Home Sweet Home

I rolled out at 10am this morning and headed south. I stopped and took a few pictures of the coast and a short video.

I drove out to Point Arena Lighthouse but didn't go in for the tour. I did take a couple of pictures of the Lighthouse and then hit the road again. When I am in the mountains I tend to envy the people that can live there but I find I have very little desire to live right on the coast in the middle of nowhere. I love to watch the ocean but I tend to hate sand and wind. I'm not saying I am afraid to get dirty, I just don't like to get sandy.
Driving south on Highway 1 can be a little nerve racking when you don't care for heights but I dealt with it by reminding myself that I have no intention of going over the side.
There was some kind of bicycle event taking place today as I drove through Tamales. I was pretty worried going around a bicyclist at every turn, some places I had to go slow behind them until I could see far enough to know I wouldn't encounter oncoming traffic.

When I got to Sausalito I wanted to take a picture of the Golden Gate but took a wrong turn and ended up on top of the Marin headland. I still got to take my pictures, but from really high up.
I hit San Francisco after 3 on a Friday, not a good thing. All I wanted to do was get out of that city, but the traffic gods were against me. At one point I was at an almost standstill on a raised ramp and I felt the car start to actually bounce a bit. I looked around and started thinking about earthquakes but is was only a truck next to me. Once I hit the freeway my GPS kept telling me there is an extreme traffic event ahead and kept trying to re-direct me. It took me an extra hour or more to get home.
Now all I have to do is get over all the stupid bug bites. My left ankle has bites all over it and it swelled up tonight.
Well my adventure is over. I can't wait to go back to the mountains of Northern California and Oregon, maybe next time I will miss the mosquito season.
Susie

Homeward Bound (:

I can't believe a slept in until 8am. I just opened my eyes and was 100% awake. It looks like there is some fog off the coast here but around me is bright blue sky and sunshine. What a nice surprise for the coast.
Well I didn't do any late night skinny dipping in the hot tub so my kids won't have any "OMG!" moments. I think the only thing I have done that might embarrass them on this trip is my singing. I must be slipping.
Last night as I was turning into the Inn Bambi was grazing on the lawn. I stopped to take a picture of him but I had to use my phone because my camera was not handy. He looked like he had about 6 inches of antlers growing and was really cute. I know seeing deer is not a big deal in California but it just seems a little magical when you are on vacation. Of course tequila makes things magical too:)
I really hate the idea of going home today, but I guess it is time to pack.
Susie

Oregon to Mendocino 6-23-11

I actually woke up at 4:30 this morning. I did lay in bed until it looked light outside which was after 5. Made my coffee, ate instant oatmeal, took down camp and loaded the car then showered and I was on the road by 7 am. Not bad if I do say so myself.
I drove west through Grants Pass and took 199 down into California. I arrived at Crescent City roughly 4 hours later. It was cold and windy making some very pretty white caps.
I stopped at Elk Meadow and fixed myself some lunch but didn't see any Elk in the meadow. There were about half a dozen of them next to the road about a quarter of a mile before the meadow but I didn't get any pictures.
I didn't really go picture crazy today because the ocean was pretty hazy looking but at least it wasn't foggy.
When I got to the turn from 101 to highway 1 at Leggett I decided to do the drive through tree thing and forked over my five dollars to fit Shelby's little SUV through the tree. It was a pretty tight fit but I folded in the driver side mirror and had no trouble.
I also took some video today by balancing my little Rebel camera on the dash. Shelby has a stuffed turtle that rides up there so it made a pretty good camera holder. I played back the video I took and I realized that I was singing during filming UGH! The next video I took driving through the redwood tree I made sure not to sing but when I played it back I was trying to whistle and not doing a very good job of it. I also talked to myself while parking.
I finally arrived at the Inn just south of Little River about 5:45. What I long day. After unloading my stuff and freshening up a little I went to the Little River Inn for dinner. I ate in the bar watching to ocean. I did order a Margarita and I wanted a second one but I wanted to get back to my cabin in one piece.
I am still feeling the affects of the Oregon mosquitoes, I itch all over the place. How did they manage to bite my ankle when I had socks covering them the whole time?
My cabin at the Inn is called Play. It is decorated with vintage games. The games are actually here to be played with. One wall has word search wallpaper on top and chalkboard on the bottom. There is a hot tub in the woods but I forgot my swimsuit. The owner just suggested I go really late if I still want to use it but I haven't done that kind of thing for over 20 years and I don't think it is a good idea since I am alone. Maybe if I would've had another margarita? NOT.
I haven't decided what I am doing tomorrow but I do plan on staying in bed a little later. Maybe I will explore downtown Mendocino before leaving the area.
Susie

