The Rain is so Beautiful!

The first thing we saw this morning as we headed into the Siskyous was a snow plow! Made us a bit nervous since a big storm was predicted. No snow or rain was sighted until on the road to Newport, except up very high. Interesting trivia--today we learned that the summit of the Siskyous is the highest point on all of I-5.

Madronas were blooming as we left Medford and headed toward Grant's Pass. These trees are so beautiful all year round.


















Elderberries were blooming between Corvallis and Newport.



















We had a very relaxing dinner with Gary's brother and his wife, Alan and Karen.


















Check out the view of the ocean from our table.


















And the best part of the day for me was the rain. (The rain in this photo is the real thing.)


















Second best was this cool feature at the restaurant that makes water run down the windows to wash the salt off from the ocean. I want this fake rain at home for when I am missing the rain.

First Stop--Yreka!

We got a later start than usual because I had to count offering at church before we left. It was an easy morning, so we actually drove away from the RV storage area by noon. We have started loading the final load, including the dogs, away from our house to try to deter burglars. I still think they are the same ones (we are up to 7 burglaries on or near our street since ours in June) so we are safe because they know they already got everything at our house. But we are working at keeping our whereabouts less well-known, anyway.

Elsie really relaxed this time. She slept peacefully most of the way (unlike the last trip where she stayed awake and worried almost the whole time). She even was an excellent model to show off the progress on my silk scarf. I was able to knit on it quite a bit before the road got too bumpy. Can you see her little black nose peeking out?



















Lake Shasta was as full as we've ever seen it. It was a beautiful sight--so much better than seeing it in drought years.


















These purple flowers show up all along the freeway in the Lake Shasta area. The baby green leaves mixed in with the evergreens and a few of these purple bushed thrown in make the drive absolutely gorgeous.









Tomorrow we head into the storm in Oregon (I can hardly wait!) on our way to see Gary's brother, Alan and his wife. It will be a fun day.

Are We in Oregon?

When I walked the dogs this morning, it felt like we were in Oregon--on the coast. Nice cool, moist air--not at all like the Bakersfield we usually find. Lots of clouds overhead, nice and cool--just my kind of weather.

Now we're home and it still feels like we are in Oregon. It was a nice, uneventful drive and the dogs are thrilled to be in their own yard and house. Elsie went straight to her crate, like usual. It is good to be home, even though the trip was nice and we really enjoyed visiting everyone.

Just escaped more snow!

As we left Cathedral City, the sun was shining and it was already getting too warm. Then we headed out I-10. The wind really picked up, kept Gary challenged just to keep the RV in our lane. The windmills were really moving! The rain began at Palmdale, got really hard as we went over the Tehachapi's, even saw some snowflakes mixed in. We got to Bakersfield. Decided to try out a new RV park--River Run RV Park--very nice! Same price as Orange Grove--no oranges, but brand new and a HOT TUB! Very important to Gary after a long day of driving.

Then we watched the news and discovered we got out of the Tehachapis just in time. Snow really came down just after we got thru, lots of it. We got to listen to a wonderful sounding rainstorm.

The better news is that my computer seems to have my same view of the way too hot weather in the desert. It wouldn't work there. I turned it off today as we drove, then turned it back on--the rain and cooler weather made it much happier. It is working just fine now. I updated the other blogs.

I managed to remember to add a life line to my silk scarf--even more progress has been made. I may finish it by the end of summer.

On Our Way

We left the Rally today and headed toward California. Gas prices in Arizona are a lot cheaper than the Golden State. We filled up in Quartsite at $3.89 a gallon. When we hit California it went up to $4.25 a gallon.

It was quite cloudy and muggy when we made it to Cathedral City where we will spend the night. This is where our dogs love to see the bunnies in the early mornings. We spent the evening with my sister, Carol in the red apron, and brother-in-law,Doug, and his brother Dick, who is one of Gary's hunting partners and his wife, Nancy. It was a fun evening.



It is supposed to rain tomorrow--I have high hopes!

Bill Cosby!

We wandered thru a lot of RV's today, but didn't see any we like better than what we have--now that the levelers are working, that is.

I went to a class on how to use our microwave/convection oven. I think I understand it now.

No photos today. My laptop is acting up.

Tonight the entertainment was Bill Cosby. He did a wonderful segment on the Bible, specifically Genesis. I'd love to find where I can buy it. It was very well done and very well documented. His whole show was great--got a lot of good laughs.

This has been an interesting rally--more primitive and different than any other we've attended, but still fun. Great entertainment. We got the items we wanted and needed to purchase while we were here, so that is good.

We will be leaving early tomorrow--hoping to get home in time for Denny's memorial service.

Good Day/Bad Day

Today was such a good day. Short drive from Mesa to the Good Sam Rally. On our way to the Phoenix International Raceway where the rally is being held, we saw a bulldozer stuck in the mud with being pulled out with another piece of equipment that we can't name (can't remember the name). Fascinating to watch. We were in line to get into the Rally so had plenty of time to watch.

















This rally is HUGE! Someone said about 5000 RV's.


Tonight's entertainment was Bowser of Sha-na-na. He was great! A crowd of about 10,000 became teenagers all over again and we all had a ball singing along--even did the Twist in the stands. There were contests--one woman of a certain age (at least 70) could hula hoop like you wouldn't believe! And another one won a dance contest--she was 61 and could she ever dance! And the Hand Jive had us all laughing and playing along. We didn't know Bowser was a Julliard graduate in piano. Could he ever play! His Bumble Boogie was fantastic! We left singing "Good Night Sweetheart" as we headed back to walk our dogs along with many other dog lovers.

The sad part of this day was the loss of a dear friend, Dennis Stern. He was Gary's golfing buddy as well as Tuesday Crew teammate. We will miss him more than words can say.