Crater Lake National Park epitomizes a great destination spot for me, and more often, my family.
1. It takes a certain kind of effort to get there. It took tenacity to take young children and my older (but also tenacious) in-laws to get there. We had to find an ideal place to rest our heads and accommodate the special needs of daughter #1.
2. The effort also needs to involve traversing a maze of highways that requires some map savvy and at least one, but preferably more "blue highways."
3. The more first-time traveled roads, the better.
4. A destination with beauty that takes my breath away.
5. A destination where stories of the region are available and shared through a combination of reading, imagining, or sharing a conversation.
6. A trip where relationships are strengthened through shared experience.
7. An event that displays some of the best of God's gifts and the human experience.
I'm not sure any destination can meet all seven of these points, but Crater Lake was close. Crater Lake is on the edge of nowhere--and we traveled copious blue highways to get there. We hit the wonderful Bend, Oregon, and its Whole Foods Market to stock up on minimally processed and zero artificial additive foodstuffs to feed our troops for the journey and relaxation.
Crater Lake can only be described well by the best of photographers and writers. I am almost embarrassed to post these photos. I am reminded through my photos what limited perspective I have on the nature of the universe, even when the best of it is staring me in the face. I want to return to this site with my dear wife, and explore some of the more remote places of the park. Hiking Wizard Island (an even more involved trip) is the big destination and points in the desert to the southeast. I am thankful I was able to see this site at least once in my lifetime.
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