Sunrise over Crater Lake Oregon

Yes - this is a back-blip.  My wife and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary on September 23, 2023 and spent it at Carter Lake National Park.  We were here on our 20th and told each other we should come back at 40 years.  And we made it.  The lodge is totally renovated now yet still fits the old feeling of a great  lodge.  The next morning, we woke up to this scene out our window. Amazing.  Weather was coming and most of the California forest fire smoke was gone.  

We finished our day there with a hike to the top of a near by mountain. The extra is shot from the top.  The Crater Lake Lodge is that small yellow building on the lower left side of the shot.  The lake is 1000 feet below the lodge, and that island is Wizard Island - actually a live volcano but quiet for a long time.  A wonderful hike - over 1000 feet of climb in about 2 hours.  Well worth the view (extra) and we got back down before the real weather came in - high wind and very cold air, with rain just to be complete.

The next day we left and headed home - through a snow fall.  Yikes - it is September after all.