View from Lava Beds National Park

 

Big old Juniper tree and our friend George. This tree probably 200 years old.

Day 4

 

Its Friday and our plan is to leave Klamath Falls early so we can get to Redding sometime in the early afternoon. So, lucky we're on vacation because we overslept, and didn't get out as planned.

Yep that's a cave. Called Mushpot and I was the only one interested enough to want to go down into it. It's at Lava Beds National Park and actually a park that I wouldn't recommend going to. The southern way in, Hwy 10, was nothing but pot holes and torn up road for about half of the 16 miles in. It's in bad need of some stimulus money....

We stopped in this tiny town called Canby California for lunch and found a small cafe. It had the best patty melt I have had in years.

From there to Redding was mostly down hill and we pulled in about 4, later than we had planned..Poor Roy, who was raised in Redding, couldn't get his bearings as it has changed so much since he left 50 years ago.

 

Our third day out, drove up to Crater Lake, not even considering that there might be a ton of snow. As you see, at the top there was still about 10 foot and we had to climb up on it to see the lake itself. Not prepared at all, I slid around having visions that I would fall on my butt, but did manage to get to the top to see the great views. LOL, I sat down and slid back down to the car as I knew that I would never make it without falling. We met a couple from Germany who had no issues with the snow at all.

We drove up to Crater Lake on 97 but then drove back via the back roads. It was a wonderful drive and one I would recommend.

Weather held!!!

Couldn't believe how beautiful the weather was as we departed Portland. We took I5 down to Eugene, Or and then cut across the Cascade Range on Hwy 58. It was a great road with little traffic and as you can see below, a couple of great stops. The covered bridge was a great fine, and the Logging museum, while mostly a ton of rusting machines, getting out and walking around was good for the old bottom.

I think Roy and I need to return to Klamath Falls as it has lots of trails, birding and things that our friend and travelling companion George isn't able to do. We will stay at the same hotel, the Maverick which is cheap and right downtown.

We drove all the way from Roy WA to Klamath Falls on one tank of gas, 452 miles. I didn't mean to drive that far, and didn't even think about getting gas until I noticed the little light was on warning me to get to a gas station quickly.

Collier TImber Museum

Another great fine and free also. Located just north of Klamath Falls on Hwy 97, this large logging museum is a great place to stop and streatch your legs. You can see not only tons of rusting logging equipment but also some cabins that have been moved to the museum from all over the area.

Covered Bridge

 

This was a lucky find. I had seen on the Oregon State map that there were a lot of covered bridges in the area around Eugene Oregon, but I really didn't expect to see one. This was a great find, build in 1945 it's no longer being used as it is to narrow for today's trucks.

Eagle's Nest - day one adventure

http://www.jacksonbottom.org/EagleNest.htm


I wish I had some pictures but while we took the camera, we forgot to charge the battery. Lucky for me there was a website.
What an awesome site. It seems that a farmer near Portland had been watching a pair of eagles for years building and rebuilding the same nest but a couple years ago, the tree was dying or dead and the farmer knew the nest would be gone after the next big wind. He called the Jackson Bottom Organization and they called the PG&E and they managed to cut down the tree, wrap the nest in celepane and move it.
The size of this nest is awe-inpiring and seeing how the eagles wove the branches into a nest is nothing but spectacular.

If your ever near Portland, Check out Jackson Bottom

Heading out tomorrow

Finally we are on the road again, this time for a small shake-down cruise to eastern Washington and back. WIll be home one day and off again, this time to Oregon and California.
Anyplace where sun might shine.

View Larger Map

This is so cool. THis is the house that I grew up in 55 years ago and I found it by using Google Maps. That door in the wall held a secret room to hide booze in as the house was built in the 1920s.
Its looks a little different. It looks smaller than I remember and it was a sky blue, but other than that, its the same house.

Happy Holidays

I guess you've heard that Seattle/Portland area is socked in by snow and ice. Well, I'm here to tell you, we have snow and it looks like we're go to have a very white Christmas, my first - believe it or not. 

