It was just a 110 mile drive through some picturesque forest land to Prospect, OR where we are staying at Crater Lake RV Park. This is a nice park in a setting in the trees. Our site has a good yard that gets plenty of sun. After setting up and lunch we took a hike in the woods to a back water of a dam on the North Rogue River. The water is very clear and I was told fishing is pretty good. Then we walked down stream to see if we could get down to the river. I was able to go down a pretty steep slope to get a look at it. Very pretty. Then back to the site and sit around and relax. Tomorrow off to Crater Lake and other sites.
June 21, 2014
After breakfast we drove to Crater Lake. WOW!! Amazing! Being Saturday it was busy at the rim but none the less beautiful. It's nice to have a senior National Parks Pass. We were able to get through the line at the entrance to the park with a minimal delay.
The lodge at Rim Park is stunning. They have done several renovations since it was built in 1915 but maintained the beauty of the great hall's massive fireplace and other details.
Walking along the paths on the crater rim is awesome. The lake was formed 7700 years ago by the eruption of Mt Mazama. The color of the water in the lake is the bluest we have ever seen. It is the clearest lake in the world. You can see at 144 ft deep. The lake is 1942 ft deep at its deepest point. It was so still I took a picture of Wizard Island which can be viewed upside down and still look upright.
Because of the snowfall, average 10 feet per year, trees have adapted themselves to withstand the weight and cold.
There was still about 5 feet of snow in places alongside the road. On some areas of the lake there is still a film of ice. The temperature of the lake ranges from 32 to 60 degrees. At 230 feet deep the temp stays at 38 degrees. This is a spectacular place to visit.
From Crater lake we drove to viewpoint of Diamond Lake. This lake was also formed by volcanic activity but is not deep, only 60 to 85 feet. With the streams washing silt into the lake it will eventually be filled and not have water.
Nearby is Mt Thielson, elevation 9100 ft. This is another volcano from the days of Mt Mazama. The pointed top is referred to as a plug which acts as a plug so it won't erupt again out of the top.
Then it was off to find Toketee Falls as was suggested by one of our camp hosts. We thought we found the trail head so hiked on for about 1/4 mile. Nope, it was the Clearwater River trail, so back to the truck we went. A few miles more driving we found the Toketee trail head. The trail is 1/2 mile long with 97 steps/stairs going up and 125 going down. That's 444 stairs in the round trip It was an interesting hike with beautiful results when we came to the falls. Then back to the truck to drive back to camp. It was almost 5 so we got dinner ready and enjoyed the evening.
June 22, 2014
Today we stayed pretty close to the RV park exploring the sites around Prospect. We first hiked to Piersony Falls. The falls are in deep woods where the creek splits and comes down about a 20 foot pair of falls.
Then we hiked to the avenue of Giant Boulders. These massive rocks were blown about 35 miles from the
eruption of Mt Wallowa which created Crater Lake. The pictures don't really show the size of the boulders. Some are as big as a full size pickup truck.
Then we drove to a trail head leading to Mill Creek and Barr Creek Falls. Two more beautiful viewpoints in the area.
June 23, 2014
One more day exploring the upper Rogue River.Today we hiked the Rogue Gorge viewpoint. The Rogue River pours through this cut in the lava at a rate of 441,000 gallons per minute. At one point it is about 30 feet wide and narrows to about 3 feet. The power of the water is amazing. Thousands of years ago the river ran about 650 feet deep through the earth. Then with volcanic events the river bed was filled with lava so the water has been cutting through to create a new bed.
Then we went down stream to see the natural bridge. This attraction is where the river found a lava tube that runs through the lava bed along the its path. The water enters the entrance of the tube and bores through to come out 200 feet downstream. Still another awesome feature of nature.
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