DAY 108- New Orleans...

The locals pronounce it “NAw Lynnss” and they also talk really fast.  I kept on having them repeat what they were saying.  I guess I had gotten too use to the slow southern drawl they do everywhere else in the south.  I did a bit of exploring before the 10AM cemetery tour.  I wandered onto the low numbered end of Royal St. in the French Quarter and found the Café Beignet that the locals had recommended as having the better beignet than Café de Monde which they called a tourist trap.  While on the way there, I walked past several art galleries that weren’t open yet for the day.  There was some amazing stuff in their windows.  At Café Beignet, I walked to the back counter ordering coffee with a beignet.  I then found a table to sit at.  My coffee was called out and shortly after that my order number was called.  Beignets piled with powdered sugar and I was wearing black capris pants.  Oh, I so did not think this one through!  But it was a yummy and a bit messy experience.



Photo- The entrance to Cemetery Number One where I had my tour.

About 20 minutes before the cemetery tour, I wandered over to where it started.  It ended up being four of us on the tour.  Rene, our tour guide, walked us over a few blocks and started to explain the process and history about burial in New Orleans. The water table being so high created all kinds of problems for burying the dead.  Also, every Spring, it was common to have flooding in the area and bodies would come floating by the houses.  Rene teasingly told the joke that you like talking to your living Aunt at the dinner table but she wasn’t a very good dinner guest dead.   She showed us a section on Burgundy St. where there was an earlier cemetery but now it was a row of houses.  She mentioned a story of where a resident had arranged for a swimming pool to be put in and remains had been unburied.  I guess this whole area had quite a few remains just below the surface.



Photo- Our tour guide Rene showing us the "Oven" style of burial.

Photo- Rene showing us the most famous burial in the cemetery
a VooDoo Mistress called Marie Laveau.

Photo- In the middle area of the cemetery a picture from walking through.

 

We then walked over to Cemetery Number 1.  Rene asked us to be respectful.  It is still an active cemetery, and also not to lean or sit on any of the graves because of the damage that can cause over time.  She went over the different styles of burying that were in the cemetery; showing us as we went along within the walls of the cemetery. She also showed us some of the historic and famous figures in the cemetery.  Then, Rene showed us the backyard area where the Protestants were buried.  It is a Catholic cemetery.  She explain and showed us the difference between restoration and renovation within the cemetery.  Rene also showed us what she considered the eye sores on the cemetery; one of them being a pyramid that Nicholas Cage had built and plans to bury in, and the other is a strange memorial statue.  The tour was very fascinating and enjoyable.  Rene struck the right balance of fun and interesting.  I took both of the tours through a local company called Historic Tours and they give a slight discount if you take more than one with them.

Photo- Nicholas Cage's pyramid-- we were convinced that he purchased because the
IRS is not likely to repo a burial plot.  Though, I would imagine the resale value has some
potential because of where it is.

Next, outside the walls of the cemetery the group of all four of us decided to head out and explore the city.  We walk over to where the trolley cars are.  One of the gals decides to bow out and I ask if it’s okay to still hang out.  I ended up hanging out with a cute adorable middle age couple from Cincinnati, OH.  Steve and Patty were wonderfully easy going and made for enjoyable company for the afternoon.  We jumped on to the trolley car not sure where it went but open to explore.  This was my kind of exploring!  The great thing was its only $3 to ride their bus and trolley cars all day in New Orleans.



Photo- Patty and Steve in front of the Sculpture Garden.

Well, the trolley ended up stopping at a bunch of cemeteries and we already had a tour of one.  One cemetery a day was enough for us.  We back tracked a little and found a restaurant that must have been good because it was crowded.  It was called the Flying Burrito and we only waited about 5 minutes for a table.  We were reviewing maps and discovered if we caught another trolley line we would be close to a sculptural garden and the botanical gardens; that sounded good to me.  Lunch was wonderful and I enjoyed the Flying Burrito which had steak, chicken, and shrimp in a whole wheat tortilla.  Patty’s salad that she ordered looked good and Steve had a burrito too.

Photos- Two pictures of my favorite sculpture in the garden. 
The bottom one is a close up and the bottom human form is about 6 ft tall.

