A travel day.  Like our trip to Great Basin National Park, we drove a long time: 9+ hours through sparsely populated and traveled areas of Nevada.  A point of trivia: 84.9% of Nevada is owned by the federal government: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Fish and Wildlife Services, Forest Service, National Park Service.  Very few cities and traffic; in fact, one of the roads we traveled on, a section of US Route 50, proudly calls itself the loneliest road in America.  We saw perhaps one or two cars the whole time.

And although the ride was long, it was easy (no traffic does that) and absolutely beautiful.  The long straight roads always had a background of mountains. 

Another reason we traveled so long is that after getting lost for 23 miles (we had no reception for Waze and missed a turn which was not clear, and our map was also not that clear) we couldn’t find a place to camp for the night, so we kept on driving.  (Did we say much of Nevada is empty?)  Eventually, we crossed the Oregon state line and stopped at the first place we saw: a gas station-bar-restaurant-RV park (not an uncommon combination here).  The lady behind the bar offered us the night in her parking lot for free instead of paying for the RV “park” just to the side of the building, which didn’t look all that desirable.  We accepted her offer.  The place closed at 9:00 pm and by 9:15 we were the only ones there.  With very little traffic on the road; we had a peaceful night’s rest.

Day 1 at Crater Lake

The next morning, we were up and out before the gas station (etc.) opened.  Still minimal traffic but very twisty and winding roads; there were a couple of warnings regarding the road and the downgrade along the way until, finally, one that said, “this is absolutely your last warning.”  And sure enough, around a tight bend we saw an overturned van with a state trooper next to it warning traffic to stay clear.  After that, we took the turns even more slowly.

We eventually came to a town called Lakeview, aptly named, where we found a Safeway grocery store to stock up on supplies for the weekend, and beyond.  It was not a Walmart but it had to do (no 50 cent pies).  Though it was still early in the day, we stopped by the campground where we had a reservation and checked in.  Our campsite was right on a river where there are a number of people fishing; it is very scenic and quiet.

After having lunch, we headed out to Crater Lake National Park, about 25 minutes to the entrance and another 20 minutes through a tall tree-covered forest till we actually arrived at the lake. 

“Oh, my gosh,” is about the only thing one can say when first seeing the lake.  It is the most stunning blue-colored body of water we have ever seen.

Just the facts: the lake is 4.54 miles across at its widest point; 1,943 feet deep (the deepest lake in the United States); holds 4.9 trillion gallons of water; and its geological name is a caldera, which is a large volcanic crater, especially one formed by a major eruption leading to the collapse of the mouth of the volcano. 

And that is what happened.  Mount Mazama is a volcano in the Oregon segment of the Cascade Range, which reaches from northern California into British Columbia.  When the mountain erupted centuries ago, magma escaped out the sides of its chamber; as this emptied, the mountain could not support its own weight and its top caved in, forming a deep caldera.  What we see now is the inside of the volcano.

The basin that was formed from the eruption was filled with centuries of rain and snowfall; with no place to run off, and no streams running into the lake, the water is perfectly clean, with very little sediment, and a deep, gorgeous blue.  Precipitation, balanced with evaporation and seepage, keep the lake level constant.

And in the middle of this lake is Wizard Island, a volcanic cinder cone which forms an island at the west end of the lake.

Mount Mazama is not an extinct volcano; someday it may go into a new eruptive phase.

The rim drive around the lake is 33 miles and is closed from mid-October till late June due to the heavy snow cover.  We explored about one-third of the rim, stopping and hiking at different points of view.

Day 2 at Crater Lake

Today we decided to go into the forest that surrounds the lake.  We first stopped at Vidae Falls, a spring-fed creek which tumbles over a glacier-carved wall, dropping 100 feet over a series of ledges.  We stopped at the bottom of the falls for a beautiful view. 

We then drove down Pinnacles Road and stopped at the trailhead of Plaikni Falls, a two-mile hike through old forest to the bottom of the falls.  The walk through the forest was nice, as forest walks are, and as we got close to the falls, we began to hear running water.  Around a few more bends the falls came into view; it was larger than Vidae Falls, and more impressive.  As the falls sloped downwards, the whole area was covered with wildflowers, all enjoying the sun and water. 

A short drive took us to Pinnacles Overlook; we had lunch there and took a hike.  As the brochure describes, the pinnacles are chimneys formed when hot ash cooled after the eruption of Mount Mazama.

Friday afternoon; time to head back.  We put “find us a gas station” on the RV’s GPS, and it took us to a former Shell gas station that was turned into a grocery store five years ago.  (We never did trust that GPS.)  After inquiring at the store, we were able to find a traveler’s services station, which was part of a casino – anything to convince you to come and gamble – and it turned out to be just down the road from our campground.  We returned to the campground to prepare for Shabbat.

Something happens when we drive into our campsite on Friday afternoon, five-six hours before Shabbat, knowing that the van will not move again until Sunday morning.  As we go about our work – cooking, cleaning, and taking care of all the other Shabbat preparations – a sense of peacefulness descends.  When we do bring in Shabbat, we are ready for quiet, for reflection, for tuning out.  Whether we are in a quiet national park or state park campground or in a busy and more crowded commercial campground, we have a sense of renewal that only Shabbat can bring.

Day 3 at Crater Lake

Shabbat was very peaceful, though long.  It came in at 8:27 pm, so we ate salads earlier and had the main part of dinner afterwards.  During the day, we davened, ate, rested, learned, walked, and then did it all over again.  Sitting on a bench next to the river, listening to the flowing water and watching the birds and a beaver go about their business, provided a sense of peaceful renewal.