Holdin' down the fort...and the beese

Mike is headed to Portland right now. He has some sort of meeting at Portland District. Then he flies to Seattle, and has drill. MAJOR BUMMER! They don't usually have drill every other weekend, but we are just fortunate that he was already flying to Seattle, so now he doesn't have to make the 600 mile round trip drive in one weekend.

So I'm in charge of the furkids. I'm also babysitting the neighbor boys tomorrow. And on Saturday, I have a VFW District meeting in Pomeroy. Weekend will be gone before I know it.

But, I have big bus driving plans! Lets hope the weather holds out!

Delayed Update

Obviously slacking on a blog update! So much has happened since my last post in October. First and foremost...we have a new member in our family. We are pleased to introduce you to Greek Borracho, our retired racing greyhound. That was his track name and he answers to Greek so how could we change it. As you can see he is GORGEOUS! He is what they consider a red fawn. He looks like a deer mostly, and the cats are convinced he is a horse. Quite a big boy for only 2 years old--his back is right at my fingertip length, not that that says much with me being only 5 feet tall! He is 66 pounds of pure love!

As you can see, he still has massive haunches from his days running around the track. It is no wonder that he was retired so soon, he is too sweet to be a lifetime racer. He had no registered races to his powerful name, just destined to be a couch potatoe and we are happy to oblige him. Now, the cats, on the other hand, are still on the fence! But Greek has learned that little Gidget rules the roost.

He is quite the sight around town. So sleek and elegant, he is always drawing oooohs and ahhhs and both of us just love to brag brag brag about him. I'm surprised we wait so long to be dog people, this is really fun!

Fall release in the Walla Walla valley was a great one. A blast of deep cold swept thru the valley in early October. Many vintners were rushing to pull fruit from the vine in fear that it would freeze. While my dad was in town for Thanksgiving, we took him to one of our fave wineries, Tertulia Cellars. Never miss a moment to drive the bus 'round town.

Also hard to miss an opportunity to capture the beauty that is crush. As seen above, the grape scraps in all their purple beauty are enough to make any aspiring photographer run down a camera battery or three...

Dad quickly became a great wino. I can't believe his favorite is Syrah! So bold for such a new pallette! Here we are in the barrel room at North Star. They always put on a good show there. This year it was live music, great fancy cheese and a chocolate fondu fountain.

I was fortunate to be asked to help pick fruit for one of my favorite wineries--Trio Vintners. I could write a whole chapter on this experience, and I fully intend to do so one day! In summation--crisp September morning, hot coffee, fog rising with the sun, nothing but me, the fruit, vines, dirt and the chip-chip-chip of my pruners. One day, I think I will become a wine grape grower...

That is Tim, one of the trio of Trio Vintners, surveying the harvest crop.

Big lovely clusters. They even let me taste a few. Super tart and much smaller than I had imagined--I guess I always think of concord grapes. I just love the white dusty covering over the berries, I am sure there is a fancy name for it. They are "dusty" like blueberry but much much more supple.

And in mid September, we celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary. My aunt Teresa sent us a bottle of wine that she saved from our wedding. It was from Canoe Ridge...in Walla Walla!!! Funny how things work out like that...it's destiny!

And Mike started back up with road biking like he did back years ago at Indiana University. Walla Walla is a great area for bikers. One day, I hope to get into it myself. Rolling hills of alfalfa, grapes, wheat...is there a better way to work out?

Well that's what us Vandrivers have been upto! Hope to get the puppers out for a camping trip soon as the weather permits.

For more pictures, go to my FLICKR account.

Bill's Got Balls

The new tranny is in. Test drive is done. Never hit 60 before today; surely that bus has never hit 65 since before today! And there's still a little room to move. But it is a lil scary going that fast in a bus. But oh so nice. Good job, Mike!

The Posters Have Arrived!!!

Georgia

West Palm Beach, Florida

Woodlands, Texas

Still waiting on my favorite, the Paris poster. Hope it is here by Thanksgiving to show my family! What a great Friday surprise!!!!!!

Summer in Review -- a pictorial

Summer was such a blast! With the cool autumn weather blowing into Walla Walla, it's time for a summer in review. We have been extremely blessed. Many a road trips this season. It's in reverse order (durn blogger) but we start with the best! The LeRoi bus that scored us pimp tickets all weekend!

"Excuse me, I'm with the band..."