 

Photo- One of the cool sculptures in the garden.

After lunch we waited for a trolley that went north and meanwhile Patty was showing me photos of their swamp tour and a Mardi Gras Parade warehouse that they had explored in the last couple of days they been in New Orleans.  The trolley car arrived and we headed toward the New Orleans City Park which is an end stop.  Off we walked over to the Sculptural Garden which is right next to the New Orleans Museum of Art.  The sculptural garden is free and we got a brochure from the gal at the desk.  It’s a wonderful garden area and there are several acres and areas within it to walk around and enjoy.  It was fun wandering around with Patty and Steve trying to figure out the titles to some of the sculptures and trying to figure out what some of the sculptures were.  We even had a bit of fun with some sculptures that were on benches by mimicking them.

Photo- Patty and Sculpture.

Photo- Steve, now look serious like the statue!  LOL!!

It was sprinkling a bit off and on but we figured we would take our chances and went next to the New Orleans Botanical Garden which was next door to the sculptural garden.  There was a $6 fee to get in and the lady at the desk recommended visiting the Japanese garden area and said that the orchids were in bloom in the conservatory.  We walked through and enjoyed it all.  The Japanese garden was very peaceful and relaxing.  There were vegetable and herb gardens.  There was a train depot like garden with models that represented part of the city of New Orleans which was fun but the train wasn’t running at current.  As we went around they had Christmas lights up and out and it looked like they were getting ready for an event called Cajun Christmas.  There were alligators, Santa, and angels.  We went into the conservatory and saw all of the wonderful orchids in bloom.  It was a wonderful garden to visit.

Photo- The middle of the New Orleans Botantical Garden.

Next, we headed back to the trolley station figuring it was time to head back to the French Quarter.  Patty and Steve were staying on the other side in a hotel by Jackson Square.  As we were waiting we saw another bus go by and go down a street that would be a direct shot to the French Quarter.  Steve got on the phone and called the RTA(the New Orleans Transit) phone to find out where it went.  Well, it was a direct shot back to the hotel and it came every 30 minutes.  We were up for a different way to go back and we waited until the next one came.  We got to see a different landscape on the way back.  Brightly painted houses and neighborhoods but we did see one or two houses with an X on them.  There were still signs that the city was still recovering from Hurricane Katrina.  We arrived in the French Quarter and I gave Patty a hug and thanked them for letting me hang out with them for the day.  It was fun having someone else to do a little sightseeing with. 

I took a shower and decided to have dinner at the famous Gumbo Shop in the French Quarter which was just off of Royal Street.  I walked into the Gumbo Shop and there was a line.  Well, it turns out there was a big group of 17 waiting to be seated together.  I cut right to the front and the hostess asked if by the kitchen was okay.  Sure; I told her I was easy; how couldn’t I be in the big easy?  She must have heard that one before she just smiled and sat me.  I had planned on having their gumbo which they are famous for but I ended up having a combination plate instead which had crab estouffee, jambalaya, and another rice dish that had chicken and shrimp in it.  The server talked so fast I just agreed and said that would be fine.  I also didn’t have to wait as long as those that ordered gumbo.  The gumbo was taking a while and I already had my meal before a table next to me that sat earlier than me.  It was good stuff too and I had a local brewed beer with it.  Don’t ask me the name of the brew because I could barely understand the server with his accent.  I just took a chance and hoped I would like it and I did.  After dinner, I slowly wandered back to my hotel and I was ready to call it an early day.  My feet were hurting a bit from all the walking I did earlier.

DAY 107- The Old, New & Vampires…

I woke up to the sound of water all round me.  It was pouring rain outside, the person in the next room was using in the shower, and I could hear the fountain in the hotel’s atrium.  Is it any wonder that I rushed to the bathroom the first thing in the morning?  I asked the hotel clerk for directions to the Louisiana State Capital that’s located in Baton Rouge.  I teased her that she wouldn’t have to give me directions to come back.  She could send me off never to return.  I think she wondered if she should be laughing or not.

Photo- The outside of the tallest State Capital Building.

