Crater Lake

Today 6 of us rode from Diamond Lake 15 miles and up nearly 3000 ft to Crater Lake, then rode around the lake for 32 miles (with 3900 ft of elevation gain) then back down to Diamond Lake.  It is an annual ritual for me.

As we rode away from Diamond Lake smoke from nearby forest fires hung heavy in the air.  I was fearing that we might have a repeat of the last two years when heavy smoke impacted views at Crater Lake, two years ago so much so that we couldn't even see Wizard Island.  Luckily that was not the case this year. There was still smoke, but the bulk of it was in a wind blown stream to the west.

It was a cold morning as we pedaled out at 9AM, but within 5 miles the sun and elevation gain had warmed us up enough that we stopped to adjust clothing.

Depending on who was doing the describing, our 15 miles up to Crater Lake was either "consistent" or "relentless". We just kept pedaling along.

Note the band of smoke in the distance

We never go to Crater Lake to race, we go for the scenery. It is a 63 mile route that we plan on taking most of the day to cover.

There were plenty of opportunities to stop to take a photo (or rest!)

 

 

The wind helped direct the smoke away, but also put ripples on the lake keeping the famous reflections at bay.

Our traditional lunch stop stretched from the usual 30 minutes to 90 when the trip leader (me!) told folks we'd be stopping at the lodge for lunch.  The parking lot is a maze of paths, trails, and quazi-roadways. The group said "you lead".  I did, but you really aren't leading if nobody follows. ;-)  I stopped at the cafe (hey, it's all the lodge to me!) John rode by and waved.  I ordered a turkey and swiss sandwich along with a chocolate milk.  I was wondering where the others were, and just as I was finishing my lunch, Paul rode up and said "we are all at the lodge". I told him I'd be right there.
Within a minute I had unlocked my bike and we pedaling toward the lodge.  The Crater Lake Lodge is a rambling structure and I couldn't find them there, or even find their bikes parked outside.

 

 Cell service is very spotty, but after 30 minutes of looking for them I decided that it was time to roll. I sent a text to the rest saying that I'd meet them at the Phantom Ship overlook, about 8 miles down the road. I pedaled back through the parking lot, and as I rode past the cafe, there they were! Our group reunited, we spent another 30 minutes there as the others ate lunch.

Fully fed and hydrated we rolled out.  The route from the Lodge (area!) begins down a steep and twisty descent.  I may not be able to climb like a racer anymore, but I can almost descend like one! At the bottom of the descent there is a left turn to continue around Crater Lake, rather than continue to Medford. I waited for my partners, not wanting to lose them again.  I waited for a surprising amount of time.

The east rim has several large climbs where the road drops down into the former side canyons of Mt Mazama, and then climbs back up out of them.

 

A few mumblings of discontent were heard from some riders as we made our way up the long slogs.
This would be a Type II Fun day. ;-)

At the tops of the climbs we'd be rewarded with a good view.

Earlier in our trip as we approached the rim of the caldera, we saw signs warning of construction for the next 6 miles.  We noted that vehicles going clockwise around were leaving a trail of dust in their wake.  Gravel!  Yikes!

With about 5 miles left to go to get around, we came upon gravel. Luckily for us, rather than 5 miles of continuous gravel it was two sections, probably totaling 1 mile.  The first section was easy enough to ride on our narrow tires, but was very dusty.  At times the dust was so thick that I'd pull off and wait for it to clear because I was concerned about my visibility to cars.

The second stretch was on the descent to our turn back to Diamond Lake.  This wasn't as dusty, but was more tricky to ride as the gravel was deep and loose.  I rolled down the hill with back brakes on, and one foot unclipped.

We regrouped as we completed our circuit of Crater Lake. As we had done most of the day, we put jackets on before the long descent then rolled out.

I rolled down the long descent in the low 40's with my jacket fluttering in the wind.  In my mirror I could see John catching up with me.  I've only been passed on a descent once before and got in to a tighter tuck to keep it from happening again.  John is a big boy and gravity is his friend.  He caught up with me!  We rolled side by side for a bit then I sat up and fell back.  I like the full lane for maneuvering when at speed and was uncomfortable being relegated to half a lane.

In time we all covered the 15 miles back to Diamond Lake (with two taking a wrong turn and enjoying 7 bonus miles!).

Showers were taken, food was eaten, stories were told.




.........road bike..........rollers.........mtb..........lifecycle.......total
  Today............63..............0...............0...............0.................63
 Jan...............765...............0...............0...............0...............765
Feb................248...............0...............0...............0................248
March...........183.................0................0..............0................183
April..............228...............0................0...............0 ................228
May................200................0...............0...............0.................200
June................199.................0..............26...............0.................199
July.................246................0...............0.................0...............246
August.............90...............0.................0................0..................90
Total............2121...............0...............26...............0..............2147