Sundial Bridge

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Curious Deer

Sundial Bridge

Mosaic Bench

We drove north about 30 miles to Redding today and explored the Turtle Bay Park.  The Sundial Bridge provides pedestrian access to the north and south areas of Turtle Bay Exploration Park, a complex containing environmental, art and history museums and the McConnell Arboretum and Gardens, and it forms the gateway to the ten-mile-long Sacramento River Trail. The bridge has a  glass panel floor. The gardens inside the park are beautiful. I could spend all day walking through gardens like this. We were impressed with the park and all the activities at hand  such as the museum,cycle paths and access to the river along a trail.

We stopped for lunch at the Win Casino ......where we didn't.  We agreed this was one of the tightest casinos we've been in all Summer.    :(

Back to the RV park for a dip in the pool. It is in the mid 80's with a slight breeze. We have been the only ones using the pool that I can tell. They keep it a tad bit chilly but it is refreshing once you get used to it.

We'll leave here Thursday morning and head to Reno. We'll be staying in an RV park just outside of Reno (Minden NV) but Monday and Tuesday we have a room at the El Dorado.

Durango RV Park

This place is fantastic. Most of the spots are pull through and 75 feet long. Beautful pool,spa,fountains,club house and it's alongside the Sacramento River.The club house has a gas fireplace and leather overstuffed chairs.

It was too cool to swim yesterday but I am looking forward to trying out their pool today. The weather is suppose to warm up into the 80's.

New Rules for California RV Parks

Wild turkeys at our camp site

We spent last night at the Willets RV Park. Willets is a small town about 10 miles from Eureka with a rather large population of earth muffins and tree huggers sporting dreadlocks.  The RV park itself was small,clean,full hookups, a sparkling clean pool and right next to Ridgeway Ranch where the racehorse Seabiscuit was raised.

Most RV parks have fairly standard rules.... drive 5 m.p.h, clean up after your pet etc. but we had to crack up at rule #1 and 2 at this park..... Rule #1  No mind altering substances...Rule #2 No obscene or profane language that may upset the harmony in the park.. There were wild turkeys and deer wandering around that did not appear to be on any mild altering substances.

Just arrived at Durango RV Park in Red Bluff and it is a gorgeous park.....pictures to follow. The weather here is overcast,only about 65 and some sprinkles!

Heading South

Another foggy morning and 50 degrees. We've decided to leave Klamath River early (today) and spend the night in Willit....then on to Red Bluff. Although this RV park here on the Klamath River is nice it is rather remote and the wind is relentless. The RV park in Red Bluff looks fantastic...  http://www.durangorvresorts.com/

They have poolside massage! Now that is camping!!

Coastal Drive

Just off the road we are camped on is an 8 mile loop that winds through the Redwoods and out to a bluff overlooking the ocean, There is also a WW2 radar station disguised to look like a farmhouse.

Further on down Hwy 101 is a cutoff through another Redwood forest.

It has been sunny but really windy along the Klamath River. The fog rolled in this morning so maybe that will cut down on the wind.

Klamath River RV Park

Our view of the river

We took our time leaving Brookings this morning and headed south on Hwy 101. This part of the northern California coastline is spectacular in some spots. Highway 101 hugs the edge of the cliffs and the view below to the ocean is breathtaking.We are about 20 miles south of Crescent City CA and about 3 miles from the Trees of Mystery. I can remember as a kid driving by this attraction and every car in their parking lot had a bumper sticker  slapped on the back stating " I Saw the Trees of Mystery". I don't actually remember seeing the Trees of Mystery and can't imagine it was a place my dad would have forked out the admission for four of us when there was free entertainment all around ....hiking,swimming etc.

The Klamath River RV park is a neat,clean park with several spots facing the river. We have a great view. They just opened up river fishing and there are a few boats out this afternoon.

We have wifi at the site,cable TV,a great view, wonderful weather and double chocolate cream pie. Life is good.

Goodbye Oregon

A beautiful,warm,sunny day. We drove up to Harris Beach State Park to check out the beach and campgrounds.

We will be leaving Brookings in the morning to head south into California. We are about  6 miles from the border. We don't have far to go to our next camp at the Klamath River RV Park. http://www.klamathriverrv.com/

Happy Birthday Jack!

As soon as the sun came up I was down on the beach looking for rocks. Contrary to weather reports,it is a beautiful sunny morning. We'll only be here in Brookings until Tuesday morning and then it's down into California to the Klamath River for about a week. Today our last trip to Fred Meyer and then back to the beach for more rocks.