I found my way with her directions to the State Capital but to tell you the truth it was hard not to miss the building because it was one of the tallest in the area.  At 450 ft. tall and 34 floors it is the tallest State Capital in the US.  It also has quite a history.  It was finished in March 1932 and it took quite a powerful legislator to get it built during the height of the Great Depression.  That same powerful governor was also assassinated in the building a few years later. Huey P. Long is buried on the grounds and his statue looks towards the building.  Louisiana has quite the interesting political history; as I found out later on when I went to see the Old State Capital.

Photo- Inside the Senate Chambers of the Louisiana Capital.

But first I explored the New Louisiana State Capital.  I went through the areas on the 1^st floor and explored what was open.  The building is currently undergoing some major renovations and quite a bit of it was closed because of the work being done.  I then rode the elevator up to the 24^th floor with 5 construction guys up the elevator which I had to laugh I was the only one to hit a floor button.  They were just along for the ride and one of them complimented me on my purse.  It made me wonder if the construction work was a “bit” behind. 

Photo- The foggy and rainy view I had from the 27th floor.

When I got up to the 24^th floor I walked across the landing area and got on a smaller elevator that took me to the 27^th floor where there’s a gift shop and an observation deck.  It was still rainy out but I went out onto the deck anyway.  I had to see the view and I imagine on a clear day it would have been beautiful.  But even with clouds and rain, it was a pretty view.  The security guard looked at me strange that I had actually gone out in that weather but it was in the mid-70’s and rainy.  I thought it was rather refreshing.

Photo- Louisiana's Old State Capital-- A Castle!

Next, I walked in the rain 6 blocks to the Old State Capital.  I never saw a picture of Old Capital and I had expected a domed creation of some sort but I ended up standing in front of a castle.  I walked in and wow!  There were black and white checked floors, beautiful wood, and stained glass.  I talked with the gals at the information desk and found about the ghost movie.  I went into the gift shop to pay for that and then met her and a married couple that also paid for the movie.  It was a fun, cool experience and I don’t want to give anything more away but it’s very worth the $3.  It did cover some of the amazing interesting history of the old building and how it was able to make a comeback twice in its long history. 

Photo- The view as you go in the door at the Old Capital.

After the movie, I explored around the beautiful old Capital building.  The first floor had a history of how Louisiana came to be a state.  It was very interesting because there was even a bust of Napoleon Bonaparte.  In another area on the first floor, there’s an area dedicated to the famous Huey P. Long former governor and state senator.  It was an interesting way of talking about the man.  There was a section that was pro- Huey and another section that was anti- Huey.   I had never seen such a history of an historical figure before.  Most times you get the good and that’s all.  But this showed him from both sides and then showed the assignation from two different theories too. 

Photo- WOW! The amazing stained glass area just above the second floor!

On the second floor up the spiral staircase, there are pictures along the walls of the former governors.  Above those is the arched stain glass area which is just amazing to behold.  Also, on the second floor were two large room areas that looked like they were ready for Christmas events.  There was another room where there were bridal photos that were taken within the Old Capital building.  That would be amazing to have a wedding in such a venue. 

I walked back to my car in the rain.  Yes, it was still raining and it was supposed to be over by noon according to the local weatherman.  But I guess that Mother Nature had other plans.  I got onto the interstate and headed east to New Orleans.  The first 20 miles was solid traffic as it went through a construction zone but as I came to the town of Iowa, LA the roads cleared up some.  Yes, there’s an Iowa in the state of Louisiana.  I just had to stop and check it out being that I grew up in Iowa.  There wasn’t much but it made for a good stop for gas and a break from the traffic.

Next, it was on to New Orleans, LA and I reserved a place down in the French Quarter to stay for a couple of nights.  When I got to New Orleans, I stopped at the Visitor’s Center just outside of the French Quarter.  I talked with a woman with a very heavy Cajun-French accent and she gave me directions to my hotel.  I found my little hotel about 6 blocks away on Burgundy Street.  I got checked in and while I was checking in I also got signed up for the Vampire Tour that night and a Cemetery Tour the next morning.  I then asked where a good place to eat for the night.  I was directed to Deanie’s and was told to tell them that John, the front desk clerk’s name, had sent me.  All of New Orleans’s tourist business seems to be based on a referral system.

