Day 36 (7/1): Miles traveled: ~ 85
Location: various, ending in Mazama Campgrounds, Crater Lake National Park
Science: air quality measurements at viewing area for original Mt. Mazama (pre-volcanic blast) footprint; Mazama Campground in Crater Lake National Park (not many campfires, if any -- fire hazard very high)
The drive was EASY this day -- we first stopped at the Mt. Mazama viewing area and made some air quality measurements while learning about the geologic history of Crater Lake.
There was a definite haze covering mountain views --
We then drove into the national park and campground -- that drive we saw evidence of past burns -- acres of white snags wreathed with fledgling brush and saplings.
We checked out some major canyons --
And then set up camp ---
And then raced up to get a look at Crater Lake and take a swim --
The Lake was gorgeous and SO BLUE. Rosie and I couldn't wait to jump in after we got the birds-eye view. We ran back to the car to head to the jump-in spot only to discover that the Cleetwood Cove Trail
(the only legal spot to access the Lake's surface) was closed due to ongoing maintenance from winter damage. Crikey. Those RV folk had been right. And I had learned that being "creative" around the rules wasn't something Rosie would allow. AT ALL. She had been monitoring my driving speed on the way to the Park and had made it clear that she meant to follow all rules (except, of course, any rules I might come up with).
(the only legal spot to access the Lake's surface) was closed due to ongoing maintenance from winter damage. Crikey. Those RV folk had been right. And I had learned that being "creative" around the rules wasn't something Rosie would allow. AT ALL. She had been monitoring my driving speed on the way to the Park and had made it clear that she meant to follow all rules (except, of course, any rules I might come up with).
I tried to cheer Rosie up by finding another swimming spot nearby -- we headed straight to Diamond Lake (about 30 minutes on the other side of Crater Lake) to see if we could at least still jump into some water...
The lake was gorgeous (if not as blue, definitely 30 degrees (deg F) warmer than Crater Lake would have been.....). There were tons of Ground Squirrels at Diamond Lake -- they were an endless source of entertainment -- of course, Rosie and I thought they were Prairie Dogs for the first several hours. The image below does not really capture them -- they are basically oval blurs that blend into the dusty ground here.......but they were everywhere.
On the drive back, the wildfire smoke seemed to be intensifying haze throughout the valleys surrounding Crater Lake.
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