Travelogue

Coyote FlatAfter seeing how well the 4Runner handled the backroads to and from Bodie, Herb was antsy to try a little more challenging drive. We had two great offroading books with detailed descriptions of routes of various difficulty levels: “Sierra Nevada Byways” and “Guide to California Backroads & 4-Wheel-Drive Trails”.

Since we love the Bishop area, we chose an Intermediate trail called Coyote Flat, the start of which was just a few miles outside of town. In addition to the drive sounding extremely scenic, there was what looked to be a great hike to Baker Lake from atop the Flat, as well as a primitive campground there.

Right from the start, the trail began a steep climb out of the Owens Valley, at about 4,400 feet, and led us through a series of switchbacks that just didn’t seem to quit. In contrast to our drive to Bodie, where we were cruising along at around 20 mph, this one was much steeper and rockier keeping us at a pace closer to 5 mph. We were going to have to adjust our expectations for the day.

Road down from Coyote FlatAfter 15 miles in just a little over 2 hours, we made it to Coyote Flat, a gorgeous plateau at 10,000 feet, with grazing deer and awesome views of the Palisade Glacier. It was absolutely lovely.

Since it was too late to fit in a long hike, and the temperature atop the Flat was quite chilly, we decided to skip the camping and head back to Bishop. We didn’t linger long because we wanted to make sure we got back before sunset, as we certainly didn’t want to be driving this road in the dark.

Herb handled the drive just fine and we made it back to Bishop with daylight to spare. Herb (and me too) was really pleased with the 4Runner’s capabilities and quite excited about how this opened up so many new opportunities to explore beautiful, remote areas.

Rather than find camping, we decided to stay in the Bishop Village Motel that night, as after this we would be primitive camping for a few nights in Death Valley.

Travelogue

Lovely Long ValleyWe were having so much fun driving the less-traveled dirt roads that rather than take 270 back to 395 from Bodie, we continued on Cottonwood Canyon Road, which brought us to the northern shore of Mono Lake, which lovely views of our approach along the way. From there, we got back on 395 and headed south to the Long Valley Primitive Hot Springs area, just south of Mammoth Lakes - another favorite we had discovered a few months back.

Most of the land in the Long Valley is owned by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) and the BLM. As a result, it has fortunately not been commercially developed, as so many other hot springs in California. While the LADWP allows day use, the BLM land has no restrictions on overnight camping.

So we turned left (east) onto Benton Crossing Road in search of the perfect place to camp. Once again, we had our Falcon Guide, “Touring Hot Springs California and Nevada,” which gives a very detailed description of the location of about a dozen hot springs in the area.

Boardwalk to Wild Willy's PoolWe headed first to the “Crab Cooker,” our favorite from a previous trip. It’s a bit tougher to reach in that the roads to it are unpaved and rougher, but that made it all the more likely to be unpopulated. However, when we got there, there were already some people near it - not in, just near. Not sure if they were arriving or departing, we walked down the hill to it to have a look. We soon discovered that the reason no one was in it was that it was cool. After poking around, we discovered that there was debris in the pipe connecting the pool with its hot water source, making it a rather ineffective “cooker.” That’s the challenge with natural hot springs - their status is always changing.

It didn’t make sense to camp near a cool pool, so we headed back to the Crowley Hot Spring area (also known as Wild Willy’s), where we knew there were hot pools and places to camp nearby. Just before the parking lot for Wild Willy’s, we took a right turn on a dirt road along which camping was allowed. We selected an empty pull-out with a path leading back towards the pools. Perfect.

Wild HerbieSince our home for the night was the back of the 4Runner, we didn’t have much setup to do other than to get our thermorests and sleeping bags out of storage box on top and lay them on the platform in the back of the truck. Herb did a bit more fussing about, as he was very anxious to make this a pleasant experience so that I would repeat it. It was really quite endearing.

So, some new toys came out. First he set up a pop-up shower tent, which doubled as a privacy booth to get dressed and take care of nature’s needs. It looked a bit like a phone booth. Herb also had bought a nemo helio, which is a shower device powered by a foot pump. He looked quite satisfied, having provided me with all the comforts of home.

