Our close friend Larry Helmandollar died June 6, 2020, which was right in the middle of the pandemic. At that time it was impossible to have a funeral or service of any kind in Lake Oswego, Oregon, where he lived or in Auburn, California, where he was to be buried. After a delay of more than a year, we were finally able to travel to California for a memorial service and burial. Perfect opportunity for a mini-vacation!
I was able to show George the area where I had worked for 3 weeks as a part of the Idaho team sent to California to finish the 2020 Census . We started in South Lake Tahoe and drove all around the west side of the lake where I had spent days and days tracking down addresses. It is such a beautiful part of the world.
On many of those days, I drove past Emerald Bay. It's easy to see why this is one of the most photographed spots in all of California.
I may or may not be addicted to McDonald's frozen coke. It hits the spot after a hot day of touring!
After our Tahoe adventure we drove over Donner Pass to Auburn for the Memorial service. Then on to Lassen Volcanic National Park. We discovered that it is a bit like Yellowstone - smells and all.
On our drive home we discovered Lake Abert which is a large, shallow, alkali lake in Oregon. It is approximately 15 miles long and 7 miles wide at its widest point and is slowly drying up, losing about 90%of its volume over the last decade. No one really knows why.
Our last night was in Burns, Oregon population 2870. It is about the same size as Lonoke, Arkansas was when I was growing up. It reminded me of home in some ways. We had a delicious dinner at Boomer's Place, best French fries I've ever had. And then our hotel location gave us a front row seat to the town fireworks show.
Such a fun trip! Great to show George Lake Tahoe, to honor Larry's life and to see some new places.
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