Home in Oregon

I'm posting this entry from my computer at my own desk.  It's a lot easier than on my lap in the RV, and the machine is a lot faster.  :)

Just when I was thinking there wouldn't be much color in Oregon, we were greeted with beautiful trees against the backdrop of the greens.  This is my tribute picture to Oregon fall. It's nice to be home.



Driving north on Interstate 5





One more day in Red Bluff, CA

We stayed an extra day in Red Bluff.  The weather has been beautiful here and Linda has been enjoying the fall colors that are here in the park.  The days are balmy and the nights cool.  We haven't eaten all of our food yet, so an extra day just seemed in order.  Tomorrow we'll head towards home, probably taking two days.  The next post will be from Yachats.

Teradon enjoying the sunshine and the fall colors

Mt Lassen National Park

We've arrived at one of our favorite RV parks in Red Bluff CA,  It's warm here and a very comfortable park.  Because we have a car for the first time, and because the government decided to open for business today, we drove up into Mt Lassen National Park.  It was a beautiful fall day, and while parts of the park we still not open to the public, we enjoyed the Visitors' Center and some fascinating sights. The park has four types of volcanoes and Mt Lassen is one of the world's largest plug dome volcanoes.

Grandma and Teradon at a Lassen Park overlook



Mt Lassen in the background, the largest plug top

Some park land terrain

Bubbling mud pots

Many of the interesting spots reminded me of sites in Yellowstone.  Some day we'll come back when we can drive through the entire park.

Guess Where We Are Tonight?

That's right. This is a picture of Teradon on the pillows of his very own queen bed in a Holiday Inn Express. We had a slowly progressing morning drive.  We chose to come north on Route 99, up the middle of the Sacramento Valley.  There had been an accident involving two semi's earlier in the morning and the road was still closed.  We were detoured around in a vveerrry sloooow moving line of traffic.  About an hour and a half later, we were continuing on our north bound trip.  Then there was another construction slow-down.  Any way, without a planned stop for the night, the motel started looking really good, especially when we approached Sacramento right at the beginning of rush hour. 

We found a perfect pizza place for dinner and are now vegging out with Teradon in the motel room.  Life is good!

California Orange Grove

We've arrived in California and come to Bakersfield.  We know that this valley is unbearably hot in the summer, but October seems to be the time for perfect temperatures.  The orange grove is a lovely setting for an RV park. We posed Teradon in the orange tree at our site to send to Emma, so it's the same pictures I'm putting here in the blog. Too bad the oranges aren't ripe.  It's one of the perks for staying in this park, you can pick as many oranges as you want.



Parked in an orange grove



Teradon loved climbing the orange trees

Tak'n It Easy in Winslow AZ and Parts West

On Saturday we drove into Winslow AZ - made famous by the Eagles' song "Take It Easy."  They have created a "Standin' On the Corner" park in celebration of the fame it has brought the town.  We posed here with Teradon. (Hard to see him on the statue's shoulder in the shadows.) It was morning, quiet, sunny, very peaceful in this little town built by the Santa Fe Railroad along the historic Route 66.

Bob, Linda and Teradon Standing on the Corner

 Just after we had our picture taken, the atmosphere changed with the next influx of visitors to the Standin' on the Corner Park.  We were around the area for a while and several different groups of motor cyclists came to visit the infamous corner.

We left to walk to a restored hotel a couple of blocks away - the La Posada Hotel. It was a railroad hotel in the string of hotels of the Fred Harvey Company on the Santa Fe line.  It was designed by Mary Colter and a delight to see and walk around.  When we got there, Bob decided to go back and get the car and park it in the hotel lot instead of leaving it on the street.  He walked back to the Standin' on the Corner Park and saw there a woman we know from Yachats.  She was visiting the park. Joanne Kittel was in Winslow to visit or study something about the Navaho Nation in the area.  What a huge surprise to meet someone from our little corner of the world.

Signature soup at the Turquoise Room of the LaPosada Hotel.  It was superior - one half black bean and the other half corn chowder. One hot and spicy the other creamy and yummy. We split the bowl just so we could try it.

Back on the road again, we drove out of Arizona, heading to Needles CA.  Approaching the Colorado River that separates the two states, these craggy mountains came into view.

When we finally arrived at the RV park (called a resort this time), it was right on the river.  Lots of "Park Models," as they're called, for sale or rent to the snow birds who winter here, or the Californians who like the summer heat of the Mojave Desert.  We walked down to the river and enjoyed the beautiful weather of an October afternoon.



A shady spot to enjoy the Colorado River





A Relaxing Day and Crater Visit

We just took it easy this morning and then made our way 6 miles down the road to the Visitors' Center at the Meteor Crater.  We were here about 30 years ago, but couldn't remember much about it.  Well the hole in the ground is the same, but everything else is new and very well done. 

The site is privately owned and maintained.  There is a beautiful building housing a museum, theater, and observation windows and gift shop.  They emphasize that you can view the crater from a climate controlled environment.  I'm sure that's a plus in the summer time.  It wasn't a problem for us.  We watched their film "Impact - The Mystery of Meteor Crater,"  walked through the museum (very well presented), went on the guided tour for 1/4 mile along the rim, and walked through the gift shop. Elijah would love the rocks, fossils and minerals in the gift shop. 

The tour guide took our picture on the edge of the crater.

Thirty years ago there was only on observation deck and a parking lot. We were glad that we came back for a new look

 

B and L on the edge of Meteor Crater