Oregon's Finest

Crater Lake, Oregon

This morning started with a trip to Portland's own Kettleman's Bagels for breakfast with our friends Erin, Budman, and The Bridge. After a delicious meal, we bid a fond farewell to Portland and continued our journey south. As we headed into the mountains, we noticed the weather taking a turn for the worse, but thankfully the rain held off long enough for us to get up close and personal with Crater Lake.


Formed almost 8,000 years ago, Crater Lake is the rainwater-filled hole left after the collapse of Mount Mazama. We took the scenic drive around the rim, and being that close to the lake is a powerful experience. The water is a deep, pure blue, and with the rainclouds above us, looked absolutely amazing.

There are pull-off points all along the drive, each providing a very different view of the lake.

Because it was caused by a volcanic eruption, Crater Lake is surrounded by all sorts of volcanic rock, including fields of natural pumice.

Every view of the lake is like a new Bob Ross painting.

We could hear thunder in the distance, but we stayed dry!

Driving back down the mountain we took the Oregon Scenic Byway, which provided us with some beautiful views of the southern Oregon hillside, as well as an incredible sunset.

California or bust!