Journey South

Our first stop on our journey east then south was at Hat Creek in northern California. While looking at different routes, Dan noticed Lassen Volcanic National Park. We have never been there and decided this would be a nice place to visit and to get a little hiking in along the way.

Despite the glowing reviews, Rancheria RV Park in Hat Creek turned out to be a bit of a disappointment for us. You can read our review in RV Park Reviews. That aside, we did enjoy our trips to McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park and to Lassen Volcanic NP. 

Webshots album: NE California

At McArthur-Burney Falls SP, Dan asked the Ranger which way was the best to get close to the falls. The Ranger pointed out that we could see the falls from the parking lot, but we would be far above it. If we wanted to get closer there were three trails. One was closed for repairs, the second one was fairly short, but a little steep and hot. The third trail, two miles each way, started at the lake a couple of miles away. The lake trail went through a canyon and connected with the falls trail at the Rainbow Bridge. The ranger also mentioned the last trail would be cooler in the canyon. We took his advice and hiked the lake/falls trails through the canyon. When we started out, the sky was a little overcast. This is perfect weather for taking pictures of the waterfalls. By the time we got to the waterfalls, the overcast was threatening rain and there was thunder in the distance. So, we hustled a little faster. The waterfall is not that tall, but it is awesome to see. Water seems to be coming from everywhere and dropping into the most beautiful deep blue pool of water below. It is a must see if you happen to be in the area. Oh, and we made it back to the car with only a few drops of rain.

The following day we drove through Lassen Volcanic NP. Lassen Peak last erupted in 1915. It was interesting to see how the devastated areas have changed and evolved since the last eruption with new growth growing around ghostly trees and lava rock. We hiked a little over 2 miles each way to Mill Creek Falls. We were told many families walked the trail, but it would have some patches of snow and fallen trees to climb over. Turned out the trail was longer than we were told and there were some very steep areas with loose gravel. The falls was worth the hike. We could have stopped at the lookout point, but we decided to hike down to the falls and cross two bridges for a closer look. From one bridge, we could see two falls coming together and following a river down through a valley for a couple of miles. Gorgeous view!

Our most recent stop this week has been at Fallon Naval Air Station. This is a nice Military FamCamp located on the base and within walking distance of the main shopping areas.  It is a bargain at $15 per day or $90 per week with 50 amp full hook-ups, cable tv, fast internet, and free laundry all provided.  It is close to the flight line, but the jets did not bother us. We spent most of our time just relaxing and taking evening walks, except for one day when we drove to Reno for a Quilt Show at the National Automobile Museum. While Dan took pictures of vintage cars, Sandy enjoyed the quilts hanging among them. Sandy thinks more quilt shows should be held at car and motorcycle shows. Can you think of a better way to get a couple to go to the same show?

Afterwards, we drove to Carson City and stopped at Red’s Old 395 Grill. This place was a museum by itself with vintage cars, antique chandeliers, and other items hanging from the ceiling. We sat out on a patio with a gas fireplace and a water fountain made with old washtubs and wood carved bears. Sandy had a Buffalo Chicken salad. The chicken was soaked not drizzled in hot sauce. She loved it. Dan had a beef brisket (shredded) sandwich that was so thick he could barely get his mouth around it. The atmosphere, the food, and the prices were wonderful.

On our way home, we drove through the old mining town of Virginia City, home of the Comstock Load. The town was packed with people so we did not stop. Got to expect that on a Saturday in the middle of summer, right? We just decided it was not worth fighting the crowds or the 100+ degrees to look around.

We resume our journey east and south again on Tuesday, 20 July. Plans are to start early before the temperature gets too hot. We are traveling east on Hwy 50 a.k.a. “The Loneliest Road” to Ely, Nevada, then on to Delta, Utah.  Up to 12 mountain passes and 100 degree weather forecast on the Loneliest Road.  Hmm, sounds ominous, or it could be interesting.  Dan topped up all the fluids, checked all the tires, and loaded 70 gallons of fresh water for the drive.   We will keep you posted!

Valley of the Rogue River

On July 4th, we spent a second day moving from a county park in Grants Pass to Valley of the Rogue State Park. Both parks were very busy for the 4th of July weekend. Check-out is at 11 a.m. and check-in is at 4 p.m., so we spent some time at Wal-mart. We picked up some steaks for a barbeque and potatoes for a New Mexican au gratin dish that Sandy would make in our roaster oven. We had already decided to celebrate at home this year.