Here we are looking all cute at the Gorge!

We are doing the Hefty Bag Rain Stop Dance...

The East Coasters realize how great the left coast is! Welcome Bri & Mo!

Late August trip to the Wallowas...

A paddle on Wallowa Lake

I'm driving Bill! Yeah!

Part of the RendezVW in Maupin, Oregon; Spiffy gets an undercarriage check up by Amskeptic.

The "small" IPA beer tasting. YUMM!!!

Taking a crack at tie dying this year.

Spiffy reconnects with friends at the RendezVW in Maupin, Oregon in June!

End of the Tahoe trip, a stop in Lassen National Volcanic Park in No. Cal.

Beautiful sunset, but I'll never forget the hair-raising hair-pin turn drive up this volcano without guardrails!

The end of our balloon flight. It is what I live for...

View from the balloon with the recovery boat below. I cannot believe we launched and landed back on that. AMAZING!

(No Caption Required)

Reflecting

12 man basket dangles over Lake Tahoe!

(No caption required)

Preparing for lift off!

Collecting water at Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe...

Our Corona moment on Emerald Bay

Purest lake water in all the world.

No that is not the Caribbean, it's Lake Tahoe!

Tahoe State Recreation Area.

First night in Tahoe, calls for a bottle of vino!

Now this is what you call a room with a view.

Pacific Crest Trail, McArthur-Burney Falls SP, California

Life is ruff in California.

First night in Cali calls for dessert. Blueberry strudel in the mini dutch oven.

We made it to Crater Lake!

Singing and smiling in the rain at Castle Crags State Park in California.

Diamond Lake, Oregon.

Tumalo State Park, Bend, Oregon

A little trip report on the blog, weezing on the wifi juice....

Cove Palisades State Park, Washington. Let the journey begin!

Cove Palisades.

A sunset drive in Walla Walla. This is not photoshopped.

Bill helps pick up flowers for an April planting.

Palouse Falls State Park, our first excursion of the season! Just a day trip tho!

Spiffy's Big Rockstar Weekend (prep)

Time to prep the Spiff-mobile for the big rockstar concert next weekend! Mike is changing the oil as we speak. Then it will be a full out clean out job, including a bath and vacuuming!

Next up--menu planning!

I'm so freaking excited!!!!!!!

Another Poster!!

Poster Child x 5

HOLLER! Could that be the CoPilot and Spiffy looking up at the Louve? You tell me!

Almost over the fence
CORN!!!!

Green beans on the fritz!

Maupin Recap

Pictures for now, a write up later.

In maupin with the vw folk! Great weather and good food!!!

Maupin Minded

Well we're getting all geared up for another departure. This time a quick little weekend to Maupin for the 4th Annual Deschutes River RendezVW. Good times ensue. There promises to be nearly 60 buses there this year. While we are missing the potluck Friday, we will likely get there mid-evening.

Should be a great time. But we will not likely be connected.

A full report on Sunday, and probably a harvest from the 150+ snap pea blossoms in the garden!

Toodles!

Mike here busting in on E's post. A few of our good friends played and another recorded this video to capture the spirit a couple of years ago, good way to spend a few minutes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1GQuoHkUyU

Carrots!

Look at the carrots really getting ready! I stuck my finger gently down into the soil and they do not appear to be very long yet, then again I have small fingers! I imagine I will have some triple or double carrots. I guess I don't have to sow two seeds per hole afterall. Those were some quality seeds from the dollar store!

Garden Update (Picture Heavy)

March 29:: This is how it started--in window box green houses. Here is a very small watermelon. These sprouts are about 3 weeks old.
These will be come sugar snap peas!

April 18:::Digging out the sod and creating the garden. I would soon find out that we should've made it much bigger!

Look at all those seedlings!

April 19::: Getting them all planted was fun. But looking back, I should've done a better job at marking what everything was. I also should have read the seed packages and given things more space!

April 30:::These are rows of soon to be sugar snap peas. I grew the ones in the back by the metal post in the window boxes. But they didn't grow in the boxes very easily--turns out they like to be sown directly into the garden better. Had I read the directions, I wouldn't have wasted half a seed packet trying to grow them inside in February! Doh! But can you believe they are sprouting in just 11 days??

Suffice it to say, those little wooden skewers didn't last long!

May 18::: Exactly one month and look at all that spinach! Next year, I think three plants yields more than enough for the two of us!

