My Tour to Crater Lake

Sham S. Misri

Friday, 6^th July, 2012-09-03

Having made all the preparations for the tour to The Crater Lake, we left our residence at Redmond early in the morning. I was accompanied by my wife Sarla, my son Sandeep, his wife Suprigya, and two kids, Parum and Neil. The van was loaded with all the stuff that we thought feasible for the journey. Since we had to leave early we carried our Non-vegetarian lunch with us. Driving the van smoothly we detoured at Olympia, the capital of Washington.

Olympia:

Our first halt was at Olympia, the capitol of Washington State. The site of Olympia was home to Lushootseed-speaking peoples for thousands of years. The first recorded visit by Europeans was in 1792 when Peter Puget and a crew from the British Vancouver Expedition charted the site.

The population of Olympia slowly expanded from Oregon Trail immigrants. The area began to be served by a small fleet of steamboats known as the Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet. Olympia became capital city of the Washington Territory in 1853. Later Olympia became the home of the Olympia Brewing Company, which brewed Olympia Beer.

The Washington State Capitol or Legislative Building in Olympia is the home of the government of the state of Washington. It contains chambers for the Washington State Legislature and offices for the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state and treasurer and is part of a campus consisting of several buildings. The buildings for the Washington Supreme Court, executive agencies and the Washington Governor's Mansion are part of the capitol campus.  Olympia has become a hub for artists and musicians, and has very good college towns.

We had a memorable visit of the capitol buildings of Olympia. When we were preparing to leave the beautiful gardens, I looked at the parked van. Soon my eye caught sight of the rear flat tyre of the car. It was on the driver’s side. It was about 1 PM. Sandeep immediately intimated the Insurance people, who deputed their representative to change the tyre. It was informed that the help would reach within an hour. So, we decided to have our lunch in the lush green lawns of the Olympia Capitol building.  The lunch was relished very much. In the mean while help reached. The tyre was changed, and we proceeded further towards Portland. However, to ensure safe travel it was decided that the four tyres of the vehicle would be changed before going to Crater Lake. This was done in the city of Olympia itself.

Leaving Olympia, we moved direct to Portland. Here we had to go to see the famous waterfalls. Before checking in the lodge we made our journey to Multinomah Falls.

Multnomah Falls:

The trail begins at Multnomah Falls Lodge, a historic building built to serve early automobile travellers in 1925.

We visited the Multnomah Falls. It is a waterfall magnificent and memorable. It is located just a 30- minute drive outside of Portland. Multnomah Falls is 611-foot-tall roaring, awe-inspiring cascade of icy water. It let us experience the power and beauty of nature up close and with ease. From the parking area a five minute walk is all that separated us from the exciting spray at the base of the falls.

The first part of the trail is a gently sloped trail to the Benson Bridge. It was built in 1914 by Simon Benson, one of the builders of the old highway. The bridge is probably the most photographed piece of architecture in Oregon. This part of the trail is a paved cakewalk. One small part of the trail has a few stairs which may block the way to wheelchairs beyond the lower falls viewpoint. Beyond the bridge, the trail switches up steeply for another mile to a ridge crest.

While walking through the trail, I came across a local man who told me a lovely tale about the Multinomah Falls. He continued by saying that according to Native American lore, Multnomah Falls was created to win the heart of a young princess who wanted a hidden place to bathe. Although we can see the top portion of the falls from the highway, to view both tiers we have to walk to the viewing area located in a carved-out opening in the rock face. Tilting our heads up in the narrow rocky confines of the steep cliffs, we got a mind-boggling perspective on the sheer magnitude of the falls.

For an even closer view, we walked another several hundred feet up the paved trail to reach Benson Bridge, which spans the falls at the first tier's misty base. Standing on the bridge we have a perfect view of the top tier's full 542-foot height and a knee-wobbling vantage point over the second tier's 69-foot drop! The bridge is named for Simon Benson, a prominent Portland businessman who owned the falls in the early part of the 1900s. Before his death, Benson gave Multnomah Falls to the City of Portland, which later transferred ownership to the United States Forest Service.

I along with my dear wife, Sarla, whom I don’t leave alone tried to go up to the end point.

After crossing the bridge which connects the two mountains, we ascended up more than half the distance. We then stopped there to enjoy the nature. It was really a scenic point. My son Sandeep, along with his wife, Suprigya, and children went right up to the top.   