As we were getting settled into our new space, we became aware of electrical problems. Like we had no power at all and with the heat wave starting up this week, we were going to need that power for some air conditioning. Dan figured out it was the 50 amp, but the 30 amp seemed fine. He notified the park rangers, but we did not hear back from them until the next day when they fixed the 50 amp, thank goodness! Have you ever seen an over-heated cat? It is not a pretty sight! Oh, we had our barbeque, but the au gratin was changed to accommodate the power.

The next morning, we went for an early morning 3 mile one way walk on the river trail from the park into town of Rogue River.  We decided to eat breakfast in town at a quaint little diner decorated with all sorts of Cola memorabilia called “Karen’s Kitchen”. The food and the service was great considering they were very busy and there were only two people (1 cook and 1 waitress) working. Dan’s breakfast burrito looked like two omelets with lots of other goodies wrapped in a tortilla. Sandy’s veggie omelet was packed full of veggies with a side of hash browns and whole wheat toast. The diner even had a good variety of herb teas to enjoy. Yea, our 3 mile walk home was a lot more labored than the earlier walk.

We took the Rogue River’s  HellGate Excursions. There are several rides to choose from and we decided on the 2-hour scenic ride with a 1-hour All-You-Can-Eat lunch stop on the river. Our driver was great and funny. He explained that the jetboat could go up to 45 mph while skimming over 8-inches of water. He mentioned we would be getting wet especially those sitting towards the front and ladies forget the hair-do for today. That’s when he gunned the jetboat and did a sudden stop. All we saw was a wall of water coming up and over the front. Yea, did I mention we were sitting in the third row?

At the beginning, he stopped (gently) several times showing us beautiful homes and parks. Then we were in a more uninhabited area where we saw quite a few ospreys flying overhead, some were sitting near a nest and we could see their babies peeking out at us. Dan saw one osprey come out of the water with its catch. Another osprey flew right overhead with a fish. We saw quite a few deer, but no bears. We also saw one lone eagle sitting in a tree. She was watching us with her eagle eye. No pun intended!

We rode over some whitewater and through a canyon. Finally, the driver asked if we were interested in spinning in a 360 and everyone cheered. He explained what people had to do to be ready for the spin so we would not slide into each other. Once we were ready, he did a mild 360. We were a little surprised that we did not get very wet. He promised to do more on our return trip after receiving encouraging cheers when he asked if we enjoyed the spin.

Lunch was served family style with homemade bread, cornbread, tossed salad, barbecued chicken, potatoes, and a dessert. The food just kept coming. They really meant it when they said all-you-can-eat. Some people at our table were a little worried about their overly full stomachs on the return trip, but we did not hear about anyone getting sick. Oh, they also offer special and vegetarian dishes as well.

Ahh, the return trip was quite different and a lot of fun. Our driver had partnered up with another jetboat. They took turns speeding past each other and riding in each other’s wakes. Our driver was very good at getting us wet. Remember, he said the first few rows would get wet? Well, he lied! Everyone was wet by the time he got done. His favorite trick was to stop suddenly in the other jetboat’s wake that would create an even larger wave to come over the whole boat! We did so many 360’s that we lost count. Who cares when it is 90+ degrees?

Oh, one last thing. We could see the eagle was still perched in the same spot watching the river. As we got closer, our driver stopped and explained that the other driver would whistle to the eagle and if she came down, he would give her a fish. Sure enough, that eagle was just waiting for her friend to whistle. She glided right by us to the other boat where she caught her prize and flew off for her afternoon snack. It was just amazing to see.

We are starting our journey south.  First stop is in Hat Creek, CA for 4 nights then on to Fallon, Naval Air Station in Nevada 70 miles east of Reno.  Happy Trails!