Photo- Deanie's where I had dinner my first night in the French Quarter of New Orleans.

I found Deanie’s, which the hotel clerk had pronounced Deedee’s, and had a wonderful small seafood pizza and a large version of a Long Island Ice tea.  It was while I was having my dinner that three Louisiana State Police walk in and check out the establishment’s liquor lisc.  It was interesting seeing them in their blue polo shirts and tan pants with guns strapped at their waist.  All this to verify a liquor lisc?  It seemed a bit much but the manager showed up and things proceeded smoothly.

I walked back to my hotel.  I still had time to blow before the Vampire Tour and thought I might check out a local bar.  John, at the desk, referred me to a place just down the street about 3 blocks.  He said that it would mainly be locals and no real tourists because it was on the edge of the French Quarter.  I walked in and was greeted by a local’s dog that was still in the friendly puppy stage.  I sat down and ended up started a conversation with a couple of friends that have lived in the area for a while(Andrew and Stephanie).  I got the inside scoop on the beignets and learned that the bars never really closed down here.  The locals take their time with the drinking.  I also learned that you can carry out of the bar as long as it is in plastic.

Photo- Part of the French Quarter at night.

Shortly after that I was carrying what was left of my beer over to the start of the Vampire Tour.  There was a good group of about 15 people; all tourists on the tour.  We were told about the history of the area and the possibilities of vampires by some of the things that happened in the past in the area as we walked along in the French Quarter.  Our guide stopped and pointed out buildings that were in a movie or had some kind of questionable vampire history.  I think it was exaggerated but it was all in good fun.   

We stopped towards the middle of the tour for a quick drink and bathroom drink at a local bar on the tour route.  I’m sure that the tour guide got a kick back for this.  And again at the end of the tour it was ended at another bar.  Be sure to have plenty of cash on hand when you are in New Orleans because some of the bars only take cash but there’s always an ATM nearby with an extra fee to be paid.

DAY 74- Tombstone…

Tombstone tallied as the town that would not die.  I had been seeing the billboards for Tombstone almost everywhere I went in the state; giving directions and showing the 5 gun slinging guys holding guns out towards you.  Well, it was only about 80 miles southeast of Tucson.  I thought I had better check this one out.  So off I went east on I-10.

When I got to Tombstone was really unsure of where to go.  I had an address for Tombstone from the internet for Allen Street; I got a little ways into town and saw a sign that read Allen Street this way.  I followed.  Then I saw Allen Street and it was closed to cars.  I found parking on a side street right across from the Tombstone Courthouse which is touted as the smallest state park in the west; one more small thing to log in on my BIG adventure.

Photo- Stage coach waiting to give a tour for visitors in Tombstone.

I walked over to Allen Street and walked along the board walk sidewalks where here and there cowboys were decked out down to their spurs.  They would say howdy ma’am as I walked by and tip their hats.  I wandered in and out of a few shops as I went along.  At one intersection the cowboys were talking about a shootout that was going to occur at Helldorado Town if you weren’t too much of a yellow belly to watch it then you should go down the street to it.  Of course, I wasn’t and off down the street I went and purchased a ticket for the next shoot out show.

Photo- Board walk sidewalks in Tombstone.

I found a sit among the cowboy hatted group and watched the show.  It was some interactive fun.  The sheriff was introducing the good guys (Yeah!) and the bad guys (Boo!) and the ugly (laughing booing!).  Then, they started a skit and one of them was tossing his gun up and around; doing all kinds of fancy gun works.  Some balloons got shot out, and then the ugly guy got shot.  Then, a miner who was a good guy (yeah!) showed up who was looking for his donkey that one of the bad guys had sold.  Well, some more entertaining fun came along with this part of the skits and I think a great deal of it was adlibbed because periodically they would say that wasn’t in the script. 

Photo- A bad guy (Boo!) whose showing off his with his gun at the shoot out show.

Photo- The inexperienced miner, a good guy (Yeah!), at a shoot out.

