Mount Mazama in the Cascade range of Oregon blew its innards out about 5,000 years BCE and the ash is still evident for miles around. I don't know whether it is because of that event that trees for the last 20 miles or so of the drive before one gets to the mountain but it is notable that all the trees on both sides of the road are of one size and monochromatic in color, the same shade as the ground below them. I think the drabness of the last 20 miles is partly what makes the brilliant royal-blue of the crater so stunning to the eye.
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