Crater Lake

It wasn't all about volleyball while in Klamath Falls - we took a day trip to Crater Lake.

It was a beautiful day!  

Crater Lake is a volcanic crater lake about an hour from Klamath Falls.  It is the main feature of Crater Lake National Park (I used the National Park pass again) and is famous for its deep blue color and water clarity.  The lake partly fills a 2,148-foot-deep caldera that was formed around 7,700 years ago 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.  With a depth of 1,949 feet, the lake is the deepest in the United States and in the world ranks ninth for maximum depth and third for average depth.

Crater Lake features two small islands.  Wizard Island is located near the western shore of the lake and is a cinder cone approximately 316 acres in size.  Phantom Ship is a natural rock pillar and is located near the southern shore.

Wizard Island

We laughed about the sign we saw as we entered the park and now I really started to worry.  Haha!

We might not have known if it hadn't been called out.  Danger!

Be careful Brooke!

So many beautiful viewpoints.

We walked towards the Rim Village Visitor Center and stopped to take a pic.

Ron and Brooke took a walk down to the overlook.  Didn't they know it was dangerous to be close to the edge?  :-)

See the rock building on the side of the cliff?

An interesting diorama.

Close-up of the lake

And this is where you can view the Phantom Ship.  See it out there?

While they made the trek down (and back up), I stayed behind and read a few of the signs.  This one was interesting.

Thankfully, the walk turned out to not be too dangerous and they made it back safely.  So we took a walk over to the lodge.  Like many of the buildings, the lodge closed about a week before we visited as they were preparing for the average 42 feet of snowfall to come.

Crater Lake Lodge was built in 1915 to provide overnight accommodations for visitors to the Park.  The lodge is located on the southwest rim overlooking the lake 1,000 feet below.  The lodge is owned by the National Park Service and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Visitors to the 71 room lodge enjoy modern accommodations in a rustic atmosphere reminiscent of the original 1920-era lodge.  Each room provides modern comfort and privacy.  The dining room overlooks the lake and serves northwest regional cuisine.  An exhibit room just off the lobby provides information about the history of the lodge, Crater Lake, and the park.  We were sorry we couldn't go inside.

We had planned ahead and brought some lunch.  We looked around for a picnic table but decided to just drive to an overlook and enjoy the view.

Mmmmm, Jimmy John's

After devouring our lunch, we drove on and saw some other sights.

On the other side of the road from the lake

Ron was amazed at some of the dead trees.

It was wonderful to be outside and enjoy the fresh air.  I'm sure Brooke was happy to have a break from school and get out of the gym.

Klamath Falls, Oregon

We took a brief intermission to drive "home" (although we don't have a home) so that we could visit family, friends, doctors, and dentist.  And then we were back on the road.

Some of you may wonder what took us to Klamath Falls - the one descendant we weren't able to see when we were in Washington, our granddaughter, Brooke.

Brooke is in her third year at Oregon Tech (OIT) playing volleyball on a scholarship.  We haven't been able to watch her play in college so we were thrilled that we could be in Klamath Falls for three of her matches.

Oregon Tech was founded as the Oregon Vocational School in 1947 to train and re-educate returning World War II veterans.  The first classes were held in a deactivated Marine Corps hospital three miles northeast of Klamath Falls.  The following year, the school's title was changed to the Oregon Technical Institute.  In the first school year, veterans constituted 98 percent of student enrollment.  By 1950, the figure was 75 percent and in response to the Korean War, the school received a contract for training soldiers in welding and warehouse management.

The campus was transferred to its current location in 1964, followed by another name change to the Oregon Institute of Technology in 1973.  In 2012, the Oregon Institute of Technology officially rebranded to its current name of Oregon Tech.

Coincidentally, the weekend matches were against two schools near our "home" and when we met a few parents, they thought we were there to root on those schools.  No way!

We met a friend as we walked upstairs to the gym.

Time for the game and our favorite player was ready.

It wasn't a great night for the Owls but the team hung together.

And then it was over and we had a picture snapped of the three of us together.

Oh wait, I might have photos from two different matches jumbled together.

After two consecutive matches on the weekend and a few days off, it was time for the third match.  We decided to hit the book store and stock up on some fan gear.

And then it was time for the third match - Pink Out in support of breast cancer.  And look who was the star on the reader board in the lobby!

The team all wore pink jerseys and even Hootie joined the fun.

It was a great match and the right team won - two out of three wins while we were there.

