Our last stop on our trip to Oregon and California was Crater Lake National Park in Central Oregon. We arrived there just before sundown and in spite of the mosquitoes managed to get a few pictures of the sunset before finding a place to park our van and sleep for the night. We found a place not far from the west entrance to the National Park and went to sleep hoping the mosquitoes would not be so bad by daylight.
They were just as bad the next morning when we drove back into the park. I have seldom seen so many mosquitoes, and even though we ventured out of the van only for a few hurried photos we were covered with bites and each time had to kill the mosquitoes that found their way into the van. We were told that snow melt time is always the worst in the park and that later in the year they would not be so abundant.
West Rim
My Partner in Crime
That, of course, was little consolation to us, but in spite of them we did the West Rim Drive and then most of the East Rim Drive, enjoying the scenery and getting what pictures we could. The place is stunningly beautiful, especially in the early morning light and we enjoyed the scenery from the protection of the van, the lake-filled crater, Wizard Island, the melting snow and the harsh outlines of the crater rim.
East Rim