Domestic chores complete, we donned our bathing suits and followed the path to the pools. There are actually two pools in this area to choose from. One is built of concrete and has a wooden deck, about 9 by 12 feet and 3 feet deep, surrounding it. The other is a smaller and more primitive one with a mud bottom. As expected, they were both already occupied.

The primitive one was a bit warmer, so we joined a group of people, all of whom were about one third our age, in that one. I felt a bit old, but since Herb and I are still quite physically active, we were able to share some of our own tales of adventure in the Sierra.

Our campsite in Long ValleyIt was a bit chilly getting out of the pool, as the air temperature was now in the 40s. We scurried back to our campsite, where I proceeded to use my privacy phone booth to put on most of the clothing that I had packed. Once warm and cozy again, we sat in our beach chairs sipping wine and gazing out at what was a truly dramatic setting. Herb was feeling pretty smug right now about the experience he was providing me.

The next morning before departing we took another quick soak in the pool before continuing on our journey, which would take us next to Bishop, with the eventual goal of Death Valley..

Travelogue

Bodie Ghost TownWe had been to Bodie State Historical Park once before, but this time we would approach it the way the old prospectors did - over a mountain on a rough backcountry road past abandoned mines, and even a genuine cattle drive, but I’ll get to that later.

Rather than taking 395 south to the the paved 270 into Bodie, we headed north and turned onto Masonic Road. From here, we spent the next 32 miles driving up and down the rolling Bodie Hills, past old ghost towns and abandoned mines, with sweeping views of the Sierra and the Sweetwater Mountains all along the way. It was breathtaking.

Like ski runs,4WD roads are graded in terms of difficulty - Green for Easy, Blue for Intermediate, and Black for “no thank you.” This was a Green and the 4Runner handled it like a champ.

Abandoned mine along the road to BodieWe stopped several times along the way to wander amongst the old mining sites, many of which still had quite a few structures and equipment to poke around. It was really fascinating to imagine what a bustling place this must have been during the heyday of the Gold Rush. For now, we pretty much had the road entirely to ourselves, well almost.

Probably about 5 miles or so outside of Bodie, we saw a huge cloud of dust and dirt ahead. Not sure what to expect, we pulled as far as we could to the side of the road. As the noisy cloud approached, we started to hear the lowing of cows. Apparently, we had gotten ourselves into a traffic jam with a genuine cattle herd being prodded along by a genuine cowboy. I am not sure who was more confused - us or the cattle. They practically came up to our windshield to observe what I guess they thought were the oddities along this road. They certainly did outnumber us.

Traffic jam on the road to BodieOnce they had passed, we cleaned our windshield of dust and continued on our way. Before long, the many surviving structures of the old town of Bodie lay before us. What an awesome way to arrive.

For anyone traveling on 395, I highly recommend a side trip to Bodie State Historical Park. I believe it is the best preserved ghost town in all of California, if not the entire West.

The town rose to prominence when mining along the western slope of the Sierras declined, and prospectors moved to the eastern side to search for gold. Sure enough, in 1859, W.S. Bodey and his buddy E. S. “Black” Taylor stumbled upon gold in the hills north of Mono Lake, amounting to millions of dollars in gold and silver. Unfortunately, Bodey froze to death in a blizzard while returning with supplies and never got to enjoy his new-found wealth. The town, with a slight spelling change, is named for him.

Things slowed down for a bit in the 1860s, but then in the mid-1870s a rich strike was made by the Standard Mining Company in the Bodie Hills. Word spread, sparking a rush of people to Bodie. By 1879 the town had a population of about 10,000 people and more than 2,000 buildings, primarily general stores, dance halls, and saloons to keep the miners supplied and entertained. Bodie soon developed a reputation for wildness and lawlessness.

Lolo loose in BodieHowever, by 1881, the mines were depleted and miners and business people left Bodie to follow the next strike. By 1886, the town’s population had fallen to 1,500 people. In the 1890s, the use of electricity as a source of cheap power made mining here profitable again and temporarily boosted it. However, a fire in 1932 destroyed 90% of the town.

