Today's plan was to make the 420 mile journey to Crater Lake in southern Oregon - the third state in our road trip. We left San Francisco slightly later than originally planned to avoid rush hour (there's definitely something to be said for a TV channel dedicated entirely to local traffic news and weather) but made good time except for some minor roadworks along the way.
For lunch we sampled the delights of a Taco Bell (aka. McDonalds Does Mexican) which includes free soda refills. 2 large cups of Mountain Dew contains way to much sugar for the average person, take my word for it.
About 4pm we turned of Interstate 5 started the ascent into the mountains. Unlike Yosemite the terrain remains pretty accessible. The whole area around Crater Lake and Klamath Falls (the nearest city) is a vast plateau, pushed upward by continental plates coming together. Even by the time you reach 5000ft the scenery comprises a mix of beautiful meadows, forests and shimmering lakes. Only in the last 2000ft (Crater Lake Lodge is at an altitude of 7100ft, approximately twice the height you can reach anywhere in the UK) does it start to get at all mountainous.
The lack of sharp inclines and bends in the road misleads you into thinking you're not very high. The illusion is broken, however, a few miles before the peak when you start to see patches of snow in amongst the trees... snow, in June! Initially we thought that would be the extent of it, after all the ambient temperature was still close to 20C, but by the time we reached the lodge there was 1-2ft of packed snow covering much of the ground. Some of the roads round here don't open until mid-July. When we last stopped for petrol, only 100 miles or so away, the temperature had just topped 40C in the shade so when you see snow you have to touch it to believe it's real. It is by the way.
Anyway, enough being amazed at the snow, upon arrival it was time to be amazed by the lodge and by the view. Crater Lake Lodge looks and feels just like something from Twin Peaks. It's built from a mix of stone and pine, has a log fire burning away in the drinks lounge and collection of quirky staff that could have come straight from the imagination of David Lynch, I'm sure you get the idea.
The view too is stunning - I didn't think any view could top Yosemite valley but this comes very close. From our hotel window we look straight out over the 6 mile wide, 600m deep pristine blue lake (the deepest in the USA and 7th deepest in the world don't you know). It sits in the caldera of an extinct volcano, surrounding by cliffs as high as the lake is deep, many of them still with pockets of snow.
Once we'd checked in we went for a short stroll then sipped a couple of cocktails while we sat on the veranda overlooking the lake then sampled some of the local wine (a Crater Lake Pinot Noir) and enjoyed the fine cuisine (venison, my favourite).
There's no wi-fi up here so I'm typing this all in notepad - and I'm out of things to say I think. I'll let the photos tell the rest of the story.
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