Heading Home

Mon - Apr 4
Left Las Vegas for Bakersfield.  It was a long, boring drive across the Mojave but no wind so that was fine.  The Mojave Desert is just not very pretty, even though some of the desert flowers are in bloom.  Arrived at the Country RV Park at 3:30.  Sunny and warm - about 83 degrees.  Then the fun began.  While setting up, something broke in the mechanism that puts the front jacks down.  Now we can't unhook the trailer from the truck.  Jim worked on it for several hours and almost had it fixed but the bolts kept shearing off.  We had to drive the back wheels of the truck up on blocks to somewhat level the trailer.  Can't detach now until we get home and get it fixed.

Tues - Apr 5

Bakersfield to Kit Fox RV Park in Patterson, CA.  Weather still sunny and warm but a bit windy.  We are worried about a head wind.  That can really suck up the diesel.  Paid $4.45 for diesel in Bakersfield - the highest price of our trip.  Not the highest we've ever heard of, however.  Our friend Gary McCoy once paid $5.99 for deisel at Diamond Lake and that was a few years back!

Wed - Apr 6

Miscellaneous thoughts while driving through the middle of California:

• There are lots of white egrets and sandhill cranes north of Sacramento.
• It is a challenge to find a radio station in this part of California that isn't Spanish or country.
• Seeing all the acres and acres of olive trees, almond trees and vineyards from Bakersfield to Sacramento, we can't imagine that we would ever run out of olives, nuts or wine.

Pulled into Durango RV Park in Red Bluff, CA, around 2:15.  We managed to avoid the wind for most of the trip, thank goodness.  This is one of our favorite RV parks.  It is really clean with lots of grass and trees.  The sites are really wide and long so easy to get in and out of.  Temps are going down now.  Hope we can get over the Siskiyous tomorrow.

Thurs - Apr 7
Checked the weather report for the Siskiyous at 7 a.m. and it said snow flurries and chains required.  That meant we would be staying put.  We  checked again about 8:30 and it just said "carry chains" so we decided to give it a go.  Joyce took the first leg to Yreka.  We stopped for lunch and checked the weather report again.  Still looking good, so Jim took over driving.  It was snowing little tiny flakes in Yreka but nothing sticking on the ground.  By the time we got to the summit (4,310 feet) it was coming down pretty good.  And, once we got into Oregon, there was snow on the side of the road and on the trees, but the pavement was still bare.  At one spot the snow was swirling around on the highway in front of us, making it hard to see the road.  We had 4 more passes to go over that were not quite as high and we soon left the snow behind us.  Jim did a great job of driving through it and we are happy to be here at the 7 Feathers RV Park in Canyonville.  Made the obligatory trip to the casino to make a contribution.  Joyce avoided the ambulance ride to the hospital this time. :>)

Fri - Apr 8

Left Canyonville for the last leg of our trip.  Sun came out near Roseburg and weather was nice all the way home.

 

We like to read the names of the small towns on the map.  There is a Jump Off Joe Creek and Road in southern Oregon, near Hugo.  Has to be a good story about the naming of the creek, road and, for that matter, Hugo, OR.

 

Arrived home about 2:30 to blue skies and sunshine, although the paper said this was the first dry day they've had here in 41 days!  We'd like to take credit for bringing the sunshine but....