Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge & A visit to Crater Lake.

We have been busy since the last post.  As you may recall, our travel plans were altered due to bad weather.  While we were stopped at the Elk's Lodge in Gardnerville,  NV John was surfing the internet and found Tule Lake NWR and contacted them to see if they could use a couple of volunteers for a short term.   On April 10th we arrived at Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge.

Our site at Tule Lake Refuge.

One of our projects while there was getting the class room ready for use.  The classroom used to be a barn which has been converted into a venue for school group programs.  The classroom hadn't been used in a while and needed a good cleaning.  Unfortunately, there were a couple of openings where birds got in and ....well...you know what they do.  John pressure washed the building (inside and out), tables and chairs.  We cleaned all the surfaces and wiped everything down.

Tables drying out.

Chairs drying out.

Inside the classroom.

Another view of the classroom.

John performed maintenance tasks and most of my time was spent working at the Visitor Center.  I really enjoy doing that because you meet so many interesting people from all walks of life.  Below is a picture of some of the people John and I worked with.  An awesome group of people.  We would definitely like to return here. 

John F., Janelle, me and Steve.

We had plenty of time off to explore the area.  A few of the places we viewed were Mount Shasta, Lava Bed National Park and of course multiple areas of the refuge.

Lava Beds.

Here are a few pictures taken of the refuge on one of our outings. 

An eagle in flight after catching his dinner.  

A pair of Cinnamon Teals.

A pair of Mallards in flight.

A Pelican in flight.

We left Tule Lake Friday, April 28th and journeyed on to Crater Lake National Park.  We boondocked over night at Annie Creek Sno-Park.  There was lots of snow at Crater Lake.   It is such a beautiful place. 

The road up to Crater Lake.

Visitor Center covered in snow.  The snow tunnel entrance was open to the public.

Our truck parked at the Visitor Center. Wow, that is a lot of snow.

John took this picture of Crater Lake.  I think it is my favorite.

Here we are taking a selfie at Crater Lake.

John's selfie.

Here are a few more views of Crater Lake.  It is so large it is hard to get it all in.

We left the Crater Lake area yesterday and are staying at an Elk's Lodge in Salem, OR until Monday morning.  Our next destination is Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge.  

On a sad note, our friends Steve and Sandy, who traveled with us on our Nova Scotia/Prince Edward Island trip last year, lost their little dog Yoda to cancer this week. Our thoughts and prayers are with them.  It is so hard to lose a beloved pet.  Yoda was a sweet little dog. 

John and Yoda on one of our daily outings in Nova Scotia.   Yoda really liked John.

Laugh everyday.  Happy trails.  Stay safe.