Saturday, August 7, 2010

Crater Lake

We stopped off at the Crater Lake Lodge, gift shop and snack bar. We picked up a sandwich and chips for later. On to Cleetwood Cove kiosk to check in for our Wizard Island half day boat tour. We were quite surprised to discover that our tickets were taken care of, a free ride! Yahoo! We changed into our hiking boots for the 1.1 mile hike down to the boat dock. We met a nice Asian family from San Francisco while we ate our lunch under the shade of the pine trees, with the silliest chipmunks crawling all over us! The boat ride to Wizard Island was fun, riding in a boat in the crater, a unique experience! We hiked the one mile trail up the Wizard Summit and walked around the top of the crater, a crater within a crater! We met a nice couple from Calgary, BC and hiked along with them. On the drive back to Medford we stopped to view the Natural Bridge Falls near Union Creek. The Rouge River flows into underground lava tubes and surges back to the surface cascading down the gorge,

A beautiful day at Crater Lake



Wizard Island, that's where we are headed

Boat dock at Cleetwood Cove

On the boat

Away we go



Boat taking people back to Cleetwood Cove



Starting up to the crater summit



Great views along the trail



Gorgeous views


Inside Wizard Crater




Sharing another great hike together


Fumerole Bay

Looking down at the lake from the top of Wizard Island.....the water is so blue

Time to head back down

Kent trying to be brave.....burrr!

Chicken!  The water is very cold!

This chipmunk wouldn't leave us alone

Phantom Ship

Snow melt waterfall

There's still snow!

Pumice Castle

Evening is settling in on Wizard Island and Crater Lake

Natural Bridge Falls

Water flows into lava tubes