{"id":4653,"date":"2023-06-13T20:27:28","date_gmt":"2023-06-14T00:27:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.tubridy.net\/newblog\/?p=4653"},"modified":"2023-06-13T20:31:17","modified_gmt":"2023-06-14T00:31:17","slug":"crater-lake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.tubridy.net\/newblog\/excellent\/crater-lake\/","title":{"rendered":"Crater Lake"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Summer I moved to California my girlfriend and I made a trip to Seattle. Her cousin got married and she was part of the wedding party.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Eddie & Holly in Seattle, Summer 1975<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

I had spent the earlier part of the summer diving with a couple of guys that ran a dive shop in Santa Maria. The group of us decided to meet up at Crater Lake on our drive up and go diving there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We arrived and checked in with the Park Ranger. He told us that only a handful of people had dived there that he knew about. It was a hot, sunny day and we lugged our tanks, full wetsuits, and 40 pounds of weights a mile or so down a trail to the water. The trip back up was worse \ud83e\udd23.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The water was a brisk 36F and you could see forever! There were large, volcanic boulders strewed around that you could move relatively easily. The only living things I saw were freshwater snails and sparse plant life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was an interesting dive to be sure. I am glad we did it because it is prohibited now! They are concerned, probably rightly, that invasive species could be introduced. Being from Florida I know how that can damage an established ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Some 48 years later, Jake and I headed out from Crescent City for a relatively short drive to Crater Lake. We mostly backtracked our route, taking time to see the sights on our way.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u2068Six Rivers National Forest\u2069 on the Redwood Highway<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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I stopped for gas along the way and was surprised to see a guy with a gas station attendant’s uniform standing by my window. I figured I got caught in a time warp back to the 60s before he reminded me that in Oregon you can’t pump your own gas! He even cleaned my windshield! I was flummoxed!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We made it to the RV park early. We got some great tips from the staff there for things to see nearby. After lunch and a nap, we headed back out again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Natural Bridge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I would have named this site Underground River instead. It features a very cool section of the Rogue River that flows underground in an old lava tube.<\/p>\n\n\n\n