"Welcome Back", "Over The River and through the Woods", The Bear Scare Spare and....Brandon!

"Welcome Back"!

October 20-30, 2017

We took in as much as we could of beautiful Oregon during our last week here,  but I couldn't be more excited to arrive in my home state of California.  It was raining the day we left and traveling on a two lane highway proved a little challenging with the rain but the scenery was breathtaking!  I knew I had to take in as much as I could of the beautiful contrast of colors.  Taking a picture of the "Welcome to California" sign came out blurry as the rain continued to pound.   I loved the irony after being away for over a year!

Our drive towards California

            

Lovin' the trees!

Our "welcome to California" sign
obscured by rain

The rain was subsiding and before long,  we were driving through the Redwoods with an opening revealing the Pacific Ocean.  Listening to Sirius radio of the 70's, not long after crossing the California border did it play "Welcome Back" from the TV show "Welcome Back Kotter"....I felt at home!

Arriving at Azalea Glen RV park (in the Redwoods) was an easy pull through site where we were given maps, a list of "things to do" and the name of someone to watch the dogs!  We're going to like this place!

Trinity was the closest town with a population of just over 300 and with not much to choose from for our travel dinner, we opted to eat in and rest up for the next adventures of the Redwoods National Forest.  The next day driving into town we spotted wild elk on one side and the spectacular ocean on the other.    

The RV park is close to the Redwood National Forest so our first stop was the  Lady Bird Johnson Memorial.  Unfortunately dogs weren't allowed on trails so our short tour of the Redwoods was by car only.  Not being able to take the dogs on hikes we found all the beaches to be dog friendly.   From the recent storm the waves were a little rough but Gracie and Daisy chased after balls with an occasional dip in the ocean.  We drove to the town of Trinity and let them play at Trinity Bay, enjoying a short hike after (dogs were welcome).

Trinity Bay

Katy's Smokehouse

In town, we stopped at Katy's Smokehouse hoping to buy fresh seafood.   We purchased smoked salmon and scallops while getting an education from the owner on canned tuna. " Most store bought tuna has soy and phosphates", he said. We found this to be true back on the back of a label from a can on hand.  I'm glad we purchased the three, $7/can pure albacore!

"Fred" was the name given to us to watch the dogs.  The older gentleman stopped by to meet Gracie and Daisy.  Once again, our dogs could stay in the comfort of their "own home" while Perry and I enjoyed a dog free day of exploring the Redwoods.

Our first stop was back to the Lady Byrd Johnson Memorial, with a hike that was scenic and an easy mile and half stroll through the amazing ancient tall trees.  I have to say a time or two I worried about bears as their weren't many people on the trail, but at the halfway point was the beautiful memorial, a place Lady Byrd visited in the 1960's.   I thought to myself "if Lady Byrd Johnson can do this, so can I!" 

Hiking through Lady Byrd Memorial Redwoods

We continued to hike the thick forest while marveling at the size of the Redwoods.  Wanting to stop for lunch, their weren't many options but to drive north towards the town of Klamath.  There was a "shack" of a restaurant (no thanks) so we opted to eat at the Indian Casino.  The food was basic but good as we re-energized for the next hike. 

Our next hike was stopping at the "Big Tree" and according to a map this should be an easy three miles.  Not too strenuous, we took our time looking up at the 200' (plus), ancient trees.  They had burls on the trunks that would create a new redwood with some looking like an arm erupting from the massive trunk.  This beautiful forest is constantly regenerating itself, full of ferns and wildlife!  Near the end of our three mile hike, the trail marker pointed to the ranger station one way or the nature trail the other way.  With no information given on distance of the nature trail, we opted to head in that direction thinking it was a short loop.  Boy were we wrong!  The hike took us uphill and down and soon my knees were feeling it!  We continued with no one in sight except a deer peeking around a tree to check us out.  By this time, it's getting late in the afternoon and in a large forest it gets dark quickly.   The trail ran out and we found ourselves at a creek with no bridge.  Great, a running creek, dark forest and sore knees…..I was ready to get back.  Perry suggested we cross the rocky creek which I wasn't about to do, not trusting my ability to be sure footed in the water.  We made the decision to hike back with  occasional rests along the way.  I later read of the common knee malady while hiking recommending walking sticks and knee braces.   If we continue to hike (most likely we will),  I'll be investing in a hiking stick!

