So driving, or rather co-piloting, on a foggy mountain road in the rain is kinda one of those life defining moments.
Turns out I’m sweet, patient, and my language completely complies with all FCC broadcast regulations.
Yup.
And here’s a beautiful view of Crater Lake:
June 1st at Crater Lake National Park Lodge, Oregon
Okay. So the view was non-existent (and I’m a nutcase when it comes to mountain roads).
The first 24 hours the weather was rain, freezing rain, sleet and then snow. But the worst was the fog.
I really wanted to see the lake!
A remnant of Mount Mazama after a volcanic eruption, Crater lake is the deepest in the United States, and a beautiful blue.
So they say.
The hub and I went for a hike anyway. We walked the rim, trying to find the water, the blue, something.
A Clark’s Nutcracker (name derived from William Clark from the Lewis & Clark expedition)
This little bird wanted to hang out. Much to the worry (or quite possibly egging on?) of his/her family/friends. The other birds chirped loudly every time this bird perched near me.
Rebel bird (or the one who drew the short straw). 🙂
We moved on and well, like it does (even when it seems like you’ll never get clarity), the fog lifted.
Wizard Island. Magical.
Totally worth the wait (and okay, the scary drive on the mountain road).
This was what was behind all that mist and fog!!
Then we also walked the Sun Notch hike.
At the top there’s a viewpoint
The Phantom Ship
Crater Lake is awesome.
And right before we left, we really got to see the lake in full color
Blue.
Bye bye, Crater Lake.
Btw it’s easier driving on the non drop off side. 🙂
Note: The lodge at Crater Lake is really nice. Somehow I got the impression it would be rustic. So I was pleasantly surprised. Bonus, both the dining room and the casual eatery, Annie’s Creek restaurant had plenty of gluten-free options.
Next time: California! And if you missed the last stop click here: Columbia River
How do you feel about driving on mountain roads?
Happy Wednesday!
xo
Coleen Patrick 
Crater Lake IS breathtaking and one of my favorite places that’s in my neck of the (Southern Oregon) woods. You’ve documented its magic, so well, Coleen!
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Thanks, Cathy! I really enjoyed traveling through your neck of the woods. Beautiful. 🙂
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I love Crater Lake but I love your photos and story of how you got to Crater Lake even more! 🙂 I detest windy mountain roads…especially the narrow ones without guardrails. I freaked out on the Going to the Sun Road at Glacier National Park. LOL! Glad you make it with good language! 😉
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Yes! Why can’t there be guardrails?? Maybe they don’t do that much, but they at least would give me a tiny piece of my mind back. 🙂
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Wow, what breathtaking photos! I’d love to see that someday.
I’m not fond of driving on mountain roads, but they’re usually worth it. Until I reach my destination, I focus on the road and don’t look down!
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Thanks, Jennette! The worse thing I did was look out my window. Just tree tops and a huge drop. I kept telling my hub, be careful–you can’t see what I see! 🙂
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I wanna go there NOW!
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Definitely put it on your list!! 🙂
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I’m sure you didn’t intend the pun “or quite possibly egging on” ? 😉 Love love love mountain views. Hate hate hate mountain roads. Not sure how I can have one without the other! Looks gorgeous!!
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Thanks, Kate! I didn’t intend the pun!! Haha. 🙂
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Gorgeous pictures. Looks like some magnificent sights (once you could see them anyway!). I would not be good driving high in the mountains if drop-offs were visible. If I couldn’t see them, I’d be better. But I don’t mean through fog. That would stress me out even more!
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Yes. The mountain roads definitely tested me. Not sure I passed, but oh well, I got to see the view! Thanks, Carrie. 🙂
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Yea! I’m glad you got to see the lake. Mountain roads are not my favorite, but I’m with you, they’re much better when you’re not on the drop off side. I’m so glad the fog lifted. When we drove out to Cape Flattery at the tippy top of Washington state, the fog never lifted, so we just got an ‘idea’ of what was off the cliffs, even though we stayed for quite a while, hoping the fog would burn off. It didn’t. Still, eerie mist can be kind of cool when you get shadowy glimpses of what’s beneath it.
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So so much easier hugging the mountain side! I feel lucky the fog lifted before we left. It was funny how excited we got every time we could see a little bit more though, like we were lucky just to get a glimpse. 🙂
And true, the Phantom Ship is definitely cooler with a bit of mist!
