Crater Lake - Magic...

It's been raining heavily for 24 hours here and the deer are totally soaked. Here they are looking in, wistfully, wishing for more apples (Old Mamma is on the top right; notice her right leg with the knob where it broke 3 years ago).

Meanwhile, it's probably snowing heavily in Crater Lake, here in southern Oregon. If you've never been there, I would say that it's worth your while to see it at least once in your lifetime. I first visited when I was 13 and never forgot the experience.

As you approach the top of the crater rim to get the first glimpse of the lake, the intense blue of the water takes the breath away.

Crater Lake is magical, like a large brilliant blue gem in the middle of a forested nowhere. The lake, formed from rain and snow over the past 7,700 years, is contained in the remnants of the volcano that is known as Mount Mazama. The lake is 6 miles wide and 1,943 feet deep. It is the deepest lake in the US, one of the deepest in the world. The sides of the crater are nearly vertical in most places.

The photos showing snow were taken mid-June; even that late in the early summer there were 10-foot snow drifts in places.

There are many forms of wildlife that migrate through the area, and those that are permanent residents. This beetle was very friendly, and very large! Anybody know what kind it is?