Day 4: Interstate 5 South to Crater Lake

Our longest daily car travel of this trip was scheduled today: 290 miles from Vancouver WA to Crater Lake National Park in Southern Oregon (see map below). Nothing spectacular to see on the Interstate 5 other than an incredible amount of cars traveling in both directions. This was the height of the US holiday season and the state of the economy did not seem to impact long distance car travel whatsoever. And amazing how many gas guzzlers one could count. The new car sales stats of 2008 - small cars made up almost a third of the total - were nowhere reflected on Oregon's highways. Americans still seem to love big cars. Big "trucks", for that matter.

The scenery changed dramatically to the better as we turned off Interstate 5 at Eugene OR slowly driving up through the Cascades range and eventually up to Crater Lake. All the way the road meandered through endless woods composed of huge pine trees, intercepted here and there by a beautiful lake or creek.

Shortly before approaching Crater Lake park entrance the landscape opened up dramatically to a desert or moonlike clearing - a huge area where the exploding Mount Mazama's ashes some 10'000 years ago came to rest. This picture describes it better than words.

From there it was just a short ride to the rim of Crater Lake. No further comments to the picture on top showing the incredibly beautiful view which welcome the visitor reaching the rim of the crater lake: hands down one of the most beautiful spots in the world.

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