We had all the gossip there, till the children returned. It took them nearly an hour to foot the trail

We visited the Multnomah Falls Lodge. The lodge was built in 1925 to serve throngs of tourists who came to view the spectacular sights of the Columbia Gorge. Today, the historic structure (made of every type of rock found in the gorge) houses a gift shop with plenty of postcards, a restaurant with Northwest Cuisine and unbeatable views of the falls.

The vendors would offer ice cream, coffee, sodas and other quick snacks from booths and carts in front of the lodge. We had quick ice cream.

Unlike many of the West's famous falls, Multnomah Falls does not dry up in the late summer. Rainwater, an underground spring and snow melt feed the falls through all four seasons and ensure a spectacular sight any day of the year.

To make the outing complete, I observed that some tourists had carried the Pets at Multnomah Falls. There was no need to get a Northwest Forest Pass.

When I and my wife sat on a stone bench across the bridge, a spray and mist caused a cooler micro-climate within the falls viewing area. That time we felt the need to have a sweater in summer for added warmth. We had no sweater with us, so only by remaining close to each other we managed to overcome the cold.

While returning back we saw the Wahkeena Falls which was near termination by the side of the road. To reach the actual falls, we had to hike some distance. The name Wahkeena means "most beautiful" in the Yakima language. Not as tall, at a little over 240 feet, and not as well-known, Wahkeena Falls still has much to offer in the way of beauty. The steep one-mile trail leading from the base of the falls to the top is loved by locals for its views, and wildflowers. From Portland, the drive is scenic all along.

It was late in the night and we went direct to the lodge. We checked in the lodge and then moved out again for our dinner. We had a comfortable sleep in the lodge.

Saturday, 7^th July, 2012

This was a very hectic day out. Leaving the lodge early in the morning we proceeded to the famous Crater Lake. The lake is quite far away from Portland lodge were we were staying. Our first stop was a beautiful lake where we stopped and had our lunch.

Among many lakes, the Waldo Lake is one of the purest lakes in the world, and a true gem of the Cascades. The lake is one of the largest natural lakes in Oregon. Waldo Lake is surrounded on three sides by thousands of acres of Waldo Lake Wilderness. Many visitors value the Waldo Lake area for its outstanding recreation opportunities, solitude, and scenic beauty. Located near the crest of the Cascades, Waldo Lake was difficult to access until the 1970s. Later a paved road and several campgrounds were added to the area. Increased local population and recreation use – including fishing, camping, and motor boating use – has led to a decline in water quality, though the lake’s water remains amazingly pure.

The Diamond Peak:

We next stopped at a viewpoint wherefrom we could see the Diamond Peak from a distance.  The Diamond Peak stands above the Willamette Pass area of Oregon about 50 miles southwest of Bend.  The Diamond Peak accounts for high snowfalls and a few glacial remnants are also seen near the peak. It's reachable by several trails and is a popular ski mountaineering peak in winter with over 4000 skiable vertical feet. The summit was carved by glaciers and has many semicircular hollow walls. The glaciers left behind dozens of lakes around this peak.  It's not a difficult summit but it is a more remote peak and the trails can be long (up to 21 miles round trip from the Willamette Pass and around 40 miles round trip from the west trails). The first ascent was in 1852 by John Diamond (namesake).

Crater Lake.

After having touched some scenic spots enroute we finally reached the Crater Lake. The first look on the Crater Lake brings to mind that no place else on earth combines a deep, pure lake, so blue in colour. It is a place of immeasurable beauty.

Crater Lake has long attracted the wonder and admiration of people all over the world. Its depth of 1,943 feet makes it the deepest lake in the United States, and the seventh deepest in the world. Its fresh water is some of the clearest found anywhere in the world.

Crater Lake was formed when a massive eruption of Mount Mazama 7700 years ago caused the mountain to collapse, leaving a steaming caldera. Centuries of rain and snow filled the caldera creating Crater Lake.

There is a Museum and Archive Collections of Crater Lake. The Crater Lake National Park is an area of 249 square miles dedicated to the preservation of its natural and cultural resources.

The Crater Lake Science and Learning Centre work to bring researchers and artists to Crater Lake to explore its resources. Many school children visit the Crater Lake every fall and spring.  Hundreds of thousands of people visit Crater Lake National Park each year. Crater Lake is located in the south- of the U.S. state of Oregon. The Crater Lake is famous for its deep blue colour and water clarity. The lake partly fills a nearly 2,148-foot deep crater that was formed around 7,700 years ago by the collapse of the volcano Mount Mazama. There are no rivers flowing into or out of the lake; the evaporation is compensated for by rain and snowfall.

