Home Sweet Home

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What camera am I using?: the Canon G7X Mark II, the best point-and-shoot camera that exists. I don’t want a big camera with lens options anymore. It has to fit in my pocket.

What is Reno like post pandemic?: In October 2019 when we stayed overnight, the casinos were practically deserted and there were homeless camps along the river easily visible from the Marriott Courtyard. Downtown Reno was a depressing place. This year we stayed in the brand new Marriott Aloft at the airport and didn’t even go near downtown I suspect the pandemic hasn’t helped things. Reno just happens to be a convenient stopping point on the route home.

The Journey Home

Nothing much to report. Day one we traversed the Oregon mountains, often going above the snow line. We had lunch at McDonald’s in Sisters, OR. We passed through Bend. We stayed over night in Klamath Falls. Interesting fact: Klamath Falls has no waterfall.

“When you first hear the name Klamath Falls, you may immediately think of a waterfall. Which makes you like most people. We hear it all the time: Where are the waterfalls at? How did Klamath Falls get that name? And what are the best known waterfalls near Klamath Falls that I should visit? Some of these are complex questions. Thankfully, we will take a little time to answer these questions, so you can be in the know when you are in Klamath Falls. Klamath Falls was originally founded in 1867 with the name Linkville, after the nearby Link River. The name was changed to Klamath Falls between 1892 and 1893. The word Klamath is derived from the indigenous people that lived on the land. While the word is not actually thought to be of the language of the people, it has come to symbolize them. The local Klamath people referred to the region by the Link River. Since it was an odd phenomenon as it would flow upstream when the south wind blew. The Klamath word for the phenomenon, Tiwishkeni, loosely translated meant “where the falling waters rush”. It was from this that the word Falls was added to the name, Klamath Falls. Klamath in reference to the people and Falls in relation to the Link River phenomenon. The falls of Klamath Falls are more of a cascading fall or water rapids along the Link River that can still be glimpsed today. During much of the year, you can see a set of whitewater rapids along with one or two cascading waterfalls along a ledge on the east side of the river channel. For the best views, we recommend visiting in the spring, when water from the Upper Klamath Lake overflows and makes the rapids more noticeable. While the falls may not be what you immediately consider a waterfall, when you do glimpse the falls of Klamath Falls, you can easily see how they received their name.“

We made a couple of stops to view the snowy mountains. The roads were dry and clear. We did have one interesting sight – a blue jay. He thoughtfully posed. I can’t remember the last time I saw a blue jay.

Day two, Monday, was a relatively short jaunt from Klamath Falls to Reno. The highlight was supposed to be burgers and shakes at The Oney Frosty in Town in Adin, California where we had delicious burgers two years ago. Alas, it is closed on Monday! Instead we had very good burgers at the Courthouse Cafe in Susanville, California.

Day three was a long trek on back roads from Reno to Las Vegas. Once you hit Las Vegas, the traffic is terrible. We did go buy the gorgeous new Las Vegas NFL stadium. We stayed at our usual Marriott Residence Inn on Las Vegas Boulevard but past the airport and far from the hustle and bustle of the strip. We got burrito bowls to go from Chipolte and ate them in the room at the Marriott.

Day four was the five hour drive home from Vegas to Scottsdale. Aside from a stop at McDonald’s in Boulder City for breakfast, there were no stops. We were home by noon

Dingle in October? Maybe.