What a year. The miracle of President Elect Obama, the price of gas at an all time high and now at an unbelieveable low, the Government giving those $$billions to the banks who are hoarding them for themselves, and President Bush actually giving some of it to the working class. (Be still my heart). The long lines at the food banks, the falling house prices, and the homeless numbers going up, and  they are calling this a recession, I don't think so, looks like a depression to me!

Every charity has a hard luck story and it pulls on my heart strings, but my charity dollars are going to my own family this year. To bad thats not tax deductable. Roy figures that if they had split those billions among all of us, we would spend it on cars and homes and Christmas gifts for the family. Maybe thats to simplistic but what the hell do I know. It seems to me we could do better than those bankers are.

Our Christmas is going to be a simple old fashion 'be with family' Christmas. We're going to eat and eat and laugh and sing and maybe even have a snowball fight. And we are going to think about our friends. 

This year I lost a few friends. Pat, an old friend and volunteer lost her battle to breast cancer. She use to have wheelchair races down the corridors at Madigan with the nurses. Rose is also gone. Rose lost her battle with Ovarian cancer . Her fight was brief but heroic and so many of us miss her as she was blessed with so many friends. I was really sick of going to funerals. 

The grandson's both returned home this year and then since work was just not here, they both returned to their old jobs. Jake is in Billings and Thad in Vermont. I am proud of both of them as they are at least working. 

Betty made the Dean's List at UW, her first semester. She is going to be a great accountant so if you know anyone looking for a CPA, she has another year and then will be out there looking for employment. Ron, sweet son, is up in Seattle fighting his fights and winning. 

Roy and I are planning our 2009 and 2010 trips. We have decided 2010 is going to be our year for travel and  winter we will head south and stay south until summer. LOL

Have a great holiday. 

Larrabee State Park

Our last days were spent at Larrabee State Park and while I wouldn't recommend this park during the summer unless you have reservations, we almost had the place to ourselves and loved it, even in the rain. 

Birch Bay State Park, Birch Bay, WA

This area was named by Vancouver when he passed the area in the 1700s and it was named after the huge number of paper birch trees located there. I am thinking it should have been named Big Leaf Maple as we saw much more of those than the paper birch. 

The State Park is noted for its birding as it's on the Pacific Flyway. We saw a number of species, but as it was pretty late in the year, not hundreds like we had hoped. The regulars were there though, gulls and loons, geese and ducks and we enjoyed just sitting on the logs and watching them watch us. 

The park as a Terrell Marsh Interpretive Trail that was about a mile long and we heard a woodpecker but couldn't see him/her in the canopy of trees

Tolt MacDonald County Park

Its funny, but since DH and I have retired we need to keep day-planners to keep up with all we have to do and to get time for travel has been difficult. Now, what we do is block off time a couple months ahead and hope that we can avoid meetings and appointments or gatherings.

Last week we got a whole 8 days for ourselves and when you live in Washington State, rain is always a possibility and we had some, but we also had some great weather. 

Our first stop was just south of the town of Carnation and a King County park that catered to RVs but more mountain bikers.  The trails were beautiful with the turning leaves and awesome views. The bridge was pedestrian only and about half way across you could feel the wind and the vibration, but it had such a beautiful view of the mountains, it didn't matter much. 

The little shed, laughingly called a cabin is for the Mountain Bikers who want to spend the night. The other option was yurts and they were much better, with real beds and heaters. 

Sumo Season

This is my man Kaio. He's old, he's beaten up and he barely makes his 8, but ya got ta love him. Folks speculate every basho about his retiring, but he keeps going, sometimes showing his brilliants, mostly showing his age.

