs out in the park but I couldn't leave them in the trailer that long alone).   Back over to Fort Klamath (not much to speak of) and into the park.    What super amazing scenery as we climbed and climbed to get to the Visitor Center at the south entrance.

Once there we took the time to go in and watch the 20 minute DVD on Crater Lake (Kent had seen it a year ago when he went through) and I'm so glad we did.   One misconception I had is that, knowing it was a volcano, just figured it was created when it blew it's top off.   Oh but no, it erupted around the edges of the volcano (which is said to have been of the 12,000 foot range in height) and it collapsed in on itself into a big lava chamber.  Who knew?   We also found out that the lake is so pure because the only water it has in it is from rain and snow (up to 14 feet in a winter).   The clarity is measured using a black and white disc (yes it has a technical name) dropped down until it can no longer be seen and if I remember right - 148 feet is the farthest down they have taken it.

Lots of other really cool interesting information about the lake, its creation and the good/bad/ugly of what man has done over the years and is now trying to remedy.   Click on this link Crater Lake National Park (the only National Park in Oregon) to learn more.   Meanwhile I'll bombard you with photos taken as we drove the entire rim drive (super fun and cool).   Only downside was all of the construction at the east rim visitor area, limiting parking (we lucked out) and dealing with a super cranky pants highway worker to loudly informed us (as I was trying to inch up out of the way of the dump truck trying to get around behind me) that he was NOT a park service employee.   So was that supposed to make me less likely to run him over?

Some of the photos are iphone and some are dslr with some of the latter being HDR photos (you'll figure it out) and some were with my super wide angle (you'll see some of those with the roundness to the edges).  Just enjoy!

Wizard Island (yes you can catch a boat tour over off the west side and you'll see that boat in some of the pictures). You should be able to orient in most of these shots by looking or that mountain in the picture below center that is slanted with a wee bit of snow on it.   Yes they had snow on Wednesday and rain on Thursday. In the water below where you see the tiny boat going is what they call Phantom Ship.  Not it isn't a sunken ship but rather a volcanic fissure formation.