 On June 12, 1853, John Wesley Hillman was reportedly the first person of European descent to see what he named "Deep Blue Lake" in Oregon. The lake was renamed at least three times, as Blue Lake, Lake Majesty, and finally Crater Lake.

Crater Lake is known for the "Old Man of the Lake", a full-sized tree which is now a stump that has been moving up and down vertically in the lake for more than a century. The low temperature of the water has slowed the decomposition of the wood, hence the longevity of the bobbing tree. The stump is about 2 feet in diameter and stands approximately 4 feet above the water. The surface has been bleached white by the elements. The exposed end of the floating tree is splintered and worn but wide and buoyant enough to support a person's weight. Some observations indicated that The Old Man of Crater Lake travels quite extensively, and sometimes with surprising rapidity.

While having no indigenous fish population, the lake was stocked with a variety of fish. Several species have formed self sustaining populations.

The lake is 5 by 6 miles across with an average depth of 1,148 feet.  Its maximum depth has been measured at 1,949 feet.  On the basis of maximum depth, Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States. However, on the basis of comparing average depths among the world's deepest lakes, Crater Lake becomes the deepest lake in the Western Hemisphere and the third deepest in the world.

The Klamath tribe of Native Americans, who may have witnessed the collapse of Mount Mazama and the formation of Crater Lake, have long regarded the lake as a sacred site. Their legends tell of a battle between the sky god and the god of the underworld. Mount Mazama was destroyed in the battle, creating Crater Lake. The tribe still holds Crater Lake in high regard as a spiritual site. The Crater Lake and the area became a national park in 1902.

            Rolling mountains, volcanic peaks, and evergreen forests surround this enormous, high Cascade Range Lake, recognized worldwide as a scenic wonder. On summer days, neither words nor photographs can capture Crater Lake's remarkable blueness. Snowfall provides most of the park's annual precipitation. Crater Lake rarely freezes over completely; it last froze in 1949.

Birds and other animals often seen are ravens, jays, nutcrackers, deer, ground squirrels and chipmunks. Black bear, foxes, porcupines, and squirrels are often seen.

Native peoples of the region travelled to the Crater Lake area for many purposes. The Park environs were used for both hunting and gathering. For the Klamath, spirit power could be found in many sources, among these "such natural features as mountains, streams, rocks, or even landmarks like Crater Lake". A thick blanket of snow encircles the remarkable blueness of Crater Lake. Having walked over the snow in the month of July was amazing. The children had a snow fight at the Crater Lake. This will remain ever fresh in my memory. It was awfully late when we covered the whole distance back to our lodge. 

Sunday, 8^th July, 2012

Portland:

The day was hot and bright. We left the lodge and proceeded towards the gardens and down town of Portland.

Portland is a city located in the U.S. state of Oregon, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers. It was Founded 1845.  The City population (2011) census is nearly 593,820. The Time zone of Portland is Pacific Standard Time. Portland is Oregon's most populous city.  Approximately 2.2 5 million people live in the Portland metropolitan area. Portland has been referred to as one of the most environmentally friendly, or "green", cities in the world. It has good public transportation networks and efficient land use planning. Portland has a climate marked by warm, dry summers; and wet, cool to chilly winter days. This climate is ideal for growing roses, and for more than a century, Portland has been known as the "City of Roses" with many rose gardens—most prominently the International Rose Test Garden. The city is also known for its large number of microbreweries and micro distilleries, as well as its food carts and coffee enthusiasm.

The Japanese Garden and the local tour was great. In fact the whole of Oregon is beautiful. Rivers and lakes create much-coveted open space in the hubbub of daily life in any city. In Oregon, we have so many rivers and lakes defining our landscape, that nearly every city, town, burg has at least one urban park with a river running through it, or a lake glimmering at its core. Some parks are small, with low hills for picnicking and just enough green space to shut out the weightier cares of the city. Others parks are vast and expansive, with opportunities to swim, fish, bike, run on wooded trails, romp with the dog, and play sports. From the petite to the super-size, I’ve rounded up five of my favourite urban parks in Oregon, each unique in its own dazzling way.

After having spent some hours in the Portland, we moved back to Seattle.