National Park Service Puts Crater Lake Concessionaire On Notice For Possible Termination

Above, Crater Lake's Rim Village cafe and gift shop in 2017. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Aramark, the concessionaire for Crater Lake National Park, may get the boot over management issues that have increased over the past five years.

I last visited Crater Lake National Park in 2017.

According to The Oregonian:

The National Park Service has threatened to terminate its contract with international hospitality company Aramark at Crater Lake National Park, following a rash of management issues at the Oregon destination over the last five years.

Crater Lake Hospitality, a subsidiary of Philadelphia-based Aramark, is contracted to run concessions at Crater Lake and the Oregon Caves National Monument through 2030. However, a park service spokesperson confirmed Wednesday that the federal agency will terminate the contract unless the company “shows cause as to why NPS should not do so,” said David Szymanskim, Pacific West regional director for the agency.

Park officials did not offer a timeline for the company to respond, and did not say how a termination would affect park operations like Crater Lake Lodge and boat tours. Szymanskim declined to say how Aramark was informed or exactly what was communicated, but agency guidelines require written notice.

The announcement comes just two months after Sen. Ron Wyden issued a public letter to the National Park Service, raising a litany of “serious concerns” about Crater Lake Hospitality and asking the federal agency to “take immediate action to prevent concessionaire mismanagement from continuing to threaten Crater Lake National Park, its visitors, or the employees who live and work there.”  

Former employees have complained of unsanitary and unsafe housing and working conditions, payroll issues that led to withheld paychecks and allegations of sexual assault – claims backed up by annual National Park Service reviews of Aramark’s operations at Crater Lake, police reports, and complaints to the Oregon Bureau of Labor & Industries, all provided to The Oregonian/OregonLive through public records requests.

To read the full article, go here. 

Crater Lake National Park Braces For Busy Summer

Above, Crater Lake's Wizard Island is seen through a smoky haze in 2017. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Part of my Great American Eclipse trip of 2017 included a visit to Crater Lake National Park. That was my third visit there. The only thing that kind of spoiled it were the fires near the crater. The smoke from them settled inside the crater. At least this year (so far), there's no fires.

Crater Lake National Park in Oregon is bracing for another busy summer season.

Record numbers showed up last year despite the coronavirus and park officials are expecting much the same this year.

Oregon Live (from The Oregonian) tells readers what to expect.

They begin with:

Crater Lake National Park officials are bracing for possibly record-breaking visitation this summer as COVID restrictions ease and Americans once again head out on vacation.

“All indications are this summer’s visitation is going to be very, very high,” said Superintendent Craig Ackerman.

Last year, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, record numbers of visitors were recorded in July, August and December. Numbers that high could once again spell problems for visitors and result in delays in entering the park and, once in, finding parking near Rim Village.

To read more, go here. 

Mushroom Picker Rescued At Crater Lake National Park

Above, Crater Lake. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When I visited Crater Lake National Park last year during my Great American Eclipse trip, I didn't notice any mushrooms there. I wasn't exactly looking for them. But, then again, I was not anywhere near Mount Scott.

Oregon Live (The Oregonian) reported:

A southern Oregon man was rescued after spending four days lost in the wilderness while wearing a T-shirt and jeans, and sleeping inside a hollowed-out log and under brush to shield himself from rain, authorities say.  

Marty Holloway, 56, was first reported missing Thursday by relatives when they hadn't heard from him after he'd gone picking mushrooms earlier that day near the base of Mount Scott near Crater Lake, according to the Klamath County Sheriff's Office.  

A hiker happened upon Holloway on Sunday afternoon near the Pinnacles Trail in the Crater Lake National Park south of the mountain and called 911 after he asked for help. Holloway was cold, tired and had several blisters on his feet but was otherwise OK, the sheriff's office said.

To read more, go here.

Volcanic Road Trip

Above, Wizard Island at Crater Lake National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Two months ago, during my trip to view the total eclipse in Idaho, I headed into Oregon to visit Crater Lake National Park.

From Crater Lake, I headed south past Mount Shasta to visit Lassen Volcanic National Park.

Along the way, I noticed signs that said, "Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway" in southern Oregon and in Northern California. It was a nice drive and well worth it.

Today, I spotted an article about the scenic byway and what volcanic attractions tourists can see.

According to an article in The Oregonian (OregonLive):

Volcanoes are a natural part of our Pacific Northwest existence – if you lived here during the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980, you know that all too well. But even if you weren’t here during the last big volcanic eruption, the presence of our northwest volcanoes is impossible to ignore. 

From Portland, south to Klamath Falls, and east out to Burns and beyond, you can see active volcanoes, remnants of massive lava flows, huge craters and evidence of other volcanic action.  

If you want to get a taste, you can drive the existing Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway, which runs from Crater Lake down to Lassen Volcanic National Park in California. It’s a nice drive, but far from comprehensive when it comes to exploring Oregon’s actual volcanic legacy. 

To give a broader experience, I’ve crafted a bigger volcano road trip that, while it does dip into northern California, shows off far more of Oregon’s volcanic sights. It starts in Portland and ends way out in southeast Oregon. Locals can head up to I-84 and make a loop of it, while tourists might consider flying into Portland and out of Boise. 

It’s a long trip, but aside from the hands-on education you’ll receive in volcanology, it’s a wonderful way to tour the Cascade Mountains and the more remote regions of Oregon.

Above, Lassen Peak in Lassen Volcanic National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

To read more, go here. 

How To Photograph The Eclipse?

Above, a partial solar eclipse projected through foliage on a wall. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

On the day of the solar eclipse, I may use two still cameras (one for stills and the other, set in video mode, to shoot the darkening area around me) and one "old school" Hi8 camcorder (provided the battery still is good since I haven't used it in a while).

People may be wondering, How to photograph the eclipse?

The Oregonian has an article that'll tell you how.

They start it with:

This summer’s total solar eclipse, coming Monday, Aug. 21,  is expected to be the most widely-viewed eclipse ever, as millions of people pack into the narrow band across the United States where it can be seen, stretching from the Oregon coast to South Carolina. 

And in this age of constant digital documentation, it could also wind up being the most photographed eclipse ever. 

But documenting the cosmic event won’t be as easy as pointing and shooting – photographing a solar eclipse takes specialized equipment, patience and practice, according to Fred Espenak, a retired NASA scientist who has spent decades chasing, documenting and photographing total solar eclipses.

To read more, go here.