Central Oregon: The Cato's at Crater Lake

We finally made it to Crater Lake this weekend.  It was beautiful, and we had a great time.

For videos of our adventures, you can visit our shiny new YouTube channel, Hey Cato's.

I was surprised at the 17 degree drop in weather from the Crater Lake exit to when we actually got to the viewpoints at Crater Lake National Park.  It was windy and a little chilly at first, but with sweatshirts and a trail to hike, we warmed up quickly.

Something I thought of after this trip is that going to touristy places on the weekend has drawbacks (finding parking), but there are also benefits, like getting to meet and listen to people from so many other cultures.  The kids said they counted 6 different languages in addition to the large group of Englishmen that we shared a lookout with.  They said it was neat to be sharing the place with people from all over the world.

The viewpoint above was an information center where park rangers give talks several times a day. There is a little history of Crater Lake museum in the building as well.  One funny thing about this stop was seeing tourists all lined up along the viewing area, taking selfies.  Definitely not something we would have seen 20 years ago!  It gave me a chuckle, for sure!

We did the Watchman Overlook hike, which was only 1.6 miles, but with the elevation and incline, it was a moderate hike.  Right before we set out at this stop, Jackson got the worst end of a huge gust of wind that came by just as a passing vehicle kicked up dirt and sand.  His poor eyes had sand in them for about 20 minutes, but we prayed and he was able to blink it out for the rest of the hike.

I have to post pictures of the real reason this trip was awesome and worth remembering:  my crazy, funny, cheerful people who laughed with me all the way up, down, and around Crater Lake.  I love being on this adventure with them.  They don't love posing for photos, so I think that in the future I need to take more candid shots and let it be whatever it is.

And as usual, creepy baby had a terrible time.  What can I say?  There's just no pleasing her!  :)