A panoramic picture of the 286' Redwood

Someone has a very good sense of humor!

Checking us out on the nature trail

We made it back to the truck and driving out of the Redwoods to the RV park, several cars were stopped along the road.  There were at least 6-8 bulls (elk) grazing and we joined the others in taking pictures while ignoring "warning" signs of wild elk.  The elk started moving towards us crossing over the fence and we knew it was time to quickly get back to the truck and move on.  It was worth the stop to see the beautiful creatures up close. 

Nature at its' best!

There were "warning" signs but we had to get our pictures.
Time to  hurry and move on......

The warm days, chilly sea breeze nights made me feel happy to be back in California but even happier to work our way down to Chico to spend time with Brandon. 

While driving towards Chico, Perry said he had a confession to make. (I was curious because he never says anything like that!)  He informed me while checking into the RV park, the woman at the desk said a bear was spotted in the park!  Really?  He spared me of my "bear phobia" worries for a week.  What a guy!

Chico……here we come!!!

This marks a full circle for Perry and I on our year long trip around the U.S.

Chico and Brandon!

We arrived at the same RV park as one year ago and with Brandon now a senior,  our next trip to Chico will be in May 2018 for his graduation. 

One half hour after unhitching, there was a knock on the door and there was our wonderful son to greet us before work.  He works at a Tap Room one block from the RV park and a visit was in order for that evening.  We enjoyed seeing him in action interacting with customers and coworkers while enjoying appetizers and cold beer.  It was Halloween weekend and Brandon told us of a party he and his "roomies" were having at their house,  though he was working that night.   It was gratifying making meals for Brandon's freezer and cookies for the roomies!  We were curious to see where Brandon lived with his three roommates and offered to help with his laundry and cleaning his room (okay…we wanted to help our busy college son).  What were we thinking? We should have waited to go to the house (not the day after a party), but we dug in with mops, rags and gloves! Wow…….what a mess!!  Laundry done, food made, room clean…..doing what any visiting college parent would (or wouldn't?) do! 

Tap service with a smile!

Lunch with good friends

Brandon's good friend Jack now attends Chico State and his parents 
were visiting as well.  We couldn't have enjoyed our visit more with our Oak Park friends. 

Enjoying our visit with our son...not quite long enough!

Before leaving Chico,  we took Brandon to church at a Monastery/winery that we enjoyed a year ago!  Perry and I reminisced how one year ago we sat at the Monastery grounds admiring the beautiful walnut trees and here we were again with our son!   Life is good!!  Brandon met us early the next morning for a bite of breakfast before we parted ways.  It's never easy saying goodbye to our kids, but in three weeks we would see all of them for Thanksgiving.  Really? Already?  Where has 2017 gone?

This has been the most  amazing adventure and my next blog will be observations and thoughts to a trip of a lifetime!

Beautiful Oregon! Fall leaves,water falls and hopefully NOT a fall! Where is Daisy?

The Oregon Coast

October 2-9, 2017

Carl G. Washburne State Park

Oregon fall was in the air and driving along twisty mountain roads towards our next destination were trees full of orange, red and yellow leaves.   Being a native Californian, I can honestly say I have never experienced the fall leaves changing. 

The changing colors were everywhere!

 I was already falling in love with the foliage (and the state of Oregon) as the twisty roads opened up to the beautiful coastline bringing us to the Carl G. Washburne state park at a much higher elevation.  The ocean was on one side with large thick trees on the other which proved to be challenging in backing up the fifth-wheel.   After nearly a year, Perry had "back-in's" nailed!  It was late afternoon and while walking the dogs there were bear warning signs posted.  Wait….we are by the ocean…how can there be bears??  Thank goodness I still had my bear spray!  Not far from where our site was, a path covered with trees, moss, wild mushrooms and a trickling stream leading us to the empty beautiful beach.  The dogs ran freely until they tired out and we wanted to head back to the fifth-wheel before dark.

