Our goal was to visit Crater Lake National Park about 30 miles away. Waterwheel was the closest I could get; all campgrounds closer to the park were booked. When we left California the Carr fire had spread to over 90,000 acres and taken five lives.
As we drove north on Interstate 5 the smoke from the fire was intense. The view of Mt. Shasta was obscured by the smoke.
The smoke was like a blanket over the earth and visibility was almost nil.
So much smoke and I had a feeling Crater Lake was not going to be visible when we visited.
I checked the evening news the night of our arrival and saw that there were numerous wildfires in Oregon along with the Carr fire in northern California. I was not optimistic.
We made the 30 mile drive to the park and it was evident that the smoke from the fires was going to ruin the views. The ride along Route 62 was the preview.
Sure enough, here is the view from the Rim Visitors Center:
I can't believe we have driven across the country and this is the view we get of the purest, bluest lake in the world.
I had to zoom in at the Sinnott Overlook to get a look at some blue water.
On the plus side, there were several accessible trails for Doreen.
The trail meandered up to the overlook.
The view of the lake was not any better from here. At least the Phantom Ship was visible.
We tried another accessible trail to see some waterfalls. The park map said it was accessible 3/4 of the way so Doreen gave it a try.
The path became narrow and less scooter friendly as we approached the top.
Here you can see the path with Doreen waiting for me at the right of the photo.
The one mile hike was worth it.
We continued to search for a better view of the lake but the smoke was just too bad so we called it a day.
As we drove back to the campground we were not sure what tomorrow would bring. We were not really keen on going back to the park again since it was so smoky. We awoke the next morning and the sky seemed a little clearer and we decided to go back. We took the western route this time going clockwise around the lake on Rim Drive. I don't know if the smoke was less severe, perhaps it was hopeful thinking. What do you think?
Probably just as bad as the previous day but this is why we are here.
Finally a decent view at the northern rim.
You can actually see boats in the water
The only boats permitted on the lake are research craft. This is to maintain the purity level of the lake which is the purest in the world. Crater Lake is a totally isolated body of water. No rivers or streams flow in or out. All the water is an accumulation of rain and snow over the eons. Water clarity ranges 100 to 200 feet.
The drive around the lake is about 38 miles. We continued eastward and completed the entire drive. We took the road to the Pinnacles as one last thing to see.
As the day drew to its end the smoke intensified. The way home was like driving through the middle of a smoker.
Our next stop was Seaside Oregon on the coast. The sky became blue and no smoke was seen. Our route took us through more national forests and the scenery was spectacular along U.S route 30.
Of course Seaside is an ocean community and the weather was much cooler.
Seaside happened to be the end of the trail for Lewis & Clark.
A quaint little town with many eateries and shops.
Of course we found another wine tasting.
And the local watering hole.
Seaside is a reminder of days gone by.
Funland with Skeeball! The hours I spent playing skeeball back in old West View Park in Pittsburgh!
On to Washington next and more wildfires.
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