Darn, we forgot to pack our snowshoes!

Today we set out for Crater Lake National Park in Oregon. By checking their website ahead of time (http://www.nps.gov/crla/home.htm), we learned that some of the park roads were still closed from the winter snows, but that the visitor center at the rim was open. We certainly did NOT expect what we found as we gained altitude to get to the visitor center! The above picture was taken at the visitor center parking lot (elevation approximately 7,000 feet).

It turns out that the Crater Lake area averages about 44 FEET of snow per year - one of the snowiest areas in the U.S. The skies were clear, the temp's in the 45-50 range but warm in the sun, so walking around was quite comfortable.

On our way north to Bend, Oregon, we caught glimpses of Mt. Thielsen, elevation 9,182....

....and further north stopped in Lava Lands Visitor Center (part of Newberry National Volcanic Monument) to see the remnants of an ancient volcano's eruptions:

The variety of terrain in this country is incredible!