Freedom on the beach

The "Hobbit" trail leading to the beach

Our travel day was long and far from any civilization or cell service so once again we were "roughing it"!  We didn't mind since we were surrounded with the most beautiful gift of nature! 

The nearest town was called Yachats, a small town with a tiny under stocked grocery store, a few "tourist" type restaurants with one displaying fresh caught Dungeness crab.  Perry opened his wallet to make the big purchase! 

Marked trails led us through dense trees towards the beautiful Pacific ocean and later we were entertained by colorful skies as the sun set. 

 

    

Harbor in Florence, Or.

Most amazing sunsets

The town of Florence was a cute fishing town forty-five minutes from our site.  The view from Highway 1 along the Oregon coast is one of the most spectacular sites with its' drop off cliffs.  We stopped several times taking pictures of the ocean and the  Heceta lighthouse while working our way to Florence.  The few trips into Florence took us to church on Sunday, clam chowder at "Mo's" seafood restaurant, the Farmers' Market and the overdue laundry!  We loved quaint Florence for its downtown, friendly people, good seafood, east coast like seaport and  of course cell service!

Heceta Lighthouse

Carl G. Washburne State Park was the perfect spot for us with daily private 

  

Oregon shore

walks along the beach, amazing sunsets, "hobbit" like hiking trails and amazing seafood within an hours drive.  How can we top this place?  Sutherlin, Oregon was our next stop in southern Oregon not far from Medford. So much more to see and explore…….

Sutherlin, Oregon (10/9-10/13/17)

It was starting to feel like fall with cooler temperatures, rain and colorful leaves.  Driving through the small Oregon town of Sutherlin, I wasn't holding out hope for a nice SKP park (skp is a park for members that own sites full time but can also rent them out to travelers like us).   We have stayed at only a handful on our trip but this particular park was tucked away with large sites, friendly people, surrounded by trees and otherwise very quiet.  During our stay in Sutherlin, I had a tooth bothering me and wanted to find a dentist before heading to the redwoods where there wouldn't be dentists for miles.  

 Early the next morning we got a knock at our door greeted by a sweet lady with a welcome package.  After asking her about dentists, she happily gave me the name of someone close by.   The few days spent here brought us to a few local wineries where we talked to many friendly people and tasted good Oregon reds.  It was a cold rainy day with a glass of red to warm us, in a  conversation with several people, we learned one of the gals attended Perry's alma mater of Pacific Lutheran University (a small private college in Tacoma, Wa.) 

At the SKP park we were entertained by wild turkeys and a jack rabbit, did some laundry and a trip to the dentist (no major problems). 

 We called our short trip to Sutherlin a success!  As we work our way towards California, Rogue River would be our last stop before crossing into our beautiful home state of California.

Rogue River, Oregon (10/13-10/20/17)

The State Parks in Oregon are some of the best we have seen!  The beautiful River of the Valley RV park had all the amenities we were looking for in a RV park.  In addition,  I watched the leaves change color within days, only to see them fall off the trees as we walked the beautiful trails along the river.  Years ago we stopped at the cute town of Jacksonville (I fell in love with it then)  not knowing we would stay at Rogue River just miles away.  Being so close to this cute town was going to be fun!  The clean, tourist town with hanging baskets along the streets lured us in more than once but more so, we loved the green hillsides and rivers and not far was the amazing view of Mount McLaughlin. 

Town of Jacksonville

Mount McLaughlin

Just outside Jacksonville was the Applegate River with a great park for the dogs (especially Daisy) to enjoy their freedom.   We treated ourselves more than once to a nice German Restaurant and during our stay, a few more wineries including one called The Schmidt Family Winery, purchasing "Schmidt Family Winery" souvenir glasses for our "over 21" children.  On the way to some of the more remote wineries, wild turkeys wobbled and gobbled their way across the road.