Bodie faded into a ghost town in the 1940s. Fortunately, in 1962, the town was designated a National Historic Site and a State Historic Park and its buildings are preserved in a state of “arrested decay.” The interiors of the buildings are maintained as they were left, still furnished and stocked with goods.

It’s a very poignant experience wandering the deserted streets, peeking in windows, and imagining the lives of those that once lived, played, worked, and died here not all that long ago.

Travelogue

Herb's favorite poolHerb sensed that I wasn’t totally keen on camping in the 4Runner, so we decided that we would alternate between motels and camping.

Since the first day was mostly a driving one to get across to the other side of the Sierras, we decided to find a motel in Bridgeport, as that would set us up as a great place to start an exploration south.

I did some internet searching and was surprised to find how expensive motels were in the Bridgeport to Lee Vining area. All I wanted was a clean bed to sleep in that gave me more than a 4-inch clearance above my face. Oh, and a toilet and shower would be nice too.

I started making phone calls to inquire about availability and pricing for a Friday night. My most intriguing call was to the Bodie Hotel, right on Main Street in Bridgeport. The woman that answered the phone must have been at least 100 - probably a prospector’s wife during Bodie’s heyday. I just couldn’t seem to get an answer from her as to whether she had a room available. I think her concern was that it was opening day for deer hunting and she was hesitant to give away a room for only one night of a weekend. The conversation went on for a good 20 minutes while she hemmed and hawed about whether this was a good business decision for her. I remained silent on the other end, waiting for her to work things out in her mind.

Herb relaxing in Room #9Finally, she told me that she could give me Room #9 (as if I was supposed to know the significance of that), where she told me that one whole wall of that room was covered by a mural of Bodie before it was a ghost town, done by a famous artist. Before officially offering me the room for $100, she suggested strongly that I eat a meal next door in the Sportsmen’s Bar and Grill, because her son owned it and could use the business. She then concluded her marketing presentation with, “I just want you to know, this ain’t the Ritz Carlton!” I was sold, if only just to meet this woman in person.

To my dismay, when we arrived around 3:00 on Friday afternoon, a hotel clerk greeted us rather than the owner. To our further dismay, he was unable to locate the key for the infamous Room #9 and said that the owner, who was not on the premises, probably had it. We agreed to come back in two hours - we wanted to go to Travertine Hot Spring anyway - by which time he was pretty confident he could get us into our room.

Lolo of TravertineThere are many natural hot springs in the Eastern Sierras, but I think Travertine is one of the prettiest. The main three pools are fed from water trickling over the ridge of a colorful rock formation that rises above them. The beautiful tan, cream and rust colors of the rock are the result of a form of limestone, called “travertine” that is deposited by the mineral-laden hot springs. The water flows from one pool to the next decreasing in temperature as it goes along. The first pool is about 105 degrees, while the last, which is the largest and shallowest, is only about 90 degrees.

However, these three pools are the most popular and often quite crowded. Herb’s favorite is a more primitive pool, just a short walk beyond the main pools, set in a rather geothermically active field. This one you are pretty much guaranteed to have to yourself. In fact, Herb had it totally to himself, because I was too cold to take off my down jacket. Instead, I just enjoyed the wonderful views of the Sierra looming over the town of Bridgeport below.

Queen of TravertineFeeling we had given the hotel clerk sufficient time to track down the key to our room, we returned and were let into the intriguing Room #9. It did not disappoint. I couldn’t remember the last time I had seen red shag carpeting. As promised, a huge moral depicting the main street of the Gold Rush town of Bodie covered the entire wall, drawing us in to a different place and time. It was quaint, but I had serious doubts as to the fame of its artist.

The room also had some beautiful antique collectibles and furnishings. It was all a bit odd -a little bit of a 19th-century brothel vibe -, but I can see why the proprietress considered this room special. For all we knew it could have been hers as a little girl. It was definitely more interesting than staying in a chain motel.