Whoah! Holy sugar snap peas, Batman!

Cilantro starting off well. And them there carrots also like to be sown directly into the ground!

Home Depot corn starts were a lovely late edition. And again, I should've read the directions with plant spacing. Growing up in Indiana (the corn capital of the US) you'd think I would've remembered just how gianormous those stalks can get!

Green beans. Sown from single beans directly into the soil.

May 27::: While back to the midwest for a long weekend, came back to some serious progress!With plenty of sunshine and a sprinkler system, things are starting to take off!

Had to up the ante with bamboo sticks from the Depot. To the right, spinach is coming along quite nicely and to the left, the carrot tops are filling in!

A different angle to capture the pea growth!

Green beans are getting leafy. Just beneath them (and above that packet of seeds) is the small little watermelon plant getting started.

I had split up the corn that came in the single package, and at this point I'm thinking that I should've split them up even more. I left a few singles and a few clumps just in case I was doing it wrong, I'd at least have a couple that might survive the splitting. Little did I know...

And up close shot of the biggest stalk! Look at the root wiring going on there! Holy smokes!

Even the single stalks of corn are doing well. I guess splitting them (or not) works either way?!

May 29::: Beans to the left, corn in the middle and some mint (bad bad bad idea) to the right. A few shots of the garden before our almost 2 week escapade to Lake Tahoe. Wonder what it will look like without us tending to it daily?

Snap peas are like little rocket ships!

Really filling out!

June 11::: Luciousness! After feeding the cats upon arrival, we both ran to the back to check out the damage. But to our surprise, the sprinklers and sunshine took care of it. Gotta love Mother Earth!

Carrot tops in clear need of a hair cut, a few weeds between them and the peas. Peas going for the sky and to the right my spinach going to seed! Oh no! The stalks of that spinach, when left unattended for almost 2 weeks, are about as thick as celery stalks!

Corn is gaining girth and that semi-round puff ball is the mint. Again, bad bad bad bad idea. You can see to the right of it there are some green onions that are getting choked out by the mint. To the left of the corn, the beans are getting nice and leafy!

Look at the leafy beans with the huge bare vines shooting for the stars! Still can't believe all this is coming from a little bean! I planted four beans around each stick thinking that invariably a few would not take. That is clearly not the case!

Holy sugar snap pea sighting!!!

In the back ground, corn is doing well, while a pepper plant is coming along. Again, would've been nice had I marked what KIND of pepper that is! Either jalepano or red/green bell. Note to self--do not drink champagne while planting next year's garden. Talk about "willy nilly"!!!

That right there is the watermelon vine going nutzo. Someone once told me that watermelon vines need a lot of room. I think I should've listened to them! This sucker is literally taking over the garden. It is slowly squishing out my lemon thyme and lavendar. Oh well.

Hard to believe that is the spinach on it's way to seeding. I did eventually butcherwhack that down. If I cut too much and killed it, I'm actually okay with that. It was such a high yield plant that frankly I'm tired of eating spinach!

June 16::: Sugar snap pea harvest time at the Vandiver's!! Those little suckers are not easy to pluck from there ever so delicate looking blossoms. Turns out crasping gently the base of the plant and twisting clockwise quickly is much more effective then trying to yank them off straight forward, and it doesn't damage the plant.

Proud! Official caption to read: "I cannot believe this came from a single pea planted into the ground."

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Notes/Observations/Thoughts:::

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Everything is completely organic here, down to the seeds and the compost from the local nursery.

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We are having a lot of fun tending to this, and it's most likely due to our great fortune in that everything is kind of working! I have new found respect for farmers, that for sure. While this has been fun and we've yielded more than I ever thought we would, it still feels like a long time to get a few peas and some spinach (and to date I still haven't pulled any beans, peppers or carrots yet!).

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Gardening is very theraputic.

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Zone 6 is a great climate to grow stuff.

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Next year, huge garden! It'll be better marked and the veggies and herbs will be separate.

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So so so so so much fun.

Maupin and a tradition

We have THE VW event that we wait for every year coming up over Father's day weekend. Normally we would have "busavaned" over from Portland with our good friends but this year brings us closer to yet another set of VW friends (a public health Dr. and avid NW volcano climber) that we can travel and hang out with.

