Thursday, December 2, 2010

In California again!



































































2010 October and November
Entering California


We had planned on heading west to Seattle, slowly going down the coast through Washington and Oregon. Watching the weather on line, rain predicted for 7 days straight and temperatures in the 60’s, we made the decision to go down Hwy 5 and take our time. We were still in summer mode. We have driven Hwy 5 between the Bay Area and Oregon several times. Always on a time schedule and barely seeing the country. This would be different.
We stayed in La Pine OR and it was not a friendly park. Lots and lots of rules and the lady at the desk read all of them to me. Like Korkie could not walk inside the park. I was to carry him to the highway to walk him??? Nice green grass and signs that said “Do not walk on Grass.” Spent one night and was glad to leave.
I really enjoy Klamath Lake. This lake is just before you get to the CA border. It goes on for miles along the highway. Nice scenery.
Our first stop in CA was Mt Shasta City. A nice park in the woods called Abrams RV. We took nice walks and stayed 3 nights.
We then proceeded into Redding. We have a friend who has a shop there and has always told us to come by. Well, we had a small problem in the back of the RV which required some body work. Our friend’s shop neighbor does custom body work. They got together and found a nice place for us in the parking lot and went to work. We stayed in the parking lot for several days and our rear end looks wonderful!
We stayed at the Hat Creek Hereford RV Park by Burney CA. It really is a working Hereford ranch. We were surrounded by lush green grass. Never did see the cows. We drove up to the Burney Falls. They are absolutely beautiful. The season was over, so except for the General Store, things had shut down. It was a nice warm sunny day. We went down to the lake. The paddle boats and canoes were all tied up on the dock. No one was around and it was very quiet and beautiful. Korkie and I walked out on the small pier. I was admiring the scene. The lake was calm and clear. Not a ripple in the water. The trees were reflected in the water and the sun was warm on my face. It was total serenity. I then heard a splash and looked down and Korkie’s in the water! He has a very scared look on his face. I pulled him out, not sure what really happened. We ran to the car and wrapped him in a towel. He is now shaking. We got him tried off, warmed up and calmed down. He stayed really close to us the rest of the day.
We drove through Mt Lassen. Very interesting country.
We wanted to visit Bob’s Uncle Jack who lives in Chico. We did have a park in mind and I thought Bob had dialed it into the Garmin. So on a very busy intersection as the light is turning green, the driver (Bob) yells out, “Where do I go?” In a panic, I said “straight ahead.” Well we drove and drove. Asking directions or checking with the Garmin is against the rules. (I am not sure whose rules, but we do not do it.) We finally ended up in Paradise! A really pretty town. We then made plans to meet Jack. Our problem intersection was 1 block from his apartment. We had a nice lunch with him and saw some really pretty country getting back to Paradise.
We spent a couple of days in Yuba City visiting Bob’s brother and family. Bob’s nephew had just graduated from Marine Corp Book Camp. We were there for a celebration dinner.
We then drove up to Arnold CA. Stayed in Jim and Shay’s drive way. Nights were starting to get a bit nippy this time of year.
We arrived at the Alameda County Fair Grounds Oct 11. It’s always fun to come here. First week end was a Dog Show. The park gets filled up and lots of dogs are here. The grooming tables and pens get set up. It’s really fun. Two weeks later is the Good Guys Custom Car show. We are surrounded by beautiful custom original cars. It is quite a show. We are getting together with family and friends. Had a wonderful Thanksgiving at Bill and Lynda’s house. There were 20 of us. We had 6 out of 8 Granddaughters with us. A very lovely day. I also got to go to the Stanford Oregon Football game! It was cold that day but had a really good time. I got to see the Stanford Band do their stuff. Stanford did win and will go on to the Rose Bowl.
Our plans have changed some. The shop is going through some changes, and Bob found out he still loves machining so Rick put him to work! We are planning on staying here until end of January.