When the show was over they introduced everyone and said that unfortunately for their families this was how they earned their living and if you enjoyed the show to please tip generously on your way out.  Also, they said that our ticket stubs were good for discounts at the Helldorado restaurant and for the tour trolley car ride.  I walked across the street to the trolley and asked when the next tour was.  It was in 20 min.  I bought a ticket which I was told was good for discounts at other places in Tombstone and that our trolley ride guide would point out where those places were.  Yep, there was a bit of marketing racket going on in Tombstone but then again was that any surprise.

Photo- Tombstone's famous newspaper.

The trolley tour ended up being filled to the gills but it was a good tour and there was a fair amount of colorful history in the area.  We sat for the first bit of the trolley ride at the main stop while the driver told us how Tombstone came into being.  It was silver mining that out it on the map and its height it had 7000 male residents.  He said that the census back then did not take into consideration anything other than white males; that didn’t include the woman working in the brothels or the Chinese that also lived in the area.  We were taken along the edges and back and forth across Allen Street that was closed to cars because the streets have tunnels underneath them.  When it was really rainy, they were discovering that the weight of the cars was causing the streets to collapse just a little bit.  So it’s only the horse wagons that are allowed on Allen Street. 

Half way through the tour they drove out to Boothill Cemetery where you could get off the trolley and then catch the next trolley in about 45 min.  I stayed on because I was hoping to find a place to eat shortly after the trolley car tour was done.  The driver said that Boothill was the second most haunted place in Tombstone and that it closed before dark because it was too haunted for even the employees to stay past dark.  I don’t remember where the first haunted place but he kept on talking about how many were killed here and there in gun shoot outs as he drove us back through the rest of the tour.  There was plenty for the driver to talk about and he wasn’t the short winded type anyway.

Photo- The inside of the Crystal Palace Saloon in Tombstone.

With the tour done, it was now time to find a place to eat but first I went to my car and grabbed my warped cowboy hat.  I told myself it was for the shade and to keep my hair out of my eyes; not because I was at Tombstone and wanted to semi-try to fit in, of course.  I walked by a couple of bars and a restaurant.  The restaurant had closed because they were just open for a short lunch hour.  The 2^nd bar that I came to was the Crystal Palace Saloon.  I went in and sat at the wonderful wooden bar area.  I ordered a Blue Moon draft and asked for a menu. 

Photo- The Crystal Palace Saloon's signage outside.

While waiting for my burger on rye, a couple of women walked in.  One of them has this southern slang; she’s yelling and waving obnoxiously across the bar about getting shots of tequila with salt.  They have their shots and then discover that their husbands are down the bar a ways.  They get up, move down the bar, order more shots and proceed again to get salt all over the bar while they have their shots.  Then shortly after that they leave, the bartender clad in a black bustier old saloon attire with fish net stockings ended up wiping and wiping to get all of the salt off the bar.  I laughed and told her that she needed a little mini vacuum.   That would be really nice to have right now she said.  We strike up a conversation and I discover that she owns 5 horses.  She breeds them but most of the time she really has a hard time selling the young ones because she gets attached to them.  She really seemed like a nice gal.

Photo- A sign outside one of the shops along Allen Street in Tombstone.

After lunch I walked along Allen Street more and I went in more shops.  I was on the search for postcards and possibly an inexpensive t-shirt.  I ended up finding postcards in one shop and a t-shirt in another.  Then, I got to looking at some of the sterling silver rings that were priced very low and reasonable.  Oh, why not I thought to myself.  I ended up going around to 3 different shops and found a stainless steel one I really liked.  Now, it’s about 4pm and I still have a three hour drive to Phoenix where I’m meeting my friend Laura at a hotel in the downtown area.

I drive north on I-10W past Tucson and continue to Phoenix.  I watch the sunset as I drive north.  It’s dark by the time I get to the turn off exit in Phoenix.  I find the hotel and end up seeing my friend Laura for just a short bit as she takes a break from the nuns’ retreat she is attending.  She’s had 6 diet cokes and is just bouncing up off the walls; cracking me up. 