July Bash

We made it a long weekend and headed out Thursday for the weekend. We went to Rest-A-While RV Resort near Hoodsport on the Olympic Penninsula to meet some friends. We pulled in and we were told by the gal who checked us in, that our party called saying we were coming on Friday.??? I thought it was funny they hadn't called a told me, but okay, it didn't matter. Roy bought us each an ice cream cone (what diet?) and just as we were getting into the RV to park it in space 19, another one of our group showed up. They were confused as they hadn't called, but it didn't matter, we were there. Never did solve the mystery, the last couple showed up and they hadn't called either.

The weather was fine, so as soon as we got hooked up, we pulled out the awning and sat in the sun catching up on news and gossip. Whoops, we all got a little to much sun....my arms and face were red red red.

In no mood to cook, we wandered across the street and had dinner at the Tides, a great little family owned resturaunt. All the men had liver and onions, but I opt'ed for Fish. Oh yum, it was way to good and I ate way to much.

Lola and Josette must know ever card game in the book. Earlier in the year they taught me to play Hand and Foot, a Canasta like game using about 4 decks of cards. Its fun except when your losing. We played Golf and Mexican Train (with dominos) and I had a great time.

Saturday morning we woke to rain, but it was light and didn't really change much. Sunday we drove home in another rainstrom.

I thought this was summer, but I guess not.

We're home, Sharing pics

This is the wildlife refuge by Wenatchee, WA
Campground at Alta Lake
So, can anyone identify this flower/plant for me. They are all over central Washington, no smell but might pretty

Third Week

Oh my goodness, according to the calendar we've been on the road for 3 full weeks, Cle Elem to Lake Chelan, to Alta Lake, to Winthrop, to Omak, to Wenatchee, to Ephrada and now we're in Moses Lake.
Central Washington is so different from home as it's worse than desert, deserts have interesting flora - cacti, etc. but here, the canvas is blank, nothing but shrubs grow no higher than your knees. Rock also grow here, well actually most of them were brought here from Montana.
The theory is, and stop me if you have heard this, during the ice age, a great ice damn formed in Montana and water backed up behind it. It had to be at least a ga-zillion gallons because when the dam broke, the water, in great torrents made it all the way to Washington and brought with it rocks, some the size of greyhound buses. (Wouldn't that have been a sight to see).
Okay so no one would bother to live in this desert and except for a few, they don't, but that same flood cut some great lakes and rivers into the landscape, the Columbia being the most well-known. Along those rives and lakes our apples and wine grapes, and fruit and veggies from asparagus to zucchini grow and well farms needed towns and towns turned to cities, etc. Moses Lake is the color of turquoise and Soap Lake is a popular mineral spa.
Birding is awesome especially for migratory birds that take advantage of the occasional wetlands, water and menu of bugs and grasses.
Ephrada, has a fun museum. Roy and I spent hours exploring. They built or restored about 2 dozen buildings and filled each with turn of the century furniture, etc. They have a bank, a Church, a blacksmith, a dentist, a doctor, a barber. There is a general store, a saloon, a school. The kids would love it, but Grandma might have to explain the dunce in the corner and the inkwell holes in the desk.
Our next stop is Potholes State Park, another flood leftover, I think

Winthrop WA

Will an assay furnace heat a house?
What turns a Pelton wheel?
How many can sit in a Model T?
Does laughing dew make you laugh?
Is a hell box dangerous?
Can you make ciden with a Babcock press?

Some time ago, (and I am just guessing about this) some city fathers sat around looking at their dying town and decided one way to save it was to turn it into a tourist trap: Winthrop Washington, An Old West Town".
Downtown Wintrop is about 3 blocks long, buildings have been restored or rebuilt to look 'western'. Interesting enough, the bank is still operating and family owned. That building is restored and still operational , but the rest of the building sell tourist stuff or antiques or a mixture of both. The most favorite spot was the ice cream parlor...
But Winthrop has a fine museum, one you could really get into if museums are your bag. Buildings, old cabins and even the Winthrop Castle was moved to this block. Machinery, rusting stuff with motors, antique sleds, sleighs,wagons, etc.
Its a great place to visit and find the answers to the above questions.
My answers are: I don't know, I don't know, four I think, I don't know, I don't know and probably not.

