My computer goes wonky when I try to post more than two photos in one post. Why? Why?

Anyway, the top photo was taken at Newberry National Volcanic Monument, though it doesn't show the actual caldera. Picture in your mind a very tall hill made up of volcanic rock and you'll have the crater. Not too exciting, is it. Though it's still active, it looks anything but. The crater itself resembles a sunken dirt landscape with a couple of trees. But apparently it could still erupt one of these eons.

I'm still weeding through photos, and if I find a good illustration of the caldera itself I'll post it. But it's really not exciting. This photo, of a distant mountain framed by a dead, twisted tree, is far prettier than what my family came to refer to as the "Ash Hole" that is Newberry.

The second photo is the first in what may become my series on Crater Lake National Park, if I can coax my computer into playing nicely. It's impossible to take a bad photo of Crater Lake. Look at the blue of the water, and the surrounding ring of the volcano's edges. It's a lovely setting, and I took a number of photos here, not just of the lake itself but of the gorgeous twisted trees and associated flora and fauna.

Up to this point in our vacation, there's really not much of interest to report. We were on the road, bouncing along, eating far too many snack foods, and holding belching contests. Good news is, we were able to stay at hotels during the 12-hour long driving days. And the first night of vacation? We left about 1.5 hours late, and wound up getting to Omaha, NE at 2:30 a.m.

What larks, Pip!

As I said, not much to report. I did get some reading done, though. I'll report on that separately, between the proper vacation photos.

And the improper, as well.

For now, these are my two picks to represent stops one and two in the Great Odyssey that is Summer Vacation 2009: Year of Bruises. I shall return.