Crater Lake

When we decided we were going to venture to Oregon, my mom told us, "Be sure to go to Crater Lake." Neither of us was familiar with the place, so we looked it up. It looked like a rather remote National Park with a lake in the middle. It would be a bit out of the way for us, but we decided to put it on our agenda.  Today we made the drive. After an hour of driving along forested two-lane roads and some desolate landscapes, we arrived at the top of a mountain and saw this. 

Our first glance at Crater Lake was breathtaking, literally. It truly is that blue. It's the most beautiful lake we've ever seen. "Stunning" became the word of the day, we used it so much.

 

There were reports of road construction and delays on the West side of the rim, so we opted for the Eastern route, making many stops along the way.

Rocky was in his element. He happily toted us almost half way around the lake.

We couldn't believe the view from above of this cove. If stunning was the word of the day, blue certainly became the color.

Pretty awesome, huh? This is why we're traveling the country: To see beautiful sights like this. 

After a stunning afternoon, we ventured back to the campground to see our cyber friends (no more) Linda and Steven arrive with their trusty Ace Yukon and Alfred Hitchpop. We toured each other's rigs and got caught up on road adventures. Here they are checking out Rocky. They look pretty comfortable, don't you think? 

We celebrated life on the road with Linda and Steven's signature Blue Chouters. These tasty concoctions fit right into the day. They were quite stunning and very blue!  We wrapped up the day with a steak dinner al fresco.  With hungry mosquitos swarming, we moved inside for Linda and Steven's yummy dessert and coffee. We really enjoyed our evening with these fine, funny (in a very good way) people.

Kudos to my mom for making this delightful day possible. She was right. Crater Lake is a place you don't want to miss. And, we're so glad we didn't.

Tomorrow we head back toward Crater Lake and will take the scenic route to Roseburg, OR for a one night stopover on our way to the coast.