The guy at the front desk recommended a restaurant that was kitty corner from the hotel.  The name of the bar/restaurant is called Switch.  I walked across to it; and it’s pretty busy.  It’s a nice bar/restaurant with dim lighting and under lighting done in blue which is kind of cool with the décor.  I asked the hostess if I could just sit up at the bar. 

I end up sitting between a guy and a pair of friends.  The pair of friends is a younger slim sorority type black haired gal that went to Ball State which is where the guy on the other side of me went.  They talk together for a short bit and I think Cassie, her name, thinks that he and I are together.  Because she keeps on trying to include me in the conversation and she’s quite the talker I tell you!  Then she starts talking with her “buddy”, her married friend that she’s out to dinner with; who can’t seem to keep his hands off of her. 

She and her “buddy” leave after one drink.  I look at the guy next to me and told him I wanted to yell to go get a room.  He laughed and said I don’t treat my female friends like that.  We end up talking and watching the Washington- California college football game.  The game has had 8 turn overs and about 6 flags in the 25 minutes that we’ve been sitting there.  I teased Logan, the guy, that it’s a new game called Ping-Pong Football because the football has been going back and forth over and over with in the same 20 yards on the football field. 

We talked for a while longer.  Logan is currently on call for his work which is as the I.T. person for the 20 floor office building across the street.  I gave him a bit of a hard time about having three phones and that’s when he explained his on call status.  I teased him about I just figured he was one of those guys that likes his greatest and latest toys.   I ended up wishing him a good night and went back to the hotel with my left overs.

DAY 28- Crater Lake...

The last time that I saw Crater Lake was about 8 years ago.  It was in the early part of July and there was about 4 to 5 ft. of snow still surrounding the lake.  I had pictures of myself, my dog Rocky, and my friend Kory posing with a snowman in our shorts with the lake behind us.  Sorry, the copies of those photos are buried somewhere in a little 5X5 storage unit in Salt Lake City.  So you see, I had some memory of seeing the lake before.

Photo- My first sight of Crater Lake from Rim Village. Wow!

But when I got to the Rim Village and got out of my car, the lake still took my breath away.  It was rather surprising to see it with no snow, and the brilliant blue color didn’t seem quite as brilliant as the last time I saw it.  I think that was due to a couple of factors.  The first is that there’s smoke in the whole area because of the fire up at Sister’s is still burning.  In fact, that fire has now doubled overnight and they are struggling to attempt to contain it.  The second reason it doesn’t seem as brilliant blue is because there’s no snow.  The contrast with the snow and the light that the snow throws off just makes that blue of Crater Lake all that much more dramatic.

Photo- The pretty scenery on the drive but
note smoke making distance sighting hard.

I explored around the Rim village very quickly.  Taking quite a few pictures but not really being able to catch the real awe of the place.  I took the short trail down to Sinnott Memorial Overlook and got an even more amazing view of the lake.  I tried not to look down because I got a bit dizzy from the height.  Inside and behind the overlook area there’s a room with background information about the lake.  I walked along the path area that runs along the lake in the Rim Village area.

Photo- The view from Sinnott Memorial Overlook.

Photo- A photo taken from the Sinnott Memorial Overlook
(without the roof.)

I really had hoped to take the boat ride that goes down on the lake but the day before was the last day of the season that they ran the boat.  Go figure!  So I opted instead to take a trolley tour guide that goes along the rim road.  It’s a little over a two hour tour; stopping along the way and the National Parks Tour Guide explaining things as we go along.  I went to the Rim Village Café and grabbed lunch while I waited for my time slot for the trolley tour.  I ended up having a conversation with a gentleman named Frank who was from Grant Pass.  He invited me to join him and his friend for a 3 hour hike up to Garfield Peak; a trail with a 1000ft climb.  I thanked him and told him I had already reserved a tour on the trolley.  All I could imagine that I would’ve probably slowed down him and his friend.

Photo- Me with Crater Lake.

The trolley tour around Crater Lake is very well worth the $25; and the guide that I had, Dave, was a former school teacher that was cracking puns and jokes along the way.  At one point, he even got out props of a rubber chicken and a huge pair of men’s underwear.  He would make up names of the Crater Lake scientists and what not like; Rockand Debris, who was an assistant to the Lake’s geologist. Dave, our tour guide, kept it interesting and seemed not to mind the hecklers at all.  In fact, one of the hecklers was a man from Texas and later he made a comment about sometimes people will come up with their boats pulled by large diesel trucks and expect to be able to fish on the lake with their boats.  Quite often, they are Texan’s wearing big ten gallon hats.

