We celebrate our four week road anniversary in Bend, Oregon where we got a haircut (me), new prescription sunglasses (Corey) and an oil change (the car). Before that it was two lovely days camping at Crater Lake.

Crater Lake (America’s deepest lake) is nothing like Lake Tahoe (America’s second deepest lake). There is but one access point to Crater Lake and it involves a very steep one mile hike. Once there you can jump into the lake but not with a flotation device. The only other permitted aquatic activity is to take a boat tour which is maddeningly difficult to book (you can only book it 24 hours in advance and only on-line at a park which has very limited cell coverage). So you mostly drive around the rim and gawk at the crazy blue swirl contained within a 7000 year old volcanic blast zone. It is awesome. And also a bit crowded although sights away from the rim had a much more easy going vibe.

We did have a few odd moments at the park. Perhaps the oddest was being told the campground store and a nearby restaurant were being “evacuated” with no other further explanation. You do not want to hear the words “evacuated” when camping in fire season at a place with little to no cell coverage. People of course wanted to know if they also were about to be evacuated to which the goofball kid answered “not at this time.”

Turned out it was just a power failure. A minor nuisance when you are tent camping. We had to brush our teeth by flashlight within the otherwise working bathroom. No reason to panic. And the stars were just that much more brighter.