The RendezVW is a very special event put on by a great family. The family vibe extends into every second of the weekend and child and adult alike end up leaving fulfilled but sad that they have to leave.........luckily the ride home presents itself with the hope of next year and an inner smile pushes itself to the lips.

Yeah...it really is that great.

Mike

HOME!

We made it back safe and sound! The cats are just as fat and happy as when we left thanks to good neighbors...and our garden is going bananas thanks to our sprinkler system!

It's good to be home and still have a few more days off! Yes!!!!!

Day 12.1

Mike's big plate of bisquits and gravy.

McMenamin's Old St. Francis School--so cute. Lots of old fixtures.

Day 12.1--En route to Walla Walla

We have created a new tradition. After every long schlep of a trip, we will stay in a neat hotel for the last night. I love sleeping in the bus, it is very comfortable. However, after over a week and half traveling in it, loading and reloading and bear proofing, a nice soft bed really makes the difference.

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Overcast and drizzly outside in Bend today. Sunshine and 80* in Walla Walla, so anxious to get back to the homestead and see how the cats and garden have faired.

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For those who have inquired, the bus drives excellent in snow and hail! A little jerky and lurchy between 1st and 2nd gears, but I'm thinking that is because the hail came down so fast and the big trucks created road ruts. Moving between the ruts with stopped traffic was no bueno. But otherwise, he did good. Heard folks in the restaurant last night complaining that their little compact cars were taking on water. Another good reason to drive a bus, you sit a little higher!

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Well that's all for now. 300 miles to home, I believe. More later!

Day 11.1

Day 11.1--The long haul to Bend and the Snow///Hail??

Got an early start this morning. Got the hankering to be home and off the road. As much as we love camping, it is a lot of work when you move from campsite to campsite. And that's how we roll, from spot to spot, because this country is so beautiful it's hard to sit still!

Didn't bother with making breakfast, so we drove about an hour and half to McCloud. Another great little old California town. Not at all what I think of when I think of California, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. We popped into this old time cafe for one of the most fabulous breakfasts ever. Great service in a historic building. What could be better?

Once we crossed over into the Oregon border, we were excited to be back in the Pacific NW. Not just because it is a beautiful state, but also because the Oregon State Parks are by far the best state parks in the country (not to mention the park pass that gives us free camping!)...But just about 7 miles into Oregon on Highway 97, where we were just about the only ones on the road, a highway patrolman came out of the blue hauling ass around us. Then we saw brake lights. It was pretty obvious right away that it was a big crash. So we stood still for about 5 minutes right south of a rest station I despirately needed to utilize. We were then detoured down the road into some beautiful horse country pasture, left wondering if everyone in that crash was okay.

Another few hours down the road, we decided we could definitely make it to Bend. It was such a cute stop on the way south the week before, we figured another evening there (and at Tumalo State Park) would be excellent. Even started to think about springing for a yurt at the campground since the clouds were telling of rain ahead, and we really didn't want to be soggy (again) while fixing dinner.

But...just as soon as well got to Bend city limits, the rain came fast and hard. Then it was like hail. Then giant wet snowflakes. Then more brake lights. Another accident? Nope, just Bend drivers stopping to watch the snow/hail/rain. Slightly frustrating since we really wanted to be out of the bus at McMenamins Pub again. Well we managed to get around all the stalled traffic just as the roads were getting really crappy.

Jumped out of the bus and instantly got soggy feet up to my knees about. ARGH! I'm so tired of being soggy! But great beer awaited. This little pub is in an old Catholic School house, they have a hotel with soaking pool, 2 bars and a movie theather. Hmmm....hotel? Blasphemy, I'm in my bus, my couch on wheels. Mmmm....hotel.

As I write, we have since checked into their last available room (guess I'm not the only one on a Tuesday that's tired of soggy feet), sipping a Ruby Ale and waiting on a calzone, while it's still raining. Mike is probably in the shower, and there's a bed made just for us.

Life is good on a soggy Tuesday! More adventures shall ensue, me thinks, so stay tuned!!!

Day 10.2

Day 10.2--Lassen Volcanic National Park

So once again, we managed to bite off a tad more than we could chew. Thought we could make it to Lassen Volcanic National Park as they had just opened the highway running through it. Now, the reason they just opened it up was because the highway goes through elevations pushing 8,500 feet. And with that elevation comes snow, and that snow typically isn't gone until July. Since we heard the road was opened, we assumed the campgrounds would be as well.