Photo- Inside the full trolley tour.

The tour guide then goes on to explain that access to the lake is near impossible. There are cliffs along the lake that vary in heights from 300ft to 1000ft.  The boats that are currently on the lake were helicoptered in and placed onto the lake.  They are stored and winterized just off to the side of the lake. 

Yes, there’s fish in the lake that were stocked into the lake years ago and in fact, they have fishing allowed.  It’s quite a hike to get down there to fish.  The fish are not native to the lake and some feel that the fish may have already made an impact on the ecology of the area but the only way to get rid of the fish safely would be to have them fished out.

What cause Crater Lake to be what it is?  Well, the tour guide explained that they believe at one time there was a HUGE mountain thousands of years ago and it had a volcanic episode.  Then, it collapse a bit on itself and over 800 years snow melting has filled it up.  But the interesting thing is because of a pumice area of rock in one of the cliff areas it maintains a certain height of water inside and will never overflow.  The pumice stone cliff area acts as similar as an overflow spout area works in a sink.  Thus, this lake will never overflow and evaporate.

The lake is one of the clearest waters in the world; and has done a clarity test that proved clear all the way down to 144ft.  The only other that comes close is Tahoe Lake which tested to 70ft. down.  The water is so clear because its source is only the snow pack that comes from snow.  There are no underground springs or rivers that run into the crater. The area gets on average 533 inches of snow.  In fact, the tour guide said he took about 800 years for the snow pack to fill the area.

Crater Lake is the 7^th deepest body of water in the world at 1,943ft.  The tour guide then did a visual prop of showing how deep the lake was.  He took a picture of the Eiffel Tour, the Washington Monument, and the Statue of Liberty; one right above the other.  He said that there still would be 150ft of water above that.  Across one way the lake is 6 miles and is 5 miles the other way.  The tour guide told a story of how a well known female swimmer had swam across the Lake in 1939.  Of course, she swam the 6 mile distance, she didn't want to be considered a sissy.  (This tour guide had me cracking up!)  It took the swimmer nearly 42 hours to swim across it.

Did I mention I was glad to take the trolley tour around the lake because it saved me trying to drive it?  I’m a bit scared of heights and there were times where off to the side of the road looked like a sheer 300 ft. drop off.  It was more than what my nerves could’ve handled and I’m really not sure I could bike around the lake either because that would unnerve me.  But I was glad to have the bus driver being driving, then I could look up and across (not down) and I could enjoy it.

Photo- The gully area that runs along the road on the way up to Crater Lake.
That's called Annie's Falls down there but that's as close as you get.

After the trolley tour, I walked through the Crater Lake Lodge and found out that there was a talk being given by another National Park employee on the back porch area of the lodge.  The talk covered some of the same things that the trolley tour did, but went more in depth with the first visitors that came to Crater Lake.  It was interesting imagine how the early visitors came up the rugged terrain and they had to have camped out because of the distances and time involved.  Unlike my day where I could be 50 miles away, visit the park for several hours and still manage to be back at my Aunt’s for dinner.

DAY 20- Chocolate, Cars, & Cheese!

I ended up staying the night at the “Hilton” of the KOA campsites.  The facilities for this KOA were deluxe and they even had a free pancake breakfast that they served in the morning at their kitchen building.  The night before, I had gone to a chocolate and wine tasting that they held at the main KOA store.  It was chocolate truffles cut up and then served with a red wine that was infused with chocolate.  It was chocolate heaven!  The wine tasted like a chocolate version of Bailey’s and was very yummy.  So yummy in fact that I bought a bottle of it and took it back to my tent site. 

Photo- My campsite at the "Hilton" KOA.

I almost drank half of the bottle while I sat at the covered picnic bench at my campsite with my plugged in computer surfing the web on my computer till it was bedtime (midnight).  Did I mention that I had a tent site where I had power and water?  It was also fenced in and rather private; too cool!

