After the Oregon coast, we headed to Mt. Hood, OR, staying at Mt. Hood Village RV Resort – would highly recommend it. They have a lovely restaurant and we even played some ping pong. Sites here were nicely spaced apart and they have yurts in the more wooded area, if you prefer that style of “glamping”. We also camped right beside a friend who we saw in Seaside – enjoying a meal and drinks together.
We of course went to a few really good restaurants in the area (and found our new favorite “Mexican Cabbage salsa”). We even had dinner with a friend from home – Rick, who played in a bluegrass band with Garland. Rick was visiting and we took advantage – always great to catch up. This was at one of our favorite chain restaurants – Black Bear Diner. There are no Waffle Houses in this part of the country, so Black Bear is our elevated Waffle House go to. 🙂
We drove up to Mt. Hood and it’s just beautiful. I should have tried skiing again, but another time. Mt. Hood is one of the only places you can ski all year long.
We left the Mt. Hood area and went inland to La Pine, OR. We were escaping the rainy weather and did not know we were moving into SNOW. Obviously needed to go further inland! Week one, we had 4 inches and week two, we had 5 inches. This may not seem a lot for you more Northern people, but to us Southerners, it’s a lot….especially living in a 5th wheel. When purchasing some newer campers, they will tell you it’s made for 4-Season living. Not really. Thank goodness for the fire place beside my desk and we definitely went through some propane keeping the underbelly of our rig warm. This is when you’re happy to have full hook-ups with 50amp power, to be able to use electric heaters if needed. Also, we would recommend tank heaters.
FIRST time in California for this NC girl! Crossed into CA at the Siskiyou County line. Not long after crossing into CA Garland and I both agree, we saw the most amazing, awe inspiring sight we’ve seen in our travels so far. It was a very overcast day with lots of darkish clouds – not very pretty. I was taking pictures of some burnt areas beside the highway and of tumbleweeds. In front of us, without warning, a diamond shaped mountain covered in snow and ice just appeared out of the clouds. Since we were not expecting this, we were speechless. I think we said “WOW” quite a few times!
Mount Shasta is a potentially active volcano at the southern end of the Cascade Range at an elevation of 14,179 feet – not even the tallest in CA but so impressive! Native Americans believe in the mountain’s sanctity. They think of it as being the center of the universe and legend has it some believe it to be on the most sacred site and is the home of the Creator. The mountain flanks the territories of various American tribes.
We stayed in Yreka, CA and then Oroville, CA. Had a great Thanksgiving dinner for two with smoked turkey and traditional sides and then G tried out his new drone at Lake Oroville State Recreation area. There are a lot of places you can’t fly a drone – like National parks and lots of restricted air space so this was a great location for him to practice. Plus, it was a gorgeous November day!
Tip for new full-time RVers – make time to keep up your holiday traditions, even if they’re scaled down. While you will miss your family and friend’s back home, this life is so rewarding and probably a once-in-a lifetime opportunity.
The last weekend in November, we visited Bidwell Mansion State Historic park, in Chico, CA. This was the home of General John Bidwell (who founded the town of Chico) and Annie Bidwell from the late 1868 until 1918. When constructed, Bidwell Mansion featured modern plumbing, gas lighting and water systems. You can see the bell system in the kitchen – kind of like the system they used in Downton Abbey – for the upper floor occupants to notify staff of services needed – like tea, dressing help, etc. The tour was great and it’s a treat getting to see into that kind of life. They have actual photos of parties where the house was decorated in flowers and also a typical dinner menu – just amazing! Hard to believe they ate that much – very decadent!
They had some of the actual carriages used during the Bidwell’s lifetime and a massive Ginkgo biloba tree. Loved the unusual shaped leaves of this colorful tree.