And then a few photos to memorialize the time there.  Check out our new gear!

It wasn't all about volleyball during our visit - stay tuned for a visit with nature.

Yellowstone

Once we arrived in Cody, we took an overnight trip so that we could visit Yellowstone.  Believe it or not, these two life-long west coasters had never been there.  Earlier in the summer there was all the flooding so we weren't sure we would be able to make it but the East Entrance outside of Cody was open.  So we buttoned up the trailer and off we went.

It was a beautiful day and the views were amazing!

Yellowstone Lake

I've seen a lot of photos of people in cars stopped for wildlife and was hopeful we'd experience the same.  I did see a bison as we drove along but no time to take a photo.  I kept looking.

First stop (no bison sightings) was Old Faithful.  This is a cone geyser and in 1870 was the first geyser in the park to be named.  It is a highly predictable geothermal feature and has erupted every 44 minutes to two hours since 2000.  The geyser and nearby Old Faithful Inn are part of the Old Faithful Historic District.

Old Faithful Inn

As we walked through the Visitor Center, we didn't notice the sign indicating the next estimated eruption but once we were out back, we figured it wouldn't be too long.

We found a good viewing spot and waited.  And waited.  And then, just like that and about 3 minutes after those around us said was the estimated time, off she went!

Thar she blows!

Eruptions can shoot 3,700 to 8,400 gallons of boiling water to a height of 106 to 185 feet and lasts from 1 1/2 to 5 minutes.  The average height of an eruption is 145 feet and in 1939 the average interval between eruptions was 66.5 minutes and has increased to an average of 90 minutes apart today.  The longer length of time may be the result of earthquakes affecting subterranean water levels.  After the Borah Peak earthquake in central Idaho in October 1983, the eruption intervals were noticeably lengthened.

The geyser attracts a lot - A LOT - of visitors.

Watching the big event

And, of course, there is a gift shop.

We drove on and made our way to the West Entrance to our reserved hotel in West Yellowstone, Montana.

The town is beyond touristy but we walked around and found a place to have some dinner.  We spent a lot of time in a photography store and were interested to see this photo of one of our planned stops the next day,  Grand Prismatic Spring.

Taken by a drone

The shop owner explained to us that to fully experience the beauty of the spring, it must be 76+ degrees.  She also stated that in order to see the blue center of the spring, the steam would continue to block your view until it reached that temperature.  We anticipated visiting early in the day because when we drove by on our way to West Yellowstone, we saw the line of cars waiting to find an empty parking space.  So we'll see how it looks when it's not at the peak temperature.

The next morning we were back at the West Entrance - it looks like several people had the same idea!

Note:  A few years ago I bought a National Parks lifetime pass.  I don't remember the specifics but this pass was for seniors and for a specified period of time, the pass was about $5 and then it would increase to about $80.  At the time we hadn't visited many national parks but I look back now and realize what a great benefit the lifetime pass is.  We've saved a lot of money on park entrances over the last few months.

So back to Grand Prismatic Spring.  There was a short line for a parking spot but not too bad.  

We walked along the boardwalk to see the geysers.

One way?  In a park?

I can see why

A few geysers to see along the way.

A mini Prismatic Spring

Turquoise Pool

And then we were there.

The Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest hot spring in the United States and the third largest in the world, after Frying Pan Lake in New Zealand and Boiling Lake in Dominica.  The spring was noted by geologists working in the Hayden Geological Survey of 1871, and named by them for its striking coloration.  The colors match most of those seen in the rainbow dispersion of white light by an optical prism: red, orange, yellow, green, and blue.

I guess she was right - it wasn't warm enough to appreciate the colors

The spring is approximately 370 feet in diameter and is 160 feet deep.  It discharges an estimated 560 gallons of 160 degree (F) water per minute.

Back in the truck to explore a few more sights.

Back in the truck to Hayden Valley as we were told the bison liked to hang out there. 

Stop the truck - there's a big guy on the side of the road!

Lots of people spotted him and stopped along with us - I felt like we were the paparazzi.

We continued on and while we never had to stop so the bison could cross the road, we did see a lot of them.

A BABY!!!!!
 

As my grandmother would have said - "that was that".  What a great two days!

NOTE:  Our visit to Yellowstone was a few weeks ago.  Since then, we've taken some time off to return to Washington for doctor and dental visits - all is well - and see friends and family.  And now we're off again and heading through Oregon.  Stay tuned for more.