Got up this morning to fog and mist. Packed up a very wet tent and headed back to the Diablo Dam to cross it and see what there was to see over there. We stopped on the dam and there was an employee heading down to the mechanical room. He’ll retire after 38 years in December. The clouds and fog were lifting off the lake..beautiful. There was nothing past the dam except maintenance offices.
Diablo Dam
Ross Lake NRA
Made a stop at the Ross Lake Trail and wandered down it for about 30 minutes. Saw a beautiful waterfall, but then headed back up. Met a farmer and wife from an hour out of McCook. It’s broken up some and we can see peaks…maybe it will be clear at Washington Pass. Sunshine too! We’ll we’re half a mile from the Pass and can hardly see the trees next to us.
Decided to stop at the turnout and have lunch to see if the clouds lifted, but it’s whiteout. Good lunch of hummus, crackers, apples and cheese in a can. This Clark's Nutcracker came to visit nearby while we were eating.
Heavy clouds until almost Lone Fir Campground…where we thought we might stay, but still cloudy and only 12:40….so on down the road. Stopped in Winthrop. It’s all old western storefronts and lots of western gear. Was one busy little town!
Looks like Estes Park in it’s infancy. Then driving further on 20 we stopped for a tour at the National Forest’s Smokejumper’s Training Center. Excellent tour. John got lots of pictures and there was a delightful young man that did our tour. He’d been doing it for three seasons. Only 350 in the whole Forest Service. This plaque was made by one of the guys from old and new gloves...some blackened with use and others spanking clean.
Then on into Chelan. We checked some motels, but too expensive, but found a nice RV park right in the center of town on the lake so jumped in there and it’s GREAT! Then went to the Apple Cup Café for dinner for burgers and fish and chips – and a GREAT strawberry milkshake! YUM! Nice way to end a rather dreary day.
