Late in January, we went for an overnight to La Laguna (aka Crater Lake) just outside of Santa María del Oro, about three and a half hour’s drive from Chapala.

This spot was recommended by our chiropractor as a nice get-away. We also found it mentioned in one of our local guide books. Apparently, the lake is formed in the crater of an extinct volcano. With a goal of trying to work in a bit more sightseeing, and its close proximity to home, this destination fit the bill for January.

Our first stop along the way was the town of Magdalena. This town is known for its opal mining. We stopped in to look at a couple of the shops, but mainly, it was a good place to stop for lunch. The town had a good feel to it and seemed to be thriving. Here’s a photo of the main plaza:

After lunch, we made it to our destination, Santa María del Oro. Zig-zagging through town, we eventually got to the lookout over Crater Lake:

There’s a 5-star resort on the far side of the lake, where we enjoyed a nice dinner our first evening. It was very pretty, and seemingly deserted mid-week. The rooms were pricey at over $100 USD a night; but it might easily be worth it for a special occasion.

We chose the more cost-effective bungalows at the RV park / campground. They were more than adequate. We had a beautiful view of the lake. Here’s a photo taken around 8 AM while enjoying our morning coffee:

Later that morning we did a little more exploring, then sampled the luncheon fare at one of the many lakeside restaurants. We tried the local specialty, chicharones de pescado. Unfortunately, it seemed to be mostly deep-fry, and very little fish. (OK, so it was totally inedible.) Luckily, we had ordered some quesadillas too. The ambiance and the views were great though:

We topped it all off with an ice-cream bar and then headed back home.

And that’s the story of our quick little gotta-see-some-sights getaway for January…