Great Summer Adventure 2018 Installment Two - Hells Canyon, Painted Hills & Crater Lake

Before we left Idaho, we took a trip to McCall, Idaho. Different people had told us that we should not miss Hells Canyon. While McCall is a beautiful town, Hells Canyon provided spectacular scenery. A boat trip down the Snake River provided thrills as we went through class 5 rapids (scale of 1-6, 6 being the highest).

Hells Canyon Recreation Area covers an area with the Snake River being the border between Idaho and Oregon. This canyon is deeper than the Grand Canyon!

A view of the canyon

Another view

On our way to Bend, we drove through the Painted Hills Area in Oregon. This was worth a short side trip to see these hills.  Traveling in the RV, we're always concerned about getting into situations where we can't turn around. Luckily at the end of this road, there was a small park/interpretive center that had a road for us to circle around without any problems.

Painted Hills 

While in Bend,  we took a short day trip to the Newberry National Volcanic Monument. 

Mount Bachelor (left) and the Three Sisters Mountains on the right

Paulina Falls (lowest point of the Newberry Caldera)

The highlight of our time in Bend was our trip to Crater  Lake.  We had researched ahead of time and learned that part of the rim road was still closed due to snow. We had cloudy/misty weather most of the way there, but didn't think we'd run into snow as we ascended the mountain. (We had thought ahead and brought winter coats and hats with us.)

Yes, it was cold enough for winter jackets and hats! (Barely 40 degrees)

Our first view of Crater Lake

Someone offered to take this pic of us

(lake in background still overcast)

It cleared up after lunch, we finally have good views!

Wizard island is in the forefront

A different angle, yes, the water is really this blue!

Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the U.S. It is fed entirely by rain and snow. No rivers or streams flow into it. It is considered to be the cleanest large body of water in the world. The lake rests inside a caldera that was formed about 7700 years ago when a 12,00 foot volcano collapsed following a major eruption. Later eruptions formed Wizard Island.

Once again, pictures don't quite totally capture the beauty of this lake. But we are left with our memories of this beautiful place.  We're now camped in McMinnville, OR for a month. We have a lot of exploring we want to do while here!