Southern Oregon Coast

We got an early start out of Newport around 7:30AM and headed south on Hwy 101. Made a stop in Gold Beach at our favorite fish market for a wintertime supply of Seabass and got back on the road. Hwy 101 between Gold Beach and Brookings is beautiful.  The coastline has jagged rocks offshore,sandy beaches and huge rolling surf. Just outside of Brookings the clouds rolled in. We set up our camp which is across the street from the beach. We checked out the Farmers Market,bought fruit and brownies. I got a haircut which is sort of Meg Ryan-ish . Tomorrow is Jack's birthday so I can't reveal what his present is in case he reads this.

I am looking forward to patrolling the beach here as I recall there were some great rocks.

Thursday in Newport

We woke up to a foggy drizzle this morning so decided to drive up to Lincoln City and the Chinook Winds Casino. It worked out okay...we came out ahead. Jack stopped for a haircut and it is sunny and clear outside now.

We will leave here on Saturday and head down the coast about 100 miles to Brookings Oregon

www.driftwoodrvpark.com/

RV Park at Newport

Aquarium

Sharks in  Passages of the Deep ExhibitJelly Fish

A drizzly wet day so we went to the Newport Aquarium. One of the coolest attractions is the "Passages of the Deep" exhibit.

 Visitors are immersed in Keiko’s former home through acrylic tunnels surrounded by several feet of sea water. It's face to face with large sharks, rockfish and bat rays swimming above and below. Waves surging against the tunnel give the impression you are beneath the ocean. There is a shipwreck resting on the bottom.

After the aquarium we drove out to  the Oregon Oyster Farm and picked up a few petite oysters. Jack says I will like them the way he fries them...we'll see. Stopped at a jam packed antique mall.  Lots of stuff I liked but no where to put it.I am still looking for the perfect bird to go in my beach display at home.

Grabbed a cup of clam chowder on the way back to the RV park and Jack is looking at the DVD's in the little store here for something good to watch later on.

On the Coast

Newport Bridge Saturday AfternoonNewport Bridge and Marina Sunday Morning

We left LaPine around 9AM on Saturday.  Very warm temperatures when climbing over the Willamette Pass and through Eugene and Corvallis. Arrived in Newport around 1PM. It was very foggy in Yaquina Bay where the marina is (see top picture). We spent the night at the Marina RV park.

Left the Marina RV park this morning after breakfast and headed south about 5 miles to our new spot at Whalers Rest. This park is heavily wooded and just off Highway 101.   There is a nice trail down to the beach that I remember from last year.We got a pretty good spot that is fairly wide in comparison to some of the others. No satelite due to the trees but we have a cable hookup so we can watch the rest of the golf match.Today turned out to be sunnier and warmer...but not as warm as Seattle. Heard the record was broken yesterday with a high of 95. Yuck.

Persoid Meteor Shower

I couldnt sleep so I got up around 5AM and went outside. The sky is clear and there are thousands of stars. I wanted to see some of the Persoid Meteor shower but I don't think I saw meteors just falling stars and some satelites.

We will be leaving in the morning ( yes I realize it IS morning) and headed to Newport. Our reservations at Whalers  Cove start on Sunday so tonight we are staying at the Newport Marina RV Park.

What Next?

We drove into Bend yesterday to see a movie:  Cats and Dogs...Kitty Galores Revenge. It's a cute movie geared toward kids with Bette Midler doing the voice over for the evil Kitty Galore.  Talking dogs,cats and birds.The movie was in 3D and gave me a screamin' headache probably from wearing the 3D glasses over my prescription glasses. Okay so I guess we've pretty much run out of things to do here in LaPine.

We leave here on Saturday and head for Newport Oregon on the coast. From there we'll travel south on Hwy 101 to Brookings Oregon which is about 40 miles north of the California Border. From Brookings we head to Klamath CA close to the Redwoods....then on to a park near Yosemite. This takes us into early September. After Yosemite we have no concrete plans. It's still too hot to head back to the desert (average temps have been 110-115 degrees)

This morning when I woke up the thermometer was registering 28 degrees. Daytime temps are still pleasant at mid 70's to low 80's.

Crater Lake

Damn I need a haircutBeautful Crater Lake

We took a road trip to Crater  Lake today. It is the deepest lake in the United States with a depth  of 1,949 ft. Crater Lake is fed solely by falling rain and snow, with no inflow or outflow at the surface, and  is one of the clearest lakes in the world. The Rim Village stands at over 7000 foot elevation and there is still some snow in spots.

