Tuesday, September 23,2014

Kalmath Falls, OR was our home last night at a Microtel.  The hotel was very nice, we had never stayed in one before.  We were so sick of restaurant meals that we went to a huge grocery store called Fred Meyer and purchased sandwich fixings and fresh fruit.   They labeled their avocados large, and they were about as big as a butternut squash.  I didn't buy one.

In the afternoon, we drove around the rim of Crater Lake.  You drive up to 7,000 feet to get to the lake which is the deepest in the USA.  The lake is located inside a volcano that erupted hundreds of years ago.  All photographs of the lake look very blue but the day was overcast so we didn't see the reflection of the sky in the lake.  The lake is only 60 miles across so no matter which overlook you used to view the lake, you could see the entire lake.  It is beautiful. We drove around the lake on the West side so we were on the edge.  There were drop offs of 4,000 to 5,000 feet in some sections.  Scary.   A lot of people were planning on camping in the camp grounds and signage warned campers that bears were in the campgrounds and they should follow all precautions listed in the camp office.  We drove away without even considering  camping.

This morning we headed south into Neveda.  We had a short drive today, about 4 hours, and the terrain was mostly semi-desert.  Irrigation is not very popular in this area.  Mostly ranches raising cattle.  As we neared Reno in the afternoon, we smelled smoke and saw smoke but no flames.  The wind blows the smoke way beyond the fire area.  Even listening to the news, it is hard to determine where the fires are burning.  The hotel staff told us that you couldn't see Lake Tahoe this afternoon because of the smoke.  We are planning on traveling around the lake tomorrow on our way to Oakhurst, CA.  In Oakhurst we will join a one-day tour of Yosemite on Thursday.

We spent this evening gambling after we had a light dinner. Nothing positive happened.  The casino has a Gilleys but they were not open this evening.  I did want to see Bill ride the mechanical bull but that will have to wait for another time.

We are looking forward to continueing our trip.