Dutch Oven Cooking

Okay, so its not as easy as it sounded.

You know I purchased this cool 12" Dutch Oven. We'll got home, opened the box and read all about cooking in one. OMG, I had to go back to the store, you can't just have a dutch oven, you also need all the accouterments that goes along with it... a lid lifter ($12.) a chimney to start the coals in, ($13), 16 inch tongs to move the coals around with and the should haves, a table to cook on with a metal surface. These meals are going to cost a fortune.

Well, you know they say that when your cooking for other folks, you should never try out either a new recipe or a new way to cook, i.e. in a Dutch Oven.(that last part is my new rule) But I did it anyway because this is a 12" cooking pot and anything I make it in will be more than either Roy or I could eat. So my first attempt was a Baked Corn Casserole. (No 2big, it wasn't low carb, LOL) The recipe was easy, two cans of corn, drained - 2 cans of cream of corn. 2 packages of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix, 2 sticks of butter and 16 oz of sour cream. Mix together - bake for 1 hour using 17 hot coals on top and 8 on the bottom.
Well the smell was delicious, but after an hour, it wasn't close to being done, and dinner was ready. I'm not sure to this date what I did wrong. Let me tell you, I tasted it and it was good but finished cooking it on the stove.
So my second try.. a cobbler.. Same problem, followed the directions, number of coals top, and bottom and after any hour it still wasn't done. This time I started early so kept cooking it.
I think that the coal number is my problem as the wind was blowing and it was cold out, so maybe the oven just didn't get hot enough. Believe it or not there is a Dutch Oven Forum and I am going to go to the experts and see what they say.
According to the directions, you can bake anything in the Dutch Oven as long as you know how to regulate the temp. I have some great low carb casseroles and they are going to be my next project.

Lake Chelan WA

Lake Chelan has the clearest, bluest water I’ve ever seen. No that’s not true, Ash Meadows near Death Valley had the bluest, but Lake Chelan comes in a close second. In Salish, the local Native American language, Chelan means lake and blue water so I guess nothing has changed much.
We arrived at the park after a leisurely trip from Cle Elem. After fitting the RV into a tight spot we walked around to explore our new home for the next few days. Lake Chelan State Park has close to 150 camping sites. The utility sites where we parked is pretty much like a back in parking lot, but tent sites are scattered about in the woods, on the beach and even some on the expansive lawns.
Saw my first marmot. It’s a member of the rabbit family but they don’t look like it. These little guys had very little fear of people, Roy about 3 feet from one of them before it moved off.
The park added to my bird list. Ducks, robins, black birds and a new symphony of chirps, songs and calls.
After a night of rolling off the bed, Roy and I came to the conclusion the rig wasn’t level so after breakfast we went out to re-level, we saw that we had a low tire. Dollar signs go off. The park doesn’t have air, but we can’t find the valve stem so we drove, slowly, to town and found a Les Schwab. We are all prepared to purchase 6 new tires but the manager checked them and told me not to worry about it, added some air and charged up the cost of new wipers which we also needed.
Since we were in town, and Wal-Mart was over the hill, we stopped and spent some money there. Roy bought another level and I bought some DVDs. (They were cheap ones and now that I have seen them I know why….. pretty terrible)
Wednesday woke to overcast skies and the news that Obama had gotten the votes. I guess that I was hoping for a miracle for Hillary, and I really resent Obama for having an ego big enough to think that he is “president worthy”. Oh well, again like all of my life, I will vote for the lesser of two evils, but I wish that just once I could vote for someone I really thought would make a good president. I believe that another miracle will be needed to put Obama in as President. Middle America is still prejudice and that’s just the way it is. Actually, I wanted Richardson for President and still feel that he would have been the best choice. Obama talks a good talk, but being able to make pretty speeches doesn’t make him a good choice for President.
So now were heading to Alta Lake State Park, north of here. Looking forward to a new vista.