The next morning, we dutifully headed next door to the Sportsmen’s Bar and Grill to have breakfast. It definitely lived up to the “Sportsmen” name - we were the only ones in the place not dressed in camo. The service was good and the breakfast was hearty and tasty.

Travelogue

Home Sweet Home !!

Travelogue

Before leaving Solartown in the morning, we took one last walk around the campground, once alfalfa field. It was amazing how everyone had been so well behaved and respectful. There wasn't any litter in sight.

Seeing that traffic was moving along on Highway 26, we headed out around 10 am with the intention of making a good dent in our 11 hour drive home. A full hookup was high on our list. We ran into a bit more traffic than we had hoped, just south of Bend, so we cut our first day relatively short and stopped at a KOA in Klamath Falls.

The remainder of the day was spent cleaning up the motorhome.

Travelogue

Day 1 - Arrival at Solartown

Lining up for SolartownToday was the beginning of our 5-day celebration of the total solar eclipse in Madras, Oregon. Our plans for this event had begun back in January, when Paul and Herb decided that this possibly once-in-a-lifetime event was something definitely worth pursuing.

So, we made Solartown campsite reservations and bought a ticket to the Solarfest festival. We were way ahead of the game. As months passed and word got out as to just how monumental an event this was going to be, accommodations disappeared and prices for those remaining rose to astronomical (no pun intended) heights. By April our $150 5-night campsite had risen to $300, and airbnb rooms were going for as much as $700 a night. We felt quite smug about our foresight.

We were quite excited. Besides the eclipse itself, the whole event was predicted to be quite a scene - 100,000 people descending on the little town of Madras, population 5,000. The town had been prepping for this for over a year, and had partnered with NASA to make it a truly educational and informative event.

Because of its clear skies and breathtaking mountain views, Madras was the place to be along the Totality Line that crossed the U.S. from South Carolina to Oregon. From our campsite, we could see Mt. Hood to the north and Mt. Jefferson to the west.

Our Lawrence Livermore Camping BuddiesOur home for the 5-day event was Solartown, a farmer’s field setup to accommodate 30,000 people. I guess the enterprising farmer realized there was more money to be made from eclipse mania than alfalfa. So, the alfalfa was replaced with grass and Roundup was used to mark roads and campsite boundaries.

Our arrival at Solartown did not go as smoothly as it could have. Gates didn’t open until noon on Thursday, but campers began arriving at 9:00, causing a mile-long line to extend all the way back to Highway 26. We sat for 5 hours before finally getting in. Fortunately, Hilda and Paul were about an hour ahead of us in line and were able to secure us a campsite right next to theirs.

On the other side of Hilda and Paul’s site was a pair of ex-Lawrence Livermore research scientists, equipped with a huge ham radio antenna, telescopes, cameras with big lenses, computers, etc. - our very own NASA center. They had obviously been prepping for this for some time. My prepping had consisted of ensuring that we would have enough beer and wine to last us the 5 days without having to leave Solartown.

Their ham radio antenna, which was strung with blue lights, would serve as a beacon for us to find our way home whenever we left our campsite.

Day 2 - Smith Rock State Park and the Deschutes Brewery in Bend

Smith Rock State ParkNone of us just wanted to hang around the campground for 5 days waiting for the eclipse, so we decided that this would be the best day (in terms of traffic) to venture out and explore some of the really cool areas nearby.

Herb and I had been to this area several times before, so we decided to show Hilda and Paul two of our favorite places - Smith Rock State Park and Bend. This would allow for some physical activity followed by refreshing beer at the Deschutes Brewery - my idea of a perfect day.

We drove the 26 miles down to Smith Rock without encountering any traffic at all. I think our rationale that most people had either arrived in Madras yesterday on opening day, or were waiting until closer to the eclipse to arrive, was correct.

Smith Rock is an absolutely stunning place, known both as a premier rock climbing destination (our reason for being here in the past) as well as a wonderful place to hike.

The rock formations in the park are spectacular – multi-colored, jagged ridges of basalt, formed from volcanic activity millions of years ago, when lava flows entered this canyon and cooled. Winding between these basalt peaks is the lovely Crooked River, which twists and turns its way for miles through the park.

