June 11, 2013

On to Yamsi and Beyond

Left Redding before 9am under partly cloudy skies.  North on I5, this part of which is much nicer than everything south of Redding.  We stopped in Mount Shasta City to (re)visit the headwaters of the Sacramento River.  This large river starts as a spring in the side of a mountain in a very nice city park.

                        Entrance to park 

 

                Start of the mighty Sacramento River.

 

On to Klamath Falls to fuel up and then north to Chiloquin and east to Yamsi Ranch.  Another headwater.  The Williamson River, which fills the very large Klamath Lake, starts as a spring comming out of a dusty hillside and immediatly flows onto Yamsi Ranch.  There is so much flow that it starts out as a good sized river, not a stream.  The first seven miles of the Williamson flow through Yamsi Ranch- private land.  Some of the best trout fishing water in the country, if not the world.

 

Headwaters of the Williamson River

 

 

This is just one of the views that people at Yamsi Ranch have to look at every day.

 

 This morning, June 13th, after a hearty ranch breakfast, north again on US97.  Quick stop at Collier State Park to dump the tanks and then on through occasional rain showers (forgot to mention that the temperature at sunrise was 28 degrees)  to Bend.  First purchase of the trip - a new mattress.  The old one was foam and rather quickly developed the dish syndrome after we bought it.  Looking forward to a good sleep tonight.

 

June 10, 2013

On our way

Spent the weekend finalizing house for extended idleness.  Final packing this morning and off @ 9am.  Great travel day!  Cool with a few light showers.  Four hours to Redding Elks parking.  Temp in Redding - 70 degrees.  Guess we will forgo the pool this trip.

May 26, 2013

On The Road Again

After a year off to deal with various family and health issues we hope to head out for more adventures in a few weeks. Am trying to relearn this blog thing now and then a link to it.

November 30, 2011

Journey’s End

Eight days in Ventura doing Thanksgiving, visiting, and attending to other matters.

We left Ventura yesterday afternoon at 2:00 in bright sun and warm winds.  Felt like summer.  East to I5 and north over the Grapevine.  Light traffic.  All the holiday traffic was over.  As soon as got over the hill and hit the valley floor the season changed – to winter.  FOG.  Low but not so low as to affect visibility. Went on up the valley to Apricot Tree Restaurant on Panoche Rd about half way up the San Joaquin Valley.  The restaurant allows overnight RV parking in their lot.  Very handy.  By the time we got there (about 7:00) the fog was starting to roll across the freeway and filled the parking lot.  Ready to stop.  We left this morning under high fog.  By Stockton it was gone.  Outside temperature never did get above 45 degrees though.  We stopped in Roseville for gas and groceries and then home.  Spent the afternoon emptying the carbus and now to get back to the home rut.

Miles driven:

Carbus  9351.5

Car       1929

Total   11280.5

Map of our 2011 journey.

November 25, 2011

On Hold in Ventura

Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving.  We are still hanging out here for a bit longer.

Here is an updated map of our trip to date.  One piece yet to go.

Novenber 21, 2011

To Ventura

If one has to travel the LA freeways on Monday morning there are two good ways to do it.  One is leave at 2:00 in the morning.  The other is to start in the middle and travel out of town which is what we did.  Our trip from Burbank to Ventura was pretty much smooth sailing @ 50 mph plus all the way.  Staying away from the right hand lanes at freeway intersections (basically one slow moving parking lot joining another even slower parking lot) traffic was fine.  This pleasurable experience was made more so by the clean air.  Again the rain.  Today was sunny and crystal clear with blue skies.  the mountains were clean and clear and looked like cutouts pasted on a blue backdrop.  Again something not seen much in So. Cal.

We are now parked in the driveway at Sue’s mothers house where we will be through Thanksgiving.

November 20, 2011

Burbank

Sunday.  A better time to travel Southern California freeways.  It is never good but Sunday morning is better.

When we left in the morning the sky was overcast and it was chilly.  Started to get occasional sprinkles about Pasadena and as we arrived at Michaels house in Burbank about 11:00am it was just beginning to rain lightly.  We parked the carbus in his driveway, visited for a bit, had lunch, and visited some more.  All the time the rain was increasing.  He suggested visiting Griffith Observatory.  Off we went.  By now the street gutters were all full to the point that flowing water reached a quarter way into the streets on both sides creating one lane residential streets and two lane main arteries that usually are four or six lanes wide.  We crossed over the LA River, normally a very wide dry concrete ditch.  It was full and flowing fast. As we went through the park the first road to the observatory  was closed for construction.  Skip around the hill to another road.  We start up this road with water rushing on each side of us and often across the road.  The storm drains are expelling water rather than taking it in.  A mile or so up this road we find it closed – water and slides.  There is a third road.  We take it.  Still lots of water and some rocks on the road but passable all the way up.  Best time to visit Griffith Observatory is in the middle of a heavy rain storm – at least for parking.  Got a space right in front.  Can be a half mile walk on busy days.  Of course seeing sun and stars is hampered but there is still much to do and see.  The observatory just completed a multi-million dollar renovation and expansion a few years ago.  Lots of interactive exhibits and displays.  Lots of education available with out realizing it.  There is also a state of the art planetarium.  We watched a 30 minute star show and another show in a brand new underground theater that was donated by Leonard Nemoy.  About 5:00 we went outside.  The rain had stopped and the clouds were lifting.  We were treated with something many LA residents don’t get to see.  Crystal clear view of Hollywood and Los Angeles with all the lights and the sun just setting.  The rain had washed the air clean and we could see for miles.  Pretty neat. 

 

The sky was actually much darker than these pictures indicate.  The camera compensated and I didn’t get a chance to fix them.  Easier to see detail in these though.  That is not a reflecting pool in the lower picture.  It is water in the parking lot.

Down the hill and out to dinner at a BBQ diner.  We spent over seven weeks in the heart of rib country and go to Burbank to get some.  Go figure.