Where am I? -- Volume I

[Rick Quinn]

Okay, here's a good one. If you look closely at this zoomed in picture, you'll see a curvy road, and a parking area.



Here's the same picture, zoomed out.


I promised three clues, so here you go:

Note the prominent mountain in the distance (on the left). Note the shape of it. Note the shiny spot near the top. That's clue #1.

Note the parking area in the zoomed in picture. The mountainside seems to be sort of falling away there. The parking area must be overlooking a view, and even though you can't see it in this picture, that's Clue #2.

Clue #3 is that little piece of road. This is NOT the usual view, but--(are you ready for this?)--I can just about guarantee that every one of you regulars have driven it!

Who can tell me where I am?

Rick

[Southwest Dave]

Are we looking at Mt Baldy ?

Dave.

[Rick Quinn]

Are we looking at Mt Baldy ?

Dave.

Dave:

You mean the cone-shaped peak on the left? That's actually Mt. Scott, but it's not well-known, so the name alone isn't likely to ring any bells. The clue was the fact that it's an obvious volcano, with just a little snow still on it in the summertime. That pretty well narrows us down to the Cascade Range in the Pacific Northwest. How about if I pan my camera just a few degrees to the right:

That ought to do it. Matter of fact, I believe I just saw a light bulb go on. (Several of them...)

[Mark Sedenquist]

Yeah, that a pretty good visual clue.

Mark

[glc]

Crater Lake.

[Rick Quinn]

Crater Lake.

Indeed it is, George--one of my favorite places, all the way around.

This picture is taken from essentially the same vantage point as those first two. I was on the east side of the crater, looking to the southwest. The rugged shoreline here looks a little different than the image of Crater Lake that most folks who have been there carry in their memory.


A little further down the road, I'm sure the view is getting more familiar. I won't pretend that I never brighten the colors in my photos, but in this case, that impossible shade of blue is as real as it gets.


Around the other side of the lake, closer to the Visitor's center, is the view that's instantly recognizable: Wizard Island, a little volcano growing out of the collapsed, water-filled caldera of what was once the biggest volcano in the region


Depending on cloud cover and the angle of the sun, there are certain times of day when the crater looks as if it's filled with sky and clouds, rather than water...




It would be pretty tough to take a bad picture of Crater Lake. Especially if you're out there at sunset.


I camped in my Jeep in the National Park, and I got an early start the next day. What that meant, in practical terms: I also got some great pictures of the sunrise, from the exact same spot!


Crater Lake is one of those places that you really have to see for yourself. My photos do a reasonably good job of capturing the scenery. What they don't capture is the feeling you get when you're standing out there, with the sun coming up over all that grandeur. That's the kind of thing that makes it worth getting up in the morning!

Rick

[Southwest Dave]

Doh !! I have stood at the same spot !



Dave.

[Rick Quinn]

Clue #3 is that little piece of road. This is NOT the usual view, but--(are you ready for this?)--I can just about guarantee that every one of you regulars have driven it!

Rick

What did I tell you!

[Utahtea]

Clue #3 is that little piece of road. This is NOT the usual view, but--(are you ready for this?)--I can just about guarantee that every one of you regulars have driven it!

Rick

Yep, you were right....we've been to Crater Lake several times!

Utahtea

[Rick Quinn]

Okay, now put on your blindfolds, (or pull your face masks up over your eyes) and spin 'round in circles until I yell stop.

Ready?

Or not! stop peeking!...keep spinning...

Boom! And just like that, here we are...where? Somewhere else altogether!

This is a canyon:


No, really--it IS a canyon, and it even has a bottom to it:


From rim to rim, it's filled with gorgeous hoo doos, fins, and spires that look almost (but not quite) like a rather more famous canyon that's a couple hundred miles away (as the crow flies):


Still not sure? Here's your clue:


What, no instant flash of recognition? No sage nods of certainty?
(Psst: they think you're kidding!)
(Who, me? Never! Or at least, not this time.)
Seriously, the windmill is a real clue, so after you've identified the Mystery Canyon, tell us why the windmill matters.

Rick