Applegate River

Wild turkeys

A peaceful winery

Schmidt Family Vineyards (no relation)

Crater Lake was on our list of side trips and having been here years ago, I didn't remember (or at least appreciate) the intense beauty of this natural wonder.  The gradual climb towards the lake brought us through tall trees, near waterfalls and a few picnic tables (picnic lunch later). Climbing towards the lake, soon we were in snow. 

Crater Lake was formed over 7,000 years ago by a collapsed volcano with the deepest part of the lake over 1900 feet.  The drive along Rim drive is beautiful with the lakes bright blue water and many trees standing in the middle of a small island on the lake. 

Crater Lake

Our picnic lunch shared with nature

                  We enjoyed a nice picnic lunch in the Cascade Mountains and decided to make one more side trip to Mill Creek Falls. 

Mill Creek falls

Picture of Mill Creek falls was taken
 after our reunion with Daisy

 With a short hike to the falls,  we decided to let the dogs off their leashes.  Daisy was like a kid at Disneyland only jumping and running through the forest.  Not long after turning she and Gracie loose (getting closer to the falls), it was unusual for her not to come to us when we called her.  Giving a description, we asked other hikers to keep their eyes open for our dog.  
My heart ached wondering where she was and how scared she must be.  I also thought of the drop off to the falls that offered no protection. I prayed she wouldn't have ventured off that far and close to the falls.  After a nerve wracking thirty minutes, a hiker yelled for us to say they had found her.  She appeared just as frightened as I felt! (Lesson learned)
It was a joyful reunion as nothing could break up our little "foursome" pack! 

 It was a long day and we were all exhausted.  The next day would be low key only lunch in Jacksonville! 

Oregon proved to be a favorite of ours but nothing could top nearing home to see our kids in California.

Redwoods, here we come!

Oregon and.......THE PROPOSAL!

The Proposal!

I was so excited (yet anxious) to arrive at Champoeg State Park outside Newberg, Oregon mainly because of the long awaited arrival of David and his girlfriend, Taylor.  They were flying into Portland the next day.  A week prior, David informed us he had bought a ring and was planning to "pop the question" while in Oregon.  It was difficult for me to contain my excitement and I was already excited just to see them.  The next five days would be filled with fun, love and lots excitement!  

They arrived around 10:00 am after a short two hour flight from California.  My tall handsome son looked better than ever and so did his soon to be fiancée, Taylor!  We greeted them with hugs and happy tears! David previously made plans to connect with an acquaintance in downtown Portland he met through a job interview.  (He likes to stay connected and network through the industry)  Once again, finding parking with our big truck Papi is so difficult and downtown Portland's streets are narrow and busy.  After a few grunts and groans from the driver, one was found along the street.  The three of us waited for David in a brewery, having him join us an hour later at a restaurant. 

 Though we talk regularly,  the rest of the day was getting caught up on the past 10 months while barbecuing burgers and sipping wine.   This was the longest period of time we had gone without seeing him!  

Champoeg State Park had the true camping feel with campfires, trees and trails everywhere with some maple leaves changing to fall colors making the park more beautiful. 

Mount Hood

The next day would be a perfect day to make the two hour drive to beautiful Mount Hood with rain being in the forecast the following day.  As we climbed towards the mountain, the warm air quickly cooled and the snow covered mountain was soon in sight.

The 11,200' active volcano attracts thousands of visitors every year including skiers and snowboarders.  Timberline lodge was the furthest destination (besides trails leading to the summit) on the mountain.  We went on a few trails (one led to the Pacific Crest Trail) and there was plenty of snow for a few snowball fights and for the dogs to play.  Looking for a place to eat our packed lunches, we were told of Trillium Lake. We found our way only a few miles from Timberline Lodge with forested trees and several picnic tables.  We loved being in this pure nature environment of many birds and chipmunks with the four of us enjoying each others company! 

The next day, rain persisted on and off but it didn’t stop us from wine tasting in the nearby area of Dundee Hills. This area is mostly known for its' Pinot Noir and Penner Ash, Domain Droughin , Chehalem and White Rose delivered excellent wines as expected.

