Crater Lake National Park

What a beautiful day. A beautiful, beautiful, very refreshing day.

We drove through Rogue River National Forest to get to Crater Lake National Park, and there could not be a more beautiful way to start the journey! It was a little concerning as we were approaching the park because everything was encapsulated with a thick fog. Additionally, it seems that their winter season was a prolonged, and that the entire road system of the park was not open for the season. But the fog lifted as we entered the park, and the snow did not detract too much. While we did not get to experience the entire park due to road closure, and depth of snow preventing the hiking that we wanted to do (we were not prepared to snowshoe!), it was a thoroughly awesome experience. That being said, it is on our list to go back when the entire park is open!

The benefits of going when we did? We practically had the park to ourselves!

Afterwards, we enjoyed a beautiful drive through Umpqua National Forest. It was here that parked for a while to explore and got to watch ospreys flying around and tending to their nest. Such majestic birds!

We ended the day in Eugene OR, venturing to Viking Braggot Company and Coldfire Brewing Company along the way.