WINTER VOLUNTEERS AT THE RIM DESK
by Greg Reddell

Greg Reddell at the Winter Rim Desk in the Rim Restaurant and Gift Shop in January 2004.

Unless Friends are members of the Crater Lake Ski Patrol, the only winter volunteer activity we have nutured is assisting the park with visitor contact at the information desk in the Rim cafeteria and gift shop.

I updated Friends on the Winter Rim Desk Training on November 22 in the Winter 2003 Newsletter. It was a pretty day to be at the park. Friends who have volunteered at the Winter Rim Desk know that they can experience both extremes of Crater Lake's winter weather. This year, I wasn't there for a big snow storm like other years, but I had both low overcast clouds from an approaching storm and beautiful but cold sunny days. Both will make for a memorable experience.

Friends staffed the Winter Rim Desk most weekends of January and February and some in March. After some storms the road to the Rim was not opened this winter and sometimes we lacked volunteers.

Next year I will try to find more Friends to help at the Winter Rim Desk. Let's try to staff the desk every weekend the road to the Rim is open. I didn't stay over night at Crater Lake this year during my two volunteer weekends, but there is available winter housing for Friends who do.

PENDLETON DONATION
by George Buckingham

The Crater Lake National Park Blanket is navy; other blankets are Gret Smokey Mts (green), Acadia (black), Glacier (ivory), Mt. Rainier (red), Grand Canyon (blue), and Grand Teton (ivory).

You may recall that the Pendleton Company featured Crater Lake National Park in its "HOME" catalog last year. The photography was great. Well, how could they miss with Crater Lake as the subject! As a result of that marketing effort, the company set aside 20% of gross sales of blankets sold from August 18 through December 31, 2003. This amounted to some $2,500 and has been donated to the Friends of Crater Lake National Park. This was a generous effort on the part of the Pendleton Company and we thank them. Should the opportunity present itself, we encourage you to extend a personal thank you as well.

RHAPSODY IN BLUE
by Greg Reddell

Friends will want to watch for the new guidebook that the Crater Lake History Association has published. The author is Friend of Crater Lake Steve Mark, park service historian at Crater Lake National Park. You will remember Steve for the many articles he has written for this newsletter.

Rhapsody in Blue covers history of the Rim Drive with a collection of historic photos. The book includes a dozen detachable postcards featuring historic photos along the Rim Drive. The spiral binding will make the book handy to flip when used as a guide around Crater Lake's Rim.

Steve said that the Natural History Association hopes to get Rhapsody in Blue distributed to local book stores for sale, but so far it is only for sale at Crater Lake's Visitor Centers or by mail ($6.95 plus postage) from

Crater Lake Natural History Association
P.O. Box 157
Crater Lake, OR 97604
phone 541 594-3110

LAVA BEDS NATIONAL MONUMENT'S VISITOR CENTER GRAND OPENING

This winter the new Visitor Center at the Lava Beds in northern California opened. The Lava beds is celebrating the Grand Opening Saturday, June 12, 2004 10 a.m.-2 p.m. with 4-H Flag Ceremony, Special Guest Speakers, BBQ by the Tulelake Fire Department w/Hamburgers & Hot Dogs and their "Famous" Baked Beans and Potato Salad. For more information contact 530-667-2282 x231