Happy Hikers atop Misery RidgeAfter parking the car, we took the trail down to the river, crossed a bridge, and then followed the River Trail along the banks of the Crooked River. It was very nostalgic for Herb and I, passing so many areas where we had climbed with the boys.

The trail along the river was flat, but eventually we took a turn onto the appropriately named Misery Ridge Trail, where we climbed a series of switchbacks back up to the top. We found a shady spot to have lunch from which there were great views of the river and climbers on the Monkey Face, a rock formation that indeed does look like the face of a monkey.

Afterwards, we continued back down to and across the Crooked River before climbing right back up again to the parking lot.

After 4.5 miles and 1,000-foot elevation gain in hot weather, we felt we owed ourselves a trip to the Deschutes Brewery, in the very fun town of Bend. We must have really wanted that free beer, because it was another 27 miles south on Highway 97. I just couldn’t be so close to Bend without stopping by.

Free Beers at the Deschutes BreweryHerb and I had been to the Deschutes Pub House before, but never to the actual brewery where they make their beer. Rather than do the tour, we went straight to the tasting room, where we were given a wristband that would allow us four tastings each (for free). What a great concept! Deschutes makes some really good beers. My personal favorite is Freshly Squeezed - an IPA with a bit of a citrus taste. Good thing I didn’t live in Bend, or I probably would have found myself here every afternoon.

Since the drive back was close to an hour and I was the designated driver, I was very responsible and only took a few sips.

When we got back to camp, our neighbors, the Lawrence Livermore researchers, were busy playing with their equipment, practicing for the big day. This was really a huge deal for a lot of people.

Oh, and Hilda and I walked over to try the mobile showers that had been brought in. We couldn’t understand why they weren’t more crowded. There were only about 40 showers in the whole place for 30,000 people, but yet there was no line. They were great!

Day 3 - Solarfest and the arrival of more friends

Mt. Jefferson from SolartownAs part of our pre-eclipse planning, we had also purchased tickets for the Solarfest festival, which had NASA talks and exhibits, food carts, eclipse merchandise vendors, and bands.

In retrospect, we probably should have waited to go later in the day, because by 1:00 in the afternoon, we were pretty much done with the festival. We had listened to a NASA talk, explored the merchandise booths , had two beers in the beer garden, and eaten lunch. The bands didn’t start until 3:00, but it was hot and we didn’t see how we were going to last until then. We had just peaked too early.

So, we headed back to Solartown, which was in itself quite interesting to wander around. It was amazing how quiet, clean, and harmonious the camp was, considering how many people were packed in. It was kind of a Woodstock for science nerds.

Later that evening, our friends, Anita and Roberts, from Portland (previously New Jersey) arrived to join the festivities.

Day 4 - Exploring Solartown on Foot

Herb getting readyIt was Sunday, Eclipse Eve, and campers were pouring into Solartown. There was no way we were going to take the car anywhere just to wait in traffic for hours to get back in.

However, there is only so much you can do in an ex-alfalfa field. We would have to figure out some way of entertaining ourselves. We each chose a different path.

Herb stayed at the campsite and played with his new Lawrence Livermore friends, who loaded software onto his laptop that would control his camera’s exposure and timing of pictures during the eclipse. Paul and Hilda went off on their bikes to explore the backroads. Anita, Roberts, and I decided to take a walk across the highway to the Madras airfield, over which people had been dropping out of the sky (with parachutes) for the last few days.

There had to be at least 400 private planes parked alongside the runway, many of which with tents set up beside them. The runway itself was fair game to just wander around on, which was quite surprising to me. There was no control tower - just one guy with a reflective vest directing incoming planes.

WW II Plane at Erickson Aircraft CollectionWe waited on a line to enter the Erickson Aircraft Collection, a small museum with a dozen or so American, German, and Japanese planes from the World War II era - many of which are still in flying condition. It was really quite interesting and well worth the $9 admission.

