Above Level

We had breakfast with Marji and Jeffrey before leaving Portland. Marji is Camille's birth buddy. When I was pregnant in Nashville, I met a young woman named Shannon in a maternity shop. Prego women always talk, especially in smaller towns and places where maternity is the business. We found we had the same doctor and almost the same due date. She started talking about a patient our doctor had,  who did all these crazy things (doctor spilled stories about patients to patients, ethics, who needs ethics???) Turned out they were my stories. We ended up having birthing classes together and becoming great family friends still today, though we have moved 3 times since to different parts of the country. It was great to see Marji and meet Jeffrey.

The drive to southern Oregon was uneventful until we reached Crater Lake. It's stunning, with nearly vertical walls and cliffs completely ringing it a few hundred feet above water level. An island that  stereotypically looks like a volcano rises out of water near one side.. Think of how you drew a volcano as a kid and that's what it looks like minus the lava. The lake is considered a complete ecosystem with no rivers or streams feeding it. It's waters come completely from snow melt and rainwater, filling the caldera to depths of 1942' at it's deepest. That's a lot of water, and a lot of snow, too. Snow still clings feet deep to some parts of the slopes. Air temperature, according to Compass, was 61 degrees, 25 degrees lower than in Portland. There is sparse vegetation, other than trees, which in some places are quite gnarled, reminding us of fairytales… Fascinating. Posts made from smaller dead trees, about 15-20' tall line the road out of Crator Lake. Look like they are used as snow gages to indicate where the road is. Signs with > on them are more than 10' up, not what is usual for car traffic.

One could take a gazillion pictures and all would be interesting, but to really appreciate the beauty of Crater Lake,  you have to see it. We felt like  Hansel and Graetal, driving out through densely packed trees with a sliver of the evening sky glowing where the road split the trees. If it weren't for that, we would have thought it was night time.