Day 24. Crater Lake, Oregon - who knew?

What an incredible place. This was one of the major destinations for me on the trip and it has not disappointed. We were truly lucky with the weather which could not have been better. After a fairly quick ride from Prineville we headed through some forests,  crossed a pumice desert and wound our way up to the rim of this:

 Just  to prove that we really were there and that these are not fake photos:

We rode around the entire rim just gasping at the incredible views. The water was bluer than the sky!

There was once a large volcanic mountain here until it erupted and collapsed leaving this giant crater. The floor of the crater (or caldera as we volcanic experts call it!) was sealed with volcanic ash and magma. The crater then filled with rainwater and snow melt which created the lake. The water is so clear because there are no streams or rivers flowing into it so there is no sediment or other material washing in.

"Phantom Ship"

This is a national park, established in 1902. The lake is 1,943 feet deep at its deepest point, which makes it the deepest lake in the US and the 9th deepest in the world. 

And this is where we are staying tonight - The Crater Lake Lodge (room booked in early January and we were lucky to get that!). This lodge opened in early 1900's and has been refurbished a few times since then. The views out of our window are incredible.