That evening we all attended a talk given by people at a nearby campsite, which had had informative fliers about the eclipse tacked onto their trailer all week. The woman who gave the talk introduced herself as a real estate agent that just happened to be very interested in eclipses. She was actually very good and quite interesting, explaining to us in layman’s terms what to expect on Monday and how to get the most out of our 2+ minutes of “totality.”

I was finally starting to realize just how significant being in the path of totality was - it was not just better than 99%, it was totally different. It was pretty much binary - either you were in totality or you weren’t. Only in totality do you get to experience the full corona, the diamond that briefly appears along the corona’s ring, and Bailey’s beads, where the rough topography of the moon allows beads of sunlight to shine through in some places and not in others.

We also got some hints as to how to use colanders to create interesting patterns of little crescents as the sun builds to totality.

I definitely felt more prepared for tomorrow and excited about the unique and awesome experience that we were going to be a part of.

Day 5 - Totality!

Hilda and Anita getting readyI don’t know how to describe it, but there was definitely something different about the mood in the campground this morning - a sense of solemnity and anticipation that we were about to be witnesses to something big.

People were scurrying around cleaning up breakfast dishes, setting up telescopes and tripods, positioning themselves on the roofs of campers and cars. Some were even packing up, so they could leave as soon as it was over and get a jump on the traffic. Despite all the preparations, everything was quiet and calm.

In our campsite, Paul positioned himself on the roof of the motorhome with his tripod and camera to get a good vantage point to capture the whole scene. Herb was set up behind his tripod with a large lens to take photos of the sun going through its various phases. The rest of us were in beach chairs, equipped with colanders and eclipse glasses ready to put on.

Paul capturing the sceneIt was eerily quiet as we all awaited the show to begin. I found myself whispering as to not disturb the mood. For a brief moment in time, 30,000 people were seemingly united in focus and purpose.

At 9:06, exactly on time (isn’t science amazing?), the eclipsed kicked off with what is called first contact, when the moon starts to pass across the sun, biting a little chunk out of it, kind of like pac man.

For the next hour or so, the moon continued on its journey across the sun, eventually forming a crescent. Just before totality, lots of stuff began to happen - the diamond briefly appeared along the corona’s ring, and we started seeing an effect called “Baily’s beads,” where the light from the sun passes through the nooks and crannies on the bumpy moon’s surface. All the while, the temperature was dropping and the skies darkening as if it was nighttime.

The Diamond Ring!At exactly 10:19, the moon totally blocked the sun, and we all briefly took our eclipse glasses off to view the sun’s corona surrounding the moon. It was amazing and humbling. This phase lasted for a little over 2 minutes, before the moon passed through the sun, starting the whole process over in reverse for another hour.

There are no words that give justice to what we had just experienced. Thankfully, Herb took some stunning photos that did just that.

Before the last phases of the eclipse were even over, several campers and cars quietly started moving towards the exit, hoping to beat the crowds. We could already see traffic backing up on the exit roads and Highway 26. We were perfectly happy to stay where we were and just reflect on and absorb what had just occurred.

Post-Totality CelebrationWe really didn’t know what to do with ourselves for the rest of the day. It was a hard act to follow. Everything seemed sort of inconsequential in comparison - but in a good uplifting way. The immensity of the event had put everything in perspective.

Anita and Roberts left for Portland later that afternoon, and Hilda and Paul headed home to Sebastopol in the middle of the night.

Herb and I stayed on, in no particular hurry to go anywhere. The next morning we walked around Solartown, surprised to see how little litter there was. Attendees had definitely been on good behavior. Maybe we need more of these awe-inspiring events, or some equivalent kick in our collective butts.

Travelogue

Crater Lake's Phantom ShipAs we approached Crater Lake, the smoke from the nearby wildfires was getting worse and worse. Hopefully, we would have some views on our hike tomorrow.

When we got to Mazama, we found that all the first-come-first-serve sites were taken and the campground was totally full. Thank goodness we had a reservation. Checking in was rather a unique process. Rather than telling you what our site number, we were told to just look for an unoccupied site with a yellow slash on the post - they promised us there was one left.

