Crater Lake

We stopped off at the Crater Lake Lodge, gift shop and snack bar. We picked up a sandwich and chips for later. On to Cleetwood Cove kiosk to check in for our Wizard Island half day boat tour. We were quite surprised to discover that our tickets were taken care of, a free ride! Yahoo! We changed into our hiking boots for the 1.1 mile hike down to the boat dock. We met a nice Asian family from San Francisco while we ate our lunch under the shade of the pine trees, with the silliest chipmunks crawling all over us! The boat ride to Wizard Island was fun, riding in a boat in the crater, a unique experience! We hiked the one mile trail up the Wizard Summit and walked around the top of the crater, a crater within a crater! We met a nice couple from Calgary, BC and hiked along with them. On the drive back to Medford we stopped to view the Natural Bridge Falls near Union Creek. The Rouge River flows into underground lava tubes and surges back to the surface cascading down the gorge,

A beautiful day at Crater Lake

Wizard Island, that's where we are headed

Boat dock at Cleetwood Cove

On the boat

Away we go

Boat taking people back to Cleetwood Cove

Starting up to the crater summit

Great views along the trail

Gorgeous views

Inside Wizard Crater

Sharing another great hike together

Fumerole Bay

Looking down at the lake from the top of Wizard Island.....the water is so blue

Time to head back down

Kent trying to be brave.....burrr!

Chicken!  The water is very cold!

This chipmunk wouldn't leave us alone

Phantom Ship

Snow melt waterfall

There's still snow!

Pumice Castle

Evening is settling in on Wizard Island and Crater Lake

Natural Bridge Falls

Water flows into lava tubes

Mt. Shasta

We spent the night in Mt. Shasta and then after breakfast we took a rather unusual type of hike . . . along the railroad tracks enroute to Mossbrae Falls, 1.2 miles each way next to the Sacramento River. At first we sort of got lost and found Shasta Springs instead, later discovering that the springs belonged to a strange cult in the Dunsmuir area! Yikes! Lucky for us, they didn't see us! Both the falls and springs were very pretty. We drove up to Bunny Flat to get a better view of Mt. Shasta; only 1.6 miles each way to Horse Camp for an even better view . . . who could resist? Off we go and what a treat, not only the view, but the cold refreshing Shasta spring water to refill our water bottles with . . . ahhh! Time for another car wash, only this one didn't really clean the car . . . what will Alamo think?

Walking along the railroad tracks to Mossbrae Falls

Mossbrae Falls near Dunsmuir

Mossbrae Falls is on the Sacramento River

Shasta Springs

Shasta Springs boardwalk

Sweet peas

Flying past Mt. Shasta

Mt. Shasta

Heading to Horse Camp

Shasta Alpine Lodge

Horse Camp 8000 ft.

Refreshing Shasta Mountain water

When they say "Pack it in, pack it out" They mean everything!

This gave us a good laugh!  It's a poop target.....no kidding!