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capt_bugaloo (Enthusiast) View all posts in this topic  
Thu Jun 05, 2008 5:26 pm
Re: hope you can make it!        

I rode up to Crater Lake several years ago, so I looked in my trip journals and found this:

Mon., June 21, 1999:
(...snip...)
As I approach within 50 miles of Crater Lake the pavement starts to climb in altitude and there are many logging trucks. This stretch quickly becomes heavily forested. I start to notice patches of snow on the side of the road. Soon I?m riding a clean dry road with snow banks on either side that are four to six feet deep! The sky is partly cloudy and in the shady forest it starts to become cold. I realise rather quickly that I?m not going to be able to camp: normally the Mazama campground opens in late May, but right now it is still closed with four feet of snow! Note to self: next time try phoning ahead to see if the campground is actually frigging open. I ask about getting a room: they cost about $95 US per night. I think about it and decide what the hell.

After dropping off my gear in the room I ride up to the Rim Village. When I look into the huge volcanic caldera I can?t see a thing due to fog. I overhear others complaining that it has been foggy all day. I check out the visitor information center; when I walk out fifteen minutes later the fog has miraculously lifted, giving everyone a fantastic view. You can see the whole of Crater Lake.

This lake used to be a large volcanic cone (Mount Mazama) that erupted and then collapsed to form a six mile wide crater about 7700 years ago. Within three centuries the crater had filled with water forming a deep lake. A road runs all the way around the crater?s rim but because of the heavy snow drifts only the south-west quarter of the circular drive is currently open. I spend three or four hours snapping photos and enjoying the views. I also notice a fair number of other motorcycles; again, mostly BMWs.

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