Crater Lake really is that blue! It is incredibly beautiful. We had a marvelous time with our good friends from Indiana. Our trip included a boat tour of the lake, a trip to Diamond Lake for swimming and rental of a pontoon boat, and a drive around the lake to all the view points.
First off, the lodge has a Great Room and a view that are totally awesome. We had a loft room with two queen beds and a claw-foot tub. I hope that's the last time I need to bathe in a tub though.
The trip to the boat tour involves hiking down a trail 1 mile to the lake, and of course, the subequent hike up. It was very hot there (in the 90's) so the hike up was not welcome, but the boat tour was worth it. We dipped our feet in the lake which was rather cool (top few inches are 50 degrees and it goes down from there) but felt good.
Diamond Lake is outside the National Park, but only about 5 miles away so it was a quick trip to get the kids in the water. Crater Lake was too cold for them. We had a blast when we rented the pontoon boat and the kids took turns jumping off.
Chloe and Grace played hand rhymes and Ryan and Christopher played like puppies. On the last day we took a wildflower hike that was buggy but spectacular!
Finally, I spent all day today on the Piney Woods quilt and finally got the top almost done. I need to sew on the borders tomorrow. The center square with the empty brown section will be appliqued with something special. I am hoping to get it to the quilter's tomorrow or the next day. Then I can get back to my challenge quilt.