North to Alaska

We departed on our cruise/tour of Alaska from Vancouver Canada on a cloudy Sunday afternoon. Soon the industry  and the skyscrapers were left behind and the trip up the inside passage behind Vancouver Island began.

Columbia Gorge

This area has two redeeming qualities. First it has a pretty fair view of the Columbia River Gorge, but second and foremost it has 40 BNSF trains per day on the Washington side and another 40 UP trains a day on the Oregon side. Unfortunately our campground is only 30 feet from the UP tracks and they also blow here for grade crossings 40 times per day):. The indians have the commercial fishing rights on this stretch of river. They build suspended platforms along the banks and use large hoop nets to catch the salmon that are swimming upstream. Looks pretty successful buy the appearance of that fish in the shot third from the bottom.

Bonneville Dam on the Grand Columbia (as per Woody Guthrie)

The Bonneville Dam is an emense structure on a once wild and very damaging river. The Bonneveille and others tamed the river and in the process diverted its power to a beneficial hydroelectric generating role. The dam and its related locks and fish hatchery span the river at Cascade Locks, the site of our campground.

Crater Lake

This is an other one of those drop dead gorgeous places you have to travel to see. It's also about the 10th National Park/Monument/Something or the other we've seen on this trip (and no we are NOT going for the world record:). We had lunch by the lake and enjoyed both the view and the cool mountain air.

Reno

Reno was a hoot. We spent two nights at the Grand Sierra, saw the Masters of Magic show and went to an automated wine bar. Eighty varieties of wine are dispensed in quantities of 1, 3, and 6 ounces automatically based on your selections. You buy a smart card with whatever amount you wish to put on it and you hold your glass under the spigot for your wine and press the button for the quantity you desire. We did one ounce tastes of 4 Sauvion Blancs, a Chardonnay, and I also had three reds including a Sarah and a Sharaz. It was fun and somewhat educational in that we were able to select one Chardonnay and a Sauvion Blanc for further "research" when we get home (hopefully they will be available in Lusby). We never unhooked the car, just vegged out in several of the 15 restaurants and bars at the casino.

Lake Tahoe

Georgeous Lake Tahoe with its boating and resorts is a wonderful stopover for us. We had lunch at a south Lake Tahoe Golf Course complete with a view of the crystal clear, very cold lake.

Topaz Lake

Topaz Lake is in a valley that runs behind the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Our campground is part of a resort, casino complex on Route 395 behind Yosemite's back county mountains. Route 395 runs from southern California to Canada in the valleys behind the western mountain ranges. The lake itself is fairly large and a stark contrast to the dry hills and mountains that surround it.