Yikes. After about 4 hours in the bus, we arrived at the south gate just before dusk. There was a campground right there at the entrance, but it was a walk in campground for those using tents. It would be another hour of hairpin turns and steep elevation (with no guardrails) at sundown before we reached the north campgroun, Crags. Now, don't get me wrong the views were spectacular! Lassen is very much a very active volcano, even has geothermal gas spewing and bubbling mud like at Yellowstone!

Once back at the campspot, we had to off load everything into the bear proof bins. Still not out of the woods and still sleeping amongst the bears!!! Once we got everything settled, Mike scuffed up his shin on a post. Not just his shin, but his extremely sunburnt (I'm guessing 2nd degree) shin from our 5 hour kayak ride. Thank you, Mom, for the tea tree oil! That sure came in handy.

Day 10

Day 10--The long awaited balloon ride!

Well, fortunately for us, there were no bear encounters last night, but Mike still found it very hard to sleep. And I managed to turn off the fear and get some sleep in. And that's a good thing, 4am came quickly. I was so relieved and mucho excited when Harvey, the skipper for Lake Tahoe Balloons, said that it was perfect ballooning weather.

I have no other words than, it was just another amazing experience. When we first took a ride on our honeymoon, we kept saying, "a once in a lifetime experience" and now we've done it twice. I have pledged to make it thrice and revisit again in another 5 years, if not sooner.

I will leave you with some pictures taken today. I took over a hundred, and actually I'm quite surprised it wasn't closer to two hundred. Lots of takes of the same frame, but had you been there, you would know why.

The journey back north starts here shortly. Hoping to make it to Lassen National Volcanic Park tonight. Stellar weather and plenty of firewood. Bill is ready to ride.

Toodles from the beautiful blue Lake Tahoe!

Day 8.2 and 9.1

Day 8.2 and 9.1--O'dark thirty wake up and some beautiful sunshine!

Holy shit, where do I start?? Day 8 was kind of a bust. Nothing but cold sideways rain and overcast skies. Couldn't keep anything dry. Went to S. Lake Tahoe and putzed around aimlessly. We just aren't the type that goes camping and ends up at a mall. But what else can you do when your campground is overtaken with disrespectful college kids? Tried to get my hair cut at the same place we had a couples massage at on our honeymoon, but they left me there waiting 45 minutes. Bunk!

So we started a fire just after dusk and it just wouldn't cooperate either. Too wet. I tried hard to not let the shitty weather get me down, but it did and at 10pm I was more than ready to call it a night. So I crawled into the snuggly fleece worm sack, tossed, turned and finally started to drift off. Then we heard something rubbing against the bus. We were not parked near anything for it to be the breeze. I instantly freaked out because there was some skuttlebutt about a bear sighting the night before. And then, about 600 meters away from our site I hear "GO! GO! Get out of here! BEEEEEEAAAAAAAAR!" Oh my effing gawd.

After realizing the coast was clear, we hopped out of the bus, ramped up the propane lantern and headed towards the screams (because going where the bear was is always a great idea!). Chatted with the campers who scared what they called a "little bear" away. Turns our they had their cooler on the tailgate of their car and were 10 feet away from it when they heard it come crashing down to the ground. Ballsy bear! Or ballsy humans?

On the way back to the bus we hear another couple screaming "GO! GET! Scram!" by the bathrooms. That buster was on the prowl and hungry apparently. Now I knew California is the black bear state and all, but even though we've camped in places that were bear-conscious, I never thought I'd ever be near one! So back at our campspot, I'm clearly not going to bed now. Afterall, the sheet metal in our bus is not all that thick and the two side windows are already spiderwebbed, one "brush up" from a clumpsy bear elbow and we'd be his dinner!

Threw a few more logs on the fire and retreated to our old Army perimeter guard ways. All I kept thinking about was the National Geographic "Human as Prey" show I watched about 7 people that were killed by a spooked mama bear in a California State Park. YIKES!!! Around midnight, we eventually crawled back into the sack, but we left the fire semi-stoked and the lantern on. A lovely full moon provided perfect creature searching ambient light, whereupon I proceeded to look out the back hatch nervously until about 2am. Mike snoring like a log not worried at all for his life!

