Our weird weather continued, with rain and cold following us to Crater Lake- a blessing really since the rain put out the fires in the area- the weekend before we arrived the smoke and fog was so thick that you couldn't see the lake from the hotel.
We stayed at the beautiful Crater Lake Lodge, and enjoyed the cozy fireplaces and warm food in the lobby.
We scheduled the boat tour of the lake, and somewhat dreaded the hike into the crater- it is steep and dusty and neither of us wanted to carry Ben. Both boys were troopers and hiked down the many switchbacks with minimal complaints and no spills. The boat ride was really amazing- until for the first time in park history- the boat had to turn around because of eminent thunder storms and hail! So we made a u-turn in the middle of the lake, and headed back to shore. We encouraged the kids back up the crater wall- we very much didn't want to hike up in the rain on slippery dusty rocks. We made it back to the hotel without incident, and happy for the part of the tour we did get to experience.
Owen and Richard made an additional hike up to the top of a lookout tower, with a guide who explained more about the trees and local environment. They watched the sun set over the rim of the crater. Ben and I stayed by the fire and did puzzles. Another benefit of the weather- we saw a rainbow over the lake.
The final day we took the park's guided trolley around the crater rim loop. We enjoyed learning more about how the crater formed, and both of us enjoyed not trying to drive and look at the same time. This also was Richard's birthday, which we celebrated with a nice breakfast at the lodge, and with cake and presents after we got home later that afternoon.
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