Next, after breaking camp and grabbing my free pancakes, I headed south along the coast on Hwy 101.  It was misting rather heavily most of the morning since about 7am shortly after I had gotten my camping gear packed up. (Thank goodness!)  I had asked a gal at the pancake breakfast if this was considered rain in the northwest.  “No, not yet there but it’s on its way,” she answered.

So it was some wet driving towards the south for the next 14 miles.  It never full rained but the misting got to a point of a good drizzle.  I drove about 5 miles under the speed limit because I wasn’t sure how the roads were when they were wet here.  In Utah, the roads get awfully slick when they get wet.  I think that I was frustrating some of the other drivers behind me and I took every opportunity to get over into the turn outs so they could whiz on by me.  I just didn’t want to chance it.

Photo- Car show in Seaside.

Seaside was the next town that I came to.  It’s a vibrant little community along the beach area.  They were also having some kind of hot rod car show along their main street area; only all of these cars were taking all of the parking along the street.  They also had the street closed to other cars.  It was rather fun to walk among the cars and the misting seemed to be finally waning a bit. 

But I still ended up purchasing a much needed raincoat at local store.  It’s not that I didn’t have one at all but that the one I did have was for my cycling.  It has bicycle grease on it from riding around with my bike in the back of my car.  I went to several different shops and finally found an inexpensive men’s raincoat that I liked.  I walked down to the end of the street where there was a lovely turnabout and plaza area of the town that overlooks the beach.  There were a lot of people flying kites along the beach.  T was rather fun to watch them.

Photo- The wonderful view of Cannon Beach from the south of town.

Next it was onto Cannon Beach which came highly recommended in the 1001 Places to See Before You Die book that I’ve periodically been using to help me along the way.  I lucked out and found a parking place at the end of a street just off of the beach.  I just walked over to the end of the street but didn’t go out on the beach.  I didn’t want to worry about sand in my sandals or my socks. 

Yep, I’m doing the socks with the sandals thing that is like a Utah thing.  MAN! And I used to hate that when I would see that but after living somewhere for over 20 years I guess you pick up some of the habits of the locals.  What the Heck! (Which is another Utah-ism, because they don’t say hell! They consider that swearing.  But then it doesn’t tend to hail there much either so you can’t choose to say you were using the proper word to describe precipitation either. Oh HECK!)

Photo- Cute little courtyards nested along with shops in Cannon Beach.

I walked around the main street of Cannon Beach; mainly, through some of the galleries.  I was particularly liked the art gallery in the Cannon Beach Mall called Haystack Gallery.  It had a beautiful original watercolor painting from Steve Hanks.  And another artist that I really like was Michael Schlicting who had some amazing ocean scenes done in watercolor.

Photo- A self-supported cyclist on Hwy 101.

Next, I stopped by the first viewing area just south of Cannon Beach which had a better view of the overall beach.  While there two self-supported touring cyclists I had passed earlier stopped at the viewing area too.  I talked to them for a bit.  This was their first tour of any sort and they had started in Vancouver, BC and were on their way to San Francisco where they would fly back to Ontario, Canada.  I wished them luck and when they saw my Utah plates they said that a bike tour of southern Utah was next on their list.

Photo- I took a self-guided tour.

Behold the power of cheese!  I next went to Tillamook where I took a self-guided tour of the cheese factory.  It was interesting reading about the process and then viewing some of the processing from a second floor observation area that overlooks the production floor.  Then I came back down stairs where there was an area that you could sample some of the cheeses.  I would’ve bought some cheese but I really had no way of keeping it much past the afternoon and even the smallest package was a bit much for an afternoon consumption for me.

I turned onto Hwy 6 and started heading towards Portland where I would be staying the night.  I drove through the very dense Tillamook State Forest which seemed to make a very winding road to drive on.  Then, it was on to Hwy 26 which was a double lane in each direction.  I was able to pick up some speed, and before I knew it I was near Portland.  I managed to find my way to the Sellwood area where I was renting a room for the next two nights from a homeowner that I found on the www.airbnb.com website.  A friend had given me the website to check out.