We stopped in a turnout along the road to admire the lake and eat some lunch. There was a motorhome in the same spot with Washington Firefighter plates......turned out to be another of Jack's former coworkers Lance Emerson. He and his wife had been out RV'ing for a couple weeks. Again a small world.

Deschutes River Run

REI Store

We drove up to Bend today to the Old Mill shopping Center to check out the Deschutes River Run. Lots of stuff going on but the best part was watching all the dogs in their lifejackets swimming alongside their people on rafts. You know those Labs and Retriever's were in heaven! They have a nice REI (Recreational Equipment Inc. for those of you who are not from the Northwest) store where I bought a pair of shoes. I wish there was an REI in Palm Springs...I'd work there again in a minute..probably the most fun job I ever had. The three smokestacks above the store (shown in the picture) are from the old mill that was located here in the 1920's.

Temps in the 80's again today.

Forest Fire

Yesterday morning we woke up to a dusting of ash on the truck from the nearby forest fires. We drove the Cascade Lakes Loop and it was fairly smokey toward Mt Bachelor:


SISTERS, Ore. (AP) -- Fire officials directing crews battling a wildfire in central Oregon say fire containment lines held Thursday without any significant growth in the fire's perimeter. The Central Oregon Incident Management Team says firefighters were able to reinforce their containment lines.







The fire has burned across more than 9 square miles, or roughly 6,000 acres in the Deschutes National Forest and land protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry.




communities are open and those communities are not at risk.

By Thursday evening, the blaze was about 40 percent contained. Nearly 1,000 firefighters and support workers are assigned to the Rooster Rock fire.






Fire officials emphasize that major highways into the nearby town of Sisters and surrounding

Friday's forecast calls for breezy conditions in the late afternoon with gusts to 25 mph and a high temperature near 83 degrees.






The wildfire broke out just before noon Monday in the forest about six miles south of Sisters and quickly grew. The cause is under investigation.

Sunriver

The Great Hall

We drove over to Sunriver Resort today which us about a half hour from the RV park. The resort is incredibly nice. There are bike trails all through the property,three golf courses and a nice lodge. Sunriver was the site of Camp Abbot, a world war 2 training facility designed to train combat engineers. The camp was abandoned in June of 1944 but the Officers Club was preserved and is now the Great Hall shown in these pictures. Today it is used as a meeting hall etc.One of the lodges

Very warm today..probably upper 80's. Jack and I relaxed in the pool before Happy Hour.

A Very Volcanic Day

Paulina Lake from Paulina PeakA Huge Chunk of ObsidianPaulina Falls

We ventured out again today with our Recreation Day Pass to Paulina (pronounced PAW LINE UH)  Peak,elevation 7985 and had a spectacular view of Paulina Lake below as well as Mt Bachelor and the Three Sisters. It was too hazy to see Mt Hood but apparently on a clear day you can see Hood as well as some of the Cascade Range in Washington and California. The 4 mile road up to the peak is mostly gravel,very narrow and switchback turns. There is no guardrail and on the drive up I was on the cliff side barely able to make myself look over the edge.  We also stopped at the Big Obsidian Flow (see picture of rock above) which is the result of the most recent lava flow of the Newberry Volcano...approx 1300 years ago. Over 170 million cubic yards of obsidian and pumice erupted from a vent on the side of the volcano. Obsidian is sharp,shiny and black. The Indians used it for tools.

We also stopped at the Lava River Cave which is a mile long and formed when molten lava creates a channel and the sides eventually crusted over to create a roof. The temperature in the cave was a cool 42 degrees,which felt good compared to the outside temps of mid 80's or so. We ventured in a few feet enough to get the idea. The walkway was very rough and our flashlights weren't quite bright enough to inspire any confidence in walking further into the cave.  A quick trip to see the Deschutes River where we were eaten alive by mosquitoes as soon as we stepped out of the car...Needless to say our visit was extremely short but we wanted to get as much out of our day pass as we could.

Back to the RV where I headed to the pool to cool off and Jack took a quick nap on our new mattress. Purchased in Bend yesterday morning and delivered in the afternoon! This morning is the first time in months I woke up without a backache.

Staying Awhile

Yesterday we checked out another RV park closer to Bend and decided the one we're in is nicer so we've extended our stay until the 14th of August.  http://cascademeadowsrvresort.com/

While Jack watched a NASCAR race today I lounged around the pool with a book. Very nice and it was sunny and in the 80's all day.

Tomorrow it looks like we'll be driving to Bend again and mattress shopping. The mattress in this 5th wheel is a POS and giving me the worst backaches I've ever had.