Cold Butt at Crater Lake
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Last week I posted an article about the eruption of Oregon’s Mount Mazama some 7,700 years ago that formed Crater Lake. What I didn’t mention is that I was visiting the area at the time. This is what it it looked like on May 18, 2017. Brrrr!
After visiting the Mt. Shasta area to photograph Whitney Glacier (which is growing, by the way), I decided to drive north to Bend, Oregon. According to the map, it looked like I could easily drive along the west side of Crater Lake.
Oops. Maybe not.
As I got closer and closer to the lake, the snowbanks got higher and higher. Can you even see the automobile in this photo?
Upon reaching the fee booth for Crater Lake National Park, I learned that I could drive only as far as the visitor center, a distance of 7 miles. Then I would need to retrace my path because the roads around the lake were completely closed.
Too much snow, you see.
According to the ranger on duty, the West Rim Drive won’t open until “sometime in June.” The East Rim Drive “will likely remain closed by snow until mid-July.”
So much for global warming.
With a depth of 1,949 feet (594 m), Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States. It measures 5 by 6 miles (8.0 by 9.7 km) across.
I didn’t especially like retracing my path, but still, the drive was worth it. The area is absolutely stunning.
By the way, it warms my heart (and backside) to report that I did not have to use the sanitary facility pictured above.
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May 23, 2017 at 12:56PM
Iowa Climate Science Education 