It felt a bit like an Easter Egg hunt as we drove through each of the five campground loops to find it. Sure enough, it was at the end of the very last loop we checked. I was getting worried for awhile there.

Later that evening I took a walk to scout out a better site to move to in the morning - one closer to the rim of Annie Creek Canyon. I checked the departure dates on all the sites with a yellow bar and found a good one that would free up in the morning.

Early the next morning we moved into our much more spacious campsite right alongside the Annie Creek Trail.

Along the Annie's Creek TrailI am always a bit more antsy then Herb, so while he read his book, I set out on the trail along the rim to the right to hike the 1.7-mile loop trail down into and back up out of the canyon. Unfortunately, I only got about ½ a mile, and had just started descending into the canyon, before encountering a trail closed sign. On my way back to the campsite, I ran into a few people carrying spades and shovels and asked them about the trail. They said that a bridge across the creek was out, but I could get down to the canyon by doing the loop in the opposite direction.

So back I went along the rim of the canyon past our campsite, waving to Herb, until I found the turnoff for the other half of the trail that descended about 200 feet down into the canyon. I followed a series of steep switchbacks that led down to lovely Annie’s Creek. From there, the trail followed the creek, crossing a couple of bridges that fortunately were intact. The wildflowers alongside the trail were beautiful. Eventually, after about a mile I did come to the washed out bridge and had to turn around and retrace my steps back up to the rim.

Wizard Island from Garfield PeakThe Annie’s Creek hike was just a surprise bonus, because our real plan for the day was to hike from the Crater Lake Lodge in Rim Village to Garfield Peak, a 3.8-mile, relatively strenuous, out-and-back hike to tremendous views of Crater Lake and the surrounding mountains.

After leaving the Crater Lake Lodge parking lot, we hiked up the steep trail for about a half mile, where we got our first views down of the lake. From there we continued eastward along a ridge, continuing to climb upwards for close to another mile and a half before arriving at the 8,060-foot summit where the views of the lake and the Phantom Ship were even better.

While enjoying the views at the top, my phone rang, which was surprising, considering Crater Lake National Park supposedly has no cell coverage whatsoever. I guess they let important news through, because it was Andrew calling to tell us that he got a really good job offer. I’m so glad we were able to get his call and share in the excitement.
The way back was downhill all the way.

Travelogue

View from our Bordertown RV siteWe had 3 nights before we had to be in Solartown - the last two of which we would be spending at Mazama Campground at Crater Lake. That left us a day in between to break up the 10 hour drive to Crater Lake.

A quick google search showed the Bordertown Casino and RV Resort, just north of Reno, near the California border. We were very much ready for electricity and a long shower, so a commercial campground with full hookups sounded very appealing. Also, appealing was the fact that there was a restaurant right nearby, so I wouldn’t have to cook in the RV for the seventh night in a row. I even had a $2 coupon.

The campground was nice enough - large pull through sites so we didn’t have to detach the Subaru and pretty views of the surrounding mountains. Our picnic table was missing the benches to sit on, but you can’t have everything.

$1 Tacos in BordertownHerb was quite amused by how excited I was about my night on the town - I am a very low maintenance date. We strolled over to the casino / restaurant where we were hit with a wall of cigarette smoke when we opened the door. Poor Herb. We had left the fires in Yosemite behind and now this. Although there was no smoking in the restaurant, no one had told the smoke not to drift in.

We looked at the menu board and saw that it was $1 taco night. Oh boy! We asked our less than enthusiastic-about-her-job waitress how the tacos were, to which she respond with a shrug of her shoulders and a mumbled, “Eh. It depends on the chef.”

At this point, I was not going to let a mediocre review from the staff stop my bargain taco, so I ordered three and Herb ordered 5, along with a Budweiser. I have to give her credit as a restaurant reviewer. She was pretty dead on with her “Eh”.

When we received the bill for $11, we were too embarrassed to use our coupon. Herb figured if he had ordered a draft beer rather than a bottle, we could have brought our total, with coupon, down to $7 - but anything under $10 I don’t count as a date.