NUTS

Well, I guess this is the end of another adventure for me. We are in Coalinga where they grow lots of almonds and pistachios. It's our last stop on the I-5. We usually stay here even though it's not so great. It's the only RV park before we start our transition to the 101 and get back home. They have new management here at the Almond Tree RV Park and it's improved a little since we stayed here last  December, the sites are level now and have nice new gravel instead of the muddy ruts of the past. They still have a long way to go before they get the Good Sam seal of approval! Or mine!

So ends a great couple of months in our motor home. None of us are too anxious to get back home to reality, but every good thing must come to an end sometime. I'm just happy that we are spending the next 3 nights at the beach in Oceano before we actually have to go home.

Remember some of the great times my humans had; wine tasting, whale watching, catching fish, boat rides, fresh crab dinners, black cod and homemade cioppino, exploring tide pools, bike riding, hiking, waterfalls, farmers markets, fresh peaches and cherries, bald eagles flying right over our campsite, and wonderful shared alfresco dinners every night.

I'm already planning and looking forward to next summer and another Adventure!

ANOTHER LONG DAY

Here we are at the Flag City RV Resort in Lodi California. It was another long drive on the I-5, bumpy and hot for about 5 hours. We don't usually like to drive that far, but we have to if we want to make Oceano, CA by Friday.

Our scenery today was mostly the varied agriculture of California. We passed lots of nuts, fruit, olives, grapes, and corn growing on both sides of the freeway. The most interesting fields were the sunflowers and the rice patties along the Sacramento river. We also saw some beautiful purple flowers that will become eggplants.  The sunflowers were almost all dried, but here is a picture of the rice growing in large fields in water from the river.

It was a little busy driving through the city of Sacramento where the freeway was 4 lanes of traffic, but things calmed down a bit once we got out of the city. Then it was back to sharing the 2 lanes with the big rigs.

Another long drive tomorrow to Coalinga and the ugly Almond Tree Resort, thank goodness we are only staying one night. It's not my favorite park by any means, but there isn't much to choose from on the I-5. Can't wait till we hit the beach on Friday.

THE LONG WAY HOME

Once they turn the coach south, it's the beginning of the end of the vacation. We have a few days left, but we have to spend them driving 200 miles a day in order to meet our commitment to be in Oceano for the weekend.

We drove today for a good 4 hours uphill and downhill and downhill and uphill on the Interstate. There were several long 5% and 6 % grades and lots of big rigs sharing the road with us.

It was 108 degrees when we arrived here at Mountain Gate RV Resort, just outside of Redding, California.  We are between Mount Shasta and Shasta Lake. We've never camped here before, but it's right off the highway and convenient. It's really warm and very dry with golden hills and green trees all around us. Earlier we saw a Mama Doe and three fawns in the "playground" area just munching on the dry grass. I took a picture but it looks like a funny 4 headed animal they are all so close together on the hillside.

Tomorrow we will drive another 200 miles for another one night stand in Lodi, California.

NOTHING HONEY

Today we did absolutely nothing. It's the hottest day yet here in Canyonville.

Kathe's tablet died last week and she's been waiting to get near a town with a Costco or a Walmart Superstore to get a new one. Today was the day they set out to find one. First they went to Costco in Roseburg, but they were sold out. They had better luck at the Walmart, they bought the I Pad, but ended up spending about an hour there shopping. Talk about shopping, they also hit the Dollar Tree, Home Depot, Petco, and Albertsons before they returned home to me.

By then it was 4:00 and the day was shot! Now it's time to eat dinner and take another nap before bedtime.

Tomorrow we head back to California, darn! We'll be in Reading tomorrow for one hot night, it's 108 there today.

LAZY SUNDAY

Nothing much to do here in Canyonville if you don't go into the casino. We sleep late, take long walks, eat, nap and eat again, then take another walk, and nap until it's time to go to bed! Sounds delightful to me. It's still a vacation.

This morning Kathe and Jim picked a bunch of wild blackberries here at the Resort. Kathe has been trying to find ripe berries everyplace we go, but this is the first time she found some. They picked and froze a bunch for a cobbler or pie, so she's a happy camper.

After lunch today Jim and Kathe decided to find a local winery and taste some wine.

They found a small winery in Canyonville called Falk Estates that was open today. It's been hard to find wineries that are open during the pandemic but they have found a few on the trip in Washington and Oregon. The Falk family bought a ranch in 1960 which has grown to more than 500 acres. In 1914 the family decided to plant a nine acre vineyard, and in 2016 they had their first harvest. The family works together to make wine. Last year, just as their tasting room was completed, it burned down. Tasting is now done in the living room of their beautiful ranch home along a creek. Here are a couple of pictures of the deck and outdoor areas. They enjoyed the unique wines and came home with 6 bottles.

COVERED BRIDGES

Looking for something to do in Canyonville, Oregon? Kathe found that there are several covered bridges in this area, so thanks to Google Maps, they had something to do today besides go shopping! There are supposed to be 50 covered bridges remaining in the state of Oregon, so they were happy to find two within a few miles of Canyonville.

The Neal Lane Bridge or The South Myrtle Creek Bridge is one of the shortest covered bridges in Oregon. The wooden bridge is just 42 feet long and the narrow windows make it appear even shorter. Kathe and Jim drove over it in the jeep and noted that it is 12'3" high and can only accommodate a load of 3 tons. Better not try this in a motor home. The bridge was built sometime in the 1930's.

The Horse Creek Bridge was built in 1930 and is 105 feet long. You can no longer drive across this bridge but Kathe and Jim walked across it to the city park on the other side of the creek. This bridge was dissembled and moved here from Lane county in 1990. The original purpose of a covered bridge is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather.

There is a 30 mile loop in the area of Cottage Grove, Oregon where there are many more covered bridges, but those will have to wait until the next Oregon trip.

SEVEN FEATHERS

A great, but curvy drive from Diamond Lake to the I-5 in Roseburg, Oregon. We are on our way south and it was nice to spend almost the whole morning in the pine trees. We won't see those big trees again for a while, and I'll miss my chipmunks.

We arrived at Seven Feathers RV Resort, in Cayonville, Oregon, one of the best RV resorts in North America according to Good Sam. It really is beautiful, with every amenity a camper could want. Only problem is with Covid all bets are off. Kathe and Jim usually come here to gamble at the huge casino, but not this time. They will just have to find something else to do. Speaking of which, without Kathe and Warren, my humans don't seem to know what to do with themselves. It's hard to write a blog when there is nothing to write about.

First thing Jim did when we got here this afternoon was to get a haircut. He got scalped! Really, now Kathe and Jim look alike with the shortest hair I have ever seen.  I just hope they don't take me for a haircut until we get home, I don't want to look like a bald Chihuahua.

Good news today, Gianni is home and doing well and is looking forward to next years trip!