Since we had rescheduled (for weather) our balloon flight for the next day, I had to get up at 4 to call in to see about the weather for the day's flight. Fortunately, I had one bar of signal in the bus and didn't have to risk being Buster's breakfast. Turns out that the clouds were still laying too low for flight, so I was able to get in a couple of hours of sleep. It was definitely an adventurous night!!

Day 9--

After a yummy breakfast, cooked of course looking over my shoulders for Buster the Bear, we cleaned up the site and packed up for the lake. First time in about 4 days the sun was shining! Long overdue. Parked right on the beach and hopped in the kayak at DL Bliss and paddled all the way to Emerald Bay. We're thinking it was about 5 miles each way.

Right now, we back in Tahoe City checking on emails, weather and eating at the Fat Cat Cafe again. This place rocks. Going to get supplies for tonight and then head back to Bearville!

As always, more pictures on my flickr.

Day 8

Day 8--Can't believe it's half way over!

Overcast again today. Really cold last night, but the fire was warm and the wine was smooth. Met some really cool folks in the campground. One gal has a SportsMobile that is really pimped out. Think: Dukes of Hazard van on drugs. The thing has everything.

Going to check out a ski village today before moving to DL Bliss campground for the next three nights. Praying for sunny skies and still winds...perfect for ballooning! Oh Please!

Day 7.3

Day 7.3--The best ever.

Overlooking Lake Tahoe from our campspot on Tahoe State Recreation Area. Small campground of only 27 spots. FULL MOON and free interweb to post this lovely picture.

Also drinking some great wine and met some neat camping people...

LIFE IS GOOD!

Day 7.2

Day 7.2--WE HATH ARRIVED!!!

And what is so funny about being in Lake Tahoe is that the weather is just as wonky as it was when we honeymooned here 5 years ago. FIVE YEARS!! Overcast with fast moving clouds, a few drizzles and briskness. I wouldn't be surprised in the least if it snowed. It snowed the first day we got here on the honeymoon.

Sitting at the Fat Cat Cafe enjoying a nice pilsner and some sweet potatoe fries. Good vibe here. Thinking if this rain holds up, we might hit up a movie? Or finally get my hair cut? The night is young so we shall see!!

Day 7.1

Day 7.1--Susanville enroute to Tahoe

Lots of rain at McArthur Burney Falls as we were packing up. In Susanville right now at a NAPA. Mike's timing light crapped the bed and the ones at NAPA aren't that good. Stealing some internet in the mean time.

144 miles to Tahoe! WOOT WOOT.

Bill is running excellent. Had some sputter-pop-pops but thought it might be from the elevation. Running the synthetic oil right now and Mike claims it needs changing again. Last change was in Bend at 59826 and we're at 60339, so about 500 miles. Supposed to be a Wally World up the road and may do a quick parking lot changearoo. Other than that, Bill is just as strong as evah!

More later from Tahoe!

Day 6

Day 6—Pacific Crest Trail and More Rain

A huge storm rolled through very early this morning. Around 4:45, I believe. Heavy loud drops accompanied by thunder and lightening. Even though it was a bit early to be awoken, it was nice to hear the big drops hitting the top of the bus. I must have been a solid hour of down pour. Managed to fall back asleep for a few more hours.

Once we got up, it was still a little drizzly but otherwise nice. Fixed a big breakfast, of which I managed to dump about half of mine as I tried to climb into the bus to eat. Go figure. Then the sun peaked out and the skies were all blue. Thought it would be a good day for a hike…and it was. We did the Rim and Rainbow Bridge trails, and then blazed upon the Pacific Crest Trail. Very cool. Saw lots of big old Ponderosa Pine trees, and surprisingly, some fence lizards as well. Must have hiked close to 5 miles. The feet and back hurt, but it was sure worth it. Got a few rain drops as we approached our camp and then as soon as we were seated, a slight down pour ensued. Good timing.

Johnsonville sausages, rice and the last ear of corn for dinner tonight. Oh and beer of course.

Day 5.2

Day 5.2—Mt Shasta and Mc Arthur Burney Falls

After a few hours in Dunsmuir, we headed back up north to hop on CA Route 89 and ended up stopping in the town of Mount Shasta. We passed through Mount Shasta on the way into Castle Crags, but I’m so glad we stopped in today. Super cute little town with lots of shops and things. Found the Landromat and washed a load. While it was drying we went down to the local art store. Couldn’t seem to find what we were looking for and hope that we will find it in Tahoe.

