Kathleen & Paul Smith's RV Travelblog

Our travels continue!
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We last posted to wish granddaughter Juliana a happy birthday. Her parents hosted a "family" birthday party at their home for Juliana's 16th on Saturday, June 12th.

It was a great afternoon. Both visiting family and friends and enjoying the delicious meal Miriam prepared. She's amazing at how she puts on these fantastic spreads as though it were "nothing." Amazing! And delicious!

The ice cream birthday cake was luscious and Jules did herself proud by blowing out all the candles!

We hosted Catie and Becky in the Foretravel for an "overnighter" the day before They thought this little Mercedes was just perfect for them!

Later that morning the girls and Kathleen took a walk over to the race track where we watched riders prepare the horses for a race that was to occur later in the day.

and

(Becky took this picture)

On June 14th our RV site at Alameda County Fairgrounds was up --- the annual summer County Fair will begin soon and all RVers had to vacate. Ours is a long rig (40') and not too many RV parks can accommodate our "ATK" - and the Fairgrounds is the only place in the East Bay where we can stay.

Lucky for us, Christina and Chet have a generous neighbor with a large driveway and yard. Joe offered to let us stay in his yard for the couple of days we had to stay and work on termite problems at the apartment in Oakland, CA. By June 17th our work at our apartment was done. We now await the results of the termite guy's chemical work.

Winding our way through beautiful Niles Canyon (CA-84) we headed North on I-680/780 to I-80 then East for a stop in Fairfield (DMV) to finally complete registration for our Foretravel's CA title. It's been a long "haul" and fortunately didn't take too long at the DMV. Thank you Dave for getting the necessary papers to us!

We then headed up to I-505 onto I-5 for a long trip north. By late afternoon we called it a day in Corning, CA. We found a lovely RV park close by to I-5: the delightful Heritage RV Park. So close to the interstate. Heritage RV Park (Passport America park members get 50% off the regular price!) The gal in the office was so pleasant and the park was attractive, clean and inviting - and the price is right. We give it 5 stars!

The following morning we breakfasted, exercised and were on the road by 10. The day was warm and skies dotted with a few white billowy clouds that grew in intensity as the day wore on. We drove through the Shasta Lake region and were happy to see the water level has gone way up since our last visit.

We were thrilled to see, for the first time, Shasta mountain COVERED in snow! In years past we only saw the mountain with a crown of snow - this is a more impressive sight!

Along I-5 we pass Castle Crags: Castle Crag We've never seen them up close and personal, but they are an imposing sight even from the freeway. Castle Crag

When we reached the town of Weed we left I-5 for a gentler cross over the mountains.

As we passed through this area we were able to see the other side of Mt Shasta - quite a sight!

We were not far from Klamath Falls when Paul noticed a disturbing message on his Road Relay 4 ... it suggested there was something about the transmission and some related things. We pulled over immediately and searched the manual for the Road Relay. Paul wasn't able to read anything of help, so he called Cummings (engine people), Pacific Power (Allison transmission), and finally Foretravel factory. No one seemed to know what was going on, but the transmission itself was certainly okay, and probably the Road Relay old and not operating properly. "Unless you get an engine light, you are safe to go," he counseled. So we took a shorter route back to I-5 where we'd be close to Medford should something happen to the rig.

It was a lovely ride along OR-140 where we passed many "Cross Country Ski Places" and drove up and over the pass. Soon we were back on I-5, heading north.

We headed for the Escapee RV Park in Sutherlin, OR. The park does not take reservations, but they do have a nice boon docking area. By the time we pulled into Timber Valley SKP Park at 7pm, there were no spaces available. We pulled into the boon docking area (close to a river that runs along side the campground) and thanked our lucky stars to have made it thus far safe and sound (well, maybe the "sound" is debatable!)

The following morning (Saturday) we went to the office and were told that the overnight visitors had left the only available spot, and we could have it. Lucky us! We decided to stay here four nights. Late Monday afternoon Paul will drive the Honda up to Portland where he'll fly to San Diego early the following morning. He expects to return to Portland late that afternoon and drive back to Sutherlin. On Wednesday morning we'll head up to Eugene, OR. The following day(s) we'll keep busy getting the rig checked out, TV updates and other things that need fixing. We don't know when we will leave this area, but feel fortunate to have secured a spot here at Timber Valley. (It's only 2 miles from I-5 and in a quiet, country setting.)

The grounds here need to be seen in person to be appreciated. Sites are the widest we've seen! Each is 55x70 space and includes a storage shed.

The place is really gorgeous! Deer roam freely - they appear to be very tame (though we wouldn't press too close!) As I write, a young female just sauntered along side our rig! Yesterday morning a male enjoyed the succulent grass in the free space in front of our rig! The management has a notice in the papers handed out to all guests. It specifies very clearly NOT TO FEED THE DEER!!!

After our morning walk we headed west to view a covered bridge near by. The Rochester Covered Bridge.

Paul is always interested in bridges and bridge construction, and he spent some time inspecting the timbers that support this historical bridge.

From the Rochester Covered Bridge we drove on old OR-99 up to the historic town of Oakland, OR.

What a delightful find! We parked along the quiet street and walked around, stopping for a while to browse through the very well appointed historic museum.

We passed the Open Air Market after it had closed down, but it must be a weekly event here in this tiny town. The artwork on this truck is something to be seen.

And the flower stall was as attractive and unique as could be!

These potted flowers were so attractive, in front of one of the businesses that we had to capture their beauty!

We ended our visit to Historic Oakland, OR with a stop at one of the local restaurants - what a find this was. The place itself is one large piece of historic art.

Kathleen enjoyed their popular hamburg (grass fed beef cows) and Paul has the best of all - a goat cheese salad that beats anything we've enjoyed at Chez Panisse! Now that is an all time high. Until today, no one has goat cheese salads like Chez Panisse - until today! A visit to Historic Oakland OR and the Tally's restaurant will make you a believer, too!

What a way to end a wonder-filled day!

Love and Peace, Kathleen and Paul

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Life on the Road with Paul & Kathleen: "Not bad for two dumb kids from Ohio" - Proving once again that it's never too late to have a happy childhood

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