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I’m glad the fog lifted for you! Those photos are breathtaking. I love the phantom ship and that blue water. The fog lifting like that makes it all the more magical.
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Isn’t the blue crazy? I read about it and saw pics on Google, but seeing it in person was magical. 🙂
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Wow! Such a beautiful place Coleen. Even in the fog. I get a bit nervous driving on black ice mountain roads but like you, I never regret it once Im there. These pictures are breath taking.
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Thanks, Kath! Yes, no regrets. I guess that’s like a lot of good things in life that have some obstacles before you get to them. 🙂
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One of my favorite places. Hope you gave a wave to my hangout (Eugene) on your way down. Glad the fog lifted. Wonderful photo of you and your husband.
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Thanks, Julia! We thought we’d be going through Eugene, but ended up taking a different route. There were so many pretty places to stop and enjoy the view!
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Oh fantastic – now you’re coming to California and I won’t be here. I’m moving East. (sigh)
I fell as though we’ll hook up somewhere along the way. Perhaps you’ll be a guest some day at my new place. Keep checking my blog for the details. I’d love to serve you an awesome breakfast.
Patricia Rickrode
w/a Jansen Schmidt
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Oh – by the way – Crater Lake is pretty danged amazing. And, warning, California has roads like that too.
Patricia
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Yes. I probably will be mentioning those California mountain roads….haha.
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So East? When you hinted that it’s not North Carolina, then I wondered if you bought something out west. But East? That’s my neck of the woods!! Can’t wait to find out the details. 🙂
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Absolutely spectacular. Definitely on my bucket list. The fog really added a serenity to the visual experience of your photos. Gave me chills.
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Crater Lake is definitely bucket list worthy!!! 🙂
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Thank you for sharing those photos. We visited two years ago during wildfire season. The fire haze … covered everything. I did write a picture book draft during our drive through there. So, I kept my eyes on my notebook and not on the road. Good thing Hubby had his eyes peeled. We need to visit there again.
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A fire haze? Wow. Writing sounds like a smart way to distract yourself from the roads, though! Got to remember that. 🙂
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Stunning! :0)
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Can’t beat that blue! 🙂
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Love, love, love Crater Lake! It’s been a while since we visited, but it still looks the same. It is gorgeous, isn’t it? So glad the weather cleared for you. That would have been a disappointment. The lake, the woods, are so peaceful and serene. And unique. You had a fantastic trip. Can’t wait to see Cali! 🙂
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Yes, I feel lucky we got to see it all. Thanks, Karen!
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So beautiful, Coleen. Mathair and I call the Smokey Mountains our home so mountain roads don’t make us too nervous. Of course, we’ve heard that Oregon and Washington mountains make ours look like molehills, so… not sure how Mathair would deal with that. She’s not too keen on heights. lol
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I remember a trip to Lookout Mtn Tennessee when I was a kid–and I will never forget my mom freaking out about the narrow road up! 😉
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Hey, Coleen! I’ve actually had your post open for 5 days now (or is it 6?) waiting for me to respond. My teenage years were spent in Southern Oregon, so Crater Lake was a common visiting spot. Actually, I attended Crater High School, even though we were still an hour and a half away – definitely not the closes school district, just the one with the name. I’ve always loved it, and was surprised when we took our boys there on a visit a few years back – early June and we still couldn’t drive around the Rim! But we did have blue skies along with the snow, and they thought it was awesome. It’s been fun reliving old spots with you and your travels – thanks!
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Crater Lake high school? How cool is that? Oregon is really a beautiful state. You must have some great memories. 🙂
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Sorry I didn’t get to your post as I really wanted to see your photo journey. I am glad you finally managed to see Crater Lake. Couldn’t believe the icy roads. I visited there as a teen. Wished I appreciated it more in the 60s. We camped, but it is a gorgeous park.
Your first picture reminds me of the first time I went to Denali Park to see Mt McKinley. Never saw it during the five-day land tour of Alaska. Rotten weather the entire time. So I have very few photos.
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We saw a few campers at Crater Lake. Would love to maybe do that someday too!
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This looks wonderful. What a lake! I might have to make this a trip one day.
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I highly recommend! 🙂
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