Most of the afternoon the rain came and went. By the time we arrived at Mc Arthur Burney Falls, we had a few sunbreaks and then some more thunderbumpers. Started the fire and got a stew going but quickly realized we (translation—I) did not bring the slow cooker seasoning packets. So we improvised with beer, water and a smidgen of peppercorn steak marinade. Not too shabby. While dinner cooked we went over to see the falls. Amazing! The trail head takes you almost right up on it. The temperature dropped 15* easily just right before the end of the trail. The falls are huge, but what is really impressive is the residual ground water flowing out along side it. I just cannot describe how breathtaking it is.

After the hike and after a hearty warm dinner, I pulled out the tiny dutch oven and used about 1/5 of a blueberry muffin mix for a late dessert. It took a lot longer to cook on the fire, probably because I was too scared I would burn it. But an hour later, it came out just fine and in good time to have let dinner digest. Nothing like fresh blueberries, either.

It is still raining but the fire is going strong. Mike is sipping a beer (IPA of some sort) slower than I have ever seen him! It’s called Hop Stoopid, and he says it’s a real kick in the teeth.

Hoping the weather cooperates more tomorrow so we can get on Lake Britton.

Day 5.1

Day 5.1--Dunsmuir

Got up bright and early. A little hung over from a great night and a great meal last night. Hanging out in Dunsmuir for the time being. Found a really cool coffee house with wifi and a creek running under neath it. At first glance this little town seemed like just a sneeze off the side of the road, but it looks as though we may have discovered something great here. More later!

Day 4.2

Day 4.2—Castle Crags

A long drive through the Umpqua and Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forests on the way to Mt. Shasta. But the end result was wonderful. We got a spot at Castle Crags State Park, which I almost booked while planning this trip. Have yet to view the Crag and see what that is all about, but this particular state park is literally right off Interstate 5. You can hear the road noise, but yet there are some old growth trees. It is still nice.

On the way in, we past through the charming little town of Weed. Yes, weed. It was like a pilgrimage for this bus. We even stopped in their souvenir store. Lots of love from the great little town of Weed who’s brewery’s slogan is: A friend in weed is a friend indeed. Too funny.

Just before parking for the night we stopped at a local gas station to pick up ice and beer. I got Mt Shasta Brewing Company’s Golden Ale, which isn’t too bad, and who’s bottle top echoes the city’s slogan.

Started a fire almost immediately as we drove through lunch. Had steaks marinating for two days (couldn’t seem to get a fire going for all the rain) so we decided being in California was indeed a reason for a feast. Just so happened to have corn on the cob and a French baguette from Trader Joes and of course some onions and potatoes from home. We also picked up a bottle of 2005 Hogue Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from the Wahluke Slope in Columbia Valley from Trader Joes. Just a bunch of lovely coincidences that led to one of the most fabulous meals of all time…and the most bestest from the campfire.

Just after dinner, we decided a hike to the Crags would be good. But a road sign speaking of over a mile discouraged us since it was getting dark and we didn’t bring the flashlights. Probably was a good idea as no sooner did we get back did the thunder bumpers start. Slight downpour ensued and we packed up the food and loaded it into the bear proof bin. And here I hunker down for the night with mosquitoes biting at my exposed bits, wishing I had remembered to pack the bug juice! There’s always something that is left behind.

Tomorrow—McArthur Burner Falls for 2 whole long nights…will be nice, just hope we can stay still for 2 days. Checked the forecast in Klamath Falls and wish I hadn’t. Nothing but rain and thunder bumpers. Who knows, it may just be the next best thing.

Day 4.1

Day 4.1--Crater Lake

Wow.

That's really all there is to say about Crater Lake. Even with overcast skies (and clouds that kind of keep you from getting the true blue experience) and the snow, that lake sure is something majestic. Very gorgeous. Had a big breakfast at the restaurant since it was so darn cold and wet at Diamond Lake.

Glad we got up early and made it to Crater Lake before everyone else. There was some sort of classic car club convention there. Lots of really old restored hot rods and such.

Right now we are in Klamath Falls and about 73 miles from our planned campspot outside of Mt Shasta. We are actually a day ahead of our outlined route, so we're hoping to nab a good spot at Castle Crags State Park.

But first a stop in Weed, California, because you know, we are in a bus!

This post brought to you by the free parking lot internet at the Klamath Falls Super 8.