Crater Lake National Park, OR

Let me start by saying "WOW!" We take a day-trip and drive 2 hours north of Lava Beds National Monument in northern California into southern Oregon to visit Crater Lake National Park. And you should know up front - I did NOT colour these photos on the computer.

	This is our first view of the lake from Rim Village. The colour of the water is indescribable. It looks refreshing, but I'm sure the temperature is way below my swimming threshold!
	A closeup of the shallows below us. Again - the colour!
	Crater Lake was form by the volcano Mount Mazama whose most violent eruption was 7,700 years ago. Numerous vents emptied the mountain peak of its magma and it suddenly collapsed upon itself, creating the crater we see today. But activity continues deep beneath the surface as is evident from this cone on Wizard Island.
	The lake is 6 miles across at its widest point and 1,943 feet deep at its deepest. Surprisingly, the last time the lake froze over was in 1949, although the annual snowfall here averages over 43 FEET! And we think Buffalo, N.Y. gets a lot of snow!
	We drive the 33-mile rim road around the lake which changes in elevation from 507 feet above the lake to 1,978 feet. No streams drain into Crater Lake and none empty from it. The lake is totally self-contained, causing it to have the highest purity of water found anywhere.
	We take a short hike through the Pinnacles, ancient steam vents which have hardened due to the minerals in the steam that are absorbed into the pumice. Later, the pumice (lava with lots of ash and gas bubbles) surrounding the vents erode, leaving these towers.
	Wait a minute! How does Brad's hat stay on?
	Actually, Brad's not upside down, the ridge behind him is simply the reflection in the still lake water.