Crater Lake National Park was not on my radar. I had planned a road trip down the Pacific coast and cut across the States on my way home to Alberta. The coast was where all the views were, as far as I was concerned. I didn't really bother looking into what sights I could see on the drive home; I just wanted to put my head down and drive.

Travelling from Washington down the coast to Oregon with my sister, we made a quick stop in Portland for the Columbia River Gorge. It turned out to be trivia night at the place we went for dinner, and we decided to join in just for fun. One of the questions was about what landmark was featured in the commemorative Oregon State Quarter. We had just seen Cannon Beach, a view that awed us both and was most popular in the recommendations we received for travelling through Oregon, so naturally, we knew that must be it. We stayed long enough to find out that we were wrong, and there was something supposedly more incredible than Cannon Beach, that it was Crater Lake. But at that point, I was there to see the coastline. I didn't even know where Crater Lake was, but it was inland and not on the itinerary.

But it turned out that it was only an hour off the itinerary for my drive home. I was only looking at 4 hours of driving that day, so what were a few more to see this supposedly coin-worthy lake? There was a long line to get through the park gate, and a couple of hours turned to much more than just a couple, but when I reached the top of the south entrance, I couldn't believe the view. I was scrambling around on the snowy paths to get as many pictures from as many angles as I could in the short time I had. I do not regret the time I took to go up and see this amazing sight. It is one of my favourite parts of my trip.

I went in late May when snow still covered most of the roads in this area, and only the Rim Village was open. I want to return when I can explore the entire rim loop. The curve of this lake, formed in a volcanic crater with gorgeous peaks towering above it, is truly amazing.