Crater Lake National Park, in southwest Oregon. If I had to chose "the most beautiful" spot ever, I'd choose this. (I love my Appalachian mountains better, but that's different.)

nickel, Crater Lake was the bluest blue I've ever seen.

Lakes here are frozen

On a completely different scale - this is one of the springtime 'weeps and seeps' at our place in PA.

Annie, I'd love to spend a year at Crater Lake, observing it every day. Elizabeth, once I was at a river when great sheets of ice were breaking up -- big booming sounds, almost like thunder -- do lakes do that too? Maire-cate, I love close looks at small things, so often full of life and interesting things.

Clyde puffers (small coal-fired and single-masted cargo ships) on Loch Fyne, Inveraray, Scotland

nickel, lakes make big booming sounds when they are frozen and vehicles drive across them. It sounds like the lake is breaking open but it is just the wave below the surface created by the movement of the vehicle. It is kind of unsettling when you are sitting on the middle of the frozen lake and hear it.

In the spring, on windy days, when a frozen lake is breaking up, huge heaves of ice create loud sounds when they get pushed on shore.

September Sunset over the lake from our backyard.

From my walk this a.m. Foggy inlet.

And a bear track. I didn't think it looked big until I put my size 9 foot by it. I hope to never see the owners of these when I am walking.

Yikes, Joan! That’s a whole new take on walking barefoot in the sand.

(Sorry, I couldn’t resist)

Ponds and a walking trail at our beautiful township park. The 88 acres here were donated to the township by the estate of Dr. Frank Preston, a leading expert in glass technology in 1930's/40's. His laboratories were on this property. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Monument Valley Park pond, Colorado Springs

Thanks for educating me, nickel I thought Crater Lake was in California!

Here’s the pup at the lake, cooling off. I did not want to let him off leash for fear he would swim out after some ducks. He hasn’t done much swimming so I wasn’t sure how good he was.

Certain days when our pond is defrosting, we'll hear the ice cracking too...sounds like low thunder.

You won't find me year round at Crater Lake, not by a long shot. They get 40 feet of snow on average per year!

This is the live web cam at the Visitor Center...note that the entire first floor of the building is snow covered...

https://www.nps.gov/media/webcam/view.htm?id=81B462AA-1DD8-B71B-0BAC82E1AFD3CC1D

The San Andreas Fault is visible in the background, right in front of the mountains.

They get 40 feet of snow on average per year!

Wow, that’s a lot of snow.

I don’t think Crater Lake totally freezes over, either.

They have a live web cam overlooking the lake too...clear today.

https://www.nps.gov/media/webcam/view.htm?id=88F5EE0B-04BA-2C9C-83226089ADFC8005

My hometown, about 35 miles from where we live now.

Crater Lake is a unique place. Our visit just a few years ago, the first full day was gloriously sunny and perfect for enjoying the lake and the views. The next morning, it was pea soup fog - we had breakfast and left earlier than planned. I don't know how frequently the weather is like that but at that altitude and in that area, the frequency of passing clouds must be the culprit. Just a heads up for people planning a visit, check ahead to see what weather is expected for the season when you're planning to visit and perhaps plan to stay a few days (in the creaky old Lodge) to be sure to have a clear day.

lars, I love the Carizzo Plains and dry lakes like Soda Lake. Ditto for dry lakes elsewhere.

For some reason, I can't seem to be able to post pix. I click on the icon below, and nothing happens. The other icons seem to work. Anyone have any ideas as to what's wrong? Have I done something wrong?

Lake Travis, outside Austin, Texas.

Duluth Harbor on Lake Superior

Johnstown Castle lake, Ireland. Imagine this would only be a pond in the USA. And it’s not even natural.

sealavender, it's probably not you. But sometimes if I have problems, I find I take a screenshot of the photo I want to post, the screenshot will post. Or sometimes I reformat the file to a smaller size and that will post.

Elmer, the reason they get so much snow and bad weather there is because of all the moist air coming off the ocean...as the air hits the mountain, it rises, becomes less dense and less able to hold moisture, so it causes fog and rain and snow. Once you are on the eastern side of the mountains, it's actually desert as the mountains have wrung all the moisture out of the air. I still remember the sharp contrast when we went down the coast in OR and then up on the other side of the mountains through the high desert region.

lgmd - I recognize Dr. Preston's name. My brother married a girl from that area and we had an afternoon picnic at Lake Arthur. I remember reading about his conservation work and how he helped reclaim the old strip mines and oil wells.

Not exactly a lake, enjoy watching the shrimpers. Notice an airplane was flying over. What we enjoy most is meeting shrimper at dock for catch of the day. Always think about Marilyn and Jody when we see shrimpers .

"Elmer, the reason they get so much snow and bad weather there is because of all the moist air coming off the ocean....."

That's what I said and tried to be brief.

I've spent my life in the state immediately to the south, where through the 700+ miles from there to the Mexican border, all areas are affected by that very same phenomenon on a much greater scale. Rain and snow on the west facing sides, deserts to the east of mountains in the lee. I actually had a class in university on the subject, The Geography and Regions of California. Weather variations are significant and are a prominent factor that influences differences from one part to another. .

Didn't you see Fun2BHere's photo a few days ago with the palm trees in Newport Beach in the foreground and snow on the mountains in the not too distant background?