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| CANADA GEESE AT LAKE TAHOE |
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| LAKE TAHOE |
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| OUR CAMP SITE AT ZEPHYR COVE |
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| MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS |
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| STEAM FROM HOT SPRINGS |
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| THE CAMP ROTA |
Lake Tahoe is on the California/Nevada border, and Zephyr Cove is located to the east on the Nevada side, not far from Carson City.
Tents were pitched and half of the group went to purchase food while the rest of us went down to amuse ourselves by the lake. The numerous black-headed Canada Geese 'loafing' around the lake seemed quite comfortable in the presence of people. I walked along the sandy shore for a couple of hours and then went in for a swim. The water was crystal clear, and when I got a mouthful it tasted of spring water. My usual experience of bodies of water this large is at the seaside. Thus, quite illogically, I expected the water to taste salty.
Supper was prepared by Charlotte and Karen and comprised an English breakfast, which was novel but satisfying. After eating and before preparing for sleep, we had to carefully clean all utensils and put rubbish, unused foodstuffs and also our toilet bags into bear-proof containers.
Many National Parks in North America are also the habitats of Black and Brown (Grizzly) Bears. Whilst they don't go out of their way to attack humans, they do scavenge for food and have very sensitive senses of smell, so we have to clear our tents of anything that might attract them. It would be a very unpleasant experience to have a Bear tear though the tent fabric to get in during the middle of the night. We have had some instruction on how to tell the difference between Black and Brown Bears, and how best to deal with an encounter, but I'm not sure how this works in the dark!
Anyway, after an undisturbed night, followed by an early rise, breakfast, and a very efficient 'breaking of camp' (we are getting good now) we continued our journey into Nevada. We are heading for Yellowstone Park, but it will take us two days to get there from Tahoe.
Much of our driving was along the I-80 (Interstate no. 80) and was rather boring. The road largely passes through the Nevada desert, although there were high mountains about us in the distance. Shortly after crossing into Idaho and following nearly 11 hours on the road, including breaks, we finally got to our mid-way campsite at a place called Nat-Soo-Pah just south of the city of Twin Falls. The campsite is located next to a hot spring and Nat-Soo-Pah is the Shoshone Indian word for 'magic mineral water'. I didn't have any specific camp duties so I took the opportunity to bathe in the lovely warm health-giving spring water before enjoying a chilli supper prepared by Donna and Doreen.
Next morning we were off early again. Initially the view from the road is much the same as yesterday, but gradually became greener and more cultivated as we continued east. We stopped at Idaho Falls to pick up food and then continued though the southern tip of Montana to enter Yellowstone National Park at the West Yellowstone Entrance. Almost straight away we entered Wyoming where most of the Park is.
We arrived at Madison Campground mid-afternoon, pitched our tents, then immediately set out to see a few Park sights. The Yellowstone Park scenery is breathtaking - a gorgeous mix of mountains, rocky outcrops, water meadows, forests, rivers and lakes laid out before us as if the world's most expensive landscape gardener had been at work.
First we visited the spectacular terraces of the Mammoth Hot Springs where superheated water from below has deposited calcium carbonate and turned the hillside white, although on closer inspection browns, reds and oranges are present also. Trees and grass cannot survive in the toxic environment, but some micro-organisms can and do.
Nearby, at a place called the Boiling River, water from a hot spring flows into the Gardner River. An enclosure of rocks forms a warm pool where the waters mix. I didn't take us long to don swimming costumes and enjoy a group bathe in the luxurious warmth.
Angela and I were responsible for preparing supper when we eventually returned to our tents. We did a spicy chicken stir-fry which, if lack of leftovers is a good indication, seemed to go down well.
Bear precautions are even more onerous at Yellowstone than at Yosemite. We kept almost our entire luggage in the trailer overnight and couldn't even take the clothes we wore for eating into the tent as they would smell of food.