Enjoying newly harvested grapes. Sweet!

Wineries are picturesque

Most of the wineries were on acres of well groomed land with rows of soon to be harvested grapes.  With "a few" purchases made it was time to head back resting up for the "big" day along the Oregon coast.  

                            Proposal day ….cheesy but not too cheesy!

We found a great place to board the dogs overnight in the town of Newberg.  Daisy and Gracie knew what was coming and reluctantly went with the nice assistant as we reassured them we'd return the next morning.  The cool Saturday morning had rain in the forecast which was not exactly what David had in mind on this important day.   Taylor's good friend Lanea lives in Portland and David asked  if she would  discreetly take pictures of the proposal.  Taylor hadn't seen Lanea in a long time and the two planned to see each other the next day.  This would be another surprise for Taylor!   Lanea had the day off from work so it was perfect……we were all hoping the rain would hold off. 

Our first stop was the Tillamook Cheese Factory along the Oregon coast.  The cold light rain let up long enough for us to grab coffee, grilled cheese and tomato soup followed by an ice cream.  We got samples of different cheeses while browsing the gift shop.

Enjoying lunch at Tillamook

 I asked David if he was nervous but smiling he said  "just excited"-they have been dating for over four years and everyone knew it was a matter of time before he proposed, including Taylor! 

The guys wanted to check out a brewery in Tillamook tasting a few local brews before the hour drive to the (proposal) beach. As we walked out of the brewery there was a full rainbow in view.  Everything was working out beautifully and no rain!  David had been texting Lanea to find out where she was hiding (Taylor would be sooo happy to see her).   Taylor thought we were going to Canon Beach ( actually a ruse but a place she's been wanting to see) and as far as she knew, that was where we were heading but David said he first wanted to stop at another beach called Short Sand beach. Getting out of the car, he whispered to me "This is it"! It was a good half mile walk to the beach through the tree and moss lined walkway .  As planned, I told them we'd be there shortly having to use the restroom and change my shoes.  Perry and I walked down the beautiful tree covered path toward the beach admiring Oregon's beautiful shoreline. 

Not looking too nervous!

The "hobbit" like trail leading to the beach

The sign of a good day!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                                                                                  David proposed at a quiet spot on the beach (not easy to get to) where we could see them from a distance. 

The proposal

They were hugging  (assumed he already asked) and soon we saw Lanea and Taylor running towards each other.   Hiking to the beach where the three were standing, we joyfully got to be a part of one of the biggest days of their lives!  After taking many pictures we marveled at the thought of this wonderful girl being our daughter-in-law! 

Just a little excited?

Taylor and Lanea

Working our way towards the truck, we told Lanea we'd see her the next day for lunch but we had to hurry back for our dinner reservations at 8:30!  These two seemed to be just as much in love as their first year of dating but there was an elevated level of excitement, especially as they called family and friends. 

I felt so proud of our son for picking a beautiful ring for Taylor and now taking the next big lifetime step!

The Dinner

After reading many reviews, Perry decided on a nice restaurant called The Painted Lady in Newberg.  It was a fixed menu with ten courses and outstanding customer service.  I couldn't imagine how I could possibly eat a 10 course meal, however the well presented courses were served in large plates (paired with wine) but served in small portions.  We started the night with a toast of champagne to the newly engaged couple and ended with a surprise "congratulations" dessert.    An amazing meal, amazing day and an amazing newly engaged couple. You can sense my happiness as I write this!  I didn't like the idea of them leaving the next day but their flight wasn't until early evening giving us more time together. 

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The newly engaged couple

We picked the dogs up early the next morning, visiting another winery (scenic and relaxing) before heading towards Portland.  The four of us met Lanea for lunch afterwards walking along some interesting shops in the Alameda district of Portland.  I wasn't looking forward to saying good-bye after a short and exciting five days,  but we would see them soon.  There is so much to look forward to over this next year!

Perry and I were off the next day to the Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park along the Oregon coast.