We spent a quick week at a state park in southern Oregon on the Rogue River so we could go to Crater Lake National Park. Just by luck, it was the same day as the perigee moon eclipse, and it was a gorgeous day. We spent the whole day driving and hiking around the lake, had drinks and dinner on the deck of the lodge overlooking the lake, then found a lookout and hung out with all the photographers while the moon rose.

Crater Lake was formed 7,500 years ago after a volcanic eruption which lasted 2 weeks created a chamber below the peak of the mountain. In a matter of hours, some 4000′ of mountain top caved into the chamber.  The resulting crater was gradually filled with rain and snowmelt, making it a crystal-clear, unpolluted body of water since it is not filled by any other source. The blue of the water is legendary.

The pictures tell it all….amazing place.

The park rangers had warned us that when you first see the lake, due to it’s intense, blue color, you will most likely gasp. We did, and this was the first view.