Yesterday was Crater Lake NP day. A beautiful Oregon day with not a cloud in the sky. I had been informed by a reliable source (lady who cut my hair) to be sure and stop at the waterfalls on the way there. They were paved, short and beautiful. Two out of three ain’t bad.
The first stop was the Toketee Hydroelectric Project trail to the Toketee falls. A 1/2 mile “more difficult” trail, lots of tree roots, rocks with 97 steps up and 125 steps down, one way. Although a little more challenging of a walk for Peg, it was simply a wonderful walk in the woods. The surprise was the Redwood Pipe in the parking lot.
The 12 foot (diameter) redwood stave flowline (pipeline) connects a reservoir to a power generating station down river where 45 megawatts of electricity are created. It was completed in 1949. It also provides free showers (lol). Lovely view in the morning. The trail is through a dense forest up and down the cliff side with the river flowing off to the right heard but mostly unseen through the foliage. It is hard to describe the beauty of the forest so I took lots of pictures.
The overlook is a platform built around a tree, much like a treehouse, offering a stunning view of the waterfall. I was told by the young couple who had climbed up from below that there was a small beach area just below the falls. The picture of them using the rope to pull themselves up the cliff is a pretty good indicator of why Katie refused to go down. Oh well.
Honestly, I could walk through forest like this all day, everyday. Something about the woods calms the soul and takes away the stress of the day. The way the trees seem to grow out of giant boulders to heights over a hundred feet with moss and all sorts of life at their roots lifts my spirts. The way the forest portrays the centuries long cycle of life is amazing. I hope you enjoy the images as much as I enjoyed capturing them.
Crater Lake is all it is billed up to being. Unbelievable blue waters, unique geological features, and gorgeous sunshine. The lake has no water inlets and no water outlets, it is 2000 feet deep with waters captured from the average 544 inches of annual snowfall and rain. My new Nikkor 18-140mm wide angle zoom lens works well for this type of photography and it meets all my expectations. You will note that I took almost 200 images on the day. Yep, a little carried away….ok a lot carried away. I know some of the pictures are not top notch due to the cameraman (me) having only one good eye. Using the left eye is a learned skill believe me.
The excitement of the day was when a big bird swept right past me, feathers brushing my left arm as it dived over the rock wall in front of us. pursuing one of the little chipmunks running all over the cliff side. It was quite a heart stopper for a second. I am glad he didn’t decide to sink his talons into my arm! Enjoy the images of the lake,
We did take the side road to the Pinnacles Overlook. These are grey pillars carved from the ash and lava of the volcano. We have seen a lot of similar pillars, but these have their own unique character and were worth the 7 mile ride. All in all it was a great day and you don’t want to miss it if visiting this area.
Frankly, I have fallen in love with this part of the world. The forests, mountains, wineries, and people here are great. While the cause of our extended stay is unpleasant for me, I am glad we are here for 2 or 3 more weeks. Peg and I look forward to visiting the Pacific Ocean beaches next and then some more wine tours (hooray!). We will probably visit the California Redwoods from here and Klamath Falls for sure.
I think it is time to tear Katie away from DogTV for some exercise in the dog run. Yes, Dogtv, she loves the soap operas (I didn’t know Poodles could do that!!!). Enjoy the day.
Sjh
Steve and Peg's Adventures 