Crater Lake Revisited

Saturday, October 1st - - Last year I spent three beautiful days at Crater Lake National Park (September 24th through the 26th). And though this visit was just a week later than last year, the weather was much different – colder and cloudier, though not quite as windy – and the campground was closed as were many other facilities in the park.

This time, the visit was a short one – just a few hours – but it was sort of on my way. I don't know why, but this is a special place for me. It is exquisitely beautiful. Magical. Perhaps it is the startling color of the water – it's like nothing I've ever seen anywhere else.

Last year I had taken a series of pictures hoping to “merge” them together into a panoramic view, but never got around to doing it. And now I have this fancy new camera that does that for me! You really, really need to double-click on these images for a larger view...

This view was taken at Rim Village on the south side of Crater Lake.

This is from the southwest side near Discovery Point.

And, this is from the west side at Watchman Overlook.

Those few patches of white on the west side (left) of Wizard Island are piles of snow that are “left over” from last years record snowfall.

Surprisingly, there were quite a few other people there – but take a few steps along one of the trails and the people seem to disappear. Not many travel those paths this time of year. It would be easy to lose yourself in a place like this. The mind wanders into mysterious places while you're watching the movements of the clouds and the water. Time passes quickly, too quickly, but it is a two hour drive to the next campground and it is getting late in the afternoon. Reluctantly, I leave. Hoping that some day I may return again to spend a little more time in this place.

Honeyman State Park

A short walk from the campground and through the forest leads to this beautiful little lake surrounded by the forest and sand dunes. Double-click on the image to see a larger version... it is a portion of a panoramic view that doesn't quite capture the full beauty and serenity of the place, but does a pretty good job of it!

I sat up on top of this sand dune for several hours, listening to the quiet. The only other people around were those two youngsters at the edge of the water, far below. Optical illusion? After looking at this image for awhile, it is hard to tell whether you are looking down toward water, or up toward sky, either way, it was a long way up/down.

As the sun lowered toward the horizon I left my gorgeous viewpoint and ventured down to the small lake.

Jessie M. Honeyman Memorial State Park

South of Florence, Oregon

September 29, 2011

Along the Oregon Coast...

The air was cool,

the sun was warm,

a stiff breeze was blowing,

the waves were churning.

Strange formations (natural or man-made?) beneath a cliff below the highway.

Intense blues.

Taking advantage of the sunshine... sadly, it didn't last long.

All photos taken between Newport and Florence on U.S. 101

September 29, 2011

Tangled Roots :: Time for a Change

Saturday, September 29th - - The sign at Beverly Beach State Park in Oregon states that this is an Ancient Stump that goes...

“Back to the dawn of the bronze age! This root mass was one of many buried beneath the beaches along the Oregon Coast between Newport and Neskowin. It once supported a spruce tree, which was buried when the land suddenly dropped into the sea. It remained preserved beneath the sand for 4,100 years before surfacing and breaking free in 1998. Violent winter storms washed it into the mouth of Spencer Creek in 1999.”

The root mass was quite large, perhaps 25-30 feet in diameter and appeared to be of one piece. An amazing thing, regardless of its age, with roots going off in all directions and twisting and curving around each other.

Monday, October 3rd - - The few days I had here on the coast of Oregon were incredibly nice. The weather forecast was as nice as was predicted, and as predicted the clouds and rain returned. It's time for a change...

After a great deal of thought, and realizing (among other things) that I'm just plain tired after being "on the road" for most of the last two years, I've decided to take a break from the travels for a while. I'm not saying the journey is at an end, in some regards it may just be beginning! Yes, that's rather cryptic. Sort of follows the mood I'm in at the moment.

I've been heading east for the last two days, but not back to Indiana, at least not just yet. I'll be making a stop in Salt Lake City to do some research (for an undetermined, indefinite period of time). The ancestors have been calling me and I think the time has come that more of them will reveal themselves to me! That's what I'm hoping for... The answers are out there, somewhere, the very least I can do is go and look for them. Perhaps I can make my way through the maze of tangled roots in my family tree and expose them for their descendants to see...

The Sun Sinks into the Ocean

Beverly Beach State Park north of Newport, Oregon

September 28, 2011

Water as Smooth as Glass

Beverly Beach State Park north of Newport, Oregon

September 28, 2011

Cape Blanco

Monday, September 27, 2010 - - Cape Blanco State Park, eight miles northwest of Port Orford, Oregon.

Looking South from the top of the bluff.

This is why it is called Cape Blanco. As I drove up to the park, the sky changed from a beautiful blue to white and the temperature dropped eight degrees.

Within two hours the fog completely blanketed the area...

Crater Lake Addendum

The third day at Crater lake wasn't quite as nice as the previous two days. More clouds but there was still sunshine! And lots more wind that, in some areas, was whipping up the surface of the lake.

With the back-lighting of the sunshine and the wind blowing the water, the surface mimicked ocean waves.

While in other areas of the lake, the water was calm and smooth.

A rock formation called “The Phantom Ship” which it resembles under certain lighting conditions.

One of the many little critters that roamed the overlook areas on the rim road.

The first three photos were taken on Sunday September 26, 2010 while the latter three were taken on Saturday September 25th.

Exquisite Beauty

Friday, September 24th - - Words cannot describe, nor photographs convey completely, the simplicity and incredible beauty of this place... Crater Lake National Park.

Greetings from... Oregon!

Mount Hood (as seen from “a few” miles away near Columbia Hills, Washington).

Arcadia Beach.

Manzanita Bay.

This and the following photographs were taken at Nehalem Beach State Park.

All photos were taken on September 21, 2010.