Oregon and Northern California Redwoods

We hiked on Redwood’s Trillium Falls trail on our 35th wedding anniversary on 30 June. We are camping right on the Klamath River in Klamath River RV Park .  We drove the Avenue of the Giants south of Eureka and hiked many trails this week in the Redwoods National and State Parks. The old Giants are truly magnificent, but a little hard on the neck from looking up at the giant trees. Our hikes gave us a feeling of peace and solitude, but the heavy mist enveloping the giants and soaking up sounds was a little eerie at times. There were times when we expected to see Mulder and Scully or Frodo and Sam come walking around the bend. After our anniversary hike, we had dinner at the Steelhead Lodge.  Diners can watch their dinner being barbecued over a wood smoked grill. Their menu is limited to a few choices of ribs, fish, rib-eye, and chicken. All meals come with a large shared salad with a choice of three dressings on the side and a grilled shish-kabob with mushrooms and pineapple. There was also a choice of baked potato with three toppings on the side or beans or pilaf rice. Last, but not least, a small bowl of ice cream is included with the meal.

Before we came to Northern California, we stayed in Sutherlin, OR for a few days.  We drove to Crater Lake taking Hwy 138 visiting waterfalls along the way.  We also spent a couple of nights at Harris State Park in Brookings, OR. We were camped on a cliff overlooking the beach through trees. There’s a short but steep short trail leading to the beach. There’s also a road going down to the beach with wheelchair access, but the trail was a lot more fun. We got up early one morning to explore the tide pools during low tide. We saw a lot of starfish, sunflower sea stars, anemones, and sea snails. Dan even found an small deceased octopus.

Tomorrow, we head back north to Grants Pass, OR for 6 days, and will then head south on I5 back into northern CA, then east into NV and UT. We are not in any hurry as you can see that it has taken us two months just to get to northern California. Life is good!  As always, the pictures and highlighted links are "clickable".

Have a safe and Happy 4th of July!

Steller's Jay

A Couple of New Items

We donated one of our barrel chairs to Good Will. We replaced the chair with a 54 inch tall cat scratch post with two curved shelves. (clickable pics)  The shelves are perfect for one cat to lay or roll around in. Although, Hitch found out he could not get too rambunctious because he suddenly found himself hanging from the top shelf with Squirrel hissing and batting at his hind feet. It has been interesting to watch which one becomes King-of-the-Post. Our cats now have the choice of carpet, wood, or sisal for sharpening their claws. All three have been tested and met with approval. We hope this will replace all desire to scratch up the furniture. Riiiight. Dan secured the post to the floor so it will not tip over while we are on rough roads. Hitch actually laid in it during our last drive. He was lying in the lower shelf so he had a perfect view of the world going by the window. Yep, they’re not spoiled.

Before we left Florence, we took a scenic dune buggy ride. The dune area is about 5 miles long by 1 mile wide. Despite the cold weather, the wind, and the threat of rain, there were many off-road-vehicles (ORVs) enjoying the dunes. It is truly amazing to sit at the top of a dune and look out over all this sand. The dunes are very beautiful even on a bad day. We drove through creeks, along the beach, and through the woods.

The ride became a little more exciting when our driver took us down several steep dunes that felt like we were going straight down. At one point, the same company’s smaller/faster dune rider came zipping down a dune straight at us, cut to the right, and covered us in sand! Thanks, we needed that! He proceeded to go sideways along the same steep dune we had just come down. Those guys were having a blast!

We also thought we were both deaf in one ear afterwards. The young lady sitting directly behind us has a very good set of lungs and every animal within a 1-mile radius heard her screams. Wow! She was laughing too, so at least she was having fun. It was a lot of fun and we would suggest it to anyone visiting Florence to go for a ride. Next time, Dan wants to ride the faster dune buggy.

We stayed in Eugene at a very nice county park for a week.  Armitage Park is a nice change from being in heavily wooded campgrounds. It has wide open grassy lawns with tall trees. The lots are so large that you barely notice a neighbor moving in next door. The best part is the asphalt spaces. It is so nice to walk outside and not have to worry about getting mud all over our shoes. There are paved pathways everywhere. One goes down to the river and under a few bridges. The weather has been great with a lot more sunshine with a little bit of rain.

While in Eugene we had LineX sprayed on the lower front portion of our Bluebird, and color matched.  This freshens up the look of the front end greatly, and should resist sand and gravel better as we travel.  LineX is a very tough coating used on pickup truck beds, and high impact areas of other vehicles.  http://www.linex.com/  .  In the picture, it is raining a little and we have not put our license plate nor Bluebird BMC emblem back on yet.   

Subject to change, we think we will head south on I-5 a bit to the Sutherlin Oregon Escapees park, then head back over to the Oregon coast at Bandon.  From there we will likely head south into Northern CA to check out the Redwood forests.