2023-09-12 Oregon Trip to Visit Family and Friends

- September 20, 2023

Crater Lake, Oregon

Diamond Lake RV Park

Jeeps - 2

Steps - 10,916

Today is hiking day. Again, we had beautiful weather. There is no cell signal throughout the park, so I could not ask Siri any questions today. I did have a lot I wanted to ask her.

We took the West Rim Drive to the East Rim Drive and stopped at Vidae Falls. This is right off the road. A small waterfall but very pretty. We met a couple that moved from Modesto to Colorado Springs. We talked to them for a while. We have considered moving to Colorado Springs, but we need to do more research.

We turned left off the East Rim Drive to The Pinnacles Overlook. At the end of the road, we parked and headed to the Pinnacles Trail. It was an easy hike, mostly flat, which my hips loved. The trail was gravel and marked with logs to the end. There were plenty of spots to stop and take photos of the pinnacles. Attractive how these were formed. We took so many photos in color and black and white. We stopped along the trail to adjust Barry's pack; it was so quiet. All of a sudden, a squirrel right above our heads started yelling at us. Scared the heck out of me. I think he got a good laugh, and off he went, jumping from tree to tree.

TRANSCRIPTION

Eruption Buries a River Valley

First, a glowing avalanche of gas-rich pumice flowed down Mount Mazama's slopes during the cataclysmic eruptions, burying a river valley.

Water Escapes

As steam discharged to the surface of the flow through vents, tremendous heat and minerals in the escaping steam welded the sides of the vents.

Out of Ashes

Over thousands of years, erosion has carved away the softer ash and pumice, exposing these mysterious formations.

It was so sad to see all the trees with the beetle that is killing them across the western states. We also saw it during our trip to South Dakota in September 2021. It is devastating forests. There are plenty of YouTube videos showing how different organizations are fighting it across the states. It is so sad to see the trees with dead spots when you are hiking.

The trail went to the end of the park boundary. At the end of the gravel trail was a large rock column and a sign marking the end of the park. It was cool to know we were at the end of the park boundary. We headed back, stopping along the way to take selfies with pinnacles in the background.

We jumped in the jeep and headed back the way we came. We stopped at Plaikni Falls Trial to take this hike. It was a two-mile roundtrip hike to the falls. It's a great trail and, again, lined with rocks, so very easy to follow. At one point, we followed the Sand Creek. Not many people, but those we did see always said hi. The trail had a slight incline, but I was still doing OK. We made it to the falls and took lots of photos and selfies. The water was chilly and clear. The falls were framed in wildflowers, including yellow daisies. We sat by the falls and enjoyed the sound and scenery. It was very relaxing. After about a half-hour, we started back. The hike back was a lot quicker, but then, we were not stopping for photos.

We climbed back into our jeep and drove to the Phantom Ship Overlook. The NPS sign that provides information on the Phantom Ship was difficult to read. I transcribed it under the photo below. NPS needs to redo the signs in this park. It is such a breathtaking view from this overlook. I still can not get over how blue Crater Lake is.

TRANSCRIPTION

At first glance, the dark, jagged island just offshore calls to mind the image of a ghostly ship with tall masts and dropping sails. Phantom Ship is actually a resistant remnant of an ancient volcanic cone that was engulfed in the growing Mazama Volcano. This vent shared the underground chamber that fed Mount Mazama and was part of Mazama's early mountain building phase. These rocky spires remained after Mazama's massive eruption and collapse, displaying the oldest rock in the Crater Lake basin at over 400,000 years old.

From here, we drove back to Rim Village. I wanted to visit the gift store again to see if they had a book about Crater Lake. To my surprise, they didn’t. We were going to eat our sandwiches outside at the tables but decided to save them for tomorrow. It was about 4:00 PM, so we returned to camp, and Barry BBQ'd Turkey Burgers for dinner. They were delicious. After dinner, he built a fire, and we had s’mores, our favorite camping dessert. We sat by the fire until all the wood burned down to coals. The campground was quiet, which made it very enjoyable by the fire. Once the coals burned down, we went inside, and I showered. Barry cleaned up the dishes and then off to bed. I felt like I crawled into a cocoon and passed out.

Nighty Night!

Pinnacle Trail Photos