6-22-2011 Day of Waterfalls

I was cold last night, but otherwise I slept well.
I got up this morning about 7:30 and the bugs were already biting. I had my breakfast, cleaned up and then sat in the car and read about the area because I was safer from the bugs in there.
The campground has two different showers and you pay by the honor system. They have a donation box with suggested prices. The water pressure was so strong that it stung my skin, but at least I started out the day clean.
After my shower I went to the Forestry service information building and the woman in there suggested I go see waterfalls today.
My first stop was Clearwater falls. It was a very short walk from the car and the creek was named well. At the top of the falls you could see the bottom perfectly.
The next falls I went to is called Whitehorse Falls. This one was only a few feet from the parking lot and I ate my lunch there.
The third falls on my list is called Watson Falls but the turnoff was blocked by road construction so I went on down the road. I can't remember the name of the last falls I went to (I will look on my brochure when I get back to the car). This falls is about a half mile hike but I did have to climb steps. This view was completely worth the hike.
On the hike back I chatted with a couple that is from Canada and they are touring many of our National Parks. They did Yellowstone and the Tetons before heading west and hitting Sequoia, Kings Canyon and Yosemite. On there way home they plan on going to Glacier.
On my way back toward the lake I was able to take the turn off to Watson Falls. This is another half mile hike to a waterfall that comes straight down 272 feet. I hiked to the upper overview and got soaking wet but it is warm today so I dried off quickly.
If you are wondering how I got internet while camping the lodge at the resort has WiFi. I haven't transferred todays pictures onto my computer yet so they will come later. I wonder if I will get wet tonight, I overheard people mentioning thunderstorms. Oh well, it won't be the first time.
Susie

6-21-2011

I was on the road today by 7:30. My first stop was to fill up with gas. Let me tell you that this California girl was not expecting to have someone else pump my gas. The attendant did let me clean the bugs off my windshield.

My first stop was to take a short hike to the Mill Creek Falls overlook in Prospect. It was a short hike downhill and was totally worth it. I did get a little mixed up on the way back to the car because I took shortcuts and the trail goes in more than one direction. I finally mentally kicked myself and headed uphill.

A little while later I stopped at the Rogue River Gorge. The river is coming down a narrow lava shute and has enough volume of water coming through it to fill an Olympic swimming pool every minute.

It was still very early in the day so I headed to Crater Lake. It just happened to be a free admission day so I didn’t even have to pay the park entrance fee. My first stop was the gift shop. After dropping a bundle on odds and ends I started towards the Visitor Center. I climbed up on the snow (about 7 or 8 feet) and finally got my first look at the lake. It is totally breathtaking! The water had no movement so the reflection made it hard to tell where the shore met the water. As I was going the rest of the way to the Visitor Center a ranger walk was coming toward me. I had seen the flyer in the Gift Shop and knew this walk was limited to 25 people. I did a quick head count and decided to join them. On this walk we wore snowshoes because the trail is buried under snow. What a fun experience, but I have to tell you that I am not any more coordinated on snow than I am usually. At least I didn’t fall.

After more pictures I left the park around 2pm. I pulled into Diamond Lake about an hour later. This campground is beautiful and I don’t think there are any ugly sites. The major problem I am dealing with is mosquitoes. The bug spray was the first thing I unpacked. It is really strange but I have really good cell reception up here so I did a couple posts to Facebook. This post will have to wait until I have the internet on Thursday.

Susie

6-21-2011 AM

Last night I had dinner at Outback steakhouse. I sat in the lounge so that I didn't have to wait and decided to splurge and actually have an alcoholic drink. The strawberry margarita was really good. While I was sipping I came to realize that I had never sat in a bar alone before, I haven't even been to a bar in years. I guess I need to get out more.
Okay, so what is up with me waking up at 4:30am? I was able to lay in bed for a little while then just decided to get this day started. I've already had breakfast so all I have to do is load the car and go. I won't have any internet camping so you will here from me in a couple of days.
Susie

6-20-2011

Today was the first day of my Oregon vacation.
This morning I got up really early and was on the road by 6:15. My first stop was at a Bel Air market in Woodard. I hadn't been in a Bel Air before so I decided to stop on the way. After leaving Woodard I headed north on I5. I can't believe how clear it was today. The last couple of times I was in the area on the way to Lassen NP there were fires in the area making it really hazy. I was really shocked and pleased to see Mt. Shasta from south of Red Bluff. I think I had just left the Willow rest area when I saw the huge snow covered mountain. It looked like the road was going to run right into it.
I took my time today so that I could enjoy the drive. I forgot maps and didn't want to depend 100% on my GPS so I stopped at AAA in Redding. My next stop was at Lake Shasta to take pictures. I took an exit off the highway and drove down a narrow mostly paved road until I could get a clear picture. It's a good thing Shelby's car has a tight turning radius because I ended up making a 3 point turn on a wide spot on the road.
As I continued north on I5 I saw a sign for Dunsmuir historic district so I took that exit and found a charming little mountain town. I ate lunch at the burger barn and it was very good with lots of atmosphere.
My next stop was the Weed rest area north of Mt. Shasta to take more pictures of the mountain. After that rest area I went to Raleys in Yreka for firewood since I will be camping tomorrow and Wednesday nights. I also bought some tennis shoes in Yreka because I had forgotten that I killed my camping shoes last year in Bodie.
My last stop before Oregon was of course at another rest stop on the Klamath River.
It is now 5:30 and I am wondering where to eat dinner tonight. I don't feel like driving back to Ashland since Carolina and Don are on vacation also this week and they would be my only incentive to drive anywhere else tonight.
Tomorrow I am heading to Crater Lake and camping north of there at Diamond Lake. I will take lots of pictures.
Susie