Trip 9 - California Dreamin'

On this trip we set out to immerse ourselves in the culture and the nature of California. To discover its textures and see some of its natural wonders. We discover that California is very big. It is not a state that you can just pass through, it is, more than any other place we have visited, more like another country. It is a land dominated by mountains, the spaces between and like nowhere else, water.
Our start in the heavily populated area to the East of Los Angeles, known as the Inland Empire, is crowded into the lowlands surrounded by magnificent mountains. The feeling is of a cauldron which is trying to boil over the mountains to the fresh air of the rest of the state.
To the South is a band of Desert, which is the buffer to Mexico, which we did not explore on this trip.
We travelled North through the mountains (everywhere in California you can see mountains) to the desert, and on again to the huge Central Valley, mile after mile of intensive agriculture. Culture here is dominated by food, flatness, low income and trying to impact on the 'sameness' of the flat lands through music and festival. It is the communication and administrative corridor that links all other areas of California.
To the East is the huge mountain chain of the Sierra Nevada which clearly demonstrates the magnificence of the natural world, both in its geology and nature, reflected in the pysche and pride of most Californians. It is Eldorado, dominated by Gold!
To the West of the Central Valley are the coastal mountains, San Francisco and the magnificent coast. More isolated cultures, from mixed resources, communities seperated by mountains.
To the North of the Central Valley more mountains and a culture which looks more North towards Oregon than South to Sacremento.
This blog details our journey through California, where we pick and choose, or just scratch the surface, of this diverse and beautiful state.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Crater Lake - A difficult task


We had come this way so that we could see Crater Lake, as it seemed l ike a good idea. What we did not realise is that it is so gobsmackingly awesome. It merits almost every superlative you can come up with.
It is the remains of a volcano, which poured out its basalt innards, then the central cone collapsed down into the space left when the basalt erupted. Over the years the crater that was left filled with water to create a lake. There is no way out so the water just gets deeper until the surface area evaporation equals the reainwater entering.
The end result is an almost circular lake which is 6 miles across, with 1,000ft sheer volcanic cliffs all the way round. The lake is 1900 feet deep, absolutely clear and the deepest blue you can imagine. The overall effect when the road reaches the crater rim is achingly beautiful. You just stand and look and look and look. Photos of course cannot do it justice. It just has to remain in our memory as one of the most beautiful natural wonders we have seen. So beautiful that it is a difficult task to describe it.
Posted by fastrak at 9:16 PM

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