Crater Lake

We just got back from a little road trip to Bend and Crater Lake. I had been wanting to see Crater Lake since we moved to Portland. The lake was formed 7700 years again when a volcano Mount Mazama blew it's top. The lake is the deepest in the USA at almost 2000 feet deep. The famous lodge on the lake rim books months in advance and doesn't allow dogs. So, we stayed in Bend for two nights and made a day trip to Crater Lake.

After arriving at the lake, we went straight to the only trail that leads down to the water. You can catch a boat tour here as well but they were sold out of the trips that fit our schedule, which ended up being a good thing because the boat was tiny and probably not a good place for an infant.



The trail to the water is 1.1 miles of switchbacks. It was a pleasurable stroll down to the water and Priya did great, even falling asleep in the Baby Bjorn by the time we got to the bottom. The water was so blue and a little chilly. But that didn't stop Ami from dipping her toes in it and I managed to find a cliff to jump off of into the water (not in the picture below though).

The hike back up was a different story. Priya was not very happy and cried basically the whole way up. I had to carry her the last 1/3 because she wouldn't tolerate the Baby Bjorn. But we made it to the top and headed to the lodge for a great lunch, including a 3 berry cobbler with huckleberry ice cream (see, it's all about the berries).

On the way home from Bend the next day, we stopped at Detroit Lake and let Sona go for a swim since she missed out on Crater Lake. Priya had a blast watching Sona chase tennis balls in the lake (that's Sona in the background doing her best Lochness Monster impersonation).

A great little trip. Bend is a beautiful town surrounded by mountains and rivers with a walkable downtown filled with great shops and restaurants. Definitely worth repeat visits. If